Chapter 24 Best Friends_4

You could say that the Trail Blazers' three big men were all maxed out on flexibility, capable of various combinations with the guards.

In the middle of the second quarter, after Barkley scored under the basket, Divac made a long, full-court pass from the backcourt directly to the frontcourt, where Petrović caught the ball for an easy layup, nabbing two points.

The entire Memorial Coliseum erupted in joy; Bill Schonely bellowed, "Rip-city!"

Gan Guoyang, sitting on the bench, also stood up to cheer for Divac—that pass was too spectacular and beautiful.

This kind of play was almost standard for European centers; Divac and Sabonis could both pull it off.

The Washington Bullets called a timeout, and it was then that Beelman had Divac and Cliff-Robinson substituted out for Gan Guoyang and Sabonis.

"That was beautiful, a milestone performance. You'll have more opportunities in the second half," Beelman encouraged Divac.