Chapter 709: Chapter 75: You are the Bug
Tense atmosphere spread throughout the court.
Everyone understood the significance of this match, so they all knew the intensity of this finals.
In the stands at Memorial Coliseum, David Stern looked solemn, while sitting next to him, Tang Jianguo appeared relaxed, even wearing a smile.
Stern obviously knew that when these two teams entered the finals, violent incidents were almost certain to occur.
Thus, for the first game, he specifically arranged for Earl-Strom to lead the refereeing, hoping to control the situation.
For their home game, the Trail Blazers invited the rising singing star Mariah Carey to perform the national anthem, hoping to add a touch of a peaceful atmosphere to the match.
Her performance was spectacular, but neither team’s players were in the mood to appreciate it; their eyes were only on the game.
The Pistons had just finished a game seven, and though physically exhausted, they were still in game mode.
On the other hand, the Trail Blazers had rested for a week, which could lead to complacency, so before the game, Gan Guoyang mobilized his team.
Ah Gan appeared in the majestic opening ceremony, while the Detroit players seemed to have blood in their eyes.
Isiah Thomas actually hadn’t performed well in the Eastern finals, as the Bulls’ backcourt defense was really strong.
Luckily, they won, and Thomas was ready to focus all his energy on the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan.
After both teams officially entered the court, no one shook hands, they just stood in position ready to start the game.
Trail Blazers’ starters: Sabonis, Gan Guoyang, Kossie, Hornacek, Porter.
Pistons’ starters: Bill Lambier, Melvin Turpin, Dennis Rodman, Dumars, and Thomas.
The once lackey Dennis Rodman, was now a starting forward for the Pistons.
Daley had Aguirre come off the bench to fill the gap in bench scoring power.
Compared to three years ago, Rodman had matured quite a bit. Before the jump ball, he stood next to Ah Gan, fearless.
The rookie of 1987, Dennis Rodman, was fearless like a calf in front of a tiger. Now matured and having made it to the All-Star team and best defensive lineup, he was even more unyielding towards Ah Gan.
In this year’s Best Defensive Player ranking, Rodman was only second to Ah Gan, as the Little Bug was evolving into a big bug.
"Rumor has it, you can beat me so bad I can’t make it on the court?" Gan Guoyang asked.
"Yes, I’ve said it, if you dare to touch me or my teammates."
"Then it seems we’re set for a battle tonight."
"That’s what I think as well, I’m prepared."
"No, you’re not, you’re not prepared. Let me tell you how to get prepared, tonight I’m definitely going to knock you out, you better mentally prepare yourself, and maybe buy some insurance during a timeout."
Throughout this exchange, Gan Guoyang did not look at Rodman until the end when he briefly glanced at him, their eyes locking.
Gan Guoyang squeezed out through clenched teeth: "In my eyes, you’re just a bug."
Rodman finally did not respond, partly because the game had started with the jump ball.
On the other hand, a trace of fear finally emerged in his heart.
Tonight, Ah Gan seemed very serious, extremely serious.
Throughout the entire series in 1990, Gan Guoyang was very serious and focused, in every single game.
At times some games displayed him as overly vicious and brutal, constantly crushing his opponents.
This was a trait rarely shown by Gan Guoyang during his first triple championship.
A king often exercises benevolence when he ascends to the throne, but as time passes and to maintain his rule, it often turns cruel.
As more and more challengers grow and emerge without end.
Melvin Turpin and Sabonis performed the jump ball, the tall Sabonis touched the ball first, Trail Blazers’ first attack unfolded, and the game began.
On the first play, Gan Guoyang immediately positioned low to test the Pistons’ strategy for defending the low post tonight.
Guarding Gan Guoyang one-on-one was Turpin, one who had been physically handled by Gan Guoyang before, Turpin improved quite a bit over the past two years, his style of play becoming more serene and fewer dirty tricks.
He truly honed his defensive skills, holding very solid positions in the low post.
Nevertheless, Ah Gan quickly broke through with his powerful strength, while Dumars quickly moved towards Gan Guoyang, teetering on the edge of illegal defense, preparing to double-team.
Hornacek made a feint pass and seeing Dumars move, he shot a three-pointer directly, but the ball hit the front of the rim and he missed.
Dennis Rodman burst out and grabbed the defensive rebound, while Turpin firmly entangled Gan Guoyang, not giving him a chance to rush for an offensive rebound.
In such a situation, Gan Guoyang was completely unable to rush for the offensive rebound, yet Rodman as a small forward had strong rebounding abilities.
Together with Bill Lambier’s outstanding backcourt rebounding capability, for the Trail Blazers who had dominated offensive rebounds and second-chance attacks in the Western Conference, it definitely marked a challenge.
Switching to Pistons’ attack, Lambier pulled completely to the outside to make a screen for his teammates.
Turpin pretended to want the ball at the low post, actually to distract Gan Guoyang’s defensive attention.
The ball moved quickly outside for the Pistons and during a pick and roll, Lambier mismatched against Terry Porter.
He received the ball and shot a three-pointer directly from outside, but missed.
Under the basket, Gan Guoyang turned and grabbed the defensive rebound, Pistons retreated very quickly.
As soon as Gan Guoyang turned around, all Trail Blazers had already returned to the half-court.
