Before the start of the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang refused to step down for a rest, he stayed on the court and continued the game, leading Glory in a comeback.
He first hit a three-pointer, directly stopping the Lakers.
That’s right, just at the start of the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang hit a three-pointer, and Jackson immediately called a timeout.
He knew he had to disrupt Gan Guoyang’s rhythm, otherwise the fourth quarter would become a battleground.
After the timeout, Horry, Pippen, and others began to double-team at any time and any place.
This season, the League has abolished illegal defense, allowing double-teaming even off the ball.
So, Pippen stuck tightly to Gan Guoyang, not worrying about others, providing nearby help defense; using a sticky style to deal with Ah Gan, not even allowing Gan Guoyang to receive the ball.
Due to the intense nature of the game, the players on both sides experienced significant fatigue.
Gan Guoyang passed to an open teammate, but several attempts at shooting ended in misses; both teams maintained a low score and close margin, but it was hard to turn the tide.
However, Gan Guoyang seized the opportunity, twice drawing fouls against Pippen, hitting four free throws perfectly.
Starting from 70:71, both teams entered a seesaw battle, scoring was as difficult as Georgetown’s games in the 80s NCAA, 40 or 50 points games.
The match atmosphere was stifling, MGM Hotel Arena’s air conditioning equipment failed somewhat, leading to a rise in the temperature.
Las Vegas being desert-located, was already quite hot in May, fortunately, temperatures dropped at night and the humidity wasn’t high.
But the arena’s temperature once rose above 32 degrees Celsius, a rather unfavorable sensation, much like the Boston Garden Arena with broken air conditioning in 1984.
O’Neal forcefully attacked under the basket, banked in the shot, drawing Miller’s foul, but missed the additional free throw.
Sweat soaked through O’Neal’s whole body, his steps became heavy; this might be the toughest game of his career.
Yet Gan Guoyang ran like the wind, hitting a mid-range shot, helping the team regain the lead.
O’Neal took the ball again, facing Gan Guoyang’s defense, hooked the shot, missed, grabbed the rebound, then in the counterattack, Gan Guoyang drove inside for a layup, drawing a foul, hitting both free throws.
72:75, Glory took a 3-point lead, Lakers called a timeout.
This score maintained for two minutes, the scoreboard seemed broken.
In the last minute, Robert Horry hit a three-pointer, 75:75, the teams tied.
Gan Guoyang encountered double-teaming again, passed out to the perimeter, Van Exel’s shot missed, in the counterattack, O’Neal fast-breaked inside, Miller fouled, O’Neal hit one out of two freethrows. 76:75, Lakers overtook by one point.
With 30 seconds left, no timeout was called, Gan Guoyang received the ball from the perimeter, passed to Miller, Princeton’s slicing tactic.
Gan Guoyang ran around the baseline, received the pass, turned for a jump shot, hit it! 76:77, regained the lead!
Only 6 seconds left for the Lakers, Phil Jackson called a timeout to set up the play.
MGM Hotel Arena was in an uproar, truly everyone was hot, the more cheers, the higher the temperature.
After the timeout, Pippen received the ball, gave it to Tracy McGrady in the middle, McGrady broke through to pass, tossed to the side for Horry, Horry’s midrange shot was released, it went in!
78:77, Horry’s three-pointer and midrange saved the Lakers!
Just when Lakers were ecstatic, Glory fans fell silent, the referee indicated there were 0.8 seconds left, Glory had a timeout, still a chance for the final play.
Hope wasn’t crushed, everyone began to pray, never been so tense.
Old Tang called a timeout to arrange the play, back to the court, Jackson called a timeout to disrupt the setup.
Back to the court, Old Tang called another timeout, using up all the timeouts.
Three timeouts consumed a lot of time, these final 0.8 seconds would decide the series’ fate.
This delay pushed the tense atmosphere to the extreme; everything would be revealed after 0.8 seconds.
The referee blew the whistle, the play commenced, Brad Miller inbounded from the sideline, Gan Guoyang ran from the baseline, circled to the basket, Miller intended a long pass for a basket alley-oop!
Lakers players anticipated this, rushed to the basket but overlooked Terry Porter, who was unguarded at the top arc, Miller decisively passed the ball to Porter.
Porter caught the ball at the top arc, immediately shot a mid-range, the ball flew in a beautiful arc, then the red light lit, the ball swished through the net, buzzer-beater!
The entire MGM Arena, the whole Las Vegas erupted, Terry Porter hit the buzzer-beater in the last 0.8 seconds to eliminate the Lakers!
78:79, Glory Team knocked out the Lakers 3:1, completing the Cinderella story!
The replay repeatedly confirmed, there was no issue with the shot, the light lit after release.
After the winning shot, the 39-year-old Porter felt as happy as a 9-year-old kid, jumping excitedly at the center of the court, teammates all gathered around, hugging him, celebrating together, shouting, turning MGM Hotel into a sea of joy.
Gan Guoyang was nearest to Porter, tightly embraced him, always accompanying his good brother.
"Terry! Terry! You can play for several more years, you can play for several more years!"
"What? I can’t hear! It’s too loud here, Sonny, too loud!"
(End of Volume One of "Bronze Dice" "Dad, You’re Back.")