Chapter 1413: Chapter 40: Unanimous Approval
Kobe and Riddle were suspended due to a conflict that broke out during training.
However, the Trail Blazers announced that Riddle and Kobe were affected by injuries and were placed on the watch list.
On the night of the 4th, the Trail Blazers played against the Chicago Bulls as visitors, facing a disadvantage due to the absence of two key players.
In the last battle between Gan Qiao and the Bulls in Portland, Gan Guoyang’s miraculous buzzer-beater left the entire team eager to reclaim victory.
Moreover, with this game being at the United Center in Chicago, the Bulls had no reason to let this victory slip away.
Unexpectedly, the Trail Blazers, minus two main players, had a strong start. They led the Bulls 31-25 in the first quarter.
Van Exel delivered an outstanding performance from beyond the arc against the Bulls, hitting three three-pointers in the first quarter, leaving Phil Jackson exceptionally frustrated.
The Bulls’ loss to the Trail Blazers last time was ultimately due to falling prey to the Trail Blazers’ three-point shooting.
In all other respects, the Bulls were superior to the Trail Blazers, yet the Trail Blazers’ higher number of three-pointers gave them a natural scoring efficiency advantage.
Coupled with Gan Guoyang’s magical final shot, it handed the Bulls their most gut-wrenching defeat this season.
After their loss to the Trail Blazers, the Bulls immediately launched an 11-game winning streak, showcasing their strong dominance.
The disadvantage in the first quarter made Jackson very worried about a repeat of the situation from 1992—losing the psychological edge to the Portland Trail Blazers during the regular season.
This is what the Bulls feared most. If the two teams meet again in the Finals this year, could the psychological gap become a decisive factor?
So, at the beginning of the second quarter, the Bulls began implementing aggressive defense, with Jordan and Pippen both joining in on the encirclement against Van Exel.
The result was Gan Guoyang took center stage, coordinating and seizing small defensive gaps in the Bulls’ defense, consistently assisting teammates in scoring.
Gan Guoyang himself repeatedly succeeded in one-on-one plays during crucial moments, helping the Trail Blazers extend their halftime lead to 61-49, leading by 12 points at the half.
Nobody expected this—not even Gan Guoyang himself. Was it possible that this Trail Blazers team was so tactically equipped to counter the Bulls?
If they could make it to the Finals this year, could they possibly overturn the Bulls and reclaim the lost championship right away?
Gan Guoyang, always a bit anxious and jittery, began dreaming of the splendid scenario of defeating the Bulls in the Finals and returning to the peak.
But in the third quarter, this Chicago Bulls team began to show why they won 72 games last season; they are a historically strong team.
The 15-minute halftime allowed the entire Bulls team to calm down, with Jordan telling everyone in the locker room, "I will not allow us to lose again to the Trail Blazers, to lose again to Ah Gan."
The Bulls shifted their previous overly defense-reliant mindset against the Trail Blazers, always thinking "defense first, then counterattack."
They started seeking breakthroughs on offense, as defense was indeed the Trail Blazers’ real weakness.
That’s how basketball works; both sides are dynamic, and balancing defense and offense is an art form.
The Bulls didn’t immediately turn the situation around in the third quarter because Gan Guoyang seemed divinely inspired, hitting mid-range jumpers consistently.
But the Bulls gradually narrowed the gap, regaining the initiative in the game.
Ah Gan, you’ve got to rest at some point, right? During the regular season, you need to sit on the bench for a little while at the start of the fourth quarter, right?
The absence of Riddle and Kobe shortened the Trail Blazers’ rotation, and the players’ stamina was affected in the fourth quarter.
The Trail Blazers’ superb situation finally collapsed, as the Bulls went on an 8-0 run in the three minutes when Gan Guoyang rested, overtaking the score.
Bird called a timeout, but it had no effect; the Bulls had gained momentum, their offense was becoming smoother, and the Triangle Offense opened up space and gaps, inspiring each player’s tactical creativity.
At this point, Gan Guoyang’s return to the court was useless; he couldn’t defend against five on his own.
If he covered the strong side, there would inevitably be gaps on the weak side.
If he protected the weak side, the strong side had individual play opportunities.
Individual strength has its limitations. This season, the Trail Blazers have consistently struggled against strong offensive teams.
For instance, they’ve lost cleanly in both games against the Jazz.
In the past, when Gan Guoyang played against the Jazz, with Sabonis and Petrović assisting, it was a sure win.
Now, with the Trail Blazers’ defense declining, teams like the Jazz, with their mature offense, leave Gan Guoyang overwhelmed.
Once the defense can’t hold, Gan Guoyang has no choice but to increase offensive pressure, but it’s too late.
Ultimately, the Bulls completed their comeback in the fourth quarter, with the score fixed at 100-107.
The Bulls scored 58 points in the second half, while the Trail Blazers only managed 39, and Jordan successfully avenged the previous buzzer-beater loss.
Van Exel gradually lost his touch against the Bulls’ tall, strong, yet agile defensive wing players.
Having shot 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, he finished the game 4-for-10 from three-point range, making just 1 of his remaining 6 attempts.
Harper, Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman formed the most agile and pressuring defensive line in NBA history.
Even so, the Bulls still couldn’t solve Ah Gan on the defensive end; he still efficiently scored 33 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and had 10 assists for the game.
Phil Jackson admitted after the game, "Ah Gan is the player we worry about the most. We can limit any attacker in the league, but we can’t with Ah Gan. He’s not entirely inside the paint, nor is he entirely outside. Dealing with him is the hardest thing in the world. Fortunately, basketball is a team sport; we have a team. We’re not fighting alone."
