The two teams are trapped in a vicious cycle: I miss the shot, I will do my best to prevent you from scoring; due to the heavy physical demand of defense, the offense becomes even more ineffective, leading to an even more intense effort to prevent scoring, thus escalating defensive exhaustion.
Even Gan Guoyang’s shooting touch is declining, hitting only one three-pointer to quench the team’s thirst, missing two mid-range attempts.
The teams call for a timeout, but the main purpose is rest and substitutions; the situation in the game sees no fundamental change.
Jordan finally attacks the paint for a layup, drawing a foul and earning two free throws, both of which he makes.
48:50, then the Celtics’ Nash breaks through to the basket with a floater, misses the shot, but Duncan grabs the Offensive Rebound.
However, before attempting the layup, Jordan, coming to help defense, swats the ball out of his hands, creating a great opportunity for Glory’s fast break.
Jordan makes a long pass to Gan Guoyang who dashes to the frontcourt; Gan Guoyang dishes to Jon Barry on the wing, Barry catches and shoots for two points from the zero-degree angle.
Score! Jon Barry’s shot helps Glory tie the game; Old Barry’s two sons have a knack for shooting.
Barry makes this single shot in the third quarter and is soon substituted out.
Nonetheless, in such a low-scoring game, every basket is crucial.
The final outcome may hinge on slight differences, so both teams give their all in each offensive and defensive play.
Throughout the third quarter, Glory scores only 15 points, with the Celtics even less, managing only 13 points.
Entering the fourth quarter, the score stands at 55:58, with some games having more points scored at halftime than this.
This night, the game is an extreme war of attrition, with the Celtics still holding a narrow edge over Glory.
Back at the bench, both teams are utterly exhausted, as it’s no longer merely a technical and tactical confrontation, but a battle of will and the desire to win.
Celtics fans create a terrifying atmosphere by yelling and cursing, with the green sea continuously provoking the Glory players, intending to disrupt their offense and defense.
Gan Guoyang played the entire third quarter, scoring 7 points, accounting for half the team’s points, though his hit rate is indeed not high.
Furthermore, his stamina is severely drained; Porter must let him rest on the sidelines for a while and bring him back in the fourth quarter later.
Gan Guoyang drinks water non-stop, seizing the time to rest, as the situation is not optimistic; although the Celtics lead by only two points, they consistently press Glory with their tactics and status.
Beelman’s tactical application and rotation are indeed fitting, capitalizing on two major issues with Glory:
Firstly, Glory’s three-point shooting is indeed lacking, far inferior to the past Trail Blazers.
Although Gan Guoyang and Van Exel are strong three-point shooters, Fan Madman is unstable, and Ah Gan has too many other responsibilities, preventing him from focusing on three-point shooting continuously.
This playoff season, Gan Guoyang’s three-point touch hasn’t developed, with both percentage and makes hitting career lows.
Secondly, Glory lacks outward pressure on the defensive end; Nash poses significant difficulties for Glory.
Stockton’s point has been quite beneficial to Beelman.
Furthermore, the pick-and-roll of Ah Gan and Jordan is nearly unstoppable, but the occurrences are limited.
Gan Guoyang, throughout the first half and the third quarter, has frequently used pick-and-rolls, employing his mid-range shooting to strike the Celtics, allowing Glory to barely hold onto the score.
As the fourth quarter arrives, Gan Guoyang needs rest, and Jordan’s condition has remained mediocre.
Fourth game, the duo combined for 88 points; achieving this for two consecutive games is quite difficult.
Of course, the Celtics are not without issues; they have left quite a few open spots on the perimeter.
Glory simply hasn’t hit the shots or capitalized; if Glory finds their shooting rhythm in the fourth quarter, the Celtics will be in significant trouble.
This is why Beelman is gambling, pacing on the sidelines in tension, unable to sit down, constantly clenching his fists.
Watching Jon Barry hit the long-range shot tightens his heart; fortunately, it was a two-pointer, not a three.
In the fourth quarter, within the suffocating defensive slow pace, Glory truly hasn’t found the shooting touch; the shooting percentage from the outside isn’t impressive, allowing Beelman to ease somewhat.
At this point, Nash utilizes Duncan’s screen to penetrate the basket on the offense, then makes a ’looking back at the moon’ pass to Duncan, who slams down the successful dunk!
Duncan, who also had no rest in the third quarter, continues to play into the fourth quarter.
"I should go on." Gan Guoyang, upon seeing this, wants to rise.
However, Porter shakes his head and says, "You need to rest a bit more, rest a bit more, buddy."
