In fact, last season, the Bulls had the strongest desire for revenge.
They were full of morale, carrying a determination throughout the regular season to bring down the Trail Blazers.
Yet they were brutally beaten by Gan during the regular season, and defeated as if by a descending deity during the Finals.
After that, the cohesive spirit of the Bulls began to dissipate.
Now, they’re left with a sliver of breath, supported by Jordan’s stubbornness and Jackson’s management.
In this regard, the Bulls aren’t much better off than the Trail Blazers, as both have their own internal issues.
On the other side, in the Trail Blazers’ locker room, Gan Guoyang discerned the Bulls’ intentions.
"They want to drag the game into chaos!"
"We’ve made too many turnovers on the outside; we had 6 turnovers in the second quarter, which is unacceptable!"
"We need to reduce passing appropriately, increase individual attacks, and then respond with defense."
"We can’t keep playing like we do with other teams, relying solely on higher offensive efficiency to overwhelm opponents; we need to use defense to control the Bulls’ offense too."
Gan Guoyang instructed the team to strengthen their defense in the second half, not to rely solely on offense for victory.
They need to exert pressure on both ends like they did in the playoffs.
Everyone agreed with Gan Guoyang’s opinion, but can they really boost their defense in the second half?
Defense isn’t just talk, like summoning moves with a shout in manga.
Throughout the regular season, the Trail Blazers’ defensive efficiency hovered around the middle of the league.
This was still due to Gan Guoyang contributing the best backcourt rebounding protection and Three Second Zone defense in the league.
Is Gan Guoyang not aware of these things?
Of course he is, but the rallying cry still needs to be shouted.
The key to solving the problem isn’t just having teammates focus on defense.
It’s about stepping up and taking charge of some critical plays.
Some things are better left unsaid to teammates.
So that most people won’t let their guard down; this season, everyone is easily distracted.
Before the second half started, Gan Guoyang privately told Petrović and Porter, "I’ll step up more for connections."
"If the game gets messy, just throw the ball to me or throw it towards the basket, I’ll go for it."
Gan Guoyang’s assurance gave the two of them more confidence.
After the third quarter started, Jordan indeed began to exert his strength.
On the first attack, he faced Petrović on the right side, shooting forcefully and scoring, gaining two points.
In a one-on-one defensive situation, Petrović had no way to stop Jordan, who scored at will.
The Bulls were desperately fronting Gan Guoyang, preventing him from getting the ball at the low post.
Porter chose to pick and roll with Sabonis, then shot from mid-range at the top of the arc but missed.
The Bulls grabbed the rebound to counterattack, but Pippen was called for traveling during his dribbling advance.
His dribbling hand had a carrying motion, and the referee was still strict with this call at the time.
So far, Pippen hadn’t been playing well, with too many unnecessary turnovers and missed opportunities.
It seemed every time he faced the Trail Blazers, Pippen had a mental block he couldn’t overcome.
Whether it was being overpowered by Gan in 1991 or missing a crucial dunk in 1992.
These were like stones weighing down on Pippen’s mind, heavier and heavier.
After the traveling call, Pippen didn’t even complain to the referee, just directly ran back to defend.
In the third quarter, the Bulls started to strengthen their defense, expanding their defensive range and increasing pressure.
Reinforcing control over the middle, pressuring the ball handler, disrupting the Trail Blazers’ initial pass.
Especially focusing on cutting off connections between the Trail Blazers’ perimeter and Gan—this was the basic tenet of defending against the Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers missed three consecutive offensive attempts, all forcing shots from outside, and the Bulls grabbed the defensive rebounds to counterattack.
However, the Bulls’ counterattack also didn’t succeed; Armstrong missed a three-pointer, and Jordan’s drive was blocked by Gan Guoyang.
At this moment, Gan Guoyang controlled the ball and initiated a fast break, dribbling straight down the middle.
First, he spun past Pippen, then used his strong body to fend off Jordan, preventing the steal.
Drawing most of the Bulls’ defensive attention, he dished a bounce pass to the trailing Lewis.
Lewis leapt high and slammed it down with both hands!
Jordan, exasperated, thought to curse, thinking how Pippen seemed to crumble whenever facing the Trail Blazers!
Next, the Bulls missed another outside shot, and the Trail Blazers launched another fast break.
This time, however, Jordan intercepted the ball from Petrović.
Then himself drove into the paint, switching hands mid-air for a left-handed dunk!
Seeing Jordan’s increasing offensive desire, Gan Guoyang said to him during a fast break:
"Michael, are you up for a scoring duel? Want to join in?"
Gan Guoyang issued a challenge to Jordan, but Jordan didn’t respond.
"Just play well, Sonny."
Not because he feared a scoring duel with Gan Guoyang, but because Jordan knew this was another round of Ah Gan’s psychological warfare.
Once they started a scoring duel, the trailing Bulls would definitely suffer.
So he couldn’t fall for it, needing to stabilize, focus on defense, and play more chaotic battles.
By mid-third quarter, the point difference was down to 5 points, and the competition between the two teams had entered a fever pitch.
Gan Guoyang finally began to attack with the ball from beyond the three-point line.
The Bulls still used a three-layer defense strategy: Jordan on the outside, Pippen in the mid-range, and Grant inside.
Gan Guoyang alone restrained the Bulls’ three most important defensive resources.
First, facing Jordan, he directly fired a strong three-point shot and made it!