Gan Guoyang received the ball and pushed inside, causing Mourning to fall back. Gan Guoyang seized the opportunity to quickly turn around, lean forward, and shoot.
This move reminded old Knicks fans of Bernard King’s style, with his quick turn and release, and the ball swished through the net without touching the board.
A crisp and clean two points, Mourning didn’t even have time to adjust and jump to block, only turning to watch as the shot went in.
After making this shot, Mourning knew that Ah Gan was getting serious, which was completely different from trying a few shots in the first half.
Kemp hesitated in the subsequent offense, attempting a drive after a fake, only to be surrounded by Gan Guoyang and Sabonis.
Kemp didn’t have the ability to pass through traffic and couldn’t pass the ball to the weak side, so he had to return it to Sprewell on the strong side.
A messed-up play, forcing Sprewell to isolate on his own, only to be called for traveling by the referee.
It was the Trail Blazers’ turn, Gan Guoyang continued to call for the ball in the low post, with the Knicks’ illegal early double-team looming, the referee showed leniency.
Gan Guoyang adjusted his position, received the ball in a shallower spot, immediately took a Sigma Step facing the basket, and went for a strong drive along the baseline.
Mourning was passed in one step, Kemp came over for help defense, but was met by a powerful dunk from Gan Guoyang right over him!
It was a two-handed dunk, and Kemp was knocked back several steps before he could stabilize himself. The referees once again showed leniency by not calling a defensive foul on Kemp, otherwise, it would have been a sure 2+1.
The crowd cheered, followed by boos, believing Kemp should have been called for blocking.
Whether on the Supersonics or the Knicks, Kemp, though not tall or heavy enough, usually had no problem defending most centers in the league.
Facing someone like Olajuwon, Kemp could often make contributions on both ends of the court.
But not against Ah Gan. Against Gan Guoyang, anyone shorter than him would be dominated.
Only the opponent who has an advantage in height, where Gan Guoyang is not naturally outstanding, can gain some edge in the matchup.
Van Gundy sensed trouble and immediately called a timeout to adjust the strategy, deciding to let Kemp continue to front defend Ah Gan, using Mourning for backup defense, thinking it might be more effective.
Whether it would actually work out would still depend on fate.
Returning from the timeout, the Knicks made a mistake on offense.
Chais’s drive was knocked away by Gan Guoyang, turning the ball over.
The Trail Blazers counterattacked and the Knicks quickly retreated on defense, with Kemp sticking tightly to Gan Guoyang.
When Gan Guoyang was trying to position himself for the ball, Kemp scrambled to deny an easy reception.
Brellock still passed the ball inside, Gan Guoyang jumped to catch and turn, and the Knicks’ four interior players converged on him!
Gan Guoyang passed the ball to the top of the arc, where Kobe caught it and took a mid-range shot!
"Clang!" It was still a miss!
It was a great opportunity, but Kobe couldn’t take advantage.
Gan Guoyang, surrounded by four Knicks players, couldn’t grab the offensive rebound.
"Gan Liliang! You missed that shot!" Gan Guoyang cursed inwardly.
No time to blame Kobe, Gan Guoyang quickly got back on defense, with another charge from Sprewell.
The Trail Blazers shrank their defense, and Sprewell passed the ball to Houston, who faked and then passed back to Sprewell cutting to the outside.
Sprewell took a three-pointer in stride, making it! Another three-pointer made!
"Letting you settle the rhythm, and you still miss!" Gan Guoyang shouted at Kobe.
"Why didn’t you shoot?" Kobe retorted, thinking Gan Guoyang was going to shoot.
"Four people double-teaming!"
"Isn’t four people a good opportunity?"
"..."
Gan Guoyang had nothing to say.
For the Knicks, unable to score inside, the three-pointer is a good choice.
The Knicks didn’t stick to their established tactics and boldly absorbed the opponent’s experience.
The battle for the paint reached a fever pitch, and Kemp was exerting all his effort on defense.
However, when Sabonis was facilitating at a high position, the connection between the two towers left the Knicks’ defense helpless.
Not only did Gan Guoyang quickly score after receiving the ball, but he also drew a defensive foul from Mourning and made the free throw.
Surprisingly, over on the Knicks’ side, Chais received an outside pass from Houston and nailed another three-pointer!
That’s three consecutive three-pointers, more than they made in the entire first half.
