After defeating the Knicks, the Trail Blazers achieved a five-game winning streak.
Their ranking in the Western Conference soared to second place, only behind the Utah Jazz.
The victory gave everyone confidence, indicating that the team was on the right path.
The Trail Blazers calmly endured the tough schedule of November, and in the monthly best selection, Gan Guoyang received the most votes.
His fifty points against the Knicks made people realize that this former king is still terrifyingly strong.
Praise for him on television and in newspapers was endless, and those criticisms and doubts temporarily disappeared.
The day after this victory, Gan Guoyang invited all team players and staff for a dinner gathering at a restaurant near the Rose Garden.
The team had achieved a small milestone, and everyone had a happy and fulfilling time; tomorrow they would leave Portland for an away game.
After leaving the restaurant, some went home, while others had unfinished business.
As the night fell, Portland’s nightclubs and strip clubs exuded their charm.
For most black NBA players, it’s impossible not to visit nightclubs or seek women outside of games.
On this point, Gan Guoyang couldn’t set much of an example; he simply refrained from going himself and couldn’t stop others.
This is the life of a player; without these things, life would be tasteless and meaningless for many.
After over a month together in training and games, the players’ relationships had become deeper.
Everyone discussed where to go later to burn off excess energy and relax well before starting the road trip.
Van Exel had been in Portland for more than three years, and he was already a veteran on the team.
He approached Kobe and Little O’Neal, the two young players with a drink in his hand: "Hey, you two aren’t 21 yet, the clubs won’t let you in, right? But I know a place where you can go as long as you’re 18, want to come along?"
In America, most states and cities only allow adults over 21 to enter nightclubs, not even 18-year-olds.
Alcohol regulations are also quite strict; 18-year-olds can drink but cannot purchase alcohol and must be supervised by older individuals.
Of course, rules are just rules; they’re meant to be broken, otherwise, they wouldn’t exist.
Little O’Neal and Kobe exchanged a glance, both intrigued by the adult world.
Little O’Neal decided to go along with Van Exel, while Kobe hesitated for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I’m not going, I want to go home."
Van Exel snorted, saying: "You’re not married, why go home now? To watch Cartoon Network?"
Kobe replied with a stern face: "I need to go home to do homework."
"What?" Van Exel looked incredulous, "Homework? Kid, you’re still in school? You seriously want to go home and do homework? Oh, I get it, you still live with your mom, you’re heading home to see your mom."
Kobe indeed lived with his dad and mom, and after the draft, Joe Bryant resigned from his job and moved to Portland with his wife and daughter.
Kobe was only 18 years old, having just graduated from high school, and lacked sufficient independent living skills.
And entering the NBA involves many off-court affairs that require handling, so Kobe needs family support.
Even Little O’Neal, whose parents couldn’t come, brought his brother along to live together as support in life.
Living with parents has the benefit of not having to worry about many aspects of life, and Joe Bryant, being a former NBA player, has a lot of experience.
The drawbacks are also obvious; every aspect of a young person’s life is constrained during a period when they crave freedom the most.
However, Kobe doesn’t seem to have reached a rebellious phase, or perhaps he’s too focused on basketball to care about freedom in life.
For example, his mom imposes strict limits on his lifestyle, not allowing him to visit nightclubs, wander around, and requiring him to return home punctually apart from games and training.
When playing away games, he must call his mom first after the flight lands to report his situation, including which hotel he’s staying at, which room, and with whom.
If not for the Trail Blazers’ rule that prohibits bringing family members on away games, Kobe’s mom would likely accompany him 24/7, from training to games, like during his middle and high school days.
Currently, Kobe doesn’t find this an issue, and when faced with Van Exel’s mockery, he shrugged and said: "Not only my mom, I’m going home to find my dad too."
Van Exel’s smile disappeared, and he stepped two steps closer to Kobe with a stern face, this kid really doesn’t know what’s good for him.
I sincerely invited you to come out and have fun; it’s fine if you don’t want to, but mocking me for not having a dad?
Mentioning NBA players’ fathers is never a good idea, especially when the player is black.
Van Exel is a black player with a classic beginning—of course, his situation is different, his dad was with him until he was 12, then went to prison.
Later, Van Exel was raised by his mom, who worked many jobs so much so that most of the time, young Van Exel couldn’t see his mom.
Little O’Neal intervened between the two to apologize to Van Exel on behalf of Kobe.
After all, they were teammates, and no bigger conflict erupted, although Van Exel lost interest in taking the two young players out for an exploration.