Chapter 714 - 77 Rainy Night Butcher_2

Tonight’s first direct confrontation between the two, Lan Bi’er wanted to draw an offensive foul from Gan Guoyang.

It took tremendous courage.

Gan Guoyang charged forward, with no intention of dodging Lan Bi’er.

When the two behemoths over 250 pounds clashed, Gan Guoyang secretly kneed Lan Bi’er in the stomach.

Lan Bi’er was not only knocked over, his stomach took a harsh hit, causing him severe pain and making him roll on the ground.

That blow was truly vicious, and when Lan Bi’er was helped up, his face was red, and he was bent over, somewhat retching.

Gan Guoyang mocked, "Bill, maybe pregnant women shouldn’t play basketball. Better go back and take care of your fetus."

Players from the Pistons were furious and rushed up, but Gan Guoyang didn’t back down; he glared at everyone, and none dared to actually engage.

It took a while for Lan Bi’er to recover, and Strom blew Gan Guoyang for an offensive foul, his second foul.

"Hey Sonny, tone it down a bit, this isn’t good."

"What’s the issue? This is what they always do, how is it wrong when I do it?"

"The League Commissioner is watching from the sidelines."

"Then eject him."

Strom shook his head, sensing a storm brewing.

Tonight, Ah Gan was certainly up to something big, possibly even fatal.

Gan Guoyang’s knee was indeed brutal, Lan Bi’er couldn’t hold up.

Chuck Daley intended to substitute Lan Bi’er out of the game, but he refused.

"It’s not time yet!"

"It’s the coach’s order, let me handle it," Melvin Turpin persuaded Lan Bi’er as he replaced him.

Lacking any alternative, Lan Bi’er had to leave the court clutching his stomach, anger and fear rising in his heart.

Lan Bi’er was no coward; no matter how much he got beaten, he never cowered.

On the other hand, he knew that Ah Gan tonight was different from the past; this guy was getting serious.

At the same time, Rodman stepped in, replacing Mark Aguirre; one low post on the court was enough for the Pistons.

In the backcourt, Joe Dumars returned, replacing Rickey Green, who had completed his task and couldn’t help with fighting.

Seeing this, Bobby Berman signaled to Anthony, "Mason, get in there!"

Like a spring, Mason leapt from the bench, replacing Jerome Kossie.

The Trail Blazers used a three-man frontline and even played their 12th man, clearly showing their intent.

You want to intensify things, Pistons? We’re game. Let’s see who’s stronger.

The hostility on the court grew denser, with the audience able to smell the gunpowder spreading across the court.

The crowd’s hormones and primal instincts were stirred, their cheers growing louder and more frantic.

Trail Blazers’ assistant coach Adelman, concerned, said to Berman, "Bobby, are you sure this is okay?"

Berman shook his head, "I don’t know, I’m worried too, but... we’ve no choice, this is war."

Berman was indeed taking a big risk; who plays their 12th man in the second quarter of the finals? Clearly, it was meant for confrontation.

Of course, Mason wasn’t foolish enough to start throwing punches immediately; that would have made catching up even harder for the Trail Blazers.

Seeing Mason enter the game, Gan Guoyang instructed him, "Anthony, stick to that bug. I’ll handle the others. Your job is to confront him, grab rebounds, and stick to him tightly."

Gan Guoyang assigned Mason the task to handle Rodman.

Usually, it was Rodman marking others; tonight was the first time he found himself being targeted.

Seeing Mason, younger and hardly having played this season suddenly matching up against him, Rodman could barely conceal his scorn.

On offense, Rodman just stood with his arms akimbo beyond the three-point line, while Mason did nothing but keep his eyes fixed on Rodman, playing four on four with the rest.

Then Melvin Turpin’s strong move under the basket was spectacularly blocked by Ah Gan! Gan Guoyang’s adrenaline had spiked to its peak, his explosive power astonishing.

Gan Guoyang’s rare volleyball-style block sent the ball towards where Mason was.

Rodman no longer stood with his arms akimbo; pushing Mason aside, he went for the ball, but Mason wasn’t about to let him go.

Mason didn’t use his hands either, relying solely on his broad shoulders and sturdy buttocks to block Rodman.

Rodman almost started wrestling with Mason, but Mason stood immovable, still managing to secure the ball.

When Mason turned to push the ball forward, Rodman grabbed him from behind to stop the Trail Blazers from initiating a fast break.

Mason was as strong as a wild boar; though it was Rodman pulling him, he ended up dragging Rodman through the air in a circle.

The referee blew the whistle for a foul on Rodman, but Mason wouldn’t let go of this chance and turned around to chest-bump Rodman.

"Fuck you, you bug!" Mason was straightforward, cursing as he spoke.

"Who are you? Who the hell knows you?" Rodman responded with a smile.

The two were about to come to blows when the referee quickly came over to separate them.

Curiously, none of their teammates came over to break up the fight, all just watching from the sidelines.

Even as everyone’s attention was on Mason and Rodman, Melvin Tipping and Ah Gan were exchanging words under the basket.

This year Tipping indeed seemed "reformed," but it didn’t mean he had become weak.

Once unable to change his ways, now slimmer, more skilled, less talkative, he had grown stronger.

Ah Gan was his target and role model, someone he aspired to catch up to; through the years, he had become an excellent low post player in the League.

He once had been thrown by Ah Gan so badly that he remained dazed; that throw was unforgettable for him, born in 1960, he was already 30 years old this year.