From an athlete’s perspective, Ewing is indeed very old; wrinkles have started to appear on his face, and his eyebags have become prominent.
His once chiseled features have become rounded due to the increase in fat.
The thick knee pads wrapped around his legs have followed him for 20 years, he wore them even when he was at Georgetown University.
Undoubtedly, he possesses a steely willpower, though sometimes he speaks without thinking, being mocked by media and fans alike in New York and Seattle.
This season with Glory, he was in a semi-retired state, sustaining himself until the finals.
During the regular season, he rested heavily, reduced his playing time, and decided himself whether to train or not to maintain his condition.
For Ewing, the real game is only the finals; he has already reached the last finish line.
In the first three games, Ewing got limited playing time, and after losing to the Trail Blazers in the last game, Glory changed their lineup.
Ewing suited up early and joined Gan Guoyang to build a defensive barrier inside.
These two names, if it were five or six years ago, would have been dreadfully formidable on the interior defense.
Although Ewing’s block stats are slightly inferior to Olajuwon and Ah Gan, in practice, he sacrificed block opportunities to deter opponents in other ways.
The systems in New York and Seattle didn’t require him to block much; during his time at Georgetown, his blocking was the best in All-America.
Once Ewing got on the court, he immediately troubled the Trail Blazers’ offense — Gan Guoyang could expand his defense more at will to stop the Trail Blazers’ three-point offense.
Gan Guoyang has expanded his defense less and less in the past few seasons, but in critical games, he can still provide high-quality help defense and deterrence.
His deterrence lacks aggression; he no longer strongly suppresses or steals, but instead maintains a reasonable position to make the Trail Blazers’ perimeter uncomfortable.
The task of defending Kobe was given to Gerald Wallace and Raja Bell; Wallace’s skills and experience are average, but he has inexhaustible strength.
Moreover, his talent in perimeter pressure defense is very good; Gan Guoyang communicated with him during the game, working together to fully block Kobe.
After hitting a three-pointer in the third game, Kobe suddenly got enlightened; offensively, he was very flexible, with an expanded range of activity and increased shooting range, posing greater difficulty for the defense.
Facing Gerald Wallace and Gan Guoyang, along with Andre Miller who would occasionally come over to interfere, Kobe remained very calm.
After the timeout, on the Trail Blazers’ first offense, Kobe was at a 45-degree angle, facing the crowd, and calmly passed the ball to the cutting Michael Redd.
Redd caught the ball, directly took a mid-range jump shot, and scored.
Redd’s shot was incredibly quick; as a left-hander, the ball seemed as if it was flung out.
Redd seized the weakness of Ewing and Yao Ming’s slower reaction time, scoring steadily from mid-to-close range with his shooting.
But shortly after, Ewing received the ball on the offensive end at the baseline, backed down Big Ben, and took a mid-range shot, scoring two points!
Ewing’s release was slow enough, but Big Ben was short, and with weight and strength being suppressed, it was naturally difficult to defend.
Carl saw that even an old guy like Ewing could come on and score, and he was very agitated.
For the Trail Blazers to beat Glory, they must wear down these old guys.
If everyone can come up and score a few points, make two shots, relieve the pressure on Jordan and Ah Gan, then at the critical moments of the game, the balance of victory will once again tilt towards Glory.
Following a few rounds, the Trail Blazers kept a tight grip on the score, with Kobe’s ball distribution and offensive holding reaching his best finals state.
This season’s Kobe is indeed at his peak; when he gave up the obsession of surpassing Ah Gan and simply did the right thing, he became a sharp sword, capable of slicing through the opponent’s defense.
After scoring 50 points in the second game, Gan Guoyang was noticeably unable to keep up in the third game, and even tonight he needed to play conservatively.
He not only had to consider this game but also the fifth game, and possibly being dragged to the sixth, going to Portland, he had to prepare distribution.
At the end of the first quarter, Gan Guoyang went off to rest, with Jordan leading the second lineup in a standoff.
Dale Davis was brought into the Trail Blazers’ interior, tormenting Ewing, and the two engaged in a fierce struggle.
Players like Dale Davis are products of the muscle basketball of the ’90s, experienced in facing Ewing.
Moreover, considering Ewing is now older and far from his prime, and Dale Davis is under 35, still in his prime, Ewing had a hard time matching up with him.
For several consecutive rounds, Dale Davis made Ewing very uncomfortable under the basket, losing two rebounds and allowing Davis to score inside.
The Trail Blazers managed to catch up in scoring by relying on Davis’ rebounds, and by the end of the first quarter, the score was 24:22, with Glory leading by only 2 points.
After scoring, Davis spread his hands towards Ewing and said, "You’re old, Patrick, you should rest now, shouldn’t you?"
Davis’ taunt left Ewing enraged. Glory had one more offensive opportunity, and he signaled to Jordan that he wanted to clear out and take the shot.
"Buddy, can you do it?" Jordan asked.
This is the finals, not the regular season; the result of each offensive and defensive play could impact the outcome of the game.
"Of course!" Ewing replied, his determination still high.
So, the two ran a pick-and-roll, the Trail Blazers did not switch defense, and Jordan did not accelerate but passed the ball to Ewing, who cut to a 45-degree angle on the wing.