When the Lakers came to their senses and clawed back two games, they still couldn’t compensate for the disadvantage of losing the first two games at home. In the end, the Lakers sent the Trail Blazers into the Finals, completing their first three-peat achievement.
In 1988, the NBA’s market and interests weren’t as vast, and the league’s intervention wasn’t as deep. By 2000, the NBA office already had strong influence.
In this game, the referees aimed to ensure the Lakers hold onto a home game; the chief referee is the experienced Dick Bavetta, whose balancing skills in officiating are formidable.
With the Lakers holding the advantage at the start, they continued feeding O’Neal the ball. Phil Jackson wouldn’t make the same mistake of taking O’Neal out for fast-break attacks like in the previous match.
By halftime, O’Neal efficiently scored 25 points, wreaking havoc in the Trail Blazers’ inner line, helping the Lakers lead by nine points, 60-51.
Rick Carlisle insisted on keeping Gan Guoyang from wearing out against O’Neal inside, preserving his stamina for a comeback in the third quarter.
But in the third quarter, Gan Guoyang’s first play was called for traveling by the referee, which made Gan Guoyang laugh.
"Traveling? You’re calling me for traveling? Last time I was called for that, it was in the ’80s, Dick!"
Bavetta remained unfazed by Gan Guoyang’s complaints, saying nothing.
He knew Gan was a dangerous figure, who once, due to dissatisfaction with officiating, seized an opportunity to crash into Bavetta, sending him to the hospital.
Gan Guoyang wouldn’t do such a thing now. He knew the League was watching him, and being caught with any excuse to suspend him would be disastrous.
Three minutes later, Gan Guoyang was again called for an offensive foul when Robert Horry deliberately fell as Gan Guoyang pushed in after receiving a pass.
In reality, it was a flop, but the Lakers players were well aware that the referees favored them tonight, so they boldly staged performances.
An instance of traveling, an offensive foul — seemingly harmless calls that disrupted Gan Guoyang’s offensive rhythm and the Trail Blazers’ chance of catching up.
Meanwhile, O’Neal stood at the free-throw line multiple times. He maintained a decent free-throw percentage tonight, exerting significant pressure.
As for Gan Guoyang, unless there was a blatant foul under the basket, the referees wouldn’t blow the whistle.
Such glaring disparity eventually prompted Carlisle and Bird to keep protesting to the referees, and by the fourth quarter, the referees finally started leaning towards the Trail Blazers.
They awarded several free throws to Gan Guoyang and Kobe, but the Lakers already had a lead over ten points, which unfavorable for the Trail Blazers.
Gan Guoyang’s offensive rhythm was shattered by the calls; his three-point shooting was off, and by the fourth quarter, he had five fouls, while Sabonis was fouled out.
Ultimately, the Lakers won at home, 99-94, in what was a rather ugly victory, tying the series at 1-1.
At the end of the game, Gan Guoyang rarely skipped shaking hands with opponents, heading straight to the locker room.
In a post-match interview, Gan Guoyang openly stated, "This was a tough, hard-to-win game."
O’Neal topped the scoreboard with 42 points, while Gan Guoyang scored only 28, with a shooting percentage of 45%. To him, this was too low.
However, all of this was within Gan Guoyang’s expectations because David Stern hadn’t called him for half a season.
This time, Stern came to Los Angeles for awards but had little interaction with Gan Guoyang; the Jewish dwarf turned his face quickly.
Just like last summer when Stern discussed with Gan, the league hoped Gan Guoyang would step back, making room for the younger generation.
It seems Stern might also want Gan Guoyang to be a stepping stone for the new king’s ascension, burning himself to warm others, to serve as a torch for the league’s new era.
But Gan Guoyang had no intention of being a torch, absolutely not.
The game passed quickly, and the Trail Blazers turned their attention to the future.
The entire team was prepared for a long battle.
