The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 560 The most eye-catching showdown

In the first few minutes of the first quarter, the game seemed calm on both sides, with Jordan and Gan Guoyang playing very restrainedly.

As before, Jordan would bypass Paxson and dribble the ball directly across half-court.

But unlike in the past, Jordan didn't just focus on controlling the ball and attacking; instead, he orchestrated the offense.

Jackson was happy to let Jordan handle the ball and orchestrate the offense because Jordan was a huge threat when he had the ball.

The opponent's defensive attention will be focused on Jordan, which will give the other Bulls players more room to move around.

Jordan spent most of the first quarter acting as point guard, while John Paxson's main role was to run on the perimeter and wait in the corners to find shooting opportunities.

Jordan's playmaking, like his ball-handling offense, was simple and straightforward. He could make quick judgments and handle the ball concisely.

This made some of his assists and passes seem unremarkable, but in reality, he orchestrated the Bulls' offense very well in the first quarter.

Gan Guoyang is the same; unless there is a very good opportunity, he will not go one-on-one, but will keep creating opportunities for his teammates.

Use screens, picks and rolls, passes, and offensive rebounds to support your teammates' offense.

The positional battle between the two sides was very close, with cautious passing due to numerous defensive traps.

The two teams haven't really reached a high level yet, and are in a lukewarm state, gradually increasing the intensity.

The score went back and forth, from 2-3 to 13-14, with the Trail Blazers maintaining a one-point lead.

Midway through the first quarter, Jordan revealed his true colors.

He held the ball at the top of the key and suddenly executed a clever behind-the-back dribble to easily get past Petrovic.

He cut into the basket from the left center, and squeezed through the gaps between Gan Guoyang and Thompson, facing a double attack from both of them.

In mid-air, he switched hands and made a left-handed layup. The ball bounced off the backboard, then off the rim, and finally fell into the net!
15:14, the Bulls have successfully taken the lead!
The Trail Blazers quickly inbounded the ball from their backcourt, and Porter controlled it to the frontcourt.

Petrovic had an opportunity on the right side, received a pass from Porter and immediately launched a three-pointer!
But the shot was taken too hastily and missed, with Cartwright securing the rebound.

During the counterattack, Jordan remained calm and composed, making a high-arcing long pass from beyond the three-point line to the inside, where Pippen cut to the basket and leaped up for an alley-oop dunk.

At 17:14, the Bulls extended their lead to 3 points.

Petrovic tried to retaliate against Jordan, but failed.

He was too hasty; he had already scored 7 points and wanted to take advantage of his momentum to go even further.

On the second serve, Porter did not pass to Petrovic again, and Gan Guoyang received the ball at the high post.

"Defend his three-pointer!" Jordan shouted.

He knew that Gan Guoyang was in a very dangerous position at the top of the arc.

You think he's setting up the offense, but then he suddenly hits a three-pointer.

Grant went out to keep an eye on Gan Guoyang, who suddenly lowered his head and accelerated.

He pushed hard down the middle like a bulldozer, drawing a defensive foul from Grant.

Jordan was right. If Grant hadn't come out to defend, Gan Guoyang would have taken a three-pointer directly.

Grant came out to fill in, and Gan Guoyang couldn't shoot three-pointers anymore. He could have passed the ball to Thompson, who was open for a mid-range shot, but Thompson's shooting touch was just average tonight.

There's a high chance the shot will miss, and in that case, no one from the Trail Blazers will grab the rebound under the basket, meaning the Bulls will still get the defensive rebound.

If the Bulls launch another counterattack, the point difference will widen, and the Trail Blazers will definitely have to call a timeout.

Therefore, in a split second, Gan Guoyang made a decision and chose to dribble past his opponent to draw a foul.

Both sides acted like chess players, anticipating each other's choices with every offensive move and trying to force the opponent into making an unfavorable decision.

Gan Guoyang made both free throws, achieving a free throw percentage of 90%, which is virtually unparalleled among centers.

This is thanks to his exceptional shooting consistency. When Jordan saw Gan Guoyang taking free throws, he didn't even bother to grab the rebound; it was pointless.

Jordan passed the ball to Paxson in the backcourt, which meant he was going to box out and try to get a one-on-one opportunity.

Sure enough, he called for the ball in the low post on the left, and Paxson passed it to Jordan.

Thompson came over to help defend, and Jordan passed the ball to Grant, who was cutting in from the middle.

Grant received the ball and tried to make a layup, but Gan Guoyang blocked it with a big shot!
Cartwright got the ball, turned around, and jumped to shoot, but before he could even raise the ball, Gan Guoyang knocked it away.

After gaining control of the ball, Gan Guoyang dribbled it across half-court, and Jordan tried to steal it.

