Chapter 726: Chapter 82 Hungry Tiger_2
They just need a fairly officiated environment.
Porter’s shot and Melvin Turpin’s low post offense both missed, and neither side had scored yet.
As the series reached its fifth game, after the first game’s intense battle, the subsequent media storm, and the cutthroat endgames, the series had progressed from a tactical struggle to a contest of individual skills and willpower.
Hornacek brought the ball up court, Gan Guoyang set a pick-and-roll near the free-throw line, rolled, received a pass from Hornacek, dribbled left-handed into the basket, bumped Melvin Turpin away, lifted off quickly with his left foot, and finished with a left-handed layup, scoring the first point of the game.
The Pistons still hadn’t scored. Melvin Turpin cut deep into the basket, received the ball, and tried to power through Ah Gan with his back turned, but was forcefully rejected by Ah Gan. The turn-around shot turned into a difficult one-handed floater that missed.
Sabonis grabbed the defensive rebound and still passed it to Hornacek; after a top-of-the-key pick-and-roll, he chose to flare out, caught Hornacek’s pass, and ignoring Melvin Turpin’s defense, he shot a three-pointer straight away and made it!
Gan Guoyang opened the game with a 5-0 run against the Pistons, Chuck Daly immediately called for a timeout. He sensed something wrong; they couldn’t keep playing like this.
During the brief 20-second timeout, Daly reminded them to strengthen their defense against Ah Gan, to prevent the Trail Blazers’ fast break, and he instructed Isiah Thomas to quickly get them into the game.
Thomas, with his thick mask on, his expression was hardly discernible. He’s been the talk of the town these last two games, a tough guy image deeply ingrained in people’s hearts.
But the pain from Ah Gan’s elbow still etched in his memory, was nearly life-threatening.
The doctor said that if the elbow was any more vicious, smashing the bridge of the nose into the brain, Thomas would have been dead or crippled.
Because of this, Thomas keenly felt Ah Gan’s ferocity, and in the two games since his return, he played very clean, not daring any dirty tricks.
The timeout ended quickly, but it seemed ineffective. The well-rested Trail Blazers were in good form tonight, with an impervious defense.
Isiah Thomas could only take a tough shot from outside, and still missed. Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound and didn’t rush to counterattack.
He passed the ball to Porter; it was clear he had the confidence to play half court against the Detroiters without relying on the success rate of fast breaks.
Terry Porter had been cooperating with Gan Guoyang for many years, their understanding with Ah Gan was excellent, and he knew Ah Gan was sure to exert force tonight.
Settling down, Gan Guoyang receives the ball in a shallow position outside to prevent the Pistons’ fierce double-teaming.
Melvin Turpin lowered his center of gravity to guard Gan Guoyang, who used his strength to grind inside, and at the instant the Pistons’ double-team arrived, Gan Guoyang made a quick spin move to cut under the basket!
Like a tiger pouncing on its prey, Gan Guoyang reached right under the basket before the encirclement could form, and finished an easy slam with his left hand, not even giving the Pistons players a chance to commit a foul.
7-0, the Pistons urgently needed to score, needed to stop Ah Gan from scoring.
Chuck Daly’s forehead broke into a slight sweat.
In the first four games, Gan Guoyang missed two, didn’t finish the first game, and was troubled by fouls in the fourth.
With Ah Gan’s abilities, it was certain he’d explode in one of the games, Daly had been psychologically prepared.
But when the situation actually arrived, Daly still felt unusually anxious, yelling from the sideline.
He reminded Rodman to double-team Ah Gan in time, not to hesitate, better to let him pass to an open teammate to score.
But Rodman was quickly called for an offensive foul for screening; as he set a screen for Dumars on the edge of the Three Second Zone, he knocked down Hornacek.
Of course, Hornacek wasn’t so easy to push over, but with Rodman blocking the chase down the line, Hornacek took the fall, handing Rodman the foul.
Boos erupted from the crowd, Rodman and Dumars stepped up to argue with the referee, to no avail, of course.
Kossie drove repeatedly to the basket, facing the Pistons’ tight defense, squeezing the ball to Ah Gan in traffic.
Gan Guoyang exploded with a two-handed dunk!
He had already scored 9 points on his own, hitting the Pistons with a solo 9-0 run.
Not just Chuck Daly, the Pistons players also began to get agitated.
Thomas and Rodman kept collaborating on the strong side, the Trail Blazers decisively double-teamed Thomas and left Rodman open.
Rodman cut inside, Thomas passed the ball to him, and there was no one in front of Rodman – the Trail Blazers didn’t bother to guard him.
Rodman hesitated for a moment and opted for a close-range shot, but the ball smacked against the neck of the rim and missed.
Gan Guoyang’s hands, like octopus suckers, firmly controlled the rebound, and the Trail Blazers still did not go for the fast break.
Porter slowed down the pace, waiting for Gan Guoyang to settle in. Tonight, Gan Guoyang looked a bit sluggish and lazy.
That sense of relaxation, it made him seem less energetic, not as full of vitality and exuberance as usual.
But the moment he got the ball, Gan Guoyang immediately turned into a tiger spotting its prey, eyes glittering with intensity.
Without any thought, acting purely on instinct, he initiated his attack, causing the Pistons to be completely unable to double-team in time.
Another quick turn, directly hook shooting, Melvin Turpin was completely unprepared, the ball went through the net again, two points.
11-0, Gan Guoyang alone had blitzed the Pistons with an 11-0 run in just over three minutes, Daley could only call for another timeout.
What exactly was wrong with the Pistons today? It was as if the basket had a lid on it, and the players’ legs seemed to be filled with lead; they seemed clueless about how to play.
CBS commentator Dick Stockton, after watching Gan Guoyang’s performance in the first quarter, said: "Ah Gan looks a bit strange tonight, his footwork is slow, he keeps playing half-court, and he seems somewhat fatigued, yet when he gets the ball, he quickly puts it into the basket again. Really... I’m not sure how to describe this condition, let’s see what adjustments the Pistons will make, is Daley going to call for another timeout?"
