The Golden Age of Basketball

Counterattack, Dan Majerle catches the bounce pass for a layup, but Gan Guoyang follows up with a block and deflects it!

Gan Guoyang's defense tonight has left the Suns players in despair, luckily they have Charles Barkley.

Barkley catches up, grabs the ball, and scores with a tip-in! The gap has been closed to just 6 points!

There's still 30 seconds left in the second quarter, and each team has one more offensive opportunity.

The Trail Blazers aren't in a hurry, Gan Guoyang receives the ball at a very shallow position, preventing the Suns' double-team.

He holds the ball motionless to waste time, the Suns dare not rashly double-team for fear of Gan Guoyang's passing.

Just as the attack time is about to run out, Gan Guoyang suddenly dribbles to the outside and shoots a three-pointer from the right 45-degree angle!

Mark West didn't expect Ah Gan to play this way, his defense didn't keep up, resulting in Gan Guoyang hitting the three-pointer!

The Suns fans are truly in despair, Ah Gan has already scored 30 points in the half!

However, with less than 10 seconds left, Barkley dribbles from the backcourt and charges down the lane.

Keeping an eye on Ah Gan's defense, he tosses the ball into the air during his drive, and it bounces off the rim and falls into the net.

The referee blows the whistle, calling Gan Guoyang's foul, and Barkley will have a bonus free throw!

The Meixi Arena is boiling, Barkley made a basket and caused Ah Gan's foul.

That's Gan Guoyang's third foul tonight; he actually could have let Barkley score without chasing him.

But he uncharacteristically lost his cool because he really wanted to put Barkley down.

The bonus free throw is good, sealing the score at 69:63, with the Trail Blazers leading by 6 points at halftime.

In the final two minutes, Barkley led a spectacular scoring rally.

He withstands Ah Gan's superb offense and defense, falling behind by just 6 points.

Switch teams, like the Supersonics, and the half-game would already be lost.

Barkley scored 24 points in the first half, with 18 points coming in the second quarter alone.

This half-time performance compared to Ah Gan's, aside from slightly lacking in defense, can be considered equally matched in offense.

This should be the most challenging Western Conference Finals the Portland Trail Blazers have experienced since 1990.

It's only the second game, and the two teams have already fought fiercely.

For the Trail Blazers players, intensity isn't the problem.

They've played more intense matches, like the Finals against the Bulls.

The real concern is injuries and fatigue, which don't shift with willpower.

Considering this, Beelman didn't use an eight-man rotation in this crucial Western Finals.

At the start of the second half, he even let Petrović and Mario Ely start.

Let Petrović play for about 5 minutes, then bring in Dell Curry, and later bring in Porter.

Frequent rotations on the guard line inevitably make it hard for players to get into a rhythm.

But there's no choice, staying on the court is better than getting injured, leaving the main attacking task to Ah Gan.

As for the Suns, their situation isn't much better than the Trail Blazers'. Paul Westphal discovered that the so-called multi-core, in crucial games, still relies on the brightest star.

Kevin Johnson's first half performance was disastrous, for a simple reason, Ah Gan is playing center, he can't penetrate.

Aside from scoring a layup at the start, Johnson was blocked by Ah Gan multiple times, completely losing his way.

Also, after Porter stopped assuming organizational duties, he focused on defense, making it tough for Johnson.

In the locker room, Barkley merely patted Johnson on the shoulder without saying much.

At this moment, the MVP trophy is right there in the locker, but Barkley has no idea of taking it out to admire and show off.

He keeps telling himself in his mind that he must play better, much better.

Because the third quarter is when Ah Gan exerts his strength, if he can't keep up, this game will be lost.

Barkley is very eager to win the second game; once leading 2:0, the probability of the Suns making the Finals will greatly increase.

When the second half of the game begins, it doesn't continue the fierce offensive momentum of the first half, the shooting percentage drops.

They rushed too hard in the first half, rested for 15 minutes, and their hands have cooled down a bit.

Nearly two minutes without scoring, Barkley grabs a defensive rebound and counters with a solo run.

But again, he eats a big block from Ah Gan, and tonight Gan Guoyang's three-second zone no-fly zone makes the Suns fearful.

Yet the Trail Blazers' subsequent counterattack also fails, Gan Guoyang's mid-range jumper misses.

Barkley grabs another defensive rebound, long pass to the frontcourt, but it's disrupted by Lewis, the ball possession changes back and forth.

Finally, Petrović hits a strong three-pointer from the top of the arc!

It's like a shot of adrenaline, energizing both his teammates and intimidating the opponents.

The Suns realize they must score now, Barkley scores in a one-on-one play against Sabonis.

Barkley's offensive feels better and better, his confidence keeps rising.

Mario Ely misses an open three-pointer from the right corner, giving the Suns a chance.

Both teams' shooting percentages are dropping in the third quarter, offensive efficiency is declining, and defensive intensity is increasing.

The Suns also try an outside three-pointer but miss, the Trail Blazers grab the rebound and counter.

Gan Guoyang's touch isn't smooth in the third quarter, he chooses to draw fouls through penetration to adjust his shooting rhythm.

He steps to the free-throw line, takes a deep breath to adjust, and uncharacteristically misses the first free throw, indeed not smooth.

The second shot is steady, Trail Blazers scored only 4 points in four minutes.

However, the Suns didn't capitalize on this opportunity to quickly cut the score, with Barkley having good shooting touch and confidence, yet surprisingly didn't choose to aggressively attack with the ball.

Instead, he focused on creating opportunities for teammates, passing, setting screens, fighting for offensive rebounds—it's a traditional superstar mindset.