In the end, Sabonis rushed forward and made a tip-in.
Still using dual high-posts, Reed used a screen to break through the middle and distributed the ball.
Sabonis received the ball and handed it off to Mu Lin, who passed it back to Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang, acting like a volleyball setter, quickly passed it to Brellock, crouching at the left corner.
Brellock shot a three-pointer and scored.
On defense, the Trail Blazers stuck with man-to-man marking.
No switches, no double-teams, letting Jordan play.
We aren’t afraid of Jordan going on a scoring streak because we are confident that our offensive efficiency is higher than theirs.
Jordan was going full throttle, attacking left and right, and repeatedly closing in on the ball handler on defense, trying to disrupt the Trail Blazers’ offensive rhythm.
But it didn’t work well; the Trail Blazers’ offense was steady as a mountain, with ball movements as smooth as water.
Even with Jordan scoring 8 consecutive points, the Trail Blazers scored 9, putting pressure on the Bulls.
Among them, Gan Guoyang did not score but was all assists and playmaking, attracting defensive attention.
Jordan tried to taunt Gan Guoyang, "Sonny, are you that gutless? Where’s the King of the Third Quarter?"
Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "Michael, I don’t even need to take the shot against you now."
The two teams were locked in battle in the third quarter; the Bulls could not catch up, and instead, the point difference slowly widened.
Every five or six possessions, the Trail Blazers scored one more basket than the Bulls.
After half a quarter, the Trail Blazers had widened the gap to 19 points, nearly 20.
In the 1997-1998 season, such a gap could be deadly and challenging to close.
Phil Jackson was pacing restlessly on the sideline, trying to find the key to solving the problem but couldn’t.
If it were another team, and such an offensive surge opened a gap, Jackson would still have confidence in a comeback.
He would call a timeout, assign tasks to Rodman to stir up the situation, and regain the game rhythm.
Or escalate defensive pressure to force mistakes, launch fast-breaks to swing the momentum back, and decide the battle in the fourth quarter.
But against the Trail Blazers, it didn’t work. Rodman once told Jackson, "I can do anything for the team, guard Ah Gan is fine, but if you want me to fight, play dirty tricks, sorry, I won’t do it."
"I’m here to work, not to risk my life."
Even if Rodman wasn’t convinced by Gan Guoyang, he wouldn’t dare play dirty tricks against him.
Against the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan, you can only confront them openly and uprightly; don’t think of using any underhanded tactics.
But with the current situation, how to resolve it without underhanded tactics? Do we just wait for the Trail Blazers to mess up themselves?
Jackson kept using his hand to whistle, reminding the players to focus, especially on defense.
The Bulls’ ability to force turnovers has always been top-notch in the League, while Gan Guoyang’s team also excels at controlling turnovers.
The most gratifying thing for Gan Guoyang this season is the significant reduction in turnovers, finally keeping the damn turnovers in check.
The Trail Blazers had a brief power outage, and the Bulls seized the opportunity to claw back 5 points, prompting Bird to call a timeout.
With a 14-point lead, not feeling secure, Bird still substituted the young Little O’Neal, Big Ben, and Kobe.
"We have a 14-point lead; if you’re not careful, it will be squandered quickly. But I’ll still put you on the court, withstand the pressure."
Bird hoped for victory but also wanted to train young players; they need to play against strong opponents like the Bulls, compete in high-stakes games, and seize crucial moments.
This showcased Bird’s immense confidence; the third quarter still had minutes left, yet he dared to make significant substitutions when the Bulls were chasing so closely.
For safety’s sake, Bird kept Gan Guoyang on the court as the Sea-Calming Needle, to which Gan Guoyang said, "I should rest now."
"No, you can’t rest, keep playing."
"You’ve put in Ben and Jermaine already; what am I supposed to do?"
"You’ll play the three-position; weren’t you always able to do that before?"
"I’m 275 pounds now; how am I supposed to play the three-position?"
"The three-position depends on ability, not weight. Play, you get paid the most."
"I’m tired."
"It’s the Christmas rivalry, your showdown with Jordan, show some respect!"
"How do you want me to play?"
"If you’re really tired, just defend with hands on your hips, fast-break on offense. Your presence on the court gives the young ones confidence."
Gan Guoyang understood that Bird wanted to use this opportunity to further train the newcomers.
This has always been something Bird has done well; under Bird’s coaching, Kobe, Little O’Neal, and Ben Wallace have all grown significantly.
Bird had the confidence and magnanimity; he wasn’t the kind of coach who fixated on records and used the main players extensively for win rates.
But Bird also didn’t want the advantageous situation to be wasted, so he kept Gan Guoyang on the court to stabilize the team.
Of course, Bird also had another intention; he wanted to see the condition of Gan Guoyang playing the three-position.
After all, this kid had previously moved to the three-position more than once to frustrate opponents.
Like forming the three towers in ’86 and tearing through the Bulls’ perimeter in ’92.
If necessary, Bird hoped this could become the Trail Blazers’ ultimate trump card and fallback for this year.
No matter how big the advantage, you should still keep a trump card in hand.
After the timeout, Gan Guoyang and Kobe, Little O’Neal, and others returned to the court.
Taking the three-position, Gan Guoyang quickly got into character, hands on hips as he watched Jordan attack the basket.
Jordan scored, but after the Trail Blazers conceded, they quickly inbounded the ball, and Porter received it, making an ultra-long pass to the frontcourt.
Gan Guoyang wasn’t defending the basket, so he ran toward the frontcourt like an NFL running back.
At 275 pounds, when he ran, no one could stop him, and with Porter having over a decade of synergy with him, the pass was spot on.
Gan Guoyang, on a fast break, had an open lane; he caught the ball without dribbling and took two strides to soar up for a one-handed dunk!
Jordan’s two points from the basket were easily erased. After scoring, Gan Guoyang thought to himself, playing like this is really nice.
He suddenly thought, if in the future, when he’s older and can’t handle the inside game, losing some weight and specializing in the three-position might be a good option.