After a 74-point blowout victory over the Spurs, the series outcome was no longer in doubt.
The Spurs’ morale was completely crushed by the Trail Blazers, and upon returning to the Portland Rose Garden Arena, they couldn’t muster the will to resist.
The fans at the scene were also holding "74" signs and cheering loudly. In Portland, Gan Guoyang was still like a king.
Not to mention across the ocean in China, where Gan Guoyang scored 74 points against American teams, earning him the praise of a national hero.
The Spurs only resisted in the first quarter, tied at 24:24. After the second quarter’s substitution, the Trail Blazers gradually widened the gap.
The Spurs were in a state of panic, focusing all their defensive attention on Gan Guoyang, as they were really afraid of his shooting from the last game.
Gan Guoyang was clearly on a mission. The Spurs didn’t want to be massacred by Gan Guoyang again, but it was Kobe Bryant who truly shone in the second quarter.
Kobe seemed inspired by Gan Guoyang. He was the most excited when Gan Guoyang scored 74 points in the fourth game. Seeing his idol create miracles, how could Kobe not take action?
Kobe was extremely energetic in this game, with strong offensive power. Fortunately, he had a good touch, leading the second lineup to a scoring climax in the second quarter.
Like Ah Gan, Kobe used mid-range jump shots to tear through the Spurs’ defense. His breakthroughs and stop-and-shoot jump shots were already impressive, and his breakthroughs were quite sharp, making it increasingly difficult for the Spurs to defend him.
By halftime, Kobe had scored 16 points, helping the Trail Blazers lead the Spurs by 7 points going into the half.
Gan Guoyang did not exert full effort offensively, but the Spurs still had to heavily guard him.
In the third quarter, the Spurs’ defense gradually began to crumble, and the Trail Blazers consistently executed efficient offensive rounds, slowly widening the point gap.
The Spurs’ strategy of slowing down the game’s tempo was ineffective against the Trail Blazers. The more they dragged, the lower their scoring efficiency became, making a comeback increasingly difficult.
Any team attempting to slow down the pace against the Trail Blazers this season mostly ended up failing.
Even the Bulls couldn’t hold back the Blazers’ rapid advancement, making it even harder for other teams.
Thus, the best way to confront the Trail Blazers is with offense. During the regular season, the Boston Celtics were the only team to defeat the Trail Blazers twice.
Under Beelman’s coaching, the Celtics achieved a good balance of offense and defense, and with a group of newcomers, became the most competitive team in the Eastern Conference.
Currently, in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics and New York Knicks are tied at 2:2. It’s still unclear who will win the series.
In the first three quarters, the Trail Blazers led the Spurs by 10 points. In the fourth quarter, the Spurs didn’t completely give up but continued working hard to close the gap.
points is not an insurmountable gap. The two teams were deadlocked until the final 4 minutes, when the Trail Blazers, led by Gan Guoyang, suddenly launched a 7:0 offensive burst.
Gan Guoyang hit a three-pointer, Mu Lin cut inside for a layup, and Sabonis made a mid-range jump shot, widening the lead to 17 points.
This blow completely ended the Spurs’ fight, and they completely lost the will to resist. Popovich’s timeout seemed like a mere formality in a desperate struggle.
David Robinson sat on the bench with his head hanging low, knowing that his 1998-1999 season was over.
This year, Robinson was 33 years old, and in his tenth season in the league, his average points per game had dropped to 19.8, falling below 20 for the first time in his career, except during injury seasons.
In terms of rebounds, blocks, and assists, he was still outstanding, and with his increasingly rich experience, his impact on the court became more prominent.
In the series against the Trail Blazers, except for the fourth game, he spent a lot of time defending against Ah Gan, and his performance was actually quite good.
He and his teammates wove an effective defensive net, trying to limit Gan Guoyang’s offensive prowess.
Excluding the 74 points, Gan Guoyang’s scoring and shooting percentage had reached relatively low levels in his career.
Robinson truly caused trouble for Gan Guoyang, making him keenly feel the power of time.
is truly a turning point. When young, he could maintain a shooting percentage of 60% for a season, now he can only struggle to stay around 50%.
He had to make some compromises on both offensive and defensive ends. He couldn’t play offensively for 30-plus points every game and defensively grab 15 rebounds and make 3 blocks every game.
When he focused on offense, he had to ease up a bit on defense, shrinking towards the three-second zone, and relying more on teammates for rotating and help defense.
When he needed to contribute more on defense, he would delegate more offensive responsibilities to Kobe, Brellock, and Sabonis.
In the regular season, Gan Guoyang’s average score dropped to 25, still leading the league in average rebounds, but it had shrunk to 13.8, the lowest in his career.
He still played all 82 games and in some playoff games could burst out with extraordinary energy, but he knew his form was slowly declining.
When the buzzer ended the fifth game, the Trail Blazers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 101:90, with an 11-point advantage at home, winning the series 4:1 and successfully advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
Gan Guoyang has never missed a Western Conference Finals in his career, with 13 trips to the Western Conference Finals in 13 years. For Western Conference teams, the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan are unshakable nightmares.
As the teams exited the court, Gan Guoyang and David Robinson embraced in mutual respect, as they shared a good off-court relationship.