For example, Gan Guoyang made a beautiful jump shot, but the referee called a charging foul on Little O'Neal, nullifying the basket.
Tracy McGrady fiercely defended Kobe under the basket, but the referee didn't call a foul and instead called Kobe for a charge.
Jide missed a three-pointer, but the referee called a three-point foul on Porter. Jide made two of three free throws, closing the score.
The Lakers remained resilient despite playing at home, enduring a very tough stretch and ending the first half trailing by 8 points, 57-49, before heading to the locker room for adjustments.
Jackson could finally breathe a sigh of relief; an 8-point deficit was still playable, giving them a chance, provided they could defend Ah Gan.
Back in the locker room, Jackson felt frustrated. Ah Gan was really good at pretending, playing through the entire regular season and six playoff games.
In the regular season, he pretended to be dead in the first half and powered up in the second half, looking like his stamina was terrible, too weak to maintain his usual pace.
He even switched up positions, playing at the four or even the three, defending lazily, often fast-breaking, showing that his offensive capabilities weren't so great.
He lost weight and took a lot of mid-range shots, as if he could no longer fight in the paint, transitioning to the perimeter.
During most of the playoffs, it was the same, relaxing the Lakers' vigilance, making them accustomed to the perimeter version of Ah Gan.
Now, in the life-or-death battle, Game 7, with no retreat, Gan Guoyang finally showed his fangs after a long wait.
In the first half, Gan Guoyang scored 27 points, with all his shots made, aiming for 50 points in the game.
This guy was always ruthless in the third quarter, known as the King of the Third Quarter, so what about the second half?
To be honest, Jackson had no solution, knowing clearly that most of the time during the games, coaches had no tricks up their sleeves and only relied on fate.
Those scenes where every step is precisely planned and arranged only happen in movies. In real life, coaches during games often can only pray.
In previous encounters with the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan, Jackson had prayed, begging God, the prophets, and Odin, but none worked.
Tonight, he intended to try the divine in China, praying to the Bodhisattva, hoping it would bless them and keep Ah Gan from hitting consecutive shots in the third quarter.
But it was clear that the Bodhisattva preferred standing by Gan Guoyang instead.
Fifteen minutes later, the game continued, and the second half started, deciding the berth for the finals.
The Lakers weren't bad; Gan Guoyang missed not a single shot in the first half, yet they only trailed the Trail Blazers by 8 points.
The players' skills and resilience were top-notch, as weaker teams would have collapsed in the first half.
Gan Guoyang was happy to see the Lakers so tenacious because the third quarter was when he truly performed.
Right at the start of the third quarter, O'Neal received a pass from Jide in the paint, executed an alley-oop dunk, and narrowed the gap to 6 points.
O'Neal finally scored in a field play, which was a good sign for the Lakers.
The Lakers reorganized their defense against Gan Guoyang too, instructing Holi to defend him, with O'Neal and Thorpe ready to assist in double-teaming him in the paint anytime.
But Gan Guoyang clearly prepared for this, anticipating Jackson's defensive play against him, which was to use swingmen at the three and four to lead the defense.
He had faced Pippen before and now Holi, preparing for it early, shifting from his low-post play in the first half to more high-post appearances.
Engaging in hand-off screen plays with Kobe, the two didn't perform pick-and-roll but used continuous hand-offs to mislead the opponent's defense.
Gan Guoyang received the ball again from Kobe at the free-throw line, faced Holi, and directly pulled up for a jump shot, hitting it!
Jump shot, the weapon of gods, a steady two-pointer with an undefendable arc, making fans nervous; it seemed the halftime break hadn't cooled Gan Guoyang's hands.
O'Neal fought hard on offense; when he had a bad feed, he rushed out of bounds to fly and save the ball, but failed, nearly smashing someone.
Fans applauded him, but Gan Guoyang soon received the ball at the arc, hitting another strong mid-range shot, silencing their applause.
No matter how brilliant a save, it doesn't score, and the lead stretched back to 10 points.
The Trail Blazers resumed tightening their defense as McGrady received a pass from Jide for a mid-range shot, making it.
Gan Guoyang, at the top of the arc, faced a double-team, ignored it, and made another strong shot, scoring!
Three consecutive mid-range shots, merciless attempts, cold baskets.
It wasn't over; O'Neal's strong position attack failed, and the Trail Blazers grabbed the rebound.
Gan Guoyang received the ball at a 45-degree angle, was double-teamed, rolled towards the middle, turned around, and hit another mid-range shot!
Magic Johnson sitting courtside was crestfallen, reminding him of the 1988 Western Conference Finals.
Ah Gan used his unsolvable mid-range game to claw back two away games, even with the Lakers having overall superior skills.
The feeling back then was whenever Ah Gan shot, there was a certainty about it, like "it's over, it's over," followed by a score.
The situation tonight was even worse than in 1988; Gan Guoyang hadn't missed, already in optimal form.
The Lakers players kept fighting; Jide loudly directed teammates to move, but morale visibly dimmed.
They passed to Holi, who cut to the basket, but his layup was blocked by Gan Guoyang; this guy was everywhere.
The Trail Blazers didn't fast-break; they slowly crossed half-court, handing off between Kobe and Gan Guoyang.
All of the Lakers' attention was on Gan Guoyang, so Kobe directly dashed to the basket, pulling off a dunk!
Jackson called a timeout, with the lead ballooning to 12 points, it seemed his prayer to the Bodhisattva failed!
The timeout let the Lakers catch their breath a little since Gan Guoyang also needed a break before continuing his attack.