Chapter 897 - 55: Fatal Strike_3

The Trail Blazers appeared more composed and strategic, as they had prepared extensively, continuously revolving their tactics around Gan Guoyang. Gan became a fixture in the low post, with the ball passing through his hands almost every possession.

Though the Trail Blazers weren’t running the Princeton Offense, the chemistry they had built throughout the season was evident.

After enduring a three-minute scoring drought, Gan Guoyang, facing a double team in the low post, executed a brilliant no-look pass behind his head to the cutting Reggie Lewis.

Lewis caught the ball and scored with a two-handed dunk! The atmosphere in Memorial Coliseum exploded, as the Portland crowd showed the Bulls, a Finals rookie, what championship intensity truly meant.

The Bulls had no choice but to muster their spirits and throw themselves into the fray of offense and defense. At this point, their defensive intensity had noticeably declined—such high intensity couldn’t be sustained indefinitely.

Jordan once again used his unmatched explosiveness and speed to charge into the paint, but this time Gan Guoyang swatted his shot away from behind with a resounding block!

Lewis grabbed the ball, and the Trail Blazers launched a fast break. However, when Jerome Kossie went up for a layup under the basket, Pippen blocked it. Lewis recovered the ball and went up again, only to have Buck Williams swat it away too.

The battle under the basket turned chaotic. Terry Porter snatched the ball and threw it toward the rim; it bounced off the backboard, missing the mark. Ah Gan suddenly came down like a divine force, scoring with a two-handed putback dunk!

Nearly halfway through the third quarter, the Trail Blazers had only scored eight points, suffering from a barrage of missed shots and turnovers with dismal efficiency.

Yet the Bulls had scored even less, relying solely on Jordan’s early-game drives and free throws for just four points—no one else had managed to score.

The suffocating tension of the game overwhelmed everyone; not only were the fans struggling to endure, but even the players found it tough to keep up.

At this rate, the fourth quarter might as well be played by the benchwarmers.

Jackson called for a timeout and opted for substitutions, bringing in Grant and Armstrong. Both teams tacitly relaxed their intensity for the time being.

An NBA game is like a marathon—a steady pace in the beginning, a sprint in the end—with neither team exerting full effort midway to avoid running out of gas later.

However, tonight, both teams were determined to exhaust their opponents in the middle of the game. The Trail Blazers failed to completely break the Bulls, while the Bulls struggled desperately to keep up.

The relaxed pace lasted for over five minutes, during which both sides managed to score, though most of the Bulls’ points came from isolation plays.

This was precisely what the Trail Blazers wanted: when the Bulls couldn’t find solutions, they’d simply hand the ball to Jordan to let him create on his own.

Even in the third quarter, Jordan remained in his "War God" form, not only scoring relentlessly but also driving into the paint repeatedly to create opportunities for his teammates on the perimeter.

Armstrong hit a crucial three-pointer, signaling the start of the Bulls’ comeback.

Jordan began playing like a point guard, tearing through the Trail Blazers’ defense like a ferocious tiger with his explosiveness and speed, creating opportunities for his teammates before swiftly dishing the ball.

Jordan was thinking correctly: as a guard, he had more autonomy and flexibility than a post player. He didn’t need teammates to feed him the ball or set screens; he could attack as soon as he received the ball.

The Bulls slowly edged closer on the scoreboard, intensifying their defense to shut down passing lanes to Gan Guoyang. Buck Williams, Grant, and Bill Cartwright invested all their energy into fronting Gan, while Pippen glued himself to Gan’s side, even enduring a whistle for illegal defense without budging.

The score reached 66-69, with the Bulls trailing by just 3 points. Bobby Berman called a timeout.

He made substitutions, swapping out Sabonis for Mychal Thompson and bringing in Petrović to replace Jerome Kossie.

As soon as Petrović joined the game, the dynamic shifted significantly. He was in peak form tonight, quickly executing a pick-and-roll with Gan Guoyang and sinking a mid-range jumper right in Jordan’s face!

Petrović’s basket brought relief to Berman, who momentarily exhaled. This Croatian kid had proven his worth; the careful cultivation of his talent was finally paying dividends.

However, Petrović was less reliable on defense. Jordan immediately exploited the gap on the perimeter, but his shot was contested and missed when Gan Guoyang came over to help.

Old Thompson secured the defensive rebound and quickly launched a long pass to the frontcourt. Petrović advanced with the ball like the wind, showing no hesitation, delivering a daring bounce pass straight to Reggie Lewis. Lewis caught the ball, took flight, and hammered in a one-handed dunk!

Yet another dunk—tonight, everyone was dunking whenever they got the chance, holding nothing back.

The game’s pace and intensity escalated again as the third quarter drew to a close, forcing both teams to rotate their second units.

The official timeout arrived, and TV viewers seized the moment for bathroom breaks while the spectators at the arena caught their breath.

The score stood at 71-76, with the Trail Blazers maintaining a 5-point lead, firmly keeping the Bulls in check.

The situation was dire for the Bulls. Jackson could sense how hard his players were struggling.

They had been trailing relentlessly, with the game’s rhythm entirely under the Trail Blazers’ control.

Of course, the Trail Blazers were fatigued too; this was only Game 1 of the Finals, and everyone was already questioning whether they had been too aggressive right out of the gate.

The game had prematurely entered the "whoever can’t endure will fall behind" phase, arriving much earlier than in normal matches.

On the bench, Jordan turned to Phil Jackson and said: "Phil, I need to rest for a bit."

Jackson and the Bulls’ coaching staff were stunned. This was the first time they’d ever heard Jordan ask for a rest during a game.

Jackson’s heart sank further; if Michael Jordan couldn’t hold on, there was no hope for anyone else.

"Are you sure you don’t want to finish the third quarter?"