Chapter 724: Chapter 81: The Great Wall Stands Forever_4
O’Donnell wasn’t very friendly to Ah Gan either—since O’Donnell and Strom did not get along well, the two almost never officiated the same game together.
The selection of O’Donnell as the referee for game four, with the Trail Blazers playing away, was extremely disadvantageous for them.
Sure enough, not long after the first quarter began, Sabonis was penalized twice and had to rest, forcing Gan Guoyang to take the center position.
However, Gan Guoyang still possessed unmatched power at the center position; the only way to stop him was to have him sit on the bench.
O’Donnell was extremely strict with physical contact calls in this game, especially harsh on the interior defense of the Trail Blazers.
In the first half alone, Gan Guoyang was penalized three times and shortly after the start of the third quarter, he received his fourth foul due to a block caused by Thomas’s breakthrough.
Gan Guoyang was baffled by the call and went to argue with O’Donnell, who warned him, "Control your actions and temper, if you still want to stay in the Finals."
Bobby Beelman loudly protested against O’Donnell and sweetly inquired about his entire family, earning a technical foul.
Gan Guoyang had no choice but to be substituted out early, boosting the morale of the Pistons as The Palace of Auburn Hills erupted in cheers, and banners mocking Gan Guoyang waved continuously.
Seizing this opportunity, the Pistons widened the gap, and by the time Gan Guoyang re-entered the game, the Trail Blazers were trailing by 11 points.
In the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang led his team in a desperate counterattack, making this game the most intense basketball scene of the finals so far.
Both teams played cleanly, purely relying on skill for offense; Thomas, wearing a mask, completely ignored his facial injury and charged with the ball.
During a crucial play, he drew a defensive foul on Gan Guoyang—Gan Guoyang’s fifth foul, with Thomas making both free throws, taking a 2-point lead.
O’Donnell’s call on this foul was borderline; it could have been called either way, and if called, Gan Guoyang really had no complaints—it was basic discretion for an NBA referee.
However, the subsequent call was the most fatal; Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post and was triple-teamed by the Pistons, with Dumars, Lan Bi’er, and Rodman closing in.
Their tactics were precise and ruthless; there were actions with hands and feet, Gan Guoyang was tripped by Lan Bi’er, and the ball was stolen by Rodman.
Yet, O’Donnell did not blow the whistle, deeming it a clean steal, and the Pistons launched a quick counterattack to score, bringing their lead to 4 points!
The Palace of Auburn Hills was like a flaming inferno from hell, like a scalding cauldron prepared by Satan.
Gan Guoyang wasn’t angry; he knew he couldn’t give O’Donnell another chance to call a technical foul on him; otherwise, he would be thrown out.
But Bobby Berman couldn’t hold back and once again rushed forward to warmly inquire about O’Donnell’s family, resulting in his second technical foul and expulsion from the game.
Ultimately, it was up to Adelman to set up the critical strategy for the Trail Blazers; under tremendous pressure, Gan Guoyang scored a direct three-pointer, closing the score to 97:98, just 1 point behind.
But this 1 point became an insurmountable divide for the Trail Blazers—they had used too many timeouts earlier and had none left.
The Trail Blazers had to resort to fouling; Thomas made both free throws, and from the backcourt, Gan Guoyang threw a deep three-pointer that rimmed out, causing all in The Palace of Auburn Hills to break into a cold sweat.
97:100, the Pistons took the fourth game, tying the Finals at 2:2.
After the game, Isiah Thomas removed his mask and proudly told reporters, "We’ve come out of difficulties, and we will continue the finals in Detroit; it feels amazing!"
The finals’ 2-3-2 format, which had helped the Trail Blazers back in 1986, was now poised to aid the Detroit Pistons.
Gan Guoyang returned in the fourth game to achieve 30 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks; his 5 fouls undoubtedly affected his performance.
Bobby Berman, for being impulsive, was ejected, resulting in the team not having a head coach for the final moments.
Back in the locker room, Berman apologized to everyone, saying he was too impulsive and ruined the victory.
Gan Guoyang said, "Even if you were there, you couldn’t have set up a better strategy than Rick, Bobby. It’s not your fault."
"Bad news for everyone, we have to play game five at The Palace of Auburn Hills. This year, the Pistons haven’t lost a playoff game there."
"But good news, games six and seven will be in Portland, and we haven’t lost there either, so we still have the advantage."
Gan Guoyang’s words somewhat relaxed everyone.
But he knew well that such undefeated records held no actual value.
Game five might very well be the decisive battle for the series, and they must win it.
While the fourth game’s loss was due to O’Donnell, the chief referee for the fifth game would definitely not be O’Donnell.
Now the real issue wasn’t the referees but that the Trail Blazers needed to rest well and return to their best form.
In recent days, Detroit fans, like crazed, have been harassing the Trail Blazers near their hotel; local police have ignored calls for help.
While the Trail Blazers were distressed, Gan Guoyang received a call back at the hotel from his father-in-law Wang Zhengmin.
He had heard about the situation from his daughter and was taking steps to resolve it.
"Dad, how will you handle it? Please don’t be rash."
"Don’t worry, my good son-in-law! We, the Chinese people from several major cities, have been heading to Detroit since yesterday! We’ll clear the area around your hotel, ensuring it’s quiet and peaceful for a good night’s sleep!"
As Wang Zhengmin predicted, over the next two nights, many Asian faces in black jackets began appearing around the Trail Blazers’ hotel.
They acted in packs, beating up Pistons fans who harassed the players near the hotel, using clubs and throwing manure, driving away these white people of Detroit.
Whenever the police arrived, they quickly scattered, escaping in designated vehicles.
Even if one or two were caught, spending a couple of days in the station was a trivial matter.
This action was effective; the Trail Blazers finally got two days of good sleep, preparing fully for the critical fifth game.
This time, Gan Guoyang aimed to use his basketball skills instead of fists to teach the Pistons a lesson.
Portland’s Great Wall, will never fall.
