No matter if you were once the Basketball God or a demigod, that’s all in the past; victory on the basketball court is never determined by one’s resume.
The more famous you are, the greater the challenge you face, and the more effort required to maintain that fame.
Gan Guoyang pulled Jordan up from the floor, and the two patted each other, undoubtedly acknowledging each other’s hard work.
However, the Celtics, bombarded by a series of high-intensity confrontations, were in shambles. Duncan was temporarily blocked by Yao Ming, while Nash was repeatedly targeted on defense, causing him to become somewhat agitated on offense.
Although Tomjanovich was not present, his pre-game adjustments and arrangements were undoubtedly very successful, setting a good tone for Glory.
By the end of the first quarter, Glory led the Celtics 29-15 by as many as 14 points, and the Celtics made as many as 6 turnovers, more than in their entire first game.
In the second quarter, Beelman actively made adjustments by subbing in Cliff-Robinson and Fox, letting Nash rest while bringing in Tony Derrick.
Just on court, Cliff-Robinson hit a three-pointer from the outside, helping the Celtics close the gap.
Jordan, in an offensive low-post backplay, took steps and scored with a layup, but the referee called a travel.
Jordan shook his head and said to the referee, "I’ll review the footage post-game, and if I didn’t travel, I’ll give you a call."
The referee confidently replied, "Your pivot foot moved, it was indeed a travel."
It was a call that could have gone either way, but with Glory leading by a significant margin, the referee leaned towards calling it.
This is the NBA referee’s way of balancing; if Glory were trailing by a sizable margin, the referee might have turned a blind eye.
The travel call didn’t affect Glory’s good form, and the Celtics failed to seize the opportunity to further narrow the score to single digits.
Pierce, at the top arc, tried to make a through-the-ground pass inside. The intention was too obvious, and Ewing intercepted it, leading to a Glory counterattack.
Jordan, upon receiving the ball, charged strong at the basket but was fouled by Fox, sent to the free-throw line, and hit both free throws, maintaining a 13-point advantage.
Gan Guoyang sat on the bench resting while Jordan led the second unit, holding off the aggressive Celtics frontline counterattack.
Both sides engaged in intense confrontations; Van Exel knocked the ball out of Tony Derrick’s hands and out of bounds, but it remained Celtics possession.
However, with less time on the shot clock, the Celtics lost their offensive rhythm, rendering crafty tricks and techniques useless.
Finding no good offensive opportunities, the Celtics resorted to Tony Derrick driving the ball himself for a layup.
He was disrupted by Ewing and missed, allowing Van Exel to push the ball forward on a fast break, pulling up just past the three-point line and hitting the shot!
Under relaxed circumstances and a lead, Van Exel’s three-pointers were particularly deadly.
The lead extended to 16 points, making it urgent for the Celtics to score and pace up the game.
Duncan and Derrick executed a counter-cut play, catching the ball under the basket for a layup.
But Jordan quickly responded with a back-to-the-basket catch, turning for a jump shot to counter those two points.
Subsequently, Glory suddenly implemented a 2-3 zone defense, catching the Celtics off guard.
Duncan, positioned at a 45-degree angle, was blocked by Ewing whenever he tried to make a pass, forcing him to attempt a tough solo drive.
Turning for a high-difficulty one-handed hook shot, the ball hit the backboard and bounced off, as Duncan grabbed the Offensive Rebound and attempted another layup.
However, it was swatted by a trailing Jordan with a monumental chasedown block! A two-handed block by Jordan!
The block, ball capture included, completely controlled the ball, sending the entire MGM Hotel Center into a frenzy.
Gan Guoyang stood up to applaud Jordan’s defensive play, while Duncan, expressionless, reached out but missed the ball, retreating to defense.
Jordan wasn’t in a hurry to counterattack but slowly crossed halftime, controlling the pace. Ewing came over to set a screen, allowing Jordan to use the screen to cut in, stopping suddenly for a jump shot near the free-throw line, and scored!