On the way back to Portland, Gan Guoyang straightforwardly said, "Prepare for Game 7, fellas. The league won’t allow the series to end in six games."
Sure enough, on May 26th, the Trail Blazers hosted the Lakers at the Rose Garden, giving them no chance.
The veterans erupted once again; the starting lineups matched evenly, but then in the second line-up, Barkley led Curry, Porter, and Mu Lin to hit consecutive threes, creating an offensive surge.
Starting in the second quarter, the Trail Blazers gradually pulled ahead, maintaining the lead throughout the game, while the Lakers, without referee assistance and home advantage, fumbled disastrously.
107-77, the Trail Blazers demolished the Lakers by a 30-point margin, rewriting the series score to 2-1. In Portland fans’ eyes, another Finals was within reach.
But just two days later, the match situation shifted dramatically; the Lakers regained their form while the Trail Blazers’ veterans fell silent again — both teams showed unstable traits.
One was too old, the other too young. The match was fiercely fought to the last moment.
Then, a greatly controversial call emerged when Gan Guoyang’s crucial hook shot was blocked by O’Neal’s help defense.
The ball clearly descended, indicating goaltending, but the referee declared it a fair block.
While the Trail Blazers players argued with the referee, the Lakers seized the chance for a fast break, with Jide’s direct pass to Tracy McGrady, who executed a fast-break dunk, widening the gap to three points.
What could have been a lead-changing basket ended in trailing by three points due to this fatal oversight, leading to the Trail Blazers’ 89-92 defeat at home to the Lakers, tying the series 2-2.
A 3-1 lead turned into 2-2. For the Trail Blazers, the series was destined to be long, with the veterans’ stamina, health, and willpower seriously tested.
Game 5, the vital battle returned to Los Angeles, where the home-playing Lakers were in high spirits, but for the Trail Blazers, things went awry due to Kobe’s intense argument with his parents over his engagement.
Pamela and her husband came to Los Angeles, creating a stir with Vanessa, causing such a buzz that Kobe couldn’t concentrate on the game.
Kobe’s importance to the Trail Blazers is beyond doubt; affected by off-court factors, his performance was poor, only hitting 4 out of 20 attempts, marking one of his worst playoff games.
Resulting in the Trail Blazers’ 94-96 loss in Los Angeles in this crucial battle, leaving the Lakers one step away from winning the Western Conference Finals and advancing to the Finals.
Phil Jackson, dejected and frustrated after the first game, was gleaming with joy post the fifth game, feeling the assistance of luck — it felt different, indeed.
By now, it’s June, and in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics have eliminated the Indiana Pacers with a 4-2 score, waiting for the Western victor in the Finals.
Game 6 at the Trail Blazers’ home was a desperate battle, and Kobe returned to Portland adjusting his mood and state. First, he affirmed his determination to marry Vanessa; second, he reminded himself to win the game, win the championship, completing the three-peat.
The Lakers failed to seize the opportunity to eliminate the Trail Blazers and advance to the Finals decisively; instead, they exhibited their flaw of suddenly dropping focus and intensity, being swept by the Trail Blazers at home with a 107-91, 16-point advantage.
The series, spanning six games, resulted in a 3-3 tie; the Lakers won with difficulty, lost swiftly, but regardless of the single game score, both sides had the same total score.
The showdown deciding the Western Conference champion would take place in Los Angeles.
Gan Guoyang’s words proved true; the Game 7 battle was near.
Since Gan Guoyang predicted it, he naturally prepared mentally in advance.
He knew that without dragging the series to Game 7, the league office wouldn’t let it go easily.
Hence sometimes, enduring patience, preserving strength, is not necessarily bad.
Once it comes to Game 7, controlling the match result won’t be so simple for the league.
All these years, people only knew Ah Gan’s sharpness, his fiery Sun-like passion, his iron-like toughness.
But few knew, his patience, resilience was, like his external toughness, an inseparable aspect of his personality.