Chapter 717: Chapter 77: The Butcher on a Rainy Night_5
Thomas committed a fierce foul, hitting Gan Guoyang’s arm and head. After the foul, Thomas immediately walked away, avoiding a direct confrontation with Ah Gan.
Gan Guoyang glared at Thomas, said nothing, and did nothing, and went to the free-throw line to make both shots.
Midway through the third quarter, the score was 61:63, with the Trail Blazers leading by 2 points.
The rain outside was getting heavier.
Thomas had already scored 22 points; he was on fire.
Porter couldn’t keep up with Thomas’ pace, often revealing weaknesses with a change of speed or direction.
With Ah Gan being tangled up by Melvin Turpin, they needed a forward with strong defensive skills to cover Thomas.
But this was precisely where the Trail Blazers were lacking; Kossie was too clumsy, he was no Pippen.
In 1987, the Trail Blazers had a tall backcourt and many forwards, but now they were a new team.
Thomas shook off Porter again, stopped abruptly, and made a jump shot, tying the score at 62:62.
After scoring, Thomas made a throat-slitting gesture towards Ah Gan, provoking him.
In response, Gan Guoyang and Porter executed a pick and roll, with Gan cutting out to receive the ball and hitting a mid-range jumper.
The Pistons quickly inbounded the ball; Thomas pushed forward rapidly, using a screen by Lan Bi’er at the top, accelerated again, and burst towards the basket.
Sabonis was pulled out to the perimeter, and Gan Guoyang was not in the three-second zone; Turpin ran to the wing to open up the inside space.
Thomas accelerated towards the basket; Gan Guoyang fiercely rushed over and jumped to block.
His elbow, hard as steel, thudded into Thomas’s face, hitting him right in the face!
Everyone on the court heard a cracking sound, crisp like snapping a soda cracker.
Like a kite with its string cut, Thomas fell to the ground, completely still, limply lying there.
The players on the court froze, unsure of what had happened.
The first to react was Thomas’ good friend, Mark Aguirre, who knew it was over; Thomas might be dead!
As his friend, ignoring everything, he charged at Gan Guoyang, who did not retreat or dodge but met him and threw a punch right at Aguirre’s face!
Gan Guoyang’s punch was both precise and ruthless, knocking Aguirre down with a huge impact.
With two Pistons players down, the situation completely erupted; Chuck Daley, acting crazily, charged onto the court, shouting at the referees, shouting at Ah Gan!
The assistant coach desperately held him back, but Gan Guoyang ran straight towards Daley; the Trail Blazers players blocked the Pistons players who tried to rush forward.
Strom was checking on Thomas, and the other two referees were calming everyone else; Gan Guoyang directly charged toward Daley.
Daley was taken aback; Gan Guoyang looked at Daley, raised his hand, and slapped him across the face, leaving Daley dazed and confused.
Dennis Rodman, seeing his mentor hit, was furious, broke through the blockade, and swung his fist at Ah Gan.
Gan Guoyang, as calm as a killing machine, dodged Rodman’s clumsy punch with a tilt of his head.
This time, he didn’t go for any wrestling protection; he threw another punch right at Rodman’s face, knocking him out!
Gan Guoyang’s boxing skills were similarly top-notch, with powerful, fast, and accurate punches.
To improve his combat capabilities, boxing was a must-practice activity in his summers; Tang Jin even wanted to sign Ah Gan for professional boxing competitions.
The scene was complete chaos, but Ah Gan was cold as a butcher; after knocking out three Pistons players, he knew he would be ejected.
In the chaos, he also targeted Lan Bi’er, who was also riled up and knew he couldn’t escape.
So he had already charged forward, yelling, "Fuck you, Sonny!"
Another punch, straight to the chin, fast and accurate, also sending him to sleep.
By this time, the Pistons players had calmed down; were they going to charge forward to their deaths?
Moreover, this was Portland, with tens of thousands of fans; could they possibly escape?
For Ah Gan, this place was sacred.
Turpin yelled, "Check on Isiah! Stop fighting! He might be dead! Doctor! Doctor!"
A bloodstain marked Thomas’s forehead, blood flowing profusely; he was completely unconscious.
Everyone’s hearts were trembling; Ah Gan, who had crossed the line, was terrifying like a murderer.
The Pistons finally paid the price for their continual misuse of violence.
David Stern, breaking the rules, ran onto the court to check on Thomas.
Thankfully, he was still breathing, not dead, but the situation was dire; the wound was severe.
Medical personnel rapidly entered the court, lifting Thomas onto a stretcher and taking him to the hospital.
Lan Bi’er, Rodman, and Mark Aguirre were all soundly asleep; the Pistons were down by half their team in an instant.
Stern ran up to Ah Gan, saying, "Sonny, you’ve caused a mess! What are you doing? What are you doing!"
The television stations must have captured the footage of Stern and Ah Gan, so Stern was desperately trying to control his emotions.
Gan Guoyang said, "This is the price the Pistons have to pay, and the price for the League’s condoning of violence."
"That’s right, condoning violence; the greatest violence I condone is you!"
"I’m just retaliating, David! Portland and I have never actively attacked opponents; we are basketball players! But the League allows teams like Detroit to exist, putting everyone at risk! As long as the opponents play clean, we are the cleanest team in the League! Our technical fouls are the fewest!"
David Stern had nothing to say; the League had indeed been indulgent of the Pistons for the past two years, all for the sake of ratings and topics.
Gan Guoyang also benefited from this indulgence, but when opponents played cleanly, the Trail Blazers were indeed a very clean team.
Apart from some inevitable conflicts, they never resorted to dirty or underhanded tactics, consistently having the fewest technical fouls in the League.
Finally, David Stern could only say, "Pray that Thomas doesn’t have any serious problems, or else... it’s over for you."
Gan Guoyang responded, "No, I won’t be finished; if I’m finished, so is the NBA. As for Thomas, God bless him."
After speaking, Gan Guoyang left the chaotic court, while the fans, somewhat slow to react, then gave enthusiastic applause and cheers.
David Stern, listening to these applause and cheers, looked around, lost in confusion.
