Chapter 2225 - 35: Inevitable (Part 2)

Chapter 2225: Chapter 35: Inevitable (Part 2)

Baron Davis attempted to back down and attack in the low post, but didn’t expect that his defender had switched from Raja Bell and Allen Iverson to Gerald Wallace.

This was a crucial matchup adjustment in the second half by Glory. They put Bell on Jackson and had Wallace defend Davis in a big-on-small matchup, denying Davis the chance for a one-on-one explosion.

The Warriors’ offensive strategy encountered problems, and Harrington’s forced three-point shot from outside missed. Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound and dribbled past half court.

The Warriors didn’t specifically come to disrupt, resulting in Gan Guoyang performing a classic slasher move from the left 45-degree angle, hitting a three-pointer!

Two consecutive three-pointers reduced the deficit to 12 points. Old Nelson realized the severity of the situation and immediately called a timeout to adjust.

Gan Guoyang’s fierce and sudden offensive surge was very dangerous. Nelson knew that Ah Gan was the type of player who, when feeling it, could devastate you if not strongly targeted.

Even though he is already 42, this capability cannot be underestimated. Gan Guoyang hadn’t consumed much stamina in the first half and didn’t shoot much.

Therefore, the Warriors’ 18-point lead was not stable at all.

"Bold attack, I’m finding rhythm. Old Tang calling a timeout while leading by 12 indicates fear! So the advantage is with us!"

In Gan Guoyang’s view, despite trailing by 12 points, the advantage was his.

Just a little over a minute, and the Warriors called a timeout, showing their fear.

A timeout couldn’t interrupt Gan Guoyang’s feel.

And the Warriors were struggling to find a breakthrough facing Glory’s focused one-on-one wide range defense.

Richardson, with a mismatched advantage, tried to force an attack on Allen Iverson, but Iverson succeeded in stealing the ball.

Iverson was nicknamed in this series numerous times, and he was quite frustrated.

Once a top star in the league, he came to Las Vegas as if "imprisoned."

No playing, no drinking, timely training, fully focused on basketball.

Under Ah Gan’s overwhelming influence, Iverson regained his best competitive state since 2001.

His technique and physique can’t return to their peak, but mentally and performance-wise, he was impeccable.

Iverson managed to steal the ball twice consecutively on defense, executing a fast break and scoring with a layup.

One pass reached Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang faked out the defender, drove into the lane, and dunked for points!

A 10-0 scoring burst shrank the deficit to 8 points, with just 3 minutes into the third quarter.

The pressure on the Warriors players suddenly increased, and Baron Davis looked serious, struggling to shake off Gerald Wallace’s tight defense.

Facing Raja Bell and Iverson, he had a clear physical advantage, but Wallace, as a forward, made it difficult with his speed.

The tussle on the wings wasted too much of the Warriors’ offensive time, resulting in passing it out in the end.

The ball went to Yi Jianlian, attempting to play inside, but his turnaround jump shot was blocked by Gan Guoyang.

Yi Jianlian was still too inexperienced, he could follow the older teammates in a favorable situation.

But in an adverse situation, stepping up to play critical shots posed psychological and technical pressure beyond compare.

Gan Guoyang successfully defended once more, dribbling over half-court himself. Yi Jianlian made a wrong choice.

After crossing half-court, he attempted to steal the ball from Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang, with vast experience, neared the three-point line, made a shooting move making body contact with Yi Jianlian.

The referee blew the whistle, Yi Jianlian committed a shooting foul, granting three free throws!

The mistakes young players make, seeing this, Don Nelson shook his head repeatedly.

Yi Jianlian has excellent physical qualities, trains hard, and possesses a high talent.

But his basketball IQ is average, not comparable to Yao Ming, let alone Gan Guoyang, the most cunning player in history.

Free throws are the best scoring method for Gan Guoyang, saving time and energy.

Moreover, it was three free throws, Gan Guoyang made them all, steadily taking control.

This season, Gan Guoyang’s free throw percentage reached 94%, his personal best.

At the age of 42, Gan Guoyang continuously improved one skill to a career-high.

The gap between the teams closed to 5 points, with the Warriors’ once impressive 18-point lead in the first half about to vanish within a few minutes in the second half.

Gan Guoyang’s blitzkrieg achieved success, although the Warriors finally scored, the referee called Yao Ming for a defensive foul, giving Davis two free throw attempts.

Yet Gan Guoyang had become unstoppable. He feigned a three-point attack from the outside, cut into the lane, drove past Yi Jianlian and scored a hook shot while forcing Yi Jianlian’s foul.

Yi Jianlian looked worried and helpless, thinking "Big brother, we’re on the same side, are you really targeting me like this?"

Gan Guoyang knew Yi Jianlian’s play style and naturally targeted him. The free throw was good, and the point difference was just 4 points.

Nielsen realized things were wrong, replacing Yi Jianlian with Biedrins.

The Warriors gradually regained their offensive touch, Richardson solo attacked Iverson for two points.

Then, Iverson and Gan Guoyang’s pick-and-roll collaboration scored again.

Midway through the third quarter, both teams entered a stalemate.

The Warriors managed to score, facing Glory’s somewhat shallow man defense, Warriors players began to leverage individual skills, fighting for themselves.

Davis, Richardson, and Jackson were players with decent one-on-one abilities.

Glory didn’t mind such solo plays, as they couldn’t form a scale threat.

Moreover, once Yi Jianlian was benched, the Warriors lost their fifth-position shooting point, unlike their first-half performance in stretching Glory.

Yi Jianlian’s surprising impact was over, his defensive flaws were exploited.