But then, when Duncan caught the ball at a 45-degree angle and tried to pass it to Ilgauskas again, Gan Guoyang turned and tapped the ball from behind, blocking Ilgauskas’s layup!
On the fast break, Mu Lin made a bounce pass to Riddle, who tossed the ball high off the backboard, and Gan Guoyang followed up with a two-handed dunk!
The king of the third quarter scored 8 points in a row.
Duncan and Nash ran a pick-and-roll, with Nash intending to set up Duncan.
The bounce pass was beautiful, but Duncan missed the last step of the layup towards the basket!
The layup was so close, Gan Guoyang only slightly disrupted it from behind, he could’ve dunked it.
The rebound was grabbed by Sabonis, and it was another counterattack for the Trail Blazers, back to a set play.
Gan Guoyang once again attacked Ilgauskas in the low post, this time opting to forcefully break through with power.
Charging into the paint, he went head-to-head with a rotating Duncan, who could only foul to stop Gan Guoyang.
Standing at the free-throw line, Gan Guoyang easily made both free throws, scoring ten in a row; Beelman called a timeout.
At this point, the Twin Towers’ disadvantage was clear, as all resources and possession were focused inside, but the two of them couldn’t break through Ah Gan, who was tormenting them repeatedly on both ends. How could the game continue like this?
Beelman was even more worried that Duncan’s mindset was starting to waver.
You could tell from that last missed layup; he was getting anxious.
The layup, which was a sure thing, missed because of that rush of anxiety.
Beelman called a timeout to let Duncan cool down, reminding him not to get distracted.
Duncan’s face showed no signs of emotion; he just nodded.
Nash shouted from the side, "I’ll pass to you more often!"
Duncan quietly glanced at Nash, truly wanting to say thank you.
"Pass more to the outside, Steve! Three-pointers, we need to spread out more to avoid Ah Gan’s strong point!"
Duncan took a deep breath; his mindset was still okay, feeling that if forcing it didn’t work, he should just pass more to his teammates and facilitate more.
However, things weren’t as simple as he thought, and Gan Guoyang wasn’t about to just give up; he hadn’t finished pressing down on you yet.
He smelled the scent of blood and was already in hunting mode.
As the timeout ended and the game resumed, Duncan’s situation became increasingly difficult.
Although he was said to be a max-level player upon joining the league, his skills and mentality impeccable,
he was ultimately facing the league’s top devil, Ah Gan, who had been tormenting everyone in this league for over a decade.
Having only played a dozen NBA games, Duncan ultimately lacked practice and experience, never encountering a freak like Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang’s defensive intensity was even higher than in the first half. He wasn’t merely wrestling with them like Rodman or Mason, nauseating them with entanglement tactics.
He used phantom-like defense. When you thought you had a chance, in reality, he was highly focused on you, and as soon as you caught the ball, he’d launch an attack.
His strength, explosiveness, and reaction speed made it difficult for defenders to escape, and it was easy to make mistakes under his seamless pressure.
This predatory style of defense, with Jordan on the perimeter and Ah Gan inside, was difficult for others to replicate.
Because of Gan Guoyang’s role in the paint, he often wouldn’t defend like this, as he had to protect the rim and consider other responsibilities.
Tonight was different; he wasn’t protecting the rim at all; he wasn’t double-teaming or providing help defense. He was just watching Duncan, like a shark eyeing its prey.
Duncan could see the shark fin swimming on the surface but didn’t know when it would strike or suddenly rush in with its gaping maw.
This offensive unpredictability, coupled with being at a disadvantage in one-on-one matchups, left Duncan extremely uncomfortable.
He found it hard to catch and pass the ball properly, and later, he realized his best role was to set screens for his teammates, avoiding touching the ball at all costs.
This reliance on Nash’s ball control ultimately exposed the Celtics’ offense, and Nash, after all, was just a second-year rookie, with experience and skills not yet mature.
Brellock also tangled with Nash in the third quarter, successfully stealing the ball twice—tonight, the Trail Blazers’ steals were soon to hit double digits.
The score gradually widened, and by the end of the third quarter, it was 89:75, with the Trail Blazers leading by 14 points, and Duncan still hadn’t scored!
He only had one attempt in the third quarter, and Kobe, coming off the bench, complained to him: "What are you afraid of, Tim? Shoot! Just shoot it; it’s either going in or not, and there will always be a chance. If you don’t dare to shoot, you definitely won’t score!"
Duncan momentarily didn’t know if Kobe was right or not.
Yeah, either make it or not; isn’t that a fifty percent chance?
No time to think, Duncan caught the ball at the top, had a chance.
Gan Guoyang didn’t press up, keeping some distance, allowing him to shoot?
But Duncan didn’t have confidence in his mid-range shot, and he knew Ah Gan could close the gap quickly.
Or should he drive with the ball? There was an opportunity in front, maybe draw a foul.
But he tried this before, driving straight on at Ah Gan was almost impossible; the ball would be stolen.
In his hesitation, Duncan chose to pass to the wing to the rotating Bowen.
However, his pass was anticipated, and Gan Guoyang read the play, intercepting the ball midway!
This play was stunning; obviously, Duncan’s hesitation led to his passing intentions being read, and error in his passing technique.
Successfully intercepting the ball, Gan Guoyang dribbled it himself, charging coast-to-coast, finishing with a powerful left-handed dunk for two more points!
Duncan could only trail behind to inbound the ball; he took it and slammed it onto the floor in frustration, feeling utterly disappointed in himself at that moment.
The hesitance stemmed from fear; he knew he was scared facing Ah Gan, unsure of what to do next.
He thought passing was the solution, but now even passing wouldn’t work; it would get intercepted.
How many intercepts tonight already? This was humiliating—had he lost control of the ball entirely?
Duncan wasn’t without competitiveness; on the contrary, he was fiercely determined, hiding it behind his expressionless face.
Who would want to lose if they could win?
Yet, after the inbounds and running up to the frontcourt, spotting Ah Gan not far away brought an instinctual sense of dread.
He tried hard to overcome this, and in the last offensive of the third quarter, he ran to the low post and called for the ball.
Smoothly catching the pass, he dribbled closer, his steps and movements trained through countless days and nights in the gym forming his muscle memory.
Sensing the defense with his back, he adjusted with a spin move, exploding to create space in a narrow gap, releasing a shot softly into the hoop!
But before the ball could leave his hand, a stronger hand slapped it away, changing its trajectory from above, slamming it onto the floor.
Duncan fought hard for the rebound, trying to regain control and get the ball in the hoop.
But amidst the chaotic scramble, the third quarter buzzer sounded.
Duncan held the ball, still poised for an upward motion, but everything stopped abruptly.
Gan Guoyang also suddenly stopped moving aggressively, relaxed, gently patting Duncan before heading to rest.
Duncan was the last to release the ball, lowering his head, wiping sweat, and returning to the bench.
The score remained at zero.