O’Neal, of course, had to retaliate, this guy cares the most about face. Even when Gan Guoyang could fight him back then, he had to pretend to take a punch to establish confidence as a strong man.
Now this fat Barkley dares to throw a ball at me? This is an All-America live broadcast, and this scene will definitely be replayed repeatedly after the game. I must turn this around.
After a brief pause of 0.1 seconds, O’Neal responded, suddenly rushing at Barkley, throwing a punch aimed at Barkley’s head!
Barkley was prepared, ducked to avoid O’Neal’s punch, and with a wild boar-like charge, using his low height and center of gravity advantage, he hugged O’Neal’s legs and took him down!
Under the basket, chaos ensued instantly, with the two 300-pound giants grappling on the ground. O’Neal initially had the upper hand, but Barkley countered him and threw him down due to O’Neal’s lack of fighting experience.
They started fighting again! Fights on NBA courts have become less frequent over the past two years.
"Barkley threw a ball at O’Neal! O’Neal landed a punch right back! Barkley grabbed O’Neal’s leg, and they’re scrambling together!"
The commentators were quite excited, since the 90s when David Stern strictly controlled court violence, NBA’s viewership had decreased significantly.
Players from both teams rushed to separate the two giants, trying desperately to pull them apart while the referee’s whistle was blown crazily.
A few minutes later, things finally calmed down, but Barkley’s jersey was stretched out of shape, and O’Neal looked dazed, a bit dizzy from the fall.
Damn Barkley, did he learn wrestling from Gan Guoyang? Luckily, Gan Guoyang is sitting on the bench; if he came and threw a punch, there would be no way to handle it.
The referee called an intentional foul on Barkley, and after the free throws, Barkley was ejected from the game.
In just two minutes on the court, Barkley scored 4 points and grabbed 2 rebounds, helping the Trail Blazers to close the score gap.
As he left for the locker room, the entire Rose Garden Arena erupted into applause.
Barkley left like a hero, feeling highly satisfied.
Finally, the score at the end of the third quarter settled at 81:78, with the Trail Blazers trailing the Lakers by 3 points.
Both teams entered the decisive fourth quarter, and it’s fair to say that Gan Guoyang’s mid-court arrangements were correct and effective.
The game’s progress went exactly as Gan Guoyang anticipated, proving his thorough understanding of the players and team tactics, and making sensible adjustments.
Barkley’s ejection didn’t affect the Trail Blazers’ fighting spirit, and Gan Guoyang, having rested fully, had already racked up 28 points and 12 rebounds in three quarters.
Phil Jackson made a mistake similar to Jeff Van Gundy’s, who thought Gan was slipping in the finals and relaxed his vigilance.
But Gan was only sliding from his peak self to peak Jordan, still a formidable presence.
The same holds true this year; Gan did indeed decline, but he declined to peak Barkley level.
At the start of the fourth quarter, both teams’ second lineups held for two or three minutes. Dell Curry scored a three-pointer and Sabonis made a hook shot, successfully helping the Trail Blazers even the score.
83:83, when Gan Guoyang re-entered the game, the teams were back on level ground.
The 15-point deficit had been erased. The Trail Blazers not only reorganized their offense but insisted on strong defense without double-teaming O’Neal, effectively using strong outside interference defense.
Among them, Ben Wallace and Little O’Neal contributed 5 blocks in just half a quarter, leaving the Lakers suffocated at the perimeter.
Especially Ben Wallace, his inadequate height inside made opponents easily ignore his presence, only to realize at the basket that a colossal block was looming unexpectedly.
Whether supplementing defense or pressing defense, they’re incredibly capable; "you press, I cover; I cover, you press," continuous flanking kept the Lakers’ offensive success rate plummeting.
Of course, maintaining the inside defense serves another great purpose, freeing up Gan Guoyang to focus more on offense.
Altered defense postures and quick transitions aren’t impossible, saving energy while rapidly scoring to catch up.
Re-entering the fourth quarter, a revitalized Gan Guoyang immediately received the ball, charged fiercely down the middle, executing a classic move hook against O’Neal, scoring two points.
Jide then reciprocated with a three-pointer, but Gan Guoyang immediately charged again, scoring another two points with a close-range floater, weakening the Lakers’ defense like paper.
When Gan Guoyang plays with such energy, even Pippen+Jordan couldn’t stop him, so how can Jide+Tracy McGrady suffice?
Subsequently, Tracy McGrady unsuccessfully attempted a long-range two-pointer, shockingly missing a crucial three-pointer that was way off the mark.
Gan Guoyang seized the rebound and launched a counterattack, driving all the way directly to the basket, pushing away Robert Horry and scoring successfully!
He scored 6 consecutive points, forcing the Lakers into a pause, leading Phil Jackson to realize the game was in danger tonight.
His biggest mistake was underestimating the young defensive capabilities of Ben Wallace and Little O’Neal.
If the lineup always consisted of Sabonis, Gan, and Barkley, the Lakers wouldn’t fear it—even if Gan’s defensive skills were strong, with his current stamina and state, it’s difficult to excel at both ends intensely.