Chapter 716: Chapter 77: Butcher on a Rainy Night_4
Daley suddenly had nothing to say; after all, what comes around goes around.
The half ended with the score at 45:46, with the Trail Blazers taking a 1-point lead.
The intensity of the match suggested that tonight’s viewership ratings would explode again.
This might be the only reason that David Stern could endure it; fans love to watch this kind of competition.
Tonight, Portland fans were incredibly fanatic, turning Memorial Coliseum into the Roman Colosseum.
Apart from inside the arena, a large group of fans gathered outside as well, with the Portland Police Department deploying officers to maintain order at the scene.
However, at halftime, a sudden downpour in Portland dispersed the fans outside, which in turn eased the police’s burden.
The typical Portland rain did nothing to cool the enthusiasm of the fans or the metaphorical smoke of the battlefield.
During the halftime break in the locker room, Gan Guoyang sat on the bench in silence, and no one dared to disturb him.
He had a strong aura of aggression about him, and even though everyone supported him, this unusual aggressiveness was intimidating.
Only Beelman, who had been coaching Gan Guoyang since high school, had the courage to approach him, crouching in front of Ah Gan and saying, "You still need to control yourself."
Gan Guoyang nodded, responding, "I understand."
On the other side, in the Pistons’ locker room, Chuck Daly was livid.
It was a case of being pecked in the eye by the geese he’d hunted all his life; the Pistons had been suppressed by the Trail Blazers’ physical contact in the first half.
The players were timid on both offense and defense, with Dennis Rodman failing to make an impact in the second quarter.
"What the hell are they playing at? Becoming kittens when they face the Trail Blazers, when they face Ah Gan?"
"We’ve been passive the whole time, constantly taking hits. Wasn’t the beating we got in 1987 enough?"
Thinking about the 1987 Finals, Daly was reminded of the punch he got from Jack Ramsey.
Now that Ramsey had retired to Florida, that bald head got off lightly.
"Get it together! This is war, it’s either kill or be killed!"
The always image-conscious Daly only showed his brutal side in the locker room.
It was the beastliness resulting from years of poverty and frustration. He hid it well, but he would stop at nothing for success.
However, Daly still underestimated Gan Guoyang’s determination, underestimated the true meaning of the word "war," and the price that came with it.
During the halftime break in the locker room, Bill Laimbeer sat without saying a word, while Isiah Thomas, just like in 1989, was clamoring, "No one can enter our Three Second Zone! Let’s crush them!"
Last year, with the Trail Blazers eliminated in the Western Conference Finals, Thomas proclaimed the Pistons as the predetermined champions, for no one wanted to risk their professional careers by entering the Pistons’ territory.
Thomas was so blatantly arrogant, so confident after securing the 1989 championship.
He still held respect for Ah Gan, but in his view, even if they couldn’t beat Ah Gan, the Pistons would win.
This was the NBA, not a boxing match.
Laimbeer had a better understanding of Ah Gan, with a richer experience of taking hits.
Before the start of the third quarter, Laimbeer warned Thomas, "Isiah, Ah Gan is serious tonight, be careful not to provoke him."
However, Thomas mocked Laimbeer, "Oh my God, Bill, are you really saying this? Is this you? Are you actually pregnant?"
"Go to hell, I’m serious, it’s up to you to listen or not."
Thomas was in great form tonight, having already scored 16 points in the first half, quickly approaching his average score in the series against the Bulls.
The Trail Blazers’ perimeter defense lacked aggression, and Thomas exploited this with his nimble dribbling and accurate jump shots, constantly scoring over Porter’s head.
Porter couldn’t stop Thomas.
CBS praised the first half of tonight’s Finals as a fight ring during their halftime broadcast.
"We anticipated this to some extent, but the intensity of the match far exceeded our expectations."
Dick Stockton commented that this would likely be his last series and last finals as a CBS commentator.
After this season, CBS would end its cooperation with the NBA, and Dick would move on to either NFL or MLB commentary.
After 15 minutes of calm following the start of the third quarter, the intense atmosphere of the two teams slightly subsided.
Porter’s outside shot missed, and Gan Guoyang tapped the ball out to the perimeter, where Hornacek caught it and hit a mid-range jumper.
Thomas repeatedly executed pick-and-rolls with Melvin Turpin on the left side, feeding the ball inside, which resulted in Turpin drawing a foul from Sabonis.
Both free throws went in.
Gan Guoyang received the pass on the baseline, went one-on-one with Turpin, and made a mid-range shot.
After a single pick-and-roll, Thomas found an opening in the middle, took the mid-range shot, and made it.
Both sides seemed much calmer, as if the deadly fight of the first half had passed.
Yet, beneath the surface calm often lies the potential for explosive power.
The Pistons struck first, and as Porter broke through on a counterattack, Laimbeer aggressively pulled him down from behind.
Although Laimbeer knew a storm was coming, he thought to himself, what was there to fear?
He was a tough player, performing quite well tonight, causing significant trouble for the Trail Blazers under the basket.
After the foul, Laimbeer watched Ah Gan, anticipating any sneaky moves from him.
But Gan Guoyang didn’t seem that interested in Laimbeer; as Porter went to the free-throw line, making one of two shots.
The second shot missed, but Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound and went up for a layup, only to be harshly hit from behind by Isiah Thomas!
