Chapter 920: After modification: Chapter 61 Man in Mirror_3
He desperately, desperately wanted to win, wanted to defy fate and change destiny.
But at this moment, he couldn’t calm his mind; he couldn’t get himself into the zone.
The more restless he felt inside, the harder it was to find serenity; his heart raced wildly.
He looked over at Gan Guoyang; as always, Gan Guoyang’s face was as calm as a still lake, though storms brewed in his heart.
Jordan wanted so badly to know what Gan Guoyang was thinking, how he truly felt.
Was it anxiety? Happiness? Pride? But there was no way to tell.
In truth, when you start guessing your opponent’s mindset, it often means you’re already on the defensive.
Gan Guoyang didn’t bother contemplating Jordan’s mood; instead, he walked over to chat with him.
"Michael, I sped here at noon today. I’m not afraid of speeding tickets anymore."
"I don’t believe you."
"Believe it or not, I don’t care anymore. You can’t scare me again."
"We’ll see about next time."
"No."
These were the two players’ final words before the game began.
Afterward, Game 6 between the Trail Blazers and Bulls was as intense as Game 1.
No matter how frustrated the Bulls players felt, the moment they stood on the court, everyone wanted to win.
It was like two lions battling until their last breaths—one was already on the verge of death.
But if the other made a mistake, exposing a vital area, the dying lion could still deliver a fatal blow and turn the tide.
This kind of situation happens almost every day in nature—life-or-death battles leave no room for carelessness.
From the first quarter, Gan Guoyang launched fierce attacks, and Jordan refused to back down. It was practically hand-to-hand combat.
The first quarter ended in a 25:25 tie, with the game hanging in suspense.
In the second quarter, both Gan Guoyang and Jordan sat out for three minutes, yet the secondary lineups remained deadlocked.
By halftime, the Bulls and Trail Blazers were tied at 47:47, evenly matched.
In the pivotal third quarter, Gan Guoyang’s two attempts under the basket were blocked.
The Bulls countered and overtook the score, extending their lead to five points—this was the Bulls’ largest lead of the game.
The crowd held its breath in worry: were the Bulls about to force a Game 7?
Bobby Berman called a timeout to re-strategize.
After the timeout, Gan Guoyang received Porter’s pass at the perimeter.
He scanned his teammates’ positions and suddenly shot, sinking a three-pointer.
A bold, unplanned surprise beyond Bobby Berman’s tactics.
It hit the Bulls—and struck Berman right in the heart, nearly knocking him out cold.
Two possessions later, Gan Guoyang caught the ball at the top of the arc, pivoted, then suddenly fired another three-pointer—and hit again.
On his second three-pointer, Berman was already clutching his head in disbelief when Gan Guoyang released the shot. Once it went in, he hurriedly praised, "Good shot! Good shot!"
Unlike Phil Jackson, who could sit calmly like a Zen master, Berman began pacing anxiously along the sidelines, muttering internally, "Gan Guoyang, you’re the ancestor!"
This guy was indeed an ancestor—during key moments of crucial games, he dared to disobey and take bold shots.
In yet another possession, Gan Guoyang ran a pick-and-roll with Porter, popped out for the pass, caught it at the arc, and hit his third three-pointer!
At that point, Berman, like the fans in the stands, raised his arms high and cheered fervently.
The Bulls had no idea how to defend Gan Guoyang’s three-pointers.
At its core, their defense had completely fallen apart.
In Game 1, Gan Guoyang hadn’t made a single three-pointer—he hadn’t even taken any.
Because the Bulls’ perimeter defense was top-notch, flexible in formation, and effectively disrupted Gan’s outside game.
But by Game 6, the Bulls’ defense had been eroded by the Trail Blazers’ cohesive passing, and the players no longer had the drive they showed in Game 1.
Even Jordan’s face showed helplessness—he’d done his best to rotate for help defense, yet Gan still managed to hit his shots.
The Trail Blazers regained the lead, and they weren’t done yet.
The Bulls missed an outside jumper, and the Trail Blazers launched a fast break.
Reggie Lewis advanced down the middle and passed to Gan Guoyang on the wing.
