At that time, Petrović and Lewis had not yet joined the Trail Blazers, and West hoped that doing so would make the players less sorrowful.
It was the right decision. People are moved by circumstances, and when a familiar figure is suddenly missing from a place where everyone has been training and playing, the mind can be overwhelmed.
Therefore, the game on the 24th was also arranged at the old Memorial Coliseum instead of the Rose Garden.
Even so, a somber atmosphere still enveloped the entire team, and everyone pretended to be calm, but in reality, they had no heart for training.
Surprisingly, Bobby Berman seemed to be back to normal, not only normal, he even looked full of energy.
His exhaustion seemed to have completely vanished. During training, he kept shouting, swearing, and demanding everyone to lift their spirits and win this championship.
In fact, everyone could see that Lewis and Petrović’s departure hit Berman the hardest.
Before Lewis’s accident, Berman had the last conversation with him and could not forgive himself for criticizing Lewis at the final moments of his life.
As for Petrović, Berman had personally trained him, and even now, Berman does not acknowledge that Petrović has passed away.
During training, he repeatedly told Adelman, "When Pete recovers, make sure he is well-versed with this tactic."
He believed that Petrović was injured and needed treatment in the hospital.
Adelman did not know how to explain it to him, so after training, he could only approach Jerry West and say that Berman was not in a suitable state to continue coaching.
West spoke with Berman and Gan Guoyang, but Berman insisted on coaching and turned a deaf ear to their attempts to tell him that Petrović had died.
Under such chaotic circumstances, the Trail Blazers had little fighting spirit, and the game on the 24th proceeded in a rare silence, with both sides lacking passion.
Before the game, there was a memorial gesture by both sides,
The Miami Heat had adjusted for a period after returning to Miami, and Riley expressed deep regret and sympathy for the Trail Blazers’ situation.
He felt both shocked and conflicted internally. After the events unfolded, his so-called revenge became insignificant.
Even the championship, in Riley’s view, felt trivial because no championship carries as much weight as life, especially when it’s two lives.
Later, when people recall the 1993 Finals, what will be remembered most and deeply are the two incidents, not who won the championship.
In the end, the Heat won the third game with a score of 98-90 at the Memorial Coliseum, bringing the overall score to 1-2.
Given the current situation, it’s quite possible for the Heat to win three consecutive games in Portland.
The Trail Blazers not only have low morale, but more importantly, they have lost two key players.
After the match, both teams left the court quietly, and Drexler, who hadn’t spoken to Gan Guoyang during the first two games, came over and gave him a firm hug.
"Cheer up, Sonny, you must cheer up," Drexler said.
Gan Guoyang wanted to joke with Drexler, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it, so he just smiled.
However, playing the game had its benefits. The match gradually pulled everyone back to reality, back to the problems they were facing.
Back in the locker room, the loss was disheartening, but it was the disappointment of failure that slowly diluted the grief of their teammate’s passing.
The group started discussing the game itself, discussing the outcome of the championship, and discussing the path forward.
Bernard King was the first to stand up and say, "What should we do next? Are we going to just stay down, lose the Finals, and disband? Is this the outcome we leave for Reggie and Pete?"
After all, King joined the team midway for the championship and his camaraderie with Ah Gan, and he didn’t have a deep emotional connection with Lewis and Petrović.
So after the sadness subsided, he raised a very practical question: what path should they take next?
Everyone remained silent, looking at Gan Guoyang. His face was stern, knowing that a championship would be the best consolation for Lewis and Petrović.
But internally, he couldn’t find resolve; it was the first time he felt shaken in his basketball career. Were the championship and victory really that important?
He had no answer, so he couldn’t respond. Eventually, in silence, they all left, awaiting the next game.
Returning home, Gan Youwei made a late-night meal for Gan Guoyang again. Seeing Gan Guoyang so busy and sad lately, Gan Youwei personally cooked for his son every day.
Gan Guoyang took a few bites and said, "Dad, you better not make me late-night meals anymore. You should rest more. So much has happened recently. I have no appetite."
Gan Youwei said, "The more things happen, the more you need to eat. Those who are alive must live well and live better."
Gan Guoyang reluctantly took a few more bites and said, "It’s too bland, didn’t you put salt? I’m not eating anymore, you should go to sleep early."
Gan Youwei took a few bites, muttered a few words, watched his son return to his room, and sighed deeply.
By June 26, the series had reached the fourth game, and the atmosphere of the Finals was slowly returning.
Fans and media gradually emerged from the shocking, sorrowful atmosphere and began discussing the championship’s outcome.
In the fourth game, if the Trail Blazers lose again, the momentum will completely shift to the Heat.
Regardless of the result of the fifth game, the Finals would head to Miami, where the championship would most likely belong to the Heat.
If the Trail Blazers lost the Finals for such reasons, people would completely understand, but ultimately it would be a great regret.