The ball traced a beautiful arc and scored!
Stojakovic's three-pointers always look extremely elegant.
The form, the arc, everything is perfect, and the instant the ball goes in, it feels great.
The Kings were widening the lead, but Tomjanovich was still holding back. If a timeout is called, Ah Gan will have to enter. It's best to let him rest a bit longer.
Eddie House's three-point attempt missed, and the Glory team's offense in the fourth quarter started off awkwardly.
Fortunately, the Kings' offense didn't score either. Glory took the opportunity to counterattack, with a quick long pass to the basket. Miller caught the ball and made a reverse layup for two points.
The Kings then showcased their killer move again with Weber and Jackson's high pick-and-roll. A roll down, catch, and Weber driving hard to the basket, releasing a half-hook, half-lob shot. The ball bounced on the rim twice before falling into the net.
The Glory's offense stalled again, and in a moment of desperation, Brad Miller forced a three-point shot from the outside and surprisingly made it!
Tonight, the Glory team's three-point explosion exceeded expectations and truly saved them; otherwise, they would have fallen behind in the fourth quarter a long time ago.
As time ticked away, the Kings maintained their lead but couldn't extend it completely.
Everyone knew the time for Ah Gan to enter the game was near.
In the previous two victories over Glory, the Kings had secured a double-digit lead in the first three quarters.
Even when Ah Gan returned, it was like a miracle, securing two solid wins.
This game, Glory played very resiliently thanks to Tomjanovich insisting on letting young players handle the crucial moments, while others slowly honed their skills.
Without Ah Gan, although the play was chaotic, it was chaotic without collapsing; they could find ways to solve problems themselves.
For example, drawing fouls on offense, slowing the pace on defense, making themselves chaotic so that opponents would be chaotic too.
If that didn't work, they developed individual abilities, disregarding everything else, just making the basket was enough.
This disregard for norms was being cultivated, and playing basketball required this kind of spirit.
Especially when the overall strength is at a disadvantage, it doesn't mean surrendering.
There are many ways to play a game; Princeton has its elegance, but it also needs the ability to roll in the mud.
With a little over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Glory team called a timeout with the score at 97-93, trailing by 4 points.
The scores were high on both sides; some games don't reach this score by the end.
Tomjanovich patted Gan Guoyang on the shoulder, indicating it was time for him to enter the game. Gan Guoyang was eager and ready.
On the Kings' side, Chris Weber, after resting for three minutes, was definitely going back on the court.
Divac, Bibby, and the core players all returned to the floor as both sides prepared for the final showdown.
"Tonight we will win. We won't let the Kings win three in a row over us, nor will we let them get a 13-game winning streak. 13 is an unlucky number, not good for them, we are doing this for their good."
Before going on, Gan Guoyang gave a simple pep talk, highlighting the importance of this game for Glory.
To defeat the top team in the Western Conference would significantly boost team morale and confidence, becoming a valuable treasure in the growth of young players.
Of course, it would also be a modest yet interesting addition to Gan Guoyang's countless accolades.
Gan Guoyang directly matched up with Weber, who looked tense and stiff.
This led Weber to lose possession the moment he received the ball in the low post, as Gan Guoyang quickly stripped it away. Fortunately, Weber retained control of the ball and tossed it back to Bibby to reorganize.
The fans in the arena keenly watched every move of the players on the court. For Sacramento fans, beating Ah Gan would be a great opportunity for Weber to claim the title of top power forward.
After a screen from Bibby, he moved along the baseline, while Weber opted to cut outside.
Gan Guoyang shrank back to prevent Bibby from driving directly to the basket, so Bibby passed back to Weber.
Weber took a mid-range shot from the left 45-degree angle, with almost no defensive interference.
The ball hit the neck of the rim and missed; Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound.
Glory launched a counterattack. After handing off the ball, Gan Guoyang rapidly moved to the left low post.
Porter fed the ball to Gan Guoyang, who executed a swift heel turn and leapt forward for a shot that scored.
From this distance and position, Gan Guoyang's classic turnaround jumper was still incredibly fast.
Divac and Weber couldn't react in time, watching helplessly as the ball went in, narrowing the gap to just 2 points.
Subsequently, both sides failed to score on two consecutive offensive plays. The back-and-forth running sapped the players' energy, causing a decline in shooting accuracy.
Weber took a mid-range shot from the right 45-degree angle and ended up with an airball!
Porter immediately snatched the ball under the basket, then countered with a full-court sprint to the hoop.
Drawing the defense, he delivered a high bounce pass to Gan Guoyang, who jumped and completed an alley-oop dunk with both hands!
The commentators on TV couldn't hold back, exclaiming, "Whoa! Is this the exquisite cooperation from two ten-time champions? Beautiful pass, beautiful dunk! The game is tied! Oh my gosh, these two combined are nearly 80 years old and can still pull off a play like this."
This play was indeed superb, particularly the pass from Porter, a forceful bounce that turned into an alley-oop pass.
At 37, Gan Guoyang was still able to keep up and rise for the two-handed slam.
It can be said to be a seamless collaboration, and today's top five plays on CCTV5 Sports Channel should have this as a surefire number one.
Porter and Gan Guoyang, two old comrades, high-fived each other as Gan Guoyang said, "Terry, with this form and creativity, you can play for another two years."