The lead extended to 18 points. After the basket, Jordan clenched his fist, pointing towards Bobby Berman on the sidelines, as if to say, "Isn’t it time to call a timeout?"
For Jordan, Bobby Berman was a nemesis of sorts, having lost thrice in finals against him, twice with the Trail Blazers where Berman coached.
Now, without Ah Gan, let’s see how you’ll handle it.
If it were Ah Gan on the opposite side, he definitely wouldn’t call a timeout. Instead, he’d retaliate with a three-pointer, just to squash your arrogance first.
Duncan isn’t Ah Gan; during the second quarter, leading the bench lineup, he was average. In terms of personal offensive ability, Duncan lacks a bit.
His mid-to-long-range shooting capability is somewhat lacking. Once the outside isn’t open, leaving him without enough space in the low post, targeting his offense becomes easier, and his performance falters.
Indeed, Beelman called for a timeout. Gan Guoyang high-fived Jordan. By now, a quarter and a half in, Jordan had dropped 17 points, undoubtedly this was his proving game.
For basketball players, the game to prove oneself is always the current match and the next one.
"Well done, Michael, well done!" Gan Guoyang proactively handed Jordan water.
In the first half, Glory primarily relied on Jordan’s performance, intending to provide Gan Guoyang time and space to launch in the third quarter.
No one expected that the Celtics would be somewhat fragile tonight; Jordan alone had extended the lead to nearly 20 points.
With the current game’s pace and total scoring, catching up by 20 points is extraordinarily difficult.
Perhaps Gan Guoyang wouldn’t need to exert full force by the third quarter for them to seal the game.
Tonight, the Celtics had too many turnovers offensively, rarely executing decent team plays.
Loss of ball, out of bounds, intercepted passes, offensive fouls — by halftime, the Celtics’ turnover count reached 9 times.
With the timeout over, both sides returned to the game, and the Celtics’ starters came back in to adjust their state. Nash returned to the game and signaled his return with a three-pointer from the outside.
On defense, Pierce, Bowen, and Duncan began actively helping Nash with defensive duties, including providing help defense, filling in, and harassment, not allowing Andre Miller to fully exploit Nash.
The Celtics were gradually making some progress on both offense and defense, clawing back some points.
But an 18-point deficit was massive; just as they narrowed it to 13, Van Exel hit yet another unwarranted three-pointer, pushing the lead back to 16.
Ah Gan blocked Pierce’s layup inside, and Glory wasn’t in a hurry for a quick break; executing a halfcourt set, Jordan posted up on Pierce.
"You said you could stop me, really? Let’s see your defense, guess where I’ll go next? Left, or right?"
Jordan used words to provoke Pierce, who had been rather brazen over several games, often talking before and after games, taunting Jordan.
Jordan originally didn’t intend to stoop to the level of these juniors, considering his age, it was unnecessary. But after consecutive losses, average performances, and enduring this guy’s sickening voice, it became unbearable.
Pierce said nothing, merely focusing intently on Jordan, but to no avail, as Jordan was on fire tonight.
After sensing the defense with dribbling, Jordan made a beautiful spin move, followed by a fadeaway jumper, scoring another two points!
The lead extended back to 18 points, nullifying the Celtics’ efforts post-timeout; they had to keep climbing out of the hole.
By halftime, the Glory team led the Celtics 59-43 by 15 points, with Jordan tallying 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, dominating the half.
As they headed back to the locker room, Jordan made sure to say to Beelman, "Hey Bobby! Bobby! Might as well tell you our game plan! I’m only covering the first half, so tell Irving to go all out, sparing no effort. The third quarter belongs to Ah Gan; better prepare early."
After speaking, Jordan smiled at Beelman, but Beelman couldn’t muster a smile, knowing all too well that Jordan was telling the truth.
Gan Guoyang had 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, and 4 assists in the first half, clearly taking just 2 shots—one handling a half each with Jordan.
Pre-game, Beelman was filled with confidence, yet as the game reached this point, his heart sank again. Where exactly was the problem?