Chapter 654 - 44: The Most Eye-catching Duel

In the initial minutes of the first quarter, things seemed calm, with both Jordan and Gan Guoyang playing conservatively.

As before, Jordan would bypass Paxson and take the ball past the mid-court on his own.

However, unlike before, Jordan wasn’t looking to attack with the ball; instead, he was organizing the offense.

Jackson was happy to let Jordan handle the ball to halt the opponent’s offense because when the ball was in Jordan’s hands, the threat was significant.

The opposing defense focused on Jordan, allowing other Bulls players a more relaxed space to maneuver.

For most of the first quarter, Jordan took on the role of a playmaking guard, whereas John Paxson’s main job was to sprint around the perimeter and look for opportunities around the baseline.

Jordan’s orchestration, much like his ball-handling offense, was succinct and precise. He made quick judgments and handled the ball cleanly.

His assists and passes might have seemed ordinary, but in reality, Jordan streamlined the Bulls’ offense well in the first quarter.

Gan Guoyang did the same, creating opportunities for his teammates instead of going solo, unless there was a clear opening.

Utilizing screens, pick-and-rolls, passes, and offensive rebounds to aid his teammates’ offense.

Both teams meticulously executed their set plays, with cautious passes due to numerous defensive traps.

Neither team had yet unfolded their full intensity, easing into the game and gradually heating things up.

The score climbed alternately, from 2:3 to 13:14, with the Trail Blazers maintaining a one-point lead.

Midway through the first quarter, Jordan began showing his fangs.

Holding the ball at the top of the arc, he slickly dribbled behind his back to effortlessly bypass Petrović.

Cutting in from the left-center, he faced a double challenge from Gan Guoyang and Thompson but sneaked through.

In the air, he switched hands for a left-handed layup. The ball bounced off the backboard and the rim then dropped through the net!

15:14, the Bulls took the lead!

The Trail Blazers quickly inbounded from their backcourt, with Porter taking the ball up front.

Petrović found a chance on the right, took Porter’s pass, and immediately shot a three-pointer!

However, the shot was too hasty and missed; Cartwright grabbed the rebound.

On the counterattack, Jordan, calm and composed, threw a long lob from beyond the three-point line to Pippen cutting in under the basket, who soared for an alley-oop slam dunk.

17:14, the Bulls extended the lead to three points.

Petrović wanted to counter Jordan, but failed.

He was too anxious, having scored 7 points and wanting to push further while he was hot.

On the next possession, Porter didn’t pass to Petrović again but instead to Gan Guoyang at the top.

"Guard his three-pointer!" shouted Jordan.

He knew Gan Guoyang was dangerously accurate from the top of the arc.

You might think he’s setting up a play, but out of nowhere, he could launch a three-pointer.

Grant moved to guard Gan Guoyang, who suddenly lowered his head and sped up.

Pushing through the middle like a bulldozer to the basket, he drew a defensive foul from Grant.

Jordan was right; if Grant hadn’t stepped up to guard, Gan Guoyang would have indeed taken a direct three-pointer.

Grant stepped up, preventing a three-point attempt by Gan Guoyang who could have passed to the now-open Thompson for a mid-range shot; however, Thompson’s shooting that night was off.

It was highly likely he would miss, and at that moment, the Trail Blazers had no one under the basket to rebound, ensuring the Bulls would grab the defensive rebound.

If the Bulls launched another counterattack, the score gap would widen, forcing the Trail Blazers to call a timeout.

So, in a split second, Gan Guoyang decided to keep the ball and drive, drawing the foul.

Both teams, like chess players, anticipated each other’s moves during their set offenses, aiming to force the opponent into disadvantageous decisions.

Gan Guoyang made both free throws; his free throw percentage was an impressive 90%, a nearly unparalleled presence inside.

Benefiting from his superb shooting consistency, Jordan, seeing Gan Guoyang at the free-throw line, didn’t even bother going for the rebound, as it seemed pointless.

Backcourt inbounding, Jordan handed the ball to Paxson, signaling he was going to post up for a one-on-one.

Indeed, he called for the ball on the left block, and Paxson passed to Jordan.

Thompson came to help defend, and Jordan passed to Grant cutting through the middle.

Grant caught the ball and went for the layup but was met by Gan Guoyang’s towering block!

Cartwright recovered the ball and turned for a jump shot, but before he could raise the ball, it was knocked away by Gan Guoyang.

Controlling the ball, Gan Guoyang advanced past half-court himself, with Jordan trying for the steal.