Gan Guoyang immediately passed the ball to Petrovic who was cutting to the basket, but his layup was blocked by Grant!
"Damn it, why don't you dunk?" Gan Guoyang cursed under his breath.

A scramble ensued under the basket, and Korsey grabbed the offensive rebound, but his putback attempt was disrupted by Pippen.

Then Gan Guoyang squeezed under the basket like a tank, grabbed the ball, pushed past Pippen, and dunked the ball into the hoop!
Pippen could block Kossie, but not Gan Guoyang; the power difference was too great, and there was simply no room for him to jump. The intensity of the game increased, and at this point, Petrovic was starting to struggle to keep up.

At the start of the game, he was able to score consecutively using screens, tactical passes, and a good shooting touch.

Once the intensity increased and the Bulls' very tight defense came into play, Petrovic was at a loss.

Bobby Bellman then substituted Sanders for Petrovic, it was time for him to rest.

Petrovic sat on the sidelines, gulping down water. He had started the first quarter quite well, but then he couldn't keep up.

They couldn't keep up with Jordan, let alone Forrest Gump; they seemed to be playing on a completely different level.

Gan Guoyang's pre-game remarks to Jordan and Petrovic were intended to encourage Jordan to target Petrovic, to make Petrovic feel the gap, and to show him where he falls short of the best guard.

As it turns out, Gan Guoyang was overthinking things; Jordan didn't need to target Petrovic at all.

If Jordan plays normally, it's like running. If he runs at a normal, steady pace for a while, Petrovic will be unable to keep up with his pace.

Putting aside their ball skills, their physical fitness is far inferior.

Petrovic's one-on-one defense against Jordan was ineffective.

When Jordan accelerated to break through, he would act as if the person in front of him wasn't there, and pass by in one step.

Things got a little better after Sanders came on, but not by much.

Sanders couldn't control Jordan when he was with the Cavaliers.

Jordan had a great shooting touch in the first quarter, receiving a pass from Cartwright at the high post and making a mid-range shot.

Jordan unleashed his offensive firepower in the first quarter, knowing that if he didn't develop his offensive rhythm early on, he wouldn't be able to play well later on.

Gan Guoyang no longer took it lightly. After Petrovic went down, he took the ball and launched a strong attack on Cartwright.

He drew another foul and went to the free-throw line. The Bulls' help defense wasn't very effective tonight because Gan Guoyang was constantly passing and facilitating, which made Pippen's help defense less decisive.

Both free throws went in again, bringing the score to 21-20, with the Bulls still leading by one point.

The Bulls brought in BJ Armstrong, while the Trail Blazers replaced Thompson with the massive Sabonis.

Phil Jackson was not happy when he saw Sabonis enter the game. One Forrest Gump was annoying enough, and now another 7-foot-3 guy was coming.

As Gan Guoyang was taking free throws, Jackson whistled towards the court, signaling Jordan and Pippen to come over, and said, "Try to take that big guy down."

Jordan and Pippen nodded. Getting Sabonis into foul trouble sooner would definitely be beneficial for the Bulls.

BJ Armstrong controlled the ball, passed it to Jordan across half-court, Jordan caught the ball with his left hand, faced Sanders, and accelerated past him.

The Trail Blazers collapsed their defense in the middle, and Gan Guoyang and Ke Xi surrounded them. Jordan jumped up and passed the ball through the gap to Pippen, who was cutting into the basket.

Pippen received the ball and charged toward the massive Sabonis, but his dunk was blocked from behind by Gan Guoyang!

Just moments ago, Agan was helping defend Jordan, but he reacted incredibly quickly, turning around to block Pippen's dunk and preventing Sabonis from committing a foul.

"Don't foul recklessly under the basket, fast break!"

After reminding Sabonis, Gan Guoyang immediately made a long pass to the frontcourt.

Sabonis had never seen Gan Guoyang defend like this in previous games.

This was a one-against-two defense, and it actually worked!

Jerome Cahill drove to the basket on a fast break, but Grant caught up and successfully disrupted his shot.

Sanders dove to protect the ball and passed it back to Porter.

The Bulls' defense tightened like a pair of pincers, and they did an excellent job protecting the paint.

Facing BJ Armstrong's aggressive defense, Portland drove to the basket and forced a shot, but missed.

But Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound under the basket, and after two consecutive shooting fakes, he suddenly made a high-arcing pass.

Sabonis followed up and slammed home a one-handed alley-oop dunk!
21:22, the Trail Blazers take the lead.

There are three minutes left in the first quarter.

Both sides have entered a fierce battle and are locked in combat.

Bobby Bellman, sitting next to Petrovic, said, "This is the most exciting matchup in the NBA. You'll have to try to keep up."

Petrovich nodded vigorously, "I have to keep up! They're really strong and fast."

(End of this chapter)