Chapter 877 - 49: Cushion_3

The game has already started, and the referee won’t check the hoop, so Gan Guoyang holds the ball in the low post for a strong offense, driving to the inside and attacking the Suns’ three-second zone.

Charles Barkley and Sam Bowie jointly defend Gan Guoyang, with Barkley putting up a strong front defense and Bowie assisting from behind, their coordination quite seamless.

However, Gan Guoyang scored 21 points in the first half, helping the Trail Blazers lead by 3 points as they entered the third quarter.

But one downside is that Gan Guoyang only managed 1 assist in the first half, failing to connect well with his teammates.

Gan Guoyang isn’t worried about this. He knows tonight will be a tough battle, and rather than forcefully organizing his teammates, he’d rather use his strength to overpower them!

This is where Gan Guoyang always stands out; he never follows conventional routines and plays with a rather bold style.

If most stars are trapped in isolation by double teams, the coach would definitely remind them to connect more with teammates, letting the ball flow to catch the opponent off balance and naturally break through their defense.

Gan Guoyang rarely does this. At such times, he would mobilize all his adrenaline, concentrating power for a strong attack, determined to break through the opponent’s dense defense.

The third quarter turned into the most intense moment of the confrontation, with Barkley, West, and Bowie triple-teaming Gan Guoyang.

Yet Gan Guoyang could still use his quick reactions to escape the surrounding defense, using mid-range shots to attack while maintaining high efficiency.

With his eyes ablaze, Gan Guoyang activated all his weapons, including his self-created move hook, launching attacks from all angles with no blind spots.

In the third quarter, the Suns’ defense was already outstanding, while Charles Barkley consumed much of Gan Guoyang’s energy on the offensive end.

Even so, Gan Guoyang went 5 for 11 in field goals, 4 for 4 in free throws, scoring 14 points in the single quarter. Less than a 50% hit rate indicates how well the Suns did.

This was the most intense and thrilling game played by the Trail Blazers, or rather, Gan Guoyang, this season.

Before the fourth quarter started, Gan Guoyang was dripping with sweat, soaking his jersey and hair completely, yet he was very excited.

"Don’t let me rest in the fourth quarter, until I knock them down." Gan Guoyang said to Beelman.

Beelman knew Ah Gan was fired up, but at this moment, the game could only be left to him to decide.

At this time, indeed the Trail Blazers had no second core point to take over the game, and the team had to revolve around Ah Gan.

If the core doesn’t fall, Portland won’t fall.

Barkley saw Gan Guoyang was still on the court in the fourth quarter and unhesitatingly got up to return to the court.

Fitzsimmons originally planned to let him rest for three more minutes, but Barkley knew he couldn’t rest.

Once given Ah Gan a chance to relax, three minutes would be enough for him to launch an offensive wave to break the Suns.

At this time, the score was 74:73, with the Trail Blazers leading the Suns by 1 point, and Gan Guoyang had already scored 36 points, nearly half the team’s points.

"Charles, can you still play?" Gan Guoyang asked seeing Barkley didn’t rest either.

"I can play four more quarters, I won’t get tired at all."

So far, Barkley had also scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had 2 blocks.

This was his best defensive game of the season, Fitzsimmons had said, not allowing Ah Gan to score 50 points meant defensive success tonight.

In the fourth quarter, the game became white-hot, and the Suns’ home fans felt the arena temperature rising.

After three quarters of strong attacks, Gan Guoyang suddenly began passing in the fourth quarter, catching the Suns off guard.

On the outside, Petrović and Terry Porter received the ball, hitting two consecutive three-pointers—deadly three-pointers.

Although they weren’t the second core, under Ah Gan’s lead, they knew what they should do, and what they could do.

The gap suddenly stretched from 1 point to 7 points, almost instantly knocking down the Suns.

This tempo change by Gan Guoyang showcased his calm side.

The fierce solo attacks of the first three quarters were all laying the groundwork for these two critical three-pointers in the fourth.

In most cases, in a fast-paced game, a 1-point gap suddenly becoming 7 points would collapse the opponent.

But this time, the Suns didn’t; Fitzsimmons called a timeout, and Barkley encouraged everyone on the bench, "The fourth quarter has just begun, we must persevere!"

After the timeout, Barkley caught a pass from Kevin Johnson on the arc and hit a three-pointer! Responding to the Trail Blazers’ goal.

The gap returned to 4 points, and the mentality of the entire Suns team steadied as they continued to tangle with the Trail Blazers.

At this time, the small cracks of the Trail Blazers’ lacking a second core finally widened—Ah Gan could still score, but their offensive efficiency began to fall below the Suns.

The lack of a second core led to others playing, but without focus, unable to form sustained, wave-like attacks.

Instead, it was the Suns, with Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson alternately taking over the game; you play one, I play one, doing it simply and roughly, but with clear objectives, and increasing efficiency.

And Gan Guoyang, on the defensive end, was indeed consumed a lot by Barkley, with Barkley’s constant confrontation, harassment, and even trash-talking exchanging, making Gan Guoyang play with less ease.

Although his statistics remained impressive, with 40 points scored before the fourth quarter finished, he knew in his heart that his control over the game tonight was not as strong as in the first and second games.

The advantage gradually shifted to the Suns. When it was tied at 93:93, and Charles Barkley hit another three-pointer from the outside, the situation entirely turned in favor of the Suns!

Barkley only took two three-pointers the whole game, and both went in!

Whether it be luck or skill, basketball is like that; a made shot is greatness.

The Trail Blazers, trailing by 3 points, opted for a two-point strategy to grab a chance.

Gan Guoyang received the ball, charged into the paint, and dunked, scoring 2 points, closing the gap to just 1 point.

Following the defense, Charles Barkley drove inside, drawing a foul on Sabonis.

A controversial call, and Bobby Berman, in a fit, cursed at the referee with a slew of American curses, getting ejected.

Barkley stood on the free-throw line, hitting both free throws, 95:98, making it a 3-point gap again.

The Trail Blazers didn’t have enough time, and the Suns cleverly fouled early—not yet at free-throw time.

Some more time wasted, and finally, Gan Guoyang had to take an ultra-long three-pointer.

The ball traced a high arc, and Barkley watched its trajectory with his heart in his throat.

"Fuck, this ball can’t go in, right?" Barkley was desperate.

If it went in, he really had no solution, couldn’t hold the ground.

Fortunately, this seemingly sure-to-be-made shot finally clanged off the neck of the rim.

Bouncing high, hitting the rim again, and eventually rolling out.

Barkley let out a long sigh of relief, finally, we finally won a game, not easy at all.

And Gan Guoyang thought, if not for the Suns removing the padding on both hoops, this shot would have probably gone in.

They really had all the luck in the world.