From the number of reporters and cameras on the sidelines, one might think it was the finals. Major TV stations have sent their best reporters, cameramen, and hosts to Vancouver.
The staff of the General Motors players are experiencing such a spectacle for the first time. Last season, the arena was mostly quiet, only bustling when the Chicago Bulls played.
Tonight’s situation is something everyone is encountering for the first time. Luckily, the arena management and NBA planning team prepared in advance two days ago, put together contingency plans, and ensured everything could proceed smoothly.
"Hello everyone, I’m Bob Costas. Tonight marks the opening of the 1996-1997 season, with the Vancouver Grizzlies facing off against the Portland Trail Blazers live. Direct the cameras towards the audience. It is reported that over 2,000 Chinese fans have come to the arena to watch this game, and tonight’s tickets were sold out early, with the highest ticket price being driven up to over $5,000. Ah Gan’s influence is undeniable. After being away from the NBA courts for a season and a half, our Pharaoh, the seven-time champion, has returned to the court, with everyone’s eyes tightly fixed on him. Can he and his Portland Trail Blazers continue to maintain their dominance over the league? What kind of miraculous performance can Ah Gan bring us? Let’s wait and see."
CBS’s frontline reporter Bob Costas is delivering a live report on-site. As a journalist who broadcasts the finals for CBS, Costas’s presence at such an ordinary regular season match underscores the importance placed on this game by all parties involved.
Inside the arena, at the visitors’ locker room, reporters surround the Trail Blazers Team completely.
Gan Guoyang, as always, sits there to accept interviews from reporters. Facing the flashlights and microphones, he remains calm, with a gentle smile on his face.
Once the interview time ends, the Trail Blazers staff usher the reporters out of the locker room, bringing about much-needed quiet.
Larry Bird said, "We should get Ah Gan a private locker room, so we can have some peace while preparing."
"Come on, Larry, you were the same way when you played."
"That’s why I wanted to apply for a private locker room back then."
These two always banter before the game, but neither gets angry; it’s just a warm-up.
Bird appears to be tense, nervous, yet excited. After all, it’s his first official game in his coaching career.
Aside from bantering with Gan Guoyang, he seems like a headless chicken, darting around the locker room or tailing Rick Carlisle and Dick Hart closely, watching this and that.
He also keeps checking the time, over and over, as if he’s afraid he’ll miss the game.
Larry Bird finds it incredible to be nervous because as a player, he never felt tense during matches. He’s not Bill Russell.
Soon Bird realizes his nervousness stems from the fact that, as a coach, he cannot directly influence the game’s progress like a player.
Just like how drivers don’t get tense, with the steering wheel in their hands and the pedal under their foot, they know what to expect.
On the contrary, passengers often feel nervous gripping the handles tightly when the car speeds up, not knowing if the car will fly off.
Bird was once an excellent driver, now he has become a coach sitting in the passenger seat, without a brake under his feet. It’s up to the players to decide whether to speed up or go fast.
Compared to Bird’s aimless anxiety, Kobe, unable to play due to injury, is more focused. He knows he can’t play, but he can watch intently, so he keeps his eyes on Ah Gan, wanting to see how he prepares for the game.
During the preseason, Kobe kept a close watch on Gan Guoyang, hoping to learn something from this idol that couldn’t be gleaned from tapes.
However, Kobe quickly found that Gan Guoyang’s pre-game preparation showed no pattern. Today, he might relax his legs; next time, he might relax his back; the time after that, he might jog to warm up.
Today is the first game of the regular season. After finishing the interview, Gan Guoyang opts to sit on the therapy bed for meditation. He quickly enters a state of trance, undisturbed by others.
Until it’s almost time for the game to start, and players need to take the court for warm-ups, Gan Guoyang opens his eyes to find Kobe staring straight at him, so he asks, "Do you think I’m handsome?"
Kobe nods, but he knows that’s not the main point, and asks, "I don’t understand, how do you prepare before the game? Why is it different every time?"
Gan Guoyang responds, "Do you think each game you play is the same? The same opponent, the same process, the same result?"
Kobe shakes his head, "Of course not, but we always try to maintain the same condition, a good condition."
Gan Guoyang says, "You are still young. When you are young, your body dictates what you do. You will find that at a certain age, you need to control your body. What preparations you do before each game, you need to ask your own body. You need to conclude and experience your body’s condition, where you feel uncomfortable, where you feel great, where you need to stretch, and where you need to strengthen. These are problems you have to face yourself, others can’t tell you, and you can’t learn from others. Do you understand?"
Kobe shakes his head, "Not really."
"Not understanding is just right. An 18-year-old should do what an 18-year-old does."
"Then, what should I do at 18?"
"Watch me perform."
"..."
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An hour before the game started, Portland Trail Blazers players appeared from the player tunnel, wearing sportswear, to the court for warm-up training.