Indeed, the Pistons’ defense was the best in the League, impeccable in details.
They were much more refined than in 1987, naturally making them tougher to play against.
Kossie made a breakthrough at the top of the arc with the help of Sabonis’s screen, but was knocked down by Lan Bi’er in the three-second zone.
Lan Bi’er raised his hands with an innocent look towards the referee, and boos from the fans began to resonate around the stadium.
The slow-motion replay showed a solid foul, hitting Kossie right in the ribcage.
It was truly painful; Kossie seemed to have had the wind knocked out of him, bending over to catch his breath for a while before standing up at the free-throw line.
Lan Bi’er showed no mercy, starting his antics against the Trail Blazers players early on.
Fortunately, everyone was an old acquaintance and wouldn’t get heated over such "minor" actions.
Kossie made one of two free throws, giving the Trail Blazers the first points.
He missed the second shot, Lan Bi’er grabbed the defensive rebound, and Thomas sped up for a fast break.
In the middle, Thomas wasn’t closely pressured by the Trail Blazers players, giving him the chance to shoot directly.
Gan Guoyang came out to block, but Thomas cleverly passed the ball to a cutting Melvin Turpin, who caught the ball and dunked it with both hands!
On the counterattack, Porter circled to screen, receiving a pass from Gan Guoyang and pulling up for a jump shot that did not go in.
Lan Bi’er grabbed another defensive rebound, Sabonis tried twice to go for the offensive rebound but both times Lan Bi’er blocked him out.
"Give up the offensive rebound, get back on defense faster, Arvydas!"
Gan Guoyang reminded Sabonis, advising him not to fixate on the offensive rebounds.
The Pistons weren’t the Suns or the Spurs, Lan Bi’er may seem far inferior to David Robinson, but facing him directly you’d realize, he’s tougher than Robinson.
His defense on the defensive rebounds was top-notch in the league.
Unlike Robinson, relying on his athleticism to block shots everywhere, Lan Bi’er wouldn’t do that.
Sometimes that would create gaps and lose rebounds, disrupting the defense.
Lan Bi’er wouldn’t make such mistakes; knowing his own limitations in speed and jumping, he focused more on guarding the defensive rebounds.
The Pistons counterattacked again, but Thomas’ mid-range shot didn’t go in.
Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound, but this time Dennis Rodman clung onto Gan like glue, trying to steal the ball on the spot.
Unafraid of Gan Guoyang’s sharp elbows, Rodman knew he couldn’t steal but aimed to delay the Trail Blazers’ counterattack, creating trouble for their offense.
However, this time, Jerome Kossie received Porter’s pass and his mid-range shot from the corner went in.
The first field goal of the game.
The Trail Blazers did not start the game fixated on exploiting Gan Guoyang.
Bobby Beelman said, although Gan would certainly find his rhythm, it was more important for the others to get a feel for the game.
Then, Thomas passed a piercing ball from the top of the arc directly to the basket.
The receiver, Dumars, faced with Ah Gan’s long arms, opted to not go for the layup but dribbled out to reorganize.
Ah Gan didn’t follow, instead, he stayed in the three-second zone, coordinating the defense with Sabonis.
Chuck Daley smoothed his hair, seeing that the Trail Blazers also played meticulously and rationally.
Ah Gan wouldn’t leave the three-second zone as easily as against the Suns to extend his defense. Not because the Pistons had strong offensive rebounds, but because the Pistons had great internal and external teamwork, multifold tactics, and selfless playing style.
Once leaving the three-second zone to chase outside shots, the paint area might be heavily exploited.
However, Dumars, who reorganized the offense, made a passing error.
Terry Porter’s steal initiated a Trail Blazers counterattack.
Porter passed to Kossie speeding down the middle, Kossie’s layup was disturbed, and his toss didn’t hit the mark.
Following up, Gan Guoyang grabbed an offensive rebound and went for a dunk, but Dennis Rodman hit Gan hard from behind, causing Gan to lose balance and fiercely hitting Gan’s arm, fouling him.
Gan Guoyang staggered, nearly falling, but his excellent balance allowed him to stay upright.
He turned and charged towards Rodman, who retreated with a laugh.
Boos filled the arena, and the referee hurried over to prevent a clash, with Pistons players gathering around—except Lan Bi’er.
"I’m just taking the initiative! I’m waiting for you to knock me out!" Rodman yelled at Gan Guoyang.
Even feeling inwardly scared, Rodman mustered the courage to do what he needed to do.
Gan Guoyang calmed himself down, took a deep breath, and stood at the free-throw line.
He confidently made both shots, and the Trail Blazers continued to maintain their initial pressure.
Gan Guoyang thought to himself, the Pistons players really hadn’t learned their lesson.
Chuck Daley was still promoting his aggressive basketball philosophy.
There was no helping it; after all, that strategy had won them a championship before.
In the past no matter how Gan Guoyang played, he was always moderate in his actions.
Even if he knocked or slammed opponents to the ground, in the end, everyone was unharmed.
First, he played to win the game, not to fight people.
Second, being away he had to restrain himself, plus wrestling and elbowing were indeed dangerous.
But tonight, Gan Guoyang felt it was time for them to pay some price.
Taking advantage of the early stages of the series, while the game was not yet at a critical must-win point.
