Chapter 682 - 57 High Mountain_4

Hornacek, Porter, and Petrovic all squandered multiple open opportunities, rendering Gan Guoyang’s passes and ball transitions ineffective.

When Bobby Beelman tried to adjust tactics and rotations, hoping to turn the tide in the second half, Gan Guoyang interrupted Beelman’s plan.

He pointed out the strategic purpose of the Bulls in this game, which included Jackson’s psychological tactics.

He said, "This game is not a contest of tactics and rotations, but a confrontation of will and mentality. Phil wants to use this game to reverse the Bulls’ psychological disadvantage against the Trail Blazers and prepare for future encounters in the finals."

"In the next few years, there will be a battle between Portland and Chicago in the finals, and everyone needs to be aware of that."

Gan Guoyang’s eyes swept across the entire locker room, Beelman remained silent, handing the command over to Gan Guoyang.

"I am the leader of the team, and I will take the most responsibility for winning or losing. In the second half, I’ll make changes. What you need to do is to get the damn ball into the basket, do your job, and leave the rest to me, OK?"

Gan Guoyang spoke in a very calm tone, not passionately, and everyone just nodded gently, then stretched their hands together and piled them up.

"Chicago is still too green, I will let them know how tall the mountain is," said Gan Guoyang.

-----------------

The 15-minute halftime has ended, and the second half of the game continues.

Trail Blazers made one adjustment in their starting lineup—Mychal Thompson replaced the injured Jerome Kossie at the power forward position.

Thus, in the second half, the Trail Blazers used a three-tall lineup, moving Gan Guoyang to the small forward position.

Phil Jackson did not expect the Trail Blazers to actually move Ah Gan to the small forward position; suddenly their frontcourt height became difficult to match.

Gan Guoyang, from playing center to power forward, now could play small forward, further increasing the difficulty of defending him.

Right at the start of the third quarter, Jordan received Grant’s pass in the middle, took a mid-range jump shot, and scored.

The Bulls extended the lead to 14 points, the largest gap of the game.

Trail Blazers on offense, Gan Guoyang received the ball on the left, attracting all of the Bulls’ defensive attention.

He simply passed it to Mychal Thompson, who from the left zero-degree angle took a mid-range shot and scored.

On the Chicago Bulls, the player Jordan trusts and prefers the most is not Pippen, not Grant, and not Bill Cartwright (because of Oakley, Jordan disliked him for a while), but point guard John Paxson.

Paxson, when playing alongside Jordan on the court, made Jordan feel most comfortable because he not only knew what he could do but also knew what he couldn’t do, which is most important.

Mychal Thompson played a similar role on the Trail Blazers as John Paxson.

He was most trusted by Gan Guoyang, because he knew what he could do, what he should do, and what he shouldn’t do.

This season, Thompson’s role was gradually being replaced by Sabonis, but in critical moments, it was still this former top pick who had to save the day.

Mychal Thompson successfully disrupted Jordan’s shot defensively, Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, and the Trail Blazers counterattacked.

The Trail Blazers ignored whether Sabonis could keep up; they needed to score, so Thompson sprinted forward.

After receiving the pass, he quickly passed it to Gan Guoyang on the wing, who took a quick three-point shot and scored!

The score narrowed to 51:61, just a 10-point difference.

Jackson did not call a timeout; he expected the players to solve the problem themselves.

Especially Grant and Pippen, how should they defend Ah Gan?

Jordan, dribbling the ball through his legs continuously, passed Hornacek, cut through the middle, and passed the ball to the cutting Grant.

However, Grant’s layup was blocked by Sabonis, not scoring; Thompson grabbed the defensive rebound, and Porter quickly pushed for a counterattack.

Gan Guoyang, like an NFL running back, charged ahead, received the ball and drove straight to the basket, easily dunking— at that moment, he was unstoppable.

Gan Guoyang started to regain his offensive feel using fast breaks and perimeter shooting.

This was his greatest advantage over traditional centers; he wouldn’t get bogged down in the Three Second Zone.

He had ways to break free, leaving the opponent’s defense confused.

With his renewed sense of offense, Gan Guoyang went full throttle.

Crucially, his three-point touch was back, and that was the most deadly aspect.

Sabonis received the ball low, then passed it to Gan Guoyang at the top of the arc.

Thompson provided a screen, and Gan Guoyang swiftly shot a three-pointer that went in.

Jordan used his agile footwork to spin and drive into the paint, passing to Paxson at the top of the arc before facing a double team.

Paxson took the mid-range shot, but Gan Guoyang, rushing over, blocked the shot—now in the small forward position, Ah Gan significantly increased the shooting pressure for the Bulls from the outside.

On the counterattack, Gan Guoyang, one step away from the three-point line, caught a pass from Hornacek and shot again.

The ball flew in a high arc like a cannonball, then accurately dropped into the net with a crisp sound, reminiscent of Clayton’s gunshots.

Each shot was lethal; in just five minutes, the Trail Blazers tied the score to 65:65!

Pippen and Grant were bewildered in the third quarter; facing Ah Gan, who wasn’t focusing on driving to the paint or low post, how should they defend?

With such precise three-point shooting, confronting the center who was crowned the three-point king of the League, how should they defend?

Facing an attacker possibly having more offensive means than Michael Jordan and being the strongest in the League, how should they defend?

By the end of the first half, they thought they had seen the summit, just a little more effort to climb the high mountain.

Five minutes into the third quarter, they realized they were only halfway up the mountainside, with the summit still shrouded in clouds, unreachable.

Phil Jackson, who usually prefers letting players solve problems, was forced to call a timeout.

If the game continued this way, the session meant to sharpen Pippen and Grant’s skills shouldn’t end up breaking them.

During the timeout, Pippen suddenly said to Jordan: "Michael, it’s time for you to defend Ah Gan, isn’t it?"

[On the day before the draft, I met Horace for the first time in a hotel.

We had a lot in common, both hailing from small towns in the South—Horace grew up in Mitchell, Georgia.

I saw in him the same desire, the same work ethic, and God had given us talents; we had to do what we must.

At the beginning of our careers, when we first entered the League, our friendship was crucial as we stepped into an unknown new world:

More intense game styles, stronger and more experienced opponents.

Back-to-back games, long plane journeys.

Reporters ready to pounce on even your smallest mistake to criticize and so forth.

There was a lot to adapt to in the NBA, and our relationship became closer through these hardships.

Horace and I often greeted each other with "1987, 1987," reminding ourselves that our lives started to change that year.

Later, we changed our greeting to "Ah Gan, Ah Gan."

Because he also changed a lot, so much for us.]

——Published in 2021, excerpt from Scottie Pippen’s autobiography "Unguarded".