Chapter 995: Chapter 28 Footsteps_3
During the regular season, the Trail Blazers defeated the Bulls twice, theoretically giving them a psychological advantage.
But when it came to the Finals, the situation was completely different from the regular season, with the Bulls in high spirits.
Jordan learned from the 1991 Finals, choosing not to engage in a head-to-head battle with Gan Guoyang, but instead playing according to the familiar rhythm of the Bulls.
Against the defense of Reggie Lewis, Jordan’s touch seemed divinely assisted, and in the second quarter, he was unstoppable, constantly hitting mid-to-long-range shots.
Three-pointer, two-pointer, three-pointer, three-pointer, two-pointer, consecutive scores left Gan Guoyang with no choice but to personally defend him.
But it was too late; as Gan Guoyang came to defend Jordan, Jordan began orchestrating the whole team with his passes, fully utilizing the balance of the Triangle Offense.
By halftime, the Bulls were leading the Trail Blazers by 13 points, and by the third quarter, the entire Bulls team was cautious, preventing an explosive burst from ’King of the Third Quarter’ Ah Gan.
Gan Guoyang did indeed explode, scoring continuously, but the Bulls kept up, constantly responding, maintaining the lead at over 10 points.
Gan Guoyang scored 41 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, had 4 blocks, and 5 assists, but to no avail.
107:119, the Bulls defeated the Trail Blazers by 12 points, taking the first game of the series and leading 1:0.
After the first game, the Trail Blazers’ locker room was quiet, marking their first opening game loss in six Finals appearances.
Did the Trail Blazers play badly? In fact, they played well, good enough to defeat any team in the league, except the Bulls.
But the Bulls played even better; tonight, Jordan scored 44 points, with an astonishingly high shooting percentage, making 6 out of 8 three-point shots, an unprecedented feat.
Although Gan Guoyang performed excellently, he always felt that something was missing—not what others thought, but what he himself felt.
This issue had been troubling him since the playoffs began, constantly searching for a breakthrough in spirit, but what exactly was missing?
On June 5th, the second game, the Trail Blazers regrouped and fought the Bulls to overtime, tying the first overtime and taking it to double overtime.
In the final moments, the Trail Blazers were down by 2 points, Berman called a timeout. With only 1.4 seconds left, Gan Guoyang received the ball outside the three-point line and shot for the basket!
Everyone thought it was a magnificent game-winning three-pointer, but the referee ruled that Gan Guoyang stepped on the three-point line, making it a two-pointer, sending both teams into the third overtime.
NBC TV Station repeatedly broadcasted the footage of Gan Guoyang’s three-point attempt,
By the third overtime, both sides were exhausted, and even worse, Gan Guoyang was burdened with 5 fouls.
At the start of the overtime, the referee called a defensive foul on Gan Guoyang, resulting in his ejection.
This physical powerhouse was the Trail Blazers’ greatest support; without him, both their strategy and energy were on the brink of collapse.
Even so, Petrović and Reggie Lewis mounted the most tenacious resistance, hitting jump shots continuously and momentarily leading the Bulls by 4 points.
But then Jordan stepped up, driving, driving, and driving again, drawing fouls, scoring 7 points in a row, completely turning the tide for the Bulls.
When the light shone, the score was set at 110:114, with the Bulls having a 4-point advantage, defeating the Trail Blazers in triple overtime and securing a 2:0 absolute lead!
The first championship trophy was beckoning to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who left Chicago Stadium triumphantly, preparing to head to Portland.
The Bulls were fully prepared to lift the trophy in Portland; there was no more perfect revenge than this.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers suddenly faced their most dangerous and critical situation in their six finals appearances.
On the flight back from Chicago to Portland, the entire team fell silent.
As head coach Bobby Berman wanted to say something, but seeing Ah Gan’s expressionless face, saying nothing, he also didn’t know what to say.
Gan Guoyang’s performance in both games was not lacking—high points, high rebounds, high assists, his efficiency remained unparalleled, yet something always seemed missing.
In fact, throughout the playoffs, Bobby Berman felt that Gan Guoyang seemed to lack something—was it fighting spirit? The desire to win? It didn’t seem like it.
Could it be a lack of luck? That foot-on-the-line three-pointer in the second overtime indeed missed some luck, but Ah Gan never relied on luck for victory or defeat.
What exactly it was, only Ah Gan knew, the occasional emptiness in his eyes made Berman feel somewhat unfamiliar.
He tried to talk to Gan Guoyang, but at this moment, Berman realized that for many years it was always Ah Gan who comforted and helped him.
When Ah Gan encountered problems, Berman didn’t even know how to start the conversation—what problems could this kid possibly have?
He was so strong, so perfect, like a perpetual motion machine on the court, never stopping, invincible.
Along the way, no one comforted Ah Gan, not because they didn’t care about him, but because they genuinely didn’t know what to say.
Ah Gan also said nothing; upon arriving in Portland at dawn, many fans came to welcome them, holding signs to support Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.
Gan Guoyang looked up at the pitch-black sky; it was another cloudy day, with the moon shrouded in clouds, showing no trace of light.
There were two days of rest between the second and third games, a tormenting period for Gan Guoyang.
The media was flooded with reports about the Trail Blazers’ impending failure to defend their title, with the new king finally about to ascend.
Even the most objective commentators couldn’t help but say, "The opportunities left for Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers are not much."
