Cartwright, Williams, and Grant were under immense pressure. To be honest, in their entire careers, they had never encountered an interior defender with as much suppressive force as Ah Gan.
Elite defensive centers like Olajuwon, Parish, Gilmore, and Jabbar paled in comparison to Ah Gan.
Ah Gan's defensive aggression was overwhelming, and the psychological pressure he exerted on opponents was enormous—this stemmed from the day-by-day accumulation during the regular season.
A defensive player who doesn't defend seriously in the regular season, letting his guard down and allowing opponents to put together standout performances, loses the ability to psychologically suppress them later. Guarding them becomes much harder afterward.
