The biggest trait of O’Neal’s personality is the lack of self-esteem and defiance hidden beneath his playful, humorous smile.
Deep down, this big guy is dissatisfied with everything in the world, especially those serious, seemingly lofty things.
He’s never quite convinced, but he’s not the type to say, "I’m not convinced, I’m going to beat you down." Instead, it’s more like, "I’m not convinced, I won’t show it, but I secretly look down on you and won’t follow your way; I’ll do my own thing."
From an athlete’s perspective, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A player with a rebellious mindset can reach greater heights.
But O’Neal’s problem is, if he meets someone who subdues him, he truly becomes docile.
Ah Gan is the person who subdues him, so now O’Neal’s primary issue is how to face Ah Gan and break the barrier within his heart.
Even if you aren’t as good as Ah Gan, shouldn’t you give 100% every time you face the Trail Blazers?
You can’t shrink to 60% or 70%, or even drop to zero like Cartwright when facing Ah Gan.
Beelman doesn’t want O’Neal to always play in the shadows, just as he himself doesn’t want to coach forever in the shadows.
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O’Neal misses both free throws, and Gan Guoyang firmly controls the rebound, dribbling down the court to counterattack—this style of play creates a lot of trouble for O’Neal.
Throughout the league, besides Ah Gan, there’s no center who plays like this, fierce in the low post like a beast, yet agile on the perimeter like a cunning fox, dribbling, organizing, and breaking through.
O’Neal only feels it’s unfair that to achieve unmatched strength, he has had to sacrifice mobility and physique.
Entering his fifth year in the league, his weight already exceeds 330 pounds, an extremely daunting number.
There’s not a single player in the league even approaching this weight, not to mention being agile and fast like O’Neal.
Hence, O’Neal has gained unparalleled destructive power in the low post, and typical centers simply can’t stand up to him.
But there are two people who can withstand him: Ah Gan and Karl Malone.
Karl Malone relies on muscles honed through endless training, while Ah Gan relies on the same breadth of training and power gifts comparable to O’Neal.
Meanwhile, Ah Gan hasn’t sacrificed his mobility; he remains fast and agile and can play on the court like a perimeter player.
Most fatally, his shooting is deadly accurate, and his free throw percentage is historically precise, better than even Jordan’s.
Among similarly sized humans, O’Neal is already at the ceiling of agility, yet someone like Ah Gan wants it all.
When Gan Guoyang dribbles straight in, it creates a significant defensive headache for O’Neal. How should he defend?
Should he follow him? If he doesn’t follow, what happens when he leaves his man open, how will his teammates defend?
Audie Norris voluntarily takes to defend Gan Guoyang, who turns around and backs Norris down, all the way to the basket, then spins for a gentle hook shot.
Thorpe is strong enough among the power forwards, but he’s never a match for Ah Gan, completely unable to hold his ground, and guarding alone is just gifting points.
"Shaq, why don’t you come guard me and let Audie come? Audie’s getting old."
"I’m not old yet, Sonny," Thorpe retorts.
O’Neal keeps his head down, charging to the frontcourt without any response.
Jide feeds the ball to O’Neal again, who powers through Gan Guoyang in the low post.
This time, he doesn’t hesitate or overthink, shouldering in with a forceful crash.
He knows Ah Gan is as tough as a rock, so he uses all his strength, not expecting Gan Guoyang to go with the flow and fall, lying on the ground.
The referee blows the whistle, calling O’Neal for an offensive foul, which makes O’Neal very upset.
Then, Gan Guoyang signals to slow down the pace; he wants to take O’Neal in the low post again.
Very quickly positioning in the low post, receiving the ball with no delay, quickly spins inside towards the center.
A big step for a moon-hook, elegantly executed with a perfect arc, and the ball goes in accurately.
On defense, Gan Guoyang switches to fronting the post to deny O’Neal the entry pass.
O’Neal quickly spins inside, as Jide delivers a beautiful high lob, an alley-oop chance.
But Gan Guoyang anticipates the timing of O’Neal’s jump, and as both leap simultaneously, Gan Guoyang disrupts the ball in mid-air.
O’Neal still manages to control the ball, backs down and turns for a power jump dunk.
But Gan Guoyang delivers a precise karate chop, knocking the ball out of O’Neal’s hands, and retrieves it before it goes out of bounds, passing it to a teammate.
O’Neal stands dumbfounded under the basket, staring at the lost ball without reacting, while the Trail Blazers don’t fast-break, waiting instead for Gan Guoyang to get back.
Again, they go to the low post for Gan Guoyang, this time a shallow post position. Gan Guoyang receives the ball, and the Lakers bring a double team from up top.
Gan Guoyang spins to face the basket, driving with his left hand along the baseline strongly to the basket—not fast, but rhythmically.
For this kind of play, Gan Guoyang could have easily teased O’Neal with a step-back plus a mid-range jumper.
But to showcase the center’s play style for his son watching at home, he chooses to attack the basket, ultimately laying it in despite Thorpe’s help defense.
"You still won’t admit you’re old, Audie?" Gan Guoyang doesn’t plan to let his old friend Thorpe go.
Thorpe can only shake his head, knowing that tonight Ah Gan is certainly going to go on a rampage, using O’Neal to make a statement, and it’s better for him to stay out of it.