As you score and I score, when you don’t score, neither do I, time is slowly killed off in the ebb and flow.
The expressions on the faces of the Knicks fans present grew increasingly despondent, with many clutching their heads. If the Knicks lose tonight, falling behind 1:3, there won’t be many opportunities left for them.
The arrogance that was present at the beginning of the game had disappeared completely, and the malice and denigration towards Kobe had nowhere to continue.
Could it really be as Kobe said, that the Trail Blazers will lift the team’s tenth championship trophy in history at Madison Square Garden?
Kobe going 2 for 5 in the final quarter, only scoring 4 points, did not affect his achieving the highest score of the match with 35 points.
Before Kobe, no 20-year-old player had scored such a number in the finals—since in the old days superstars at this age were mostly still in college.
In any case, tonight Kobe set a historical record and delivered the first playoff masterpiece of his career.
When the game-ending buzzer sounded, the score was frozen at 106:94, with the Trail Blazers defeating the Knicks by 12 points as visitors.
Even without two young rotation players, the Trail Blazers held up against the Knicks’ counterattack relying on a short rotation.
Aside from Kobe’s 35 points, Gan Guoyang scored 24 points, which is unusual for a finals game not to be the top scorer of the team.
Sabonis consistently contributed 17 points, Mu Lin scored 12, and other than that, no Trail Blazers players scored in double figures.
As for rebounds, Gan Guoyang remained outstanding with 23 rebounds in the game, maintaining an average of 19 rebounds per series, always a stable cornerstone of the Trail Blazers’ inside play.
Although Kobe was very excited with the high-score win, he always tried to emulate Gan Guoyang’s calm demeanor, striving to hide his smile and joy in front of the reporters.
Until Gan Guoyang entered the locker room and exposed him in front of the reporters, saying, "Stop pretending, if you want to laugh, just laugh. I already saw your white teeth."
Not to mention Kobe, the gathered reporters also laughed, filling the locker room with a joyful atmosphere.
After this game, people began to discuss whether Kobe would take home the Finals MVP in this finals.
In terms of stats, Kobe was still behind Gan Guoyang overall, but scoring-wise, he was closing in on Gan Guoyang with his 35 points tonight.
If Kobe continues such performances in the fifth game and shines in the last two key decisive battles, the selection panel might award the FMVP to Kobe, the rookie.
Just like in the 1980 finals, in terms of stats and performance, Jabbar was the unequivocal FMVP.
It’s just that due to injury, combined with Magic Johnson’s amazing performance in the last game and the TV network not wanting to miss the FMVP award ceremony, the legendary story of Johnson’s rookie FMVP was established.
Of course, this topic was mainly spread by the New York media.
Seeing the Knicks have little hope of winning the championship, they were already thinking about something else to annoy the Trail Blazers.
If they could provoke conflicts and opposition within the Trail Blazers, it might still give them a chance at the championship?
But any discerning person knows that under the current situation, the Knicks have little hope of winning the championship.
Even if they win the fifth game, the sixth and seventh games are in Portland. What could the Knicks do to win?
Gan Guoyang’s ninth championship, his third consecutive one, the tenth in the team’s history, is within reach.
On June 12, the fifth game between the Trail Blazers and the Knicks was the Trail Blazers’ championship match point.
David Stern and the golden shining O’Brien Trophy had both come to Madison Square Garden.
Stern’s face was still wearing that faint smile that made it hard for people to see through his emotions.
As this president’s authority grew increasingly weighty and his achievements more impressive, his authoritarian power was increasingly entrenched, and people understood less and less about his secretive actions.
Stern protected his family’s privacy extremely well, and also kept the process of NBA league decisions watertight, with everything under his control.
However, before the start of tonight’s game, there was a trace of imperceptible anxiety and worry in his eyes.
The game itself didn’t offer any surprises or astonishment. Although Knicks fans continued to be fanatical, continuing to support their home team in the hope of a miracle, at least this game could be won to push it to the sixth game.
Anyway, the sixth game in Portland, in the Rose Garden, can be let go, doesn’t matter, winning in New York would already make everyone happy.
The problem is that it’s really unwinnable, as Gan Guoyang will not give the Knicks any chance in such a game.
He also won’t give Kobe a chance to take the Finals MVP, as from the start of the game, Gan Guoyang had everything under control.
After performing "mediocrely" in two consecutive games, he finally turned the big move cooldown and began bombarding the Knicks.
In the fifth game, he was in excellent shooting form, yet still remained calm and controlled the game. He scored on the Knicks’ heads alternately with individual plays, passes, and long shots, disrupting their defense.
The Knicks, from top to bottom, had no intention to fight anymore, and Jeff Van Gundy had no cards to play by the fifth game.
He even thought up a suicidal tactic by letting Kurt Thomas replace Shawn Kemp as the starter to man-mark Gan Guoyang.
As expected, the young Kurt Thomas was completely overwhelmed in the one-on-one match-up with the vigorous Gan Guoyang, without any strength to fight back.
The first quarter 12 points, second quarter 14 points, third quarter 11 points, fourth quarter 10 points, Gan Guoyang scored 47 points in the whole game.
The Trail Blazers once again defeated the Knicks by 109:96, with a 13-point advantage, winning the NBA championship trophy for the second consecutive year without any suspense.
The NBA players’ feeling was right—once Ah Gan starts winning championships, he won’t just take one, he’ll secure multiple.
The holy land of basketball has reached the moment where the greatest player in basketball history adds to his achievements, as Gan Guoyang received the O’Brien Trophy and the FMVP trophy from Stern’s hand for the ninth time, with such a ritualistic handover.
There were not many people left in Madison, as no one liked watching the visiting team’s coronation.
Stern repeated the familiar rhetoric, congratulating the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang for the championship.
This play was possibly tiresome to both audiences and the two of them.
Gan Guoyang noticed the anxiety and worry in Stern’s eyes; they understood each other well.
Gan Guoyang whispered, asking, "Are you troubled that I won another championship?"
Stern frowned but revealed some news that even surprised Gan Guoyang a bit.
"The Federal Bureau of Investigation is about to formally investigate you, and there will be a dedicated investigative committee to hold hearings for you. Be prepared."
"About to? When is ’about to’?"
"Possibly tomorrow... or maybe an hour later."
The 1999 NBA season came to an end, with Gan Guoyang once again achieving the championship.
However, a journey and complex battle unique to him had just begun to unfold.