In this season’s preseason, the 31-year-old David Robinson suffered a back injury. He still insisted on playing in the regular season, but his performance was not good.
Then in the game the day before yesterday, he broke his leg and was out for the season, while the main small forward Elliot was also troubled by injuries, forcing the Spurs to adjust their season strategic plan.
They, like the Boston Celtics, decided to start tanking, joining the army competing for the sure-to-be 1997 No. 1 pick, Tim Duncan.
Tonight’s game against the Trail Blazers marks the beginning of the Spurs’ determination to tank, which is good news for Kobe’s debut.
Although determined to tank, the current record of the Trail Blazers does not allow them any relaxation mentality.
With a 3-3 record and a fifty percent win rate, they have yet to achieve consecutive wins and are also reluctant to face consecutive losses.
The game hasn’t started yet, and the Rose Garden Arena is already buzzing with excitement. With Gan Guoyang in the season, Portland’s home games are bound to be lively.
Bird, wearing a simple suit and a red tie, stood by the court waiting for the game to start.
To be honest, he doesn’t like the current NBA atmosphere, which he believes is too commercialized and flashy.
Under Tang Jianguo’s management, the Trail Blazers have an especially strong commercial atmosphere, where everything can be bought and sold.
The only reason that comforts him and keeps him here is that the Trail Blazers take basketball very seriously and the owner does not interfere at all.
The 3-3 start is not satisfactory for the Trail Blazers and Bird, but so far, there have been no complaints or criticisms from the management.
Old Tang never excessively meddles in basketball affairs, which gives Bird enough space and time to adjust and learn.
Tonight, the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup has changed, with Alon McGee and Terry Porter both benched.
The starting lineup has become Gan Guoyang, PJ Brown, AC Green, Riddle, and Van Exel.
In the absence of a strong small forward on the team, Bird decides to let Green take on the role of small forward.
Although Green has long been a power forward, his height and playing style allow him to also fill in as a small forward.
Terry Porter is indeed aging, and making him the starting point guard puts too much pressure on him.
Moreover, Van Exel has always been grumbling, so it’s better to let Porter sit on the bench, which keeps both of them settled.
Of course, Kobe didn’t get the chance to start, and he has to patiently wait on the bench.
As for the Spurs’ opponents, with Robinson gone, their starting center was replaced by Greg Anderson.
Anderson once played for the Trail Blazers for a period, assisting next to Gan Guoyang, but was quickly abandoned with the arrival of Sabonis.
The Spurs signed him, and by this year he has already turned 32, entering the later stages of his professional career.
Facing his former leader at the center circle, Greg Anderson had neither confidence nor fighting spirit.
Contrarily, the Spurs’ starting small forward, Dominique Wilkins, enthusiastically asked Ah Gan, "I heard your high school kid is playing tonight?"
Gan Guoyang said, "That’s right, his task tonight is to lock you down, Dominique. Oh, and maybe dunk on your head; his jumping is impressive."
Wilkins, once an emblematic figure of the Atlanta Hawks, is now donning another team’s jersey, becoming a black-clad Spurs player.
In the 1991-1992 season, this dunking genius suffered a career-threatening Achilles tendon rupture, yet upon his return, he still delivered a season of 29 points, and he was already 33 that year.
In the 1993-1994 season, at 34, he was still one of the best small forward scorers in the league. However, as the Hawks planned to rebuild, they traded him to the Clippers for the younger Danny Manning.
Playing half a season with the Clippers, Wilkins still averaged 29 points, but he had no interest in staying long with such an unfortunate team as the Clippers.
In the 1994-1995 season, he spent with Boston; unfortunately, his cooperation with Divac and Hornacek was unsuccessful, as his selfish playing style didn’t mesh.
In the summer of 1995, he ventured to the Greek league to play for Panathinaikos, helping the team win the Greek Cup.
But due to injury and missed games, his relationship with Panathinaikos soured, ending on a bad note as he returned to America.
In the summer of 1996, many teams tried to sign this then 37-year-old veteran, including the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, Bird refused to sign this old rival as he knew Dominique’s style, which was not suitable for a team that needed to grow.
The Spurs finally took on Wilkins, initially hoping for the veteran to shine one last time alongside David Robinson in a push for the championship.
But early in the season, the plan changed, and the championship push turned into a push for the top draft pick. Wilkins went from riding coattails to being the star.
Before the game, there wasn’t much media attention on this veteran who once tore his Achilles and began wandering around. Everyone was talking about Kobe Bryant—a kid who hadn’t played a single NBA game, coming straight out of high school.
Wilkins decided that tonight, even if he couldn’t win the game, he would take any chance to teach the youngster a lesson.
This is an NBA tradition; veterans always bully and target newcomers, especially those entering the league with a halo around them.
Everyone has gone through this, and Wilkins is no different; respect has to be earned through tough performances on the court.