Gan Guoyang erupted in the third quarter, using his one-on-one offense to score 20 consecutive points and completely changed the momentum on the court.
Riley paid the price for his mistake in judgment, letting his power forward defend Gan Guoyang for an extended period.
Clearly, Gan Guoyang's "restraint" in the latter part of the second quarter led Riley astray, plus Jabbar's aversion to endless physical confrontations, allowed Gan Guoyang to seize the opportunity and create his own version of "Show time."
At the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers scored 39 points in the quarter, entering the fourth with a 94:84 lead, 10 points ahead of the Lakers.
Gan Guoyang had already scored 38 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots. If it weren't for knocking Rambis down which disrupted his rhythm, he might have continued to score.
