Moreover, during this period, Gan Guoyang wasn’t on the court for almost half the time, yet they weren’t overwhelmed by the Lakers; instead, they stabilized the situation.
Back in the locker room at halftime, Gan Guoyang hugged each teammate and said, "You guys did awesome, absolutely awesome!"
In his heart, he felt that hugging his teammates’ legs felt really good. After so many years in the playoffs, he finally got a real chance to do so, and it was indeed very comforting.
"Let’s keep pushing in the second half, take this game, and don’t give the Lakers any chance! Let’s aim to end the series in Las Vegas!"
Gan Guoyang is the type of player who never holds back; he always boldly announces his goals and isn’t afraid of being embarrassed if he doesn’t achieve them.
Because Gan Guoyang’s mindset is to want to win without fearing loss, rather than fearing loss and doubting victory.
The entire Glory team was once again highly motivated. Ever since they came to Los Angeles, it’s like they’ve been brainwashed, truly becoming indoctrinated during this time.
The players were united, in a state of fervor, not knowing fear, not knowing nerves, not knowing pain.
Under normal circumstances, if the first quarter were like that, their morale would crumble, leading to a complete breakdown of player performance.
Shots wouldn’t fall, defense wouldn’t hold, especially for young players who could easily bottom out.
Just relying on a few words of encouragement from Old Tang wasn’t enough; the key was their mental state: unity, a single goal, fearlessness, with their minds not occupied by other thoughts.
On the contrary, the Lakers were overthinking, preventing them from fully concentrating on the game itself.
They didn’t aggressively pursue the lead, content with a 15-point advantage, thinking it wasn’t a big deal.
Little did they know, by halftime, Glory had caught up and even overtaken them. One can imagine the heaviness and tension in the Lakers’ locker room.
Jackson’s meditation no longer worked; players were restless and even began blaming each other.
After the start of the third quarter, the Lakers relied on individual player ability to stabilize the situation.
But throughout the third quarter, Gan Guoyang stayed on the court, firmly controlling the team’s offensive organization.
The Lakers resumed their triple-teaming, but it wasn’t as effective as in the first quarter because the other Glory players had found their rhythm.
Moreover, Brad Miller would immediately step up to support, and after receiving the ball, quickly seek other attacking options, delivering the ball to the basket.
The scores rose alternately between the two sides; the Lakers’ outside performance was indeed better than the last game, with much more accurate three-point shots.
They briefly took the lead, but Glory quickly adjusted to retake it.
80:79, Glory led by 1 point entering the fourth quarter. What the Lakers anticipated as an easy win turned into a slugfest.
In the fourth quarter, both sides felt exhausted from the intense play and fluctuating performances of the first three quarters.
The Lakers took the initiative first as Tracy McGrady made consecutive successful layups; without Gan Guoyang guarding, the inside lacked sufficient rim protection.
When Gan Guoyang returned to the court in the fourth quarter, Glory trailed the Lakers 85:88, by 3 points.
At this moment, Gan Guoyang didn’t have to worry about much and activated the center low post mode.
In crucial moments, with consecutive low post receptions, he turned and jumped to score, keeping the score tight.
The game went from 85:88 to 94:96, with both teams showing very low scoring efficiency.
O’Neal completely disappeared towards the end of the fourth quarter, unable to receive the ball or too afraid to shoot under Ah Gan’s defense.
At this point, there were just over thirty seconds left, and it was Glory’s offensive turn.
They had a 24-second offensive chance. Once again, Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post, where the intensity had reached an unparalleled level.
Gan Guoyang got the ball in the low post; facing a double team from the Lakers, he passed it on as the opportunity wasn’t good, and Raja Bell passed it back to him.
Gan Guoyang received the pass, quickly turned, seeming to step back for a jump shot, but suddenly passed the ball to Bell, standing at a 45-degree angle as the double team approached.
Bell caught the pass, took enough time to aim, and then shot!
Three-pointer! The ball had a nice arc, but Gan Guoyang still positioned himself under the basket for a rebound.
But this shot went in smoothly! Three-pointer, Glory took the lead! Leaving only 7 seconds for the Lakers.
After scoring, Raja Bell blew a kiss towards the Lakers’ spectator seats, signaling a farewell to the Los Angeles fans.
Goodbye, Los Angeles people, you don’t stand a chance.