The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 1826 - 69: The Final Performance

When Gan Guoyang returned to the locker room, he had to wrap himself in a towel and was escorted by bodyguards and teammates to flee from the crowd.

Actually, after the 90s, NBA live games no longer allowed spectators to rush onto the court, with security and police intercepting them to prevent safety accidents.

The spectacular scene of fans swarming into the court after winning the championship in the 70s and 80s is now very hard to see.

But tonight, in the fourth game of the Finals, when Gan Guoyang hit that decisive three-pointer to help the Trail Blazers complete a stunning comeback, no one could stop the fans from rushing onto the court.

It's safe to say this was the greatest comeback in Finals history, full of difficulty and drama, a true miracle.

Despite being troubled by fouls and generally in mediocre form throughout the game, Gan Guoyang still had his moment.

His tall stature combined with his extraordinary long-range shooting ability, hitting four consecutive three-pointers, including a 3+1, turned the series from a draw to match point, moving from balance to one step away from the championship.

Finally back in the locker room, Gan Guoyang felt a thrill of survival after a calamity.

Teammates came over to hug, shake hands, cheer with him, enjoying the pure joy of victory.

Facing reporters about to break the doorframe, Gan Guoyang responded to the microphone: "The final victory has my contribution, and my teammates' efforts and persistence, but mostly it's because of luck. Lady Luck was on my side again tonight."

To win this game, luck was indeed a big factor; if any of those threes hadn't gone in or the Celtics had played more maturely, the Trail Blazers might have regrettably lost, and the series scenario would be entirely different.

Of course, besides luck, another reason is the Celtics were indeed too inexperienced.

They got here relying on talent, discipline, tactics, but lacked experience and sophistication.

Leading by 8 points in the last two minutes, their control over details and rhythm can't be said to be a mess, but was full of holes.

At the very least, the Celtics didn't commit a single foul in the last two minutes.

Their fouls hadn't reached the free throw count, yet they didn't use fouling to disrupt the Trail Blazers' offensive rhythm, instead daringly played hard against the Trail Blazers.

Like when Kobe made the last shot under the basket, Duncan should have directly tackled Kobe before passing, committing a foul; not reaching free throws, the Trail Blazers would still have possession, but with very little time left, greatly increasing the difficulty of the offense.

Clearly, in the blink of an eye, inexperienced young players weren't quick enough to react, only knowing to play normally, not knowing how to use strategies with the rules.

Sometimes a single foul can affect the entire game, thereby influencing the series outcome.

The young Celtics have a lot, a lot to learn, trailing 1-3, for them, it's already a desperate situation, morale completely shattered, the next game is the Trail Blazers' home championship moment, whether they can withstand the pressure to bring the series back to Boston requires a big question mark.

The whole Rose Garden Arena was on fire, only the visitors' locker room was filled with a dejected atmosphere.

To lose a game in this way is undoubtedly a huge blow, with the entire team demoralized from top to bottom, like eggplants hit by frost.

In the post-game press conference, Beelman appeared visibly disappointed, taking full responsibility for the loss.

"I didn't make comprehensive arrangements at the last moment, uh... I... it's my responsibility, my players played very well, they were great, they deserved a victory."

Beelman indeed felt disappointed with himself, at the last moment, he can't say he was completely blank, but his brain's speed indeed slowed down.

Not until Gan Guoyang hit the final decisive three-pointer did he remember the team's foul count hadn't reached.

They could totally have fouled once to disrupt the Trail Blazers' offense, further delaying time, which could have significantly increased the team's chance of winning.

Beelman realized that he, as a so-called championship coach, still has many shortcomings; in the past, because there was Ah Gan, he didn't have to worry about many things.

Like tonight's final big comeback by the Trail Blazers, can you say it was Rick Carlisle's arrangement and planning? Certainly not, it was definitely made by Ah Gan himself.

Without Ah Gan, many of Beelman's weaknesses as a coach were exposed.

Returning to the locker room, Beelman sensed the low atmosphere inside, he coughed twice, wanting to say something.

Everyone looked at him, but Beelman didn't know what to say; what could he say?

Nothing more than telling everyone the series isn't over, there's still a chance to bring the game back to Boston.

We played well tonight, just not lucky enough, we've learned from experience and lessons, etc.

But these words were like a breath stuck in Beelman's chest, unable to swallow, nor spit out.

After a long time, Beelman could only tap the whiteboard and say: "Keep working hard, dismissed."

Everybody dismissed, a heavy and profound lesson for the Celtics players.

That's how NBA games are, changing in an instant, one second hell, one second heaven.

At this moment, the Trail Blazers, Portland, and all of Oregon's fans are in heaven.

They're one victory away from the championship, winning it, Gan Guoyang's Trail Blazers will achieve the feat of ten championships.