Seizing the opportunity, O'Neal made continuous hook shots under the basket; he was rather slow to get into the game.
The score difference is still 8 points. Both teams entered more than three minutes of chaos. Coaches made substitutions to give the main players a chance to rest while keeping the game from collapsing.
Tonight, Jackson put anyone who could slightly play onto the court, including veterans like John Salley, allowing the core players some resting time.
In the past, Gan Guoyang wouldn't have rested even for a minute tonight, but even he needed to step off to catch his breath, let Barkley substitute for a while, then return to the court.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, Gan Guoyang took a break for over a minute and then returned to the court, determined to end the game in one shot.
Everything was without warning, as Gan Guoyang quietly switched modes upon reentering the game. After securing a defensive rebound, he dribbled aggressively into the frontcourt.
Accelerating suddenly beyond the three-point line and rushing into the basket against O'Neal's defense, he scored a layup and caused O'Neal to foul, scoring again with the free throw.
Immediately, O'Neal countered with a turn-around dunk. The Trail Blazers quickly made a fast pass, Gan Guoyang dribbled himself on the outside, directly shooting a three-pointer from the left 45-degree angle!
The high arc quickly fell, precisely hitting the net without touching the rim, a three-pointer!
Gan Guoyang had shifted from center to small forward, once again catching the Lakers off guard.
Jackson didn't dare call another timeout as doing so might run out; the players had to solve problems themselves.
O'Neal was in form again, taking the ball for a strong attack under the basket, but Gan Guoyang immediately chased back, passed, and delivered a fast break dunk to score!
If the referee were stricter, Holi would have been fouled, but Crawford let the Lakers off easy.
Next, they couldn't pass to O'Neal; Jide took a shot himself but missed, while Barkley grabbed the rebound.
A long pass reached Gan Guoyang, who rushed into the frontcourt. Holi and Tracy McGrady tried to stop him, but were pushed aside by Gan Guoyang's Wild Bull charge.
Charging into the basket, laying it up with McGrady and Holi hanging onto him, he scores this time with a referee whistle for a foul and a bonus free throw!
The sudden fast-paced offense-defense switch and fast break into the basket caught the Lakers completely off guard.
He has consistently scored 11 points! Gan Guoyang already had 21 points in the third quarter.
With three quarters not yet done, he scored 48 points, widening the Trail Blazers' lead to 15 points.
Gan Guoyang panted heavily. This sudden outburst was quite exhausting.
But he knew the Lakers hadn't collapsed yet, he still had to push on.
Jide utilized a quick advance to find the opportunity, passing straight down to Fisher.
Fisher attempted a reverse layup but was disrupted by Kobe—who excelled defensively tonight.
Calmly, he didn't fight Gan Guoyang for shooting rights; instead, focused intensely on defense, rebounds, and steals.
During the counterattack, Gan Guoyang received a pass from Kobe. On the left at a 45-degree angle, he aimed for another three-pointer.
Holi and Tracy McGrady both lunged to block, but Gan Guoyang pulled a fake, surged into the basket, halted, and made a short-range two-pointer!
The Lakers' defense was completely scrambled, from formation to match-ups, and even hesitated at Ah Gan's possession and chaos ensued.
Poor shooting touch can recover slowly, but once defense falters, it causes great trouble.
In three periods, Gan Guoyang astonishingly scored 50 points, with all his shots and free throws successful.
Jerry West, Johnson, Jabbar, and several other celebrated Lakers looked grim-faced.
They regretted coming tonight. Couldn't they wait for news at home or watch TV?
Now it's come to this. Back when playing, they got thrashed by Ah Gan. Even after retirement, they were made into a backdrop.
The last offense in the third period, when Gan Guoyang grabbed the ball, the Lakers players were out of options, opting to foul directly.
They cracked; their mentality had completely collapsed. This guy Ah Gan was uncanny tonight—hitting everything without misses—not even human.
How to defend? Foul him; sending him to the free-throw line, though gifting points, preserved some dignity.
Two free throws both hit, Trail Blazers lead Lakers by 17 points; Gan Guoyang scored 52 points in three quarters, 21-of-21 shooting, 100% accuracy!
Such performances rank among top-tier shows even in Gan Guoyang's long, illustrious basketball career.
Other star performances weren't even close; none were effective.
Gan Guoyang's outstanding state was one thing; the Lakers' defense was fundamentally flawed.
Sitting back on the bench, Gan Guoyang called over Carl: "What did I tell you, wasn't wrong, trust me, no problem."
Carl nodded, sincerely saying: "Ah Gan, you're incredible, truly incredible."