Entering the fourth quarter, both sides reached the final showdown, and mid-way through the fourth quarter, Yao Ming replaced Ewing.
In Old Tang’s view, Yao Ming’s style is still trustworthy—having a 2.26-meter giant standing there is a deterrent.
With Gan Guoyang present, the King’s offense increasingly shifted to the outside, and their shooting percentage began to drop.
Wei Bo relied heavily on his mid-range shots during critical moments, as he greatly favored them.
Although his shooting percentage was decent, it ultimately couldn’t compare to mid-range legends like Jordan or Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang and Jordan both ramped up, sending Princeton cooling down on the sidelines with continuous pick-and-rolls and low-post plays.
An 11:2 attack wave helped Glory successfully surpass the score, expanding the lead to 7 points.
The Kings called a timeout, Bibby hit a three-pointer, followed by Wei Bo’s successful defense, long pass to the front court, Christie scored with a layup.
Truly worthy of being the Western Conference champion, the Kings evolved in both strength and mentality after defeating Glory last season.
The game was fiercely contested throughout with neither team relenting, and at this moment, no one thought about giving Yao Ming a scoring opportunity.
Yao Ming himself didn’t think about it either; he just wanted to do what needed to be done to help the team win.
In the most crucial stage, Yao Ming was replaced, and Gan Guoyang moved to the center position, while Old Tang opted for the youthful Malik Rose at power forward.
The younger and more energetic lineup saw Gan Guoyang demonstrate the meaning of being a towering pillar at the center position.
He continued blocking shots against Wei Bo and Bibby, stole the ball, and launched a fast break, with Jordan driving to the basket and drawing a foul—2+1!
Following that, Jordan and Gan Guoyang surrounded Bibby. Bibby jumped to pass the ball inside, but it was intercepted by Malik Rose!
Another key steal led to a fast break, with Jordan connecting with Gan Guoyang for a successful alley-oop dunk!
Consecutive 5 points, two successful defenses, and fast breaks helped Glory Team secure the victory, with cheers resounding throughout the arena.
In the end, thanks to the crucial performances of Jordan and Gan Guoyang, Glory Team won their home game 98:93 against the Kings by a margin of 5 points, marking three consecutive victories at the start of the season.
However, Yao Ming had 0 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks in this grand performance, making his stats look rather awkward with no scoring.
Yet, in the Glory Team’s locker room post-game, Yao Ming wasn’t as dejected as people imagined; instead, he wore a smile and appeared very relaxed.
Facing Chinese reporters who entered the locker room, and concerned parents, Yao Ming comforted them by saying, "It’s okay, I’m doing well, no need to comfort me. It’s only the third game, no rush, it’ll get better gradually. I’ve already found some rhythm patterns in the NBA; performing well is just a matter of time, no need to worry about me."
After the game, because it was Yao Ming’s home debut, Glory arranged a special interview.
Yao Ming did not decline attendance due to his underwhelming performance; he went straightforwardly to the press room. Facing journalists’ doubts, he said, "There’s certainly a lot of pressure coming from all sides—the top pick, a new country, a new league, new competition, along with the so-called successor to Ah Gan, and so many people coming to interview. But honestly, I don’t take it to heart. Everything has a beginning, and this is my beginning, not great, but it has started after all, and everything ahead will stem from this start. I won’t become Ah Gan, I’m sure of that, but I will become myself, I will become Yao Ming."
After speaking, Yao Ming left the press room and returned to the locker room to meet up with teammates, and Gan Guoyang said he’d treat the whole team to dinner tonight.
And Gan Guoyang heard all of Yao Ming’s interview remarks; he’s very happy that Chinese players are confident and dare to accept their shortcomings, and then bravely welcome the challenges ahead.
"Let’s have a drink together tonight."
"Okay, but I won’t drink to drown my sorrows; I have no sorrows."
"I know; later, I’ll assign you a task."
"What?"
"Get Porter drunk."
"Why?"
"Because he asks too many questions."
"..."