Chapter 655 - 45 The Person Who Truly Decides the Outcome

Petrović deeply felt the speed and intensity of the strongest dialogue on Earth’s basketball courts.

It was also his first time seeing Gan Guoyang so involved and serious in a match.

In previous games, Gan Guoyang always had a sense of ease, playing very calmly.

Especially on defense, Gan Guoyang would sometimes slightly ease up against opponents’ offenses to control fouls and conserve energy.

Beelman’s system did not demand a life-and-death struggle on the defensive end, and now the Trail Blazers lacked the defensive resources to strangle opponents as in the past.

His requirement was to maintain toughness, disrupt without disorder, and ensure that the overall offensive efficiency of the opponents was suppressed.

Thus, in terms of blocks, steals, and forcing turnovers, the Trail Blazers slid considerably compared to the triple championship period.

But in controlling opponents’ shooting percentages and defensive efficiency, they still maintained a relatively high level, relying on stability and tenacity.

However, tonight Gan Guoyang was clearly different; he repeatedly delivered powerful blocks in the paint, whether in man-to-man or help defense, single-handedly turning the three-second zone into an iron barrel.

Bill Cartwright scored nothing in the first quarter, going 0 for 2, was blocked once, and stolen from once; this low post option was rendered useless.

For others, Pippen and Grant, charging into the three-second zone and facing Gan, all fell short; Pippen even tried to draw a foul from Sabonis but got blocked instead.

The entire Bulls team, only Jordan could break through Gan Guoyang’s defensive line, using his incredibly sharp speed and hangtime ability, managing to score the ball with difficulty.

Petrović felt frustrated about his own performance on defense, as he couldn’t even slightly trouble Jordan on the perimeter.

Just one step past him, always a step past, too fast to keep up.

Even if he caught up, it was futile; as soon as Jordan used his body to bump, Petrović would be pushed away.

Now Jordan was no longer the skinny figure he had been when he first entered the league; he was one of the strongest guards in the league.

Just like Gan, every day after training, every game was over, Jordan would pull Pippen to the gym to lift weights.

Building strength required cumulative effort, and Jordan knew Gan had started strength training in high school; he had to catch up.

Petrović harbored the same thoughts, regretting that in Europe, he had placed too much emphasis on skills while neglecting strength training.

The first quarter ended with the score at 26:25, the Bulls leading the Trail Blazers by one point.

The game was evenly matched, with undercurrents flowing.

Phil Jackson and Bobby Beelman didn’t call any timeouts during the first quarter, letting the players decide how to play the game on their own.

Both had prepared thoroughly before the game; so far in the regular season, Beelman had been experimenting with various lineups and tactics.

Calling fewer timeouts, letting the players gel and figure things out on their own.

Phil Jackson’s idea was much like Beelman’s, letting players face difficulties on their own and learn how to handle the ball.

He disliked calling timeouts to set up a couple of tactical plays, then after the break playing well for a couple of possessions before the gameplay deteriorated into disorder.

This was where he differed drastically from his predecessor, Doug Collins, who was a "play fanatic," designing very, very many, very complex plays on top of many basic tactics.

Except for Jordan, he would require everyone else to strictly follow the plays, and if they did not, he would loudly scold them from the sidelines.

Upon becoming head coach, Phil Jackson completely discarded Collins’s approach, eliminating all the complicated plays and keeping only the basics.

Then, on top of the basics, whatever beautiful teamwork the players could exhibit depended on their own tacit understanding and imagination.

Thus, the game flowed exceptionally smoothly; at the start of the second quarter, Jordan and Gan Guoyang both rested off the court.

Beelman substituted Divac in, pairing him with Sabonis to play Twin Towers, to pressure the Bulls’ relatively weaker inside lines.

Divac immediately scored by overpowering Grant in the low post.

However, immediately after, Pippen drove to the basket with the ball and scored on a floater.

This was Pippen’s first three-second zone basket of the night.

With Gan absent under the basket, scoring became much easier.

On defense, Stacey King blocked Cliff Robinson’s layup.

But Sabonis grabbed the offensive rebound and dunked it home!

The Bulls also had their Twin Towers, the 6-foot-11 Stacey King and 7-foot Will Purdue.

Purdue attempted to establish position in the low post, forming a triangle with his teammates.

Just as the ball landed in his hands, Sabonis poked it away, causing a turnover.