At this moment, Porter displays immense strategic composure; Duncan’s shot has widened the gap to a 7-point lead.
57:64, with the situation increasingly adverse to Glory, Porter still withholds from sending Ah Gan onto the court.
Jordan steps up, first scoring with a post-up fadeaway jumper, then on defense, double-teaming Vin Baker and collaborating with Malik Rose for a steal; in the fast break, Jordan finishes with a dunk!
The score is chased to 61:64, quickly narrowing to just 3 points.
Gan Guoyang now sits down to continue resting, Porter is sweating from his palms.
The good news is, Jordan, indeed the demigod, can endure likewise.
Gan Guoyang reenters the game in the middle of the fourth quarter, after receiving adequate rest.
He substitutes Jordan, and the two embrace at the sideline; Jordan says, "I’ll be back soon."
Gan Guoyang pats Jordan and immediately focuses on the game; his restored stamina allows him to quickly spin and hook after catching for a basket, bringing the gap to just 1 point.
At this time, the physical condition of the Celtics players is also nearing its limit, with defense footsteps increasingly slowing.
Gan Guoyang facilitates from the high post, delivering a direct pass to the basket, where Malik Rose receives and cuts for a successful layup!
Turnaround! With Rose’s layup, Glory leads 65:64, overtaking the score, prompting Beelman to call a timeout.
The Boston crowd feels suffocated; just minutes ago, they were ecstatic about widening the gap to 7 points.
Yet, in a fleeting moment, Glory retaliates with an 8:0 run against the Celtics, and surpasses the score.
At this moment, there are more than 4 minutes left until the game ends; both teams step into the crucial moments where stakes are blood-red.
Jordan and Yao Ming return to the game, Rose and Jon Barry have completed their tasks.
Big Z and Pierce return as well, kicking off the final showdown between the two teams.
Pierce receives a pass from Nash, attacking the basket aggressively, finishing a left-handed layup, drawing a foul from Yao Ming.
The two free throws are successfully made, 65:66, with the Celtics reclaiming the initiative.
Gan Guoyang receives the ball in the low post, quickly spins with a fake to shake off Duncan, and scores a one-handed dunk!
67:66, Glory leads again.
Duncan immediately responds with a bank shot from the top of the arc, tying it at 67:68!
Jordan and Gan Guoyang execute a pick-and-roll, with Jordan driving to the basket, sticking his tongue out, and scoring two points with an aerial switch layup!
69:68! The game reaches fever pitch.
Subsequently, Bruce Bowen takes a three-point shot from the left corner and misses.
The teams scramble furiously for the ball under the basket, Gan Guoyang gains control of the ball, but Duncan swats it.
After a bout of contention, the referee calls for a jump ball; standing at the free-throw line, Gan Guoyang taps the ball to Miller.
However, Nash snatches it away from behind! Nash’s steal succeeds, and he sends a direct pass to the basket; Pierce receives the ball for a layup, but Yao Ming comes over to block it!
Big Z grabs the ball, fails to score with a hook shot, tries a putback, as the ball spins twice atop the rim before finally falling into the hoop.
Yao Ming forcefully pounds the ball, Gan Guoyang reminds him: "No worries, onto the next play!"
In any situation, never dwell on the disappointment of the last play; it’s crucial to focus on the following play.
Gan Guoyang receives at the arc, sets up, Yao Ming posts up low, Gan Guoyang delivers a precise direct pass to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming spins, facing a Celtics double-team, quickly passes out to the wing, Gerald Wallace.
Wallace is completely open in the corner. An opportunity; in this series, he hasn’t hit a single three.
Gan Guoyang shouts "Shoot," while moving inside to rebound; Wallace makes a quick aim and decisively shoots.
The arc of the ball appears somewhat flat, yet it goes in! An invaluable, unexpected three-pointer!
72:70, Glory leads the Celtics by two points! This three-pointer hits Beelman’s heart heavily.
An entire series without a three-point make, Gerald Wallace, having hit single-digit threes all postseason, makes one at this critical moment.
Where to find rationale? There’s nowhere to rationalize; second-year Wallace with a regular-season average of 0.5 threes per game, 27% accuracy.
After four games, all defensive efforts focused on Jordan, he scores at the most critical time.
Beelman feels the pain, but he knows, past plays are history; make the next basket.
He promptly calls a timeout; a two-point margin is far from a doomsday scenario, the outcome is far from certain.
At this moment, one minute remains until the end of the fifth game.
The decisive minute determining the fate of the series.