O’Neal only thought for 0.1 seconds under the basket and realized where he was.
Gan Guoyang poked the ball away from his hands from behind and then circled around to seize it, successfully defending against the shark’s first attack.
The Trail Blazers counterattacked, with Gan Guoyang dribbling past half court himself, delivering a straight pass to the inside of the three-point line to Van Exel, who received the ball and attempted a layup.
But the shot wasn’t successful; he was successfully defended by Jason Kidd, and the layup did not go in, with Kidd grabbing the rebound to reorganize the offense.
O’Neal was still under the basket as Kidd’s long pass seemed to have eyes, flying toward O’Neal. O’Neal caught the ball and was ready to dunk.
But he was brought down by the covering PJ Brown, and the referee called a foul on PJ Brown, sending O’Neal to the free-throw line.
Standing on the free-throw line after just two possessions, O’Neal was already sweating profusely; he realized he got distracted.
"Focus, Shaq; facing off with me, you still have the mind to think of other things?" Gan Guoyang reminded good-naturedly as O’Neal took his free throw.
"I didn’t, I..."
"Bang!"
He missed the first free throw; as soon as the ball was released from his hand, O’Neal knew it was off, hitting the rim off-center.
"Focus, Shaq!" Gan Guoyang reminded again, but clearly, such reminders would only make O’Neal more easily distracted.
"Bang!"
He missed the second free throw too, this time even more off, hitting the front of the rim with a straight arc like a bullet.
O’Neal’s free-throw percentage had worsened over the years; when he first entered the league, it was still at a decent 59%.
Subsequently, it got worse year by year, dropping below 50% by the 1995-1996 season, and this season, it was at an all-time low of just 48.4%.
Thus, PJ Brown’s defensive foul was worth it. Beelman shook his head on the sidelines; normally, O’Neal would have dunked it in.
Completing a 2+1, though that "1" was likely to miss, was still better than missing two free throws and thus an entire offensive play.
"This kid faces significant psychological pressure against Ah Gan; he’s afraid of Ah Gan, his movements slow down, and he lacks confidence in his actions."
Beelman could see O’Neal’s unease; the recent ball steal and failure to complete a 2+1 were manifestations of lacking confidence.
In the 1992-1993 season, O’Neal first encountered Gan Guoyang in the regular season and was overwhelmed, and the shadow of that experience hadn’t dissipated even until now.
"Ah Gan went hard on him back then, but it was indeed effective." Beelman witnessed this process, knowing Ah Gan did it on purpose.
Every step seemed casual, easily shattering you, but in fact, it was meticulously designed, which was exactly the frightening aspect of Ah Gan.
Beelman kept O’Neal against Ah Gan all night, not to give him a hard time, but in hopes that O’Neal could break through the fear through confrontation.
During his time coaching O’Neal, Beelman couldn’t help but compare O’Neal and Ah Gan, and there were so many aspects of O’Neal that made Beelman sigh and shake his head.
Especially in character; this kid was just too playful, not at all like Ah Gan, who was self-disciplined and exhibited leadership qualities.
Arriving in Los Angeles over the summer, the first thing he did was buy a Ferrari. Finding it cramped, he spent tens of thousands of US Dollars on car modifications.
He moved the engine and altered the fuel tank so that his large derrière could fit into the Ferrari’s low cockpit, at the cost of a fuel tank so small it could only hold 9 US Dollars’ worth of gas.
US Dollars! A stomp on the gas around the house, and it’d be out of fuel.
He even went to a Rolls-Royce dealership to buy a car and encountered Mike Tyson; Tyson wanted to buy two cars, so he insisted on three.
He spent big money to order diamond-studded watches from a jeweler, and after wearing one for two days, gave it to his cousin, leaving his agent helpless.
He did train well, spending two to three hours in the gym and on the court every day, practicing free throws until his wrist was swollen, but indeed, he was not Ah Gan.
Compared to any center in history, O’Neal was exceptionally gifted, but before Ah Gan, his greatest strengths in power and size appeared ordinary.
In other aspects, like mobility problems, defense issues, range issues, organizational skills, and more, he was comprehensively lagging, causing a gem like O’Neal to appear as a compromised version of Ah Gan in Beelman’s eyes.
Beelman tried hard to like O’Neal, tailoring tactics for him and coaxing him to keep him happily playing.
Coaching O’Neal for a month felt more challenging to Beelman than a lifetime coaching Ah Gan.
Of course, when Beelman stopped comparing O’Neal to Ah Gan, he’d find that this lively and interesting big boy was indeed a basketball genius.
He can make the game simpler, providing the team with a so-easy offensive option, akin to the effect Ah Gan once had.
Technically, he might not seek depth, unlike Ah Gan, Jordan, or Olajuwon, who polished certain details to perfection.
But with his physicality, explosive power, and flexibility, he could effectively utilize moves like back spins, hook shots, and basic low-post footwork, forming a tremendous low-post threat.
He is the first player in recent years, besides Ah Gan, to have a two-point shooting percentage close to 60%—only Ah Gan managed to reach and exceed 60% (under adequate shot attempts).
Just the quick back spinning move on a back post-up is something few in the league can defend against.
With such a physique, combined with that kind of spinning technique and explosiveness, he truly is a once-in-a-generation talent.
In character, he was entirely different from Ah Gan; he was a sensitive, somewhat petty young man.