Trail Blazers counterattacked, Dell Curry dribbled past half-court and passed long to Robinson, who had cut to the basket.

But the pass route choice was poor, Robinson didn’t receive it, and the ball went out of bounds,—the Trail Blazers made a mistake.

The Bulls maintained a very good formation while retreating in defense, effectively disrupting the passer and creating significant trouble.

Subsequently, BJ Armstrong broke through the middle, passed the ball to Purdue on the wing, Purdue took the catch-and-shoot mid-range shot and scored.

Simple, smooth, but very effective cooperation.

Trail Blazers steadied and played in the half-court set, Dell Curry organized the offense, Sabonis asked for the ball on the left side.

Curry passed the ball to Sabonis, who, after drawing the double-team, dished to the weak side, Divac caught the ball and made a long-distance shot.

Stacy King played one-on-one against Divac in the low post, dribbled and turned, scoring with a left-handed hook shot.

Up to this point, the game between the Trail Blazers and Bulls had very high-quality offense and defense.

Whether starters or substitutes, they all did their best, playing methodically and with orderly offense and defense.

Especially the Chicago Bulls, who had significantly transformed compared to a few years ago.

Back in the Gan Qiao Battle, the Bulls without Jordan simply couldn’t play.

Moreover, in the early to mid-80s, fast breaks were mainstream, and coaches encouraged players to counterattack regardless.

The games were often just two groups of people running around on the court, then crowding near the three-second zone.

By the late 80s and 90s, the viewing experience of watching games on TV had greatly changed.

The pace of games slowed down, set plays increased, and the team’s strategy on offense became more methodical combining inside and outside plays, shifting the ball from strong side to weak side, making the games look more orderly instead of chaotic.

Certainly, the improvement in TV broadcasting quality also played a significant role.

Following BJ Armstrong hitting a three-pointer, the score reached 38:36, the Bulls still leading by 2.

Dell Curry wanted to respond to Armstrong with a three-pointer on the offensive end, but he missed.

Under the basket, Divac struggled to tip the ball out; it came back to Curry’s hands.

But Pippen suddenly cut in, stole the ball from under Curry’s hands, then took it himself on the break, scoring a two-handed dunk!

Phil Jackson kept Pippen on the floor at the start of the second quarter to control the situation.

Next, Pippen created an offensive foul against Cliff Robinson on defense, getting the ball back for the Bulls.

Even amidst boos from the crowd, the referee’s call would not change—the Trail Blazers’ second unit was gradually overpowered in the physical confrontation.

This was somewhat related to Hornacek’s absence; if he hadn’t been missing, Beelman would have let him lead in the second quarter.

At the same time, Sabonis and Divac hadn’t developed to the extent where they could control the game; they still needed more experience.

Beelman called a timeout; the score difference was 4 points—if the game continued this way, there was a possibility the Bulls would widen the gap.

The momentum of the Bulls was rising.

Gan Guoyang calmly sat on the bench, knowing it wasn’t his time to enter the game yet.

This season, Beelman would let Gan Guoyang rest for an additional two minutes in the second quarter to cultivate others’ ability to resolve problems.

Beelman subbed in Petrović, instructing him, "Score with your shooting, make good use of the inside advantage, understand?"

Petrović nodded; he had rested for quite a while, and his excitement had calmed down.

Whether Jordan would score 40 points on him, he no longer cared; what mattered was contributing to the team’s victory.

After the timeout, Petrović immediately coordinated with Divac, taking a shot against Hodges from beyond the three-point line on the left and scoring!

Stacy King tried to play one-on-one against Divac on the left low block, but was defended so well he couldn’t turn and had to pass.

Purdue came out to receive the pass, took a mid-range shot from the elbow, which Sabonis disrupted, resulting in a complete miss.

After the timeout, the Trail Blazers’ defense became more aggressive; Sabonis moved to a higher position to disrupt his opponents.

Under the basket, Cliff Robinson grabbed the ball; Petrović took it on the break, charged down the middle, and passed to Dell Curry on the wing.

Curry caught the ball in the right corner, shot a three-pointer, and scored again!

In just over a minute, back-to-back three-pointers turned the score to 40:42, with the Trail Blazers taking a 2-point lead.

Now it was Phil Jackson’s turn to call a timeout as Michael Jordan was set to re-enter the game.

Gan Guoyang also took off his tracksuit jacket, knowing the real deciding factor would still come down to those two guys.