The score was 60:66 at the half, with the Trail Blazers leading the Celtics by 6 points at home.
Overall, the Trail Blazers were dominating the Celtics, and the aging Green Army appeared to be gasping for air in the first half.
Thanks to Larry Bird's versatile coordination and Kevin McHale's crafty low-post play, the Celtics managed to keep the score close.
The third quarter would undoubtedly be even more challenging for them, as the intensity of the second half was set to escalate.
Gan Guoyang could clearly feel that this season's Celtics were a case of "false bulk."
In regular season play, under normal intensity, their fighting ability was quite strong.
Constructed around a core of veterans who had played together for a decade, coupled with two pieces of fresh and strong muscle and some fitting role players' fur, the Celtics vaguely had the aura of a rebirth from impure land.
