Garnett wanted to dunk, but Kobe, who returned on defense in time, swatted the ball out of bounds. Timberwolves’ ball.
Kobe’s hands are quick too. Speed is one of the most important things in this league, just like strength.
Garnett shouted a few words at Kobe, clearly excited, but Kobe shook his head, pretending not to hear.
The game was beginning to get interesting. Garnett and Kobe, two young players, were competing hard on both offense and defense.
Of course, there’s also Marbury, this streetball king from New York, possessing an unusually athletic body for a point guard.
He was full of agility, and his playing style bore a deep street vibe, looking very dazzling and appealing.
However, in the NBA, looking dazzling and appealing is useless. The seasoned Gan Guoyang quickly took control of the game.
By the second quarter, he had already handed out 8 assists, constantly using his defensive allure and passing skills to break through the young Timberwolves’ defense.
Compared to the Knicks, the Timberwolves’ defense lacked overall coherence and intensity, although they had a talented interior defender like Garnett.
But Garnett didn’t quite know how to use his talents to build a defensive system; he was too easily drawn to the ball, and his anticipation was far from enough.
Let alone taking proactive defensive actions to curb the opponent’s offensive ideas.
The Trail Blazers held a 57:46 lead at halftime, an 11-point advantage.
During the halftime break, Kevin Garnett voluntarily stepped up, saying, "I want to guard Ah Gan. We can’t keep letting him pass like this. I’ll shadow him, shut him down!"
Having experienced the clashes in the first half, Garnett found Ah Gan formidable but not so terrifying. He decided to play normally.
He decided to defend Ah Gan proactively, and Sanders was determined to allow it, thinking it might actually work wonders.
So, when the third quarter started, Gan Guoyang noticed Garnett was matched against him.
This young man, who always seemed overly excited, had eyes like they were burning with fire.
"Sanders sent you to guard me one-on-one? Did he buy you insurance?" Gan Guoyang said his first words to Garnett tonight.
And Garnett replied, "I’ve already got a hundred million dollars in life insurance on myself. If you kill me, I’ll donate all the money to those starving children in Africa!"
Gan Guoyang shook his head slightly. What’s this guy thinking? Looks like he needs to cool down a bit.
He signaled to Van Exel, who quickly got the message, starting to pass the ball to Gan Guoyang for isolation plays.
Helping on defense is different from real confrontation. This was Garnett’s first reaction when defending Gan Guoyang with his back.
Then, an enormous force came, and Garnett retreated step by step until he fell beneath the basket.
He hit the floor hard, looked up, and saw a huge shadow looming above as the ball dropped, bouncing on the floor with a thud.
Gan Guoyang directly knocked Garnett to the ground, and the referee called a defensive blocking foul on Garnett, awarding an additional free throw.
Garnett thought he had gone deaf temporarily, probably for about one second, only hearing a ringing buzz in his ears.
After a while, everything was fine. He could hear the fans cheering, the referee’s whistle, and all sorts of miscellaneous sounds.
Including Ah Gan saying to him, "Now go back, make a call, and add another hundred million. There are many starving people in Africa."
Garnett swallowed, trying to shout out, making himself look excited and passionate.
But soon he found himself unable to respond, not at all able to react.
Faced with Ah Gan’s aggressive shot, he got blocked head-on, the ball didn’t even leave his hand.
Both man and ball were pinned to the ground, leading to a jump ball call, which he still couldn’t win.
The Trail Blazers didn’t counterattack but slowed down for a set play with Ah Gan attacking from the low post again.
In the 1987 season, Gan Guoyang won the scoring title with his low post play throughout the entire season.
Now it’s the 1997 season, and ten years have passed. Gan Guoyang’s offensive techniques have only expanded.
Yet he has never let go of his bread-and-butter moves, which have only become more refined.
Moreover, his weight is at the peak of his professional career, with his strength at its strongest.
Garnett couldn’t hold him at all, not even with an additional Garrett to help.
Once again, he was knocked to the ground by a dunk, and the referee called another foul on Garnett.
He couldn’t hold it in, wanting to cry but unable to let out a sound.
After all, he was still just a kid, 19 years old, not even old enough to go to nightclubs.
Many of his peers were in college, supported by their parents, and enjoying worry-free relationships.
While he had to bear the basketball hopes of a city and face off against these monsters in the three-second zone.
Tonight he faced the biggest one, more formidable than Chicago’s number 23.
When for the third time, Gan Guoyang used a Sigma move, pivoted backward and then forward to break through again, overpowering Garnett into the paint for another dunk, the entire Target Center fell silent.
Garnett was knocked askew; he tried to resist, but apart from drawing a foul, there was nothing to be gained.
This time the referee didn’t call a foul, perhaps out of pity, though Garnett had indeed fouled.
Gan Guoyang glanced at Garnett, who wore a blank expression, and said, "Still want to add money, Mr. Big Love?"
Garnett pursed his lips, struggling to hold back tears, muttering to Gan Guoyang, "Damn it."
Gan Guoyang was taken aback, almost unable to believe his ears, thinking, what are you saying? You’re actually swearing at me in Chinese?
You’ve got guts, really got guts. I haven’t met such a gutsy young guy in a long time.
Very well, keep adding money then, for those hungry children in Africa.