The ball was passed to Gan Guoyang, and just as the Trail Blazers thought Gan Guoyang was about to go one-on-one, Jordan suddenly cut in from the baseline.
The two executed a hand-off play, and Jordan caught the ball and dunked it with one hand!
The play was so unpredictable that the defenders had no idea what these two guys would do next.
Meanwhile, on the Glory side, Kobe was getting heated; at this moment, he didn’t trust Little O’Neal and only wanted to attack with the ball himself.
Faced with a double team in the middle, Kobe dribbled around in a large circle and took a difficult mid-range jumper from the left side that missed.
Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, and though his age slowed him down, his skills were incredibly refined as he initiated a fast break himself.
Unhurriedly, he dribbled behind his back repeatedly and spun past defenders, faked a pass to fool the defense, drove into the lane, and scored with a layup, drawing a foul from Kobe!
Kobe was anxious, chasing desperately to snatch the ball, but Ah Gan protected the ball like Henry, making it impossible to steal, and Kobe’s attempt to block only resulted in a foul.
"You’re too impatient, Kobe. I told you, you’re not at the level yet where you can save a team by yourself. You need to cooperate with your teammates."
"When will I reach that level?" Kobe asked. His question showed he was already self-absorbed.
Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "I’ve told you before; first surpass Michael, then talk."
Saying this, Gan Guoyang raised his arm and easily made the free throw.
Jordan, upon hearing this, thought, "What do I have to do with this? What do you mean surpass me first? What’s your point, Ah Gan?"
Kobe was a physical beast, but at this moment, he felt a bit tired because he exerted too much effort and played too much in the fourth quarter.
Ah Gan and Jordan were very relaxed because they supported each other with assists and teamwork, making things much easier.
The gap between the two teams widened, and Kobe didn’t give up. He finally started passing the ball and collaborating with Little O’Neal.
Little O’Neal, receiving a pass from Kobe, first made a mid-lane floater and then grabbed an offensive rebound. Unfortunately, his tip-in was blocked by Gan Guoyang.
The battle under the basket was intense, with both sides fighting for possession furiously, making the fans immensely excited.
However, the game time was slowly dwindling away amidst the continuous scuffles, out-of-bounds plays, missed shots, and turnovers.
Carl realized that in the final stages, Glory held back, and Jordan and Gan Guoyang didn’t use all their plays.
After establishing an 8-point lead, they returned to a normal style of play, taking things easy, and giving more opportunities to teammates.
With Van Exel hitting a three-pointer from the outside, with 1 minute and 14 seconds left, Glory led the Trail Blazers by 10 points, 99 to 89.
Carl used up his last timeout, indicating that for this game, the Trail Blazers conceded and substituted the starters.
Kobe was dissatisfied, saying he could still play, but Carl said, "We have many more opportunities. You need to learn to control yourself first."
Kobe wanted to argue, but seeing Carl’s stern look, he knew that the coach wanted to win just as much as he did.
In the fourth quarter, Kobe shot 3 for 10, and although he couldn’t be called the sole culprit in the loss, his poor shot selection indeed hurt the team.
As for the Glory team, every pick-and-roll between Gan Guoyang and Jordan had a reward; its power was immense, its efficiency high, leaving defenders helpless.
So the Trail Blazers conceded gracefully, substituting their main players early, allowing Ah Gan to leave the court to the crowd’s applause.
On Christmas night, Gan Guoyang posted 43 points and 20 rebounds (getting three more rebounds in the end, with Jordan letting him), not calling it a career night, but still respectable.
This game showed people just how powerful Gan Gajiao’s synergy was.
Sitting on the bench, the two old guys drank water and waited for the game to end.
"We should have teamed up sooner, right?"
"Didn’t have the thick skin, couldn’t afford to lose face."
"So now it’s pretty good."
"Can you practice your three-pointer when you go back? It’s your shortcoming."
"Screw your three-pointer!"