Chapter 1994: Chapter 41: Can They Really Stay Hot the Whole Game?

The swagger goes to Van Exel, last possession of the quarter: Gan Guoyang sets a high screen, Van Exel drives, kicks it back to Gan Guoyang, Gan Guoyang with a shot fake and drive, draws the defense in the middle, then dishes to Raja Bell in the deep corner.

No one on him, three from the zero-degree angle, good!

With Pippen missing that last ultra-long heave, the first quarter ends.

34–29, Glory hit 5 threes in the first quarter and lead the Lakers by 5.

The Lakers’ offense is just normal performance, while Glory’s offense is clearly playing out of their minds.

Van Exel and Raja Bell’s pinpoint threes have helped Glory seize the upper hand.

Right now, Lakers fans in the arena can only console themselves: "They can’t keep shooting like this."

Forget the fans, that’s what the Lakers’ coaching staff and players are thinking too.

"They can’t keep shooting like this! Keep our defensive rhythm and intensity, don’t let their hot streak throw us off. The only one we really have to watch is Ah Gan, once that guy gets hot he’s unstoppable. Everyone else, just do your job and everything will swing back to normal. The key is for us to find our own offensive rhythm."

Based on experience, Jackson doesn’t believe Glory can stay this hot all game.

Plenty of examples prove that three-point shooting is very volatile.

Forget this game and the next, even one quarter and the next can be worlds apart.

On fire in the first, then in the second you can’t buy a bucket.

Even the Trail Blazers of old, with the most lethal three-point firepower, were the same.

The three was their big killer weapon, but the real cornerstone was Ah Gan’s low-post offense, the team’s ballast, their stabilizer.

In their worst three-point year, the 1999–2000 season, they still ended up winning the title.

Of course, when the threes were dropping, that was the 1997–1998 League-wide bloodbath.

Tonight Ah Gan looks in good shape; who knows if he’ll go off—later they’ll have to tighten up the defense on him.

On the other side, over on Glory’s bench, Gan Guoyang is feeling great; everyone’s in even better form than he expected.

Those few days in Palm Springs—regular meals, sleep, training, plus team life—have everyone in a pretty good state.

Especially being away from women; just look at the spring in Van Exel’s legs when he drives—if he were sleeping with his wife every night, would he still look like this?

Everyone else is showing more energy on defense than the Lakers players; no matter what happens, they don’t get discouraged and just keep grinding.

Of course, Glory’s other players are lacking quite a bit in experience, especially Arenas, Wallace and the like—nothing particularly flashy from them.

For now, as long as they’re not screwing up, that’s a contribution to the team; you still lean on the veterans first.

The second quarter is about to start, and Jackson still looks relaxed, even joking around with Jenny Bus, the Lakers owner’s daughter sitting behind the bench, laughing happily—no one knows what their relationship is now.

But Jackson stops laughing pretty quickly: on offense they first commit a turnover, Richmond’s drive gets stripped, and Glory break out.

Arenas has checked in for Van Exel, takes the ball hard to the rim and draws a foul on Holi, hits one of two, and the lead continues to grow.

Then when Pippen goes iso with the ball, he gets cleanly picked by Gerald Wallace.

After getting stripped, Pippen doesn’t even have the legs to chase Wallace, who is sprinting downcourt with the dribble; truly, the new generation is replacing the old.

Wallace comes in a bit too hot on the break, the pass sails high, Gan Guoyang bobbles it and nearly goes out of bounds on the baseline.

He swings it back out, the ball zips around the perimeter, Arenas drives and gets cut off by Richmond.

But the Lakers’ fast break still comes up empty; Fisher misses a three from outside, and Wallace snares the long rebound again.

This time on the break he adjusts the strength on his pass—Ah Gan still hasn’t even gotten back on defense—and fires a pinpoint pass.

Gan Guoyang catches, turns, and hammers down a two-handed dunk!

The Lakers badly need a bucket; facing Glory’s defense, they hoist another three, and miss again.

These threes are about to give Jackson PTSD—how can the percentage be this bad?

The Lakers can’t hit, but Glory can; in transition, Gan Guoyang catches at his favorite left 45, catches and lets it fly, nothing but net!

The whole Staples Center falls silent—still going in, and the lead stretches to 6.

Jackson can’t take it anymore—are they really going to stay this hot all game?