Gan Guoyang didn’t conservatively halt to set up the offense—instead, he caught and fired another three-pointer!
Once Gan Guoyang found his rhythm, his three-point artillery became terrifyingly unstoppable.
Another basket! His fourth three-pointer! Memorial Coliseum was a madhouse.
The entire Bulls team was stunned—how do you even play against this? How do you defend it?
A center shooting threes? He hadn’t done it in earlier games, so why now?
Phil Jackson called a timeout, but even he didn’t know how to respond.
It was entirely beyond the scope of their game plan.
But a superstar’s ability to deliver surprises beyond expectation is exactly what sets them apart.
At the end of the third quarter, when Gan Guoyang received Porter’s pass beyond the arc, faced a double team from the Bulls, and still took a step back to launch a three-pointer that went right in, the entire Memorial Coliseum exploded.
Gan Guoyang swung his arms in a motion resembling an egg beater—a tribute to the team’s legendary center Bill Walton, who was commentating on this game tonight.
"We’re witnessing a miracle, a feast—another night that belongs to Portland, that belongs to Gan! I declare that Gan is the god of basketball! The true god of basketball!"
"The golden era of Gan has arrived!"
Using unconventional weapons from beyond this era, Gan Guoyang crushed the Chicago Bulls in the third quarter.
By this stage of the Finals, surprises and impromptu performances always become pivotal deciding factors.
The Bulls, who had fought tooth and nail in the first half and even managed to turn the tide in the third quarter, finally surrendered under the relentless barrage of threes.
Their defense collapsed under pressure: should they focus all their efforts on stopping Gan?
If multiple players double-teamed this high-post creator, they’d just leave open lanes for cutters inside.
Without a coherent defensive system, their collapse was inevitable, and the Bulls were no exception.
The Trail Blazers kept improving, building momentum as victory and the championship came into view—they were too experienced to let this chance slip away!
The lead expanded from 5 points, to 10 points, to 15 points... The game was losing its suspense, and both fans and Trail Blazers players began celebrating early.
With one minute left, the Trail Blazers led the Bulls by 12 points. Berman called a timeout and substituted Gan Guoyang out.
The entire arena stood up and cheered as Gan Guoyang simply waved to the crowd with a faint smile, calmly sitting down on the bench.
Next to Gan Guoyang was Jerry West, who also appeared calm but was tightly gripping Gan Guoyang’s sleeve.
"Am I dreaming?" West shouted.
"No, this is better than dreams."
"Exactly—makes you want to experience it over and over."
"Yes, it’s absolutely addictive."
The last minute felt both fast and drawn-out.
When the buzzer sounded to end the game, crimson confetti cascaded down.
Wearing a red jersey, Michael Jordan lowered his head, walking off the court amidst the rain of confetti, heading to the locker room.
The Bulls players all left—not out of disrespect, but because Portland fans had already swarmed the court, leaving no room for them.
Back in the locker room, Jordan sat silently on the bench, while his teammates mechanically went through motions of undressing and changing.
Throughout the game, Jordan scored 29 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists—the most mediocre performance of the series.
Gan Guoyang, meanwhile, shot 6-for-7 from three-point range, breaking the NBA Finals record for three-pointers and scoring 41 points—earning Finals MVP without a doubt.
The agony of defeat consumed Jordan; he couldn’t find any outlet for release.
Pippen entered the room, and Jordan suddenly grabbed him, saying, "Scottie, punch me."
Pippen froze in shock. "What?"
"I said, punch me—hit me."
Pippen gave Jordan’s shoulder a light punch.
"Not like that—hit me hard! Punch me!"
Jordan, like a raging bull, intimidated and infected Pippen.
Thinking of all they’d been through over the years, Pippen clenched his fist and delivered a firm punch to Jordan!
The punch landed squarely on Jordan’s face, swelling his left eye to the size of an egg.
Jordan ultimately skipped the post-game press conference, swiftly leaving the arena and returning to the hotel.
Gan Guoyang had forgotten to remind Michael—not the face!
(Volume 7: "Man in Mirror" complete.)
