Jackson was evidently anxious; he could even anticipate what might happen in the second half, all deeply engraved in those terrible memories.
As the third quarter began, the Lakers treated it as a formidable battle; Jide, Tracy McGrady, and Robert Horry were ordered to assist in defending Gan Guoyang when necessary.
Indeed, Gan Guoyang started the third quarter with much more agility than in the first half, immediately moving to the low post to call for the ball.
The Lakers double-teamed, Gan Guoyang took the ball, passed it, positioned himself on the other side, took the ball again, and the Lakers shrink and double-team once more.
But this time Gan Guoyang did not forcefully attack; instead, he passed the ball to Kobe cutting through the center line, number 8 Kobe took the ball and soared, scoring a left-handed dunk!
This play marked the first strike in the Trail Blazers’ counterattack against the Lakers in the third quarter.
The Trail Blazers’ defensive intensity suddenly increased as well; Gan Guoyang actively moved outwards, teaming up with Brellock and Kobe to double-team the ball handler.
The Lakers sent the ball inside, O’Neal got the ball, and the Trail Blazers’ Sabonis found an opportunity to foul, sending O’Neal to the free-throw line.
O’Neal missed both free throws, and the Trail Blazers counter-attacked, Gan Guoyang holding the ball and passing diagonally to Kobe on the weak side, Kobe received the ball on the baseline and hit a mid-range jumper.
The Trail Blazers gradually gained the upper hand; Jackson, renowned for his meditation, was restless, suddenly realizing that if a team centered around Ah Gan had a decent outside support, they would be hard to beat.
It was futile; no matter what, it was futile — his skills, stamina, wisdom, and overall strength surpassed everyone else by far.
Michael Jordan was once the closest to him, but once Michael retired, how could anyone defeat him?
For a moment, Jackson merely due to a temporary scoreboard deficit, contemplated conceding.
Of course, it was just a fleeting moment; Jackson realized that this was the psychological shadow left by Ah Gan, and this season he aimed to lead the Lakers and himself out of this shadow.
Jackson kept blowing his whistle towards the court, reminding the players to stay focused.
He knew there were no tactical secrets between the two teams; the Trail Blazers were no longer who they were in 1998.
Now, it boiled down to three essential tactics left unsaid — Ah Gan’s individual abilities, Kobe’s individual abilities, and the veteran players’ occasional championship hearts, and that’s all.
There wasn’t much left indeed; even the once in-game intuitive prowess of Larry Bird had vanished, Carl often found himself baffled during games, unsure of what to do next.
Ultimately, with a resolute heart, passing the ball to Ah Gan usually resolves most of the issues.
Confronting the Trail Blazers like this, what the Lakers could do was not adjusting tactics, but focusing — focus, focus, focus.
Contend, contend, contend — in this regard, Jackson’s direction was not mistaken.
Because to the Trail Blazers, the Lakers disclosed no secrets; having faced them thrice in the Bulls-era Finals, the Trail Blazers knew how to counter the Triangle Offense.
Early on, both sides had no room for maneuvering tactically or in rotation, leaving state and intensity as the only solution.
O’Neal, having scored 15 points in the first half, likewise began exerting his might in the third quarter, repeatedly drawing fouls in the low post.
Though he often missed both free throws or made only one, the Trail Blazers’ interior gradually couldn’t withstand such consumption.
Sabonis incurred four fouls early and went to the bench, Carl moved and deployed Ben Wallace to fill the interior gap.
This time the Lakers began to exploit their powerful frontline advantage — fiercely contesting and positioning against Ah Gan during offense, making it hard for him to grab defensive rebounds.
Gan Guoyang’s rebounding prowess was historic, but with the premise that he must be in close vicinity; once he frequently moved to the perimeter as a small forward, he lost the advantage, making rebounding difficult.
The Lakers consciously used McGrady and Horry to position against Gan Guoyang, allowing Jide and O’Neal to compete for offensive rebounds, succeeding consecutively with second chance points.
The Lakers regained their advantage in the third quarter, Gan Guoyang proactively called a timeout, losing defensive rebounds was one of his most intolerable things.
Quickly adjusting positions, Gan Guoyang wished to return to power forward, while Carl said: "No, you have a more important offensive task, it’s only the third quarter."
Carl realized Jackson wanted Gan Guoyang back in the interior, increasing his defensive burden, thus reducing Gan Guoyang’s offensive distribution.
If Jackson’s aim succeeded, the Trail Blazers’ offense might encounter issues in the fourth quarter.
At that moment, Charles Barkley stepped up and said: "Coach, I can get on the court, I can plug the rebounding gap."
Indeed, it was time for Barkley to come in as a substitute; Carl nodded in agreement, Barkley assuring Gan Guoyang of his rebounding prowess.
So Charles Barkley entered, substituting the recently mediocre Ben Wallace.
The playoff battleground was like this — with even slightly poor performance, the coach would immediately replace you.
Though Wallace was excellent in rebounding during the regular season, his height disadvantage was greatly magnified in the playoffs.
Against the towering and robust Shaquille O’Neal, the muscle Ben Wallace developed wasn’t enough.
Barkley, though equally short, possessed a formidable toughness and resilience, counteracting against those attempting to obstruct him.
Returning from timeout, Gan Guoyang’s mid-range jumper missed, Barkley seized an offensive rebound, scoring on a putback while drawing a foul from Thorpe, sinking the extra free throw.
Following McGrady’s missed pull-up jumper, Barkley snagged the defensive rebound before O’Neal and Horry, firmly controlling the ball.
Despite Brellock’s missed layup in the fast break, Barkley promptly grabbed another offensive rebound, scoring on the layup again!
Barkley’s rebounds led to 5 consecutive points, aiding the Trail Blazers through the crisis and regaining the lead on the scoreboard.
After scoring, Barkley clenched his fist tightly, showing his intense desire for victory in the game — rebounding was the best testament to that.
The Trail Blazers were the only playoff team still maintaining a 10-man rotation; among those ten, Barkley was the only one without a championship.
Thus, among the veterans, he bore the most fervent championship heart, yearning the most for victory.
In the previous two rounds, Barkley silently excelled as an assistant, neither contending nor vying, doing whatever the coach commanded.
He had long shed the conceited arrogance of an MVP, left with only the cherish for the last season’s opportunity, and the thirst for the championship.
Then, the scenario most frightening for the Lakers emerged — Gan Guoyang, having rested sufficiently, suddenly erupted in offensive power.
In the next five possessions, Gan Guoyang consistently hit mid-range shots and faced basket drives, utterly overpowering McGrady and Horry.
Scoring ten consecutive points, he led the Trail Blazers to an 11-point lead, 79:68, forcing the Lakers to call a timeout, with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.
Phil Jackson exhaled deeply, thinking, this damn awful game, could they be slipping back into the nightmare, destined never to emerge?
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