The Knicks’ three-point shooting in the third quarter was phenomenal; no one expected their accuracy.
Even the Knicks players themselves were surprised; it came down to the players’ initiative and rhythm on the court.
Unable to score inside, with inefficient mid-range shooting, why not go for threes, and whether it goes in depends on skill and luck.
Teams that make it to the finals aren’t pushovers; they’re all teams of strong luck.
The Knicks, as the Eastern fourth seed, eliminated the Eastern first seed, the Celtics, and beat the Pacers to reach the finals, showing they had something.
The tactical concepts of the two teams indeed had generational differences, but the Knicks suddenly seemed to open up, thinking, are three-pointers exclusive to you Trail Blazers?
We can shoot threes too, and we can make them!
The pressure shifted to the Trail Blazers, with Gan Guoyang’s low-post receptions facing rapid three-man double-teams from the Knicks.
He passed the ball to Kobe cutting in, Kobe faced Mourning, and was blocked on his layup again!
The Knicks started gaining momentum, and things seemed a bit uneasy.
The Knicks countered, with Sprewell again, facing Kobe’s suffocating defense, dribbling back and forth before stepping back for a jump shot!
Unfortunately, it didn’t go in, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound, giving the Trail Blazers a breather.
Gan Guoyang didn’t go to the low post again, Kobe had continuously missed opportunities, and the Knicks’ double-teaming would surely be more aggressive.
Gan Guoyang moved to a high position, Sabonis went low, in their high-low post coordination, Sabonis turned around for a hook shot facing Mourning.
It missed, but Gan Guoyang swooped in to grab the offensive rebound over Mourning, quickly turning for a jump shot, and scored!
A steady two-point shot! After a period of intense battle, it was still Gan Guoyang’s offensive rebound that broke the deadlock.
The fans at the Rose Garden Arena all breathed a sigh of relief, though the atmosphere remained tense, the Knicks clearly found their rhythm.
Indeed, Kemp and Mourning hit consecutive mid-ranges, struggling to score inside, but managing to make their shots.
The Knicks didn’t launch an offensive surge, but their precise shooting chipped away at the Trail Blazers’ lead bit by bit.
Van Gundy realized his thinking wasn’t wrong, the Trail Blazers’ defense had aged, and Ah Gan was indeed declining.
They could only remain loose outside while tightening inside; relying on shooting wasn’t a bad choice as long as the players found their touch.
Meanwhile, the Knicks played with increasing daring on defense, their double-teams on Gan Guoyang becoming more adept.
Gan Guoyang feared not the Knicks’ double-teams, but he feared his teammates’ cold shooting streak, as Kobe’s misfires seemed to spread to others.
Mu Lin’s three-point attempt was directly blocked by the flying Sprewell, with the Knicks gaining more momentum.
Watching the game while taking notes on the sidelines, Gan Youwei wrote: "The Knicks’ momentum is getting stronger, continuing like this, they may indeed have a chance to win."
"Someone needs to step up to break this momentum."
"My son, 5 years younger, can easily cut off the opponent’s head."
Gan Youwei had a strong intuition, sensing the situation silently reversing, which wasn’t good for the Trail Blazers.
He also noticed that his son’s control over the game wasn’t as strong as when he was younger, even though his performance seemed fine.
The situation was subtly shifting for the Trail Blazers; perhaps deciding to strike in the third quarter wasn’t the best decision?
The consecutive three-pointers at the start of the half were very important for the Knicks, while Kobe’s misses hurt the Trail Blazers’ momentum.
The dynamic was subtly changing; in the finals, players’ psychology is crucial, as any emotional fluctuation can affect the result.
With three minutes left in the third quarter, Bird called a timeout, with the Trail Blazers still leading the Knicks 78 to 75 by three points.
But it felt precarious. Bird sensed it too, realizing the Trail Blazers needed a strategy, hoping the players could spread out and execute a cut to the basket.
"No." Just as Carl was halfway through drawing up the play, Gan Guoyang abruptly interrupted him.
"Give me the ball, I’ll handle it, we must aggressively attack the opponents."
Gan Guoyang’s voice and attitude were as resolute as ever, his gaze calm like a lake.
Carl almost didn’t think at all, just put down the tactic board.
He looked at Bird, who nodded and then encouraged the players with a few words.
As they were stepping onto the court, Bird said to Gan Guoyang, "You better make it work."
Gan Guoyang replied, "If I can’t handle them, you handle me."