This quarter took the Hawks away.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers extended the lead to 19 points.
The Hawks quickly gave up, and if Gan Guoyang continued playing, he would score more points.
During the last half quarter of garbage time, Bernard King got a chance to play.
Gan Guoyang turned the game into a blowout to give King some playing time.
King could showcase his turnaround jump shot skills at the Rose Garden Arena.
Though his shooting accuracy was mediocre during garbage time.
His speed was much slower than before, almost like doing a slow-motion demonstration.
Slower speed means it’s easier for defenders to disrupt him.
Due to his knee injury, his turns and jumps lacked elasticity.
The ball lacked force when leaving his hand, often hitting the front rim.
On defense, he couldn’t keep up with his opponents, easily getting passed near the three-point line.
With experience and some remaining skill, King still managed to score 6 points using pick-and-rolls and free throws.
Finally, he left the court to scattered applause from the fans, ending his debut for the Trail Blazers.
Returning to the bench, King was a bit frustrated, high-fived Gan Guoyang, and apologized.
"I played so poorly, it’s been a long time since I played."
"Yes, it was terrible; you need time to find your rhythm."
Gan Guoyang didn’t just comfort Bernard King.
He was straightforward, telling King he played badly and needed more practice.
"I seem to not have much time."
After practicing with the team once, Bernard King quickly realized it was tough to find his place in the Trail Blazers’ system.
It’s not about tactics and experience; his legs and physical confrontations were lagging.
Whether it’s Ali, Lewis, or Jerome Kossie, he fell behind in confrontations.
He’s a typical case of being quick-minded but physically slow.
He knows what to do, but his legs don’t allow it, always a step behind.
And the injury left deep scars not only on his knees but also mentally.
Princeton seems like a civilian tactic, but actually requires high stamina and running.
Bernard King is better suited to stand and play as a microwave scorer in the substitute lineup.
However, looking at the rotation order, he might rank ninth or tenth.
Gan Guoyang patted King’s shoulder and said, "Don’t worry Bernard, I’ll help you get more time."
"Oh, no need Sonny, Bobby can’t just increase my playing time; it must depend on performance."
"You misunderstood Bernard, I’m not asking Bobby for more time. If we make the game a blowout like today, can’t you play more?"
Is that what Ah Gan meant?
This cocky guy, but he indeed has that ability.
For a player at Gan Guoyang’s level, finding goals in the regular season to stay engaged is a real issue.
The championship is the ultimate goal, but the season is long, spanning from November to June of the next year, over half a year.
The regular season is long, and without some incentives, veteran players who have played for many seasons can easily get tired.
On this point, Gan Guoyang is very similar to Jordan.
Jordan loves to create imaginary targets, setting up adversaries for himself.
Previously, it was suspected that the feud between Jordan and Isiah Thomas was entirely made-up by Jordan himself.
This season, Jordan is doing the same thing.
Recently, the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Bullets played a game.
The Bullet team’s rookie, Bradford Smith, scored 37 points over Jordan.
After the game, Jordan claimed that Smith taunted him during the match.
"He said, ’Nice game, Michael.’"
Jordan angrily recounted at the press conference, saying such a thing wouldn’t happen again in the next game.
The two teams are about to meet again soon, giving Jordan a chance for revenge in Washington.
Jordan told the media around him, "Next game against the Bullets, I’ll score 37 points by halftime."
"I will have my revenge; this gives me the motivation to play the game; I will definitely get back."
Jordan kept saying it to excite himself.
On the day of the away game against the Bullet Team, Jordan got up early to do shooting warm-up training at the arena.
When the match started that night, he made his first 8 shots in a row, scoring 36 points in the first half.
Jordan scored 47 points in total, wrapping up a perfect revenge.
Gan Guoyang saw related reports on the way to Detroit.
The Washington Post widely promoted this spectacular performance and the revenge against the rookie.
It was actually indirectly promoting the Bullet team’s rookie.
Before this, few knew who Bradford Smith was.
But when Gan Guoyang saw this report, he said, "Michael, that liar, he’s making things up again. Smith would never say such a thing to him; he must have invented it."
Bodyguard Quentin asked Gan Guoyang how he knew Jordan was lying.
Gan Guoyang explained: "Michael likes to set up enemies for himself, to give himself a reason to win. He always imagines adversaries, I suspect the feud with Thomas is also made-up."
Quentin asked, "What about the competition between him and you?"
"That, of course, is real, Michael doesn’t need extra motivation for our matches."
Gan Guoyang said Jordan was a liar, but he increasingly understood Jordan.
This season Gan Guoyang also needs such motivation to maintain focus.
Unlike Jordan, who seeks imaginary opponents, Gan Guoyang sets more practical goals for himself.