The Bulls’ bench erupted, Jordan made a four-point play! The point difference instantly shrunk to 2 points!
Standing at the free-throw line, Jordan was unflinching, made the additional free throw, 100:98.
Luck was on Jordan’s side, and he scored 50 points.
Even though he felt lost and shaken inside, he gave it his all on the court.
Because if he gave up, the match would end early.
Kobe made a terrible mistake, Bird called for a timeout.
The pressure was now on the Trail Blazers; they needed a play.
Carl took out the tactics board, and boldly, he laid out a daring strategy.
After the timeout, the Trail Blazers players spread out, with Gan Guoyang posing to receive near the sideline.
But when the whistle blew, Sabonis, whose eyes were on Gan Guoyang, threw the ball towards the inside.
Kobe, who just made a mistake, leaped up high, broke away from Jordan, caught the alley-oop, and slammed it in!
The Bulls made a mistake on defense, focusing all their attention on Gan Guoyang.
Especially Lang Li, who positioned himself too far outside, but you couldn’t blame him, Guoyang’s firepower was too terrifying tonight.
Kobe redeemed himself, regained two points, and the Trail Blazers kept their 4-point lead.
The Bulls didn’t have much time left, and now Gan Guoyang started focusing his defense on Jordan.
A direct confrontation between two superstars made Jordan hesitate for a moment.
Brellock came over to help defend, reached in for the ball, and with Gan Guoyang being one tall and one short, they blocked Jordan’s way.
Jordan stayed calm, dribbled backward, and passed to Kukoc, who quickly transferred the ball to Pippen in the middle.
Pippen went for a layup against Sabonis, but Sabonis, being slower, decisively knocked the ball away from Pippen.
"Beep!" The referee blew the whistle, called a defensive foul on Sabonis, without controversy, it was a foul.
Pippen stood at the free-throw line, if he made both, the Bulls would still have a chance to win the game.
However, Pippen missed the first free throw, making Jordan’s face turn as dark as it could get.
"Bro, you’re just like in the Eastern Conference Finals, missing free throws again, are you gonna mess me up again?"
"Scottie, it’s time to leave the Bulls and get a big contract!" Gan Guoyang didn’t miss a chance to add fuel to the fire, stabbing Pippen in the heart.
As a result, Pippen missed the second free throw as well!
Jordan and Rodman rushed forward to fight for the offensive rebound.
But it was useless, Gan Guoyang firmly controlled the rebound.
The Bulls lost the best chance to close the score gap.
With only over 30 seconds left, the Trail Blazers just needed to control the time to win the game.
Jordan had no choice but to foul, but the fouls didn’t add up, so the Trail Blazers threw from the sideline, fouled again to waste time.
Brellock stood at the free-throw line, as a guard his free-throw percentage was actually average, only about 70%.
But at the crucial moment, he stayed calm, made both free throws, 104:98, a 6-point gap, and the Bulls called timeout.
Back on the bench, Jordan couldn’t help but lose his temper at Pippen, "Is free-throwing so difficult for you?"
Pippen remained silent, he had screwed up at key moments not once or twice before.
Against other teams, there might be room for recovery, against the Trail Blazers, even a small mistake could be costly.
The more costly it got, the more scared inside, and the easier it was to make mistakes.
That slam dunk mistake in 1992 still caused a faint pain in Jordan’s heart.
Seriously, what kind of sin is this?
Jackson tried hard to set up and deploy, putting together a gamble on a three-point play.
Steve-Kerr came on to replace Rodman, with four three-point shooters on the court.
The Trail Blazers, leading by six points, let go of two points and defended against the three, giving Lang Li a chance to score under the basket.
Returning, Gan Guoyang got the ball to waste time, and the Bulls had to send him to the free-throw line.
Gan Guoyang’s free-throw was very steady, making both, pulling the lead back to 6 points.
Time was running out, with Cole missing a three-pointer from the outside, the Bulls had no more chances.
The buzzer sounded, the game ended, 106:100, the Trail Blazers won with a 6-point advantage at home against the Bulls, capturing the victory in the first game of the finals.
Post-match statistics showed that the viewership and audience for this game created a historical record, which remained unbeaten, even by Gan Guoyang himself later on.
When the game ended, Gan Guoyang and Jordan did not shake hands, did not embrace, as the series was not over yet.
Both scored 50 points this game, showcasing their superstar play, creating records in NBA Finals history.
But just like Gan Guoyang said, if the Trail Blazers used this single superstar scoring style and the Bulls couldn’t win, when they returned to a team-based approach, it would be even tougher for the Bulls.
The ending at this moment was already destined, only delayed the announcement.
Two days later, the second game continued at the Rose Garden, where Gan Guoyang subdued his sharpness and offense, integrated into the Trail Blazers’ perfect team play, launching a frenzied attack on the Bulls.
Their shooting percentage in the first half once reached 70%, later gradually dropped to 60%, and eventually the Trail Blazers won at home with a 15-point advantage over the Bulls.
In both games, it was the Bulls’ largest losing margin; in the Eastern series, their largest losing margin was only 3 points.
They had incredible tenacity, but they had no way out, meeting the strikingly offensive Trail Blazers; they were too accurate in the second game.
Mu Lin, Brellock, Sabonis, and others were stifled in the first game, just watching their leader showing off, barely having any roles themselves.
In this match, they all attacked collectively, with wide-ranging ball movement and long-range shots, leaving the Bulls’ tight defense scrambling, tactically collapsing.
In the third and fourth games, the Bulls put up extremely tenacious resistance. The third game dragged into double overtime, fighting until they were exhausted.
In the end, Gan Guoyang used a deadly mid-range shot to eliminate the Bulls, and also extinguished the Bulls’ hope of winning the series.
In the fourth game, the Bulls didn’t want to be swept, but Pippen missed this game due to injury, leaving Jordan without a supporting arm to score a staggering 55 points again.
Yet the Trail Blazers still, with strong overall strength and efficient offensive performance at key moments, suppressed the Bulls, beating them 109:107, with a 2-point advantage.
Leading the series 4-0, the Trail Blazers swept the Bulls, capturing the 1998 championship.
Gan Guoyang reclaimed what was his, the championship trophy.
In the United Center locker room in Chicago, Gan Guoyang drank champagne freely.
Five years, it had been a whole five years since he last tasted the flavor of the championship.
At this moment, tears and wine mixed together, and no one could tell them apart.
On the other hand, Gan Guoyang also lost something precious.
That was his greatest rival, a lifelong friend, Michael Jordan.
Shortly after the finals ended, a disappointed Jordan decided not to execute the hefty two-year contract and opted to retire.
He declined other teams’ offers and rejected the Chicago fans’ petition for him to stay.
He said he was tired, he wanted to leave, he needed a rest.
The story of Gan vs. Joe came to a close in a less-than-perfect ending.
Temporarily, it came to a close.
(End of Volume Two "Appointment in 1998.")