Bryant Rivers simply couldn’t relax at all.
Since yesterday, he has been intentionally making others think he’s not nervous, even though he is.
Everyone knows he’s going up against Ah Gan, making Rivers the center of media scrutiny.
Discussions abound about how well Rivers will perform against Ah Gan, and how Ah Gan might steamroll this sophomore.
The latter part of that conversation is much more prevalent.
Rivers is not an unknown; he has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and led the University of Oklahoma to the Final Four during his college days.
He has represented the American College All-Star Team in Europe, playing against teams in Italy, France, Spain.
Fans affectionately nicknamed him "Big Country" because his image and demeanor easily remind people of a rural farm boy.
In fact, he truly is; he grew up in Gans Town, Oklahoma, a town with 346 people, one school building, one post office, and nothing more.
He accepts this nickname calmly and performed so well in the 1995 NCAA tournament that the Grizzlies were determined to pick him with the sixth overall.
There was no other choice; Kevin Garnett had been taken, and among the remaining draft picks, there weren’t any standout big men.
As a new team, the Grizzlies needed a solid inside player to build around, and most teams would do the same.
His rookie season’s performance was quite decent, giving Grizzlies fans hope for the future.
Over the summer, Bryant Rivers further enhanced his strength to compensate for his lack of agility.
Slowness is a common issue for white big men, and the primary way to address it is to enhance strength and footwork.
That’s exactly what Rivers did, hoping to advance even further in the new season.
But he didn’t expect to face Ah Gan in the season opener.
When Gan Guoyang announced his comeback, the fixture list was published shortly after, casting a shadow over his head.
Yesterday, Charles Barkley called the Grizzlies, asking to speak with Brian Rivers.
"I taught him many principles, such as not trash-talking with Ah Gan, avoiding physical confrontation, praising Ah Gan more, and preferably complimenting him from the first minute of the game, so you might not look so bad. Oh, and most importantly, pray briefly at the chapel before the game; it works wonders."
Barkley later said this, as if he was kindly trying to help Rivers.
All the conflicting information made it hard for Rivers to find peace, knowing how formidable Ah Gan is, though he thinks it might not be as terrible as rumored.
"Ah Gan is truly great, with seven championships, we all grew up listening to and watching his stories; he is a miracle, a legend. But as a competitor, I will give my all. And I believe people tend to exaggerate their own experiences; when you actually go through it, you’ll find you can stand it."
Before the match, Rivers tried to comfort himself, offering himself some encouragement.
What he said wasn’t unfounded; people indeed tend to overstate their experiences.
Many remember their experiences, exaggerating especially bad ones.
For instance, on a snowy day when roads are slippery, if you slip and fall two or three times, you might tell a friend, "I had the worst luck today, fell countless times, my backside’s wrecked."
It might have been just two or three times; you weren’t dying, your backside wasn’t truly wrecked, yet the bad mood and pain lead people to exaggerate their experiences, seeking sympathy and attention, a normal psychological phenomenon.
But when it came to facing Ah Gan in the game, Bryant Rivers started to feel the drums beating in his heart.
People say Ah Gan resembles a deity; you only realize the truth when you face off against him directly.
His muscles, his face, combined with the aura around him, that’s what a deity looks like.
When facing a deity, one tends to feel like kneeling, and Rivers already felt his knees softening.
When Ah Gan told him to "relax," Rivers felt deflated, with an impulse to give up the match.
But the referee already tossed the ball into the air, Rivers was a beat slow, and Gan Guoyang won the tip-off; the game had commenced.
In the initial two minutes of a game, many players’ bodies encounter some discomfort.
Things like rapid breathing, chest tightness, numb limbs, dry throat, etc.
This occurs because the brain and nerves are in a state of tension and excitement, but the body hasn’t caught up yet.
After running back and forth for a few plays, once two minutes have passed, the discomfort fades as the body enters a state.
Gan Guoyang, having played for so many years, has never experienced such discomfort, always entering state quickly.
His body is different; stepping on the maplewood floor, he feels like a running antelope — a 250-pound antelope.
It’s as if he returned to the familiar plains, eager to run and jump; after the tip-off, he landed and sprinted toward the rim.
Terry Porter got the ball, fluidly lobbed it to Ah Gan, Gan Guoyang caught it and shouldered away the defending Grizzlies player, spun towards the basket, and slammed it in with one hand!
His first score after the comeback came swiftly, with a thunderous dunk, signifying the return of the former king to his realm like thunder.
The crowd erupted in cheers; court-side, photographers under the basket snapped away furiously, ready for tomorrow’s headline photo.
Gan Guoyang still recalls his early NBA days; his first career opponent was also on the road, against the Kings in Kansas, with pitifully few crowd attendees.