Before going on the court, Beelman pulled Petrović aside and said, "Your job is to score, try to extend the time the second unit stays on the court, score, and score again, do you understand?"
Petrović nodded, knowing that his time had come.
In the first quarter, the Trail Blazers had almost no points from the perimeter; all scoring came from inside.
The Heat’s intense physical confrontation affected the players’ shooting touch.
But now, Petrović had already adapted and adjusted well.
At the start of the second quarter, Petrović accelerated through a pick-and-roll in the middle.
At the edge of the three-second zone, he took a drifting stop-and-pop jump shot, scoring two points!
Petrović quickly stole one at the start of the second quarter.
For the Heat, Drexler cut out to receive the ball, accelerated his dribble breakthrough, and with a fingertip layup, hit the high glass to score!
His movements were still suave and beautiful, more refined and mature than during his time with the Trail Blazers, although he had less hair.
This season, Drexler was entirely bald; as he got bald, he got stronger.
And Petrović, who had shortened his hair, was not to be outdone; he also made a strong penetration in the middle, stopping with a floater to score!
Petrović’s actions were very fast, attacking decisively and filled with courage and determination.
The two engaged in a duel from the perimeter. When Drexler missed his outside shot, Petrović remarked, "You still can’t learn to shoot, can you?"
Drexler was furious and fouled Petrović on defense with a fierce block, sending Petrović flying out of bounds.
Drexler rarely did this, even though the Heat’s style was such, these actions were usually done by players like Mason or Smith.
He was quite a humble person both on and off the court, but he couldn’t endure when facing the Trail Blazers and became more sensitive.
Jerome Kossie came over to pull Petrović up and said to Drexler, "Clyde, watch your actions!"
"Watch your words, Jerome, this is the finals, I won’t be polite to you."
"Alright, alright, let’s see who is better at these things!"
The two former championship partners and off-court friends had to attack each other at this moment.
Petrović pulled Kossie back, saying, "It’s okay, I’ll respond, don’t worry."
True to his word, Petrović responded; he faked out Drexler on the wing and scored a three-pointer!
A crucial three-pointer that tied the game.
Riley realized Beelman wanted to use the second unit to buy time.
Seizing a dead-ball opportunity, Riley substituted Olajuwon, forcing the Trail Blazers to respond with Ah Gan.
But Beelman did not substitute Gan Guoyang yet, instead opting to first bring in Sabonis to match Olajuwon.
Sabonis focused on defense, coming from the wing to assist, and it wasn’t ineffective, only giving the Heat more outside shooting opportunities.
Thus, the rhythm of the game was gradually pulled back, changing from a fiercely contested defensive battle to a shooting duel.
Riley shouted from the sidelines, but the flow of the game wasn’t something you could change at will; it followed rules.
After a strong wave of defense, there would inevitably be a lax phase, entering a phase of offense, then clashing again.
Until the crucial moments, when strategy and tactics faded away with the exhaustion of physical strength, entering a realm of pure improvisation.
As Petrović hit another three-pointer on the fast break, the Trail Blazers made a comeback, changing the score to 30:27.
Riley had no choice but to call a timeout to readjust. At this time, Gan Guoyang took off his warm-ups and stepped on the court, having gained enough rest.
Riley replaced Starks with Brian Shaw, who was sent in to better pass to Olajuwon.
With the game resuming, Olajuwon immediately demanded the ball in the low post; he was pushed quite far outside by Ah Gan.
But he still immediately turned and made a fadeaway jumper after receiving the ball, with Gan Guoyang nearly blocking the shot.
The ball went "swish" into the net, as Olajuwon scored his 12th point of the game with a beautiful fadeaway.
"Do you still think I’m not brave, Sonny?" Olajuwon asked after the score.
Back then, Ah Gan’s words "You’re not that weak, Hakeem" left a deep impression on Olajuwon.
Until now, he remembers it clearly, reminding himself every time during fadeaway training to imagine Ah Gan as the defender.
"Hakeem, I’ve always wanted to ask you, was it you who punched me back then?"
Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post, ready to back Olajuwon down.
"No, that punch was actually from Clyde."
Gan Guoyang was stunned, and Olajuwon suddenly reached in and stripped the ball from Gan Guoyang’s hands.
The Heat seized the opportunity for a fast break, with Drexler charging forward, catching the ball on the break, taking off, and slamming it down!
The Heat regained control of the game, stealing the ball from Gan Guoyang was no small feat for a center.
At that moment, Gan Guoyang didn’t forcefully bang against Olajuwon but instead moved to the high post to play-make for his teammates.
The Heat lineup had a notable issue; without Olajuwon, their power forward’s rim protection was average.
Mason and Grant Long weren’t blocking experts, their height was average, and Cliff-Robinson played more on the perimeter.
So the Heat’s defense emphasized ground confrontation, heavily relying on Olajuwon for aerial interception. Once Olajuwon left the three-second zone, their rim protection declined significantly.
At this moment, if Gan Guoyang moved to the perimeter, forcing Olajuwon to come outside, the Heat’s interior would become vulnerable.