Thomas committed a fierce foul, hitting Gan Guoyang's arm and head. After the foul, Thomas immediately walked away, avoiding a direct confrontation with Ah Gan.
Gan Guoyang glared at Thomas, said nothing, and did nothing, and went to the free-throw line to make both shots.
Midway through the third quarter, the score was 61:63, with the Trail Blazers leading by 2 points.
The rain outside was getting heavier.
Thomas had already scored 22 points; he was on fire.
Porter couldn't keep up with Thomas' pace, often revealing weaknesses with a change of speed or direction.
With Ah Gan being tangled up by Melvin Turpin, they needed a forward with strong defensive skills to cover Thomas.
But this was precisely where the Trail Blazers were lacking; Kossie was too clumsy, he was no Pippen.
In 1987, the Trail Blazers had a tall backcourt and many forwards, but now they were a new team.
Thomas shook off Porter again, stopped abruptly, and made a jump shot, tying the score at 62:62.
