"They’re already exhausted, old, and full of injuries, while we are young and full of life; we are tireless!"
Karl was desperately trying to motivate the players; he knew the importance of the first game.
The lead in the first half gave him hope. Once they win the first game, the SuperSonics will seize the home court advantage.
Once they gain the home court advantage, the scales of victory in the series will tilt towards the SuperSonics.
Compared to last year, the strength of the two teams has shifted, and George Karl believes the chance to overthrow the Trail Blazers’ rule has come.
Most of the SuperSonics players were inspired by Karl and were determined to continue their relentless switching defense.
Only Gary Payton, chewing gum, muttered, "Tireless my ass, I’m fucking exhausted."
Payton often talks back to Karl, and Karl allows it. The two often argue, even trash talk each other.
"If you are so exhausted, I’ll let you rest in the second half!" Karl retorted angrily.
"If you want to lose the game, then let me rest in the second half." Payton refused to back down.
"I’m the coach now, and if you want to win this game and take the series, you have to listen to me!"
"I didn’t say I wouldn’t listen to you, George, but I want to remind you who the most tireless person on both teams is."
Payton was referring to Gan Guoyang, and Karl knew what Payton meant. "I understand, does he want to explode in the third quarter? I’m telling you, it’s not like you can get what you want every time, break out whenever you want!"
"I’m giving you a task; in the second half, you go help defend Sonny."
"What? Help defend? Why me?"
"Because I’m the coach, and because you want to beat Ah Gan."
In this argument, George Karl had the upper hand.
He grasped Gary Payton’s mentality: he really wanted to beat Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers.
No one in the Western Conference does not want to, it’s a huge honor to end the Portland dynasty.
The SuperSonics personnel were ambitious; nothing appealed more to the young than dethroning the old king.
As a tall point guard, Payton’s defensive skills were quite exceptional.
He was aggressive, fast, with a strong ability to harass.
George Karl let Payton assist in defending Gan Guoyang mainly to prevent Gan’s attacks with the ball from outside.
It’s impossible not to worry about Gan Guoyang’s outburst in the second half, especially in the third quarter.
Gan Guoyang, known as the King of the Third Quarter, was particularly good at sealing the win in the third quarter.
After halftime break, they returned to the court; the second half of the game resumed.
Before heading onto the court, Bobby Berman was still communicating with Ah Gan.
Beelman didn’t like this game mode of bursting out towards the end.
As an experienced coach, he knew that a good game state isn’t something that arrives whenever you want.
Good form is usually cultivated; if not nurtured well in the first and second quarters, playing well in the third and fourth quarters becomes challenging.
In the Trail Blazers’ past six championships, many victories were secured confidently.
They would establish an advantage over half a game or even one quarter, and then slowly play while leading.
A burst in the third quarter would settle the game, and opponents had little resistance.
Over the years, there have been few games where the Trail Blazers got overturned or reversed.
Similarly, few comeback wins for the Trail Blazers, only a few major reversals countable on one hand.
It’s not that the Trail Blazers aren’t strong; they’re so strong that they rarely fall behind by big scores.
But circumstances have changed now; if you keep fiercely fighting at the outset, you’ll easily run out of steam later.
Players like Ali, Curry, and Davis are functional players, good at preserving, but not aggressive enough.
So now, the Trail Blazers need to adopt a strategy of pacing themselves in the early stages, pushing the decisive moment later.
Relying on experience, skill, and the individual abilities of star players to win the game, it’s an inevitable move.
Beelman’s strategy was correct, and in the third quarter, the Trail Blazers quickly encountered trouble.
Terry Porter suffered a calf muscle strain during a breakthrough and returned to the locker room early for treatment.
Dell Curry replaced Porter on the court, and the responsibility of ball-handling fell on Petrović.
Gan Guoyang actively ran to shoulder part of the organizing responsibility, continuing to pass and defend as in the first half.
The SuperSonics noticed the Trail Blazers were sluggish and seemingly weak, thinking their opponents were inferior. They began to recklessly attack and bite with even more intensity.
Payton came out to assist in defending Guoyang, and the SuperSonics employed a lot of traps, pressing, and gamble steals, hoping to extend their advantage.
But the Trail Blazers waited for them to tire, and instead of fiercely contesting with the SuperSonics, they stabilized their rhythm, strengthened defense, and used a slow tempo to counter the fast pace.
Absolutely not letting the SuperSonics muddle the battle, thinking about flowing one wave to expand the score — if the score gap is pulled by the SuperSonics, it will be extremely challenging later.
With 5 seconds left in the third quarter, Beelman called a timeout to set up the last play of the quarter.
SuperSonics 68:65, leading the Trail Blazers by just 3 points, they barely maintained the first-half lead with all their effort.
Payton, Kemp, McGee, and others sat on the bench, drenched in sweat and their energy significantly depleted.
Payton complained, "The Trail Blazers are as hard as rocks in a latrine; I bet they weren’t this tough when fucking Portland bitches!"
During the SuperSonics’ recent series of counter-attacks, several offenses were disrupted.
Mario Ely’s following and defensive help were solid and tough, always appearing in the right place.