Quickly, Gan Guoyang passed to a cutting Petrović, but his layup too was blocked by Grant!

"Damn, just dunk it!" Gan Guoyang cursed under his breath.

Underneath the basket, a scramble ensued, Kossie grabbed the offensive rebound, but his follow-up shot was interfered with by Pippen.

Then, like a tank, Guoyang muscled his way under the basket, plucked the ball away, and dunked it past Pippen!

Pippen could block Kossie, but he couldn’t block Guoyang—as the strength disparity was too great, there was simply no space to jump.

The intensity of the game escalated, and at this point, Petrović began to fall behind in rhythm.

At the start, he had capitalized on screens and strategic passes, scoring consecutively with good touch.

Once the intensity ramped up, facing the Bulls’ tight defense, Petrović was out of his element.

Soon after, Bobby Beelman substituted Petrović for Sanders—it was time for him to rest.

Sitting off the court, Petrović was drinking water heavily, feeling quite good at the start of the first quarter, but gradually he couldn’t keep up.

He couldn’t keep up with Jordan, let alone Ah Gan, who seemed to be playing in another league.

Before the game, Gan Guoyang had spoken to Jordan and Petrović wanting Jordan to target Petrović a bit, to let Petrović feel the gap and see where he stood compared to the strongest guard.

As it turned out, Guoyang was overly concerned—Jordan didn’t need to specifically target Petrović.

Jordan just needed to play normally—running at a steady pace for a while would naturally leave Petrović struggling to keep up.

Putting skills aside, the physical difference was just too large.

When Petrović was guarding Jordan, face-to-face defense did nothing.

When Jordan accelerated, it was as if Petrović wasn’t even there—one step past him.

After switching in Sanders, the situation somewhat improved, but not by much.

Sanders couldn’t control Jordan even when he was with the Knight.

Jordan felt great in the first quarter, catching a pass from Cartwright at a high position and hitting a mid-range shot.

In the first quarter, Jordan let out his firepower, knowing he had to get a feel for the offense early or he wouldn’t be able to play later.

Gan Guoyang didn’t let up; once Petrović was out, he aggressively attacked Cartwright.

Drawing a foul successfully again, he stepped up to the free throw line—the Bulls’ help defense had not been effective tonight, mostly because Guoyang had been passing and coordinating earlier, making Pippen’s help defense tentative.

Both free throws were good, and the score accumulated to 21:20, with the Bulls still leading by 1 point.

The Bulls brought in BJ Armstrong, and the Trail Blazers replaced Thompson with the towering Sabonis.

Seeing Sabonis take the court, Phil Jackson felt uneasy—a 7-foot-3 guy on top of an already annoying Ah Gan.

As Gan Guoyang was taking free throws, Jackson whistled towards the court, motioning for Jordan and Pippen to come over, "Let’s try to knock that big guy out early."

Jordan and Pippen nodded, knowing that getting Sabonis into foul trouble early would definitely be advantageous for the Bulls.

BJ Armstrong brought the ball up, passed to Jordan who, with one hand, took it and faced Sanders, speeding past him.

The Trail Blazers tightened their defense in the middle, Guoyang and Kossie surrounded Jordan, who leaped and passed the ball through a gap to Pippen cutting under the basket.

Pippen drove towards the formidable Sabonis, yet his dunk was blocked by Guoyang from behind!

Guoyang had just been guarding Jordan, but he reacted incredibly fast, turning around and blocking Pippen’s dunk while also avoiding a foul by Sabonis.

"At the basket, no needless fouls—counterattack!"

After reminding Sabonis, Guoyang threw a long pass to the frontcourt.

In previous games, Sabonis had never seen defense quite like Guoyang’s.

It was two against one, and he succeeded.

Jerome Kossie drove to the basket with the ball on a counterattack, but Grant caught up and successfully interfered.

Sanders made a great effort, diving to secure the ball, returning it to Porter.

The Bulls’ defense was becoming as tight as a vise—they protected the rim exceptionally well.

Facing the confrontational defense of BJ Armstrong, Porter’s forced shot under the basket did not go in.

But Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound, and after two pump fakes, he suddenly lobbed a high pass.

Sabonis followed the play, catching it with one hand and dunking ferociously!

21:22, Trail Blazers took the lead.

With three minutes left in the first quarter,

both teams were fully engaged, battling fiercely.

Sitting beside Petrović, Bobby Beelman said, "This is the kind of marquee NBA matchup you need to keep up with."

Petrović nodded vigorously, knowing he needed to keep up—they were really strong, really fast.