-----------------
Night, at Hu Weidong’s home in Los Angeles, Hu’s mother went to bed early.
Hu Weidong was sitting alone in the living room, with the lights off, and the 21-inch color TV emitting piercing fluorescent light.
This TV was a gift from Bobby Berman, along with a VCR, hoping Hu Weidong would watch more game footage.
Hu Weidong rarely used it, not because he wasn’t diligent, but because he didn’t really know how to use the VCR to improve his skills; there was no such condition domestically.
He also rarely watched NBA live broadcasts, not because he wasn’t interested, but because as an NBA player, you just don’t have time to watch live games on game days.
Tonight, Hu Weidong was deeply attracted by the duel between the Trail Blazers and Bulls, chin resting on his hand on the sofa, eyes never leaving the TV screen.
What impressed him most was not Gan Guoyang because he already knew how amazing Ah Gan was at playing basketball.
It was that number 8 who wore the same number as him, Kobe Bryant, who entered the League after graduating high school.
He was thin, just like himself; he wasn’t the core on the court, the ball mostly in Ah Gan or Van Exel’s hands.
But he had presence, an incredible presence, whether on defense or when he had the ball, the focus was drawn to him.
Hu Weidong thought, is this the ideal target on the court for himself? Someone not very eye-catching but with enough presence?
Being able to step up and contribute to the team when needed, Kobe is only 18, while he is already 26...
Hu Weidong fell into deep thought, starting to reflect on his NBA career so far, wondering if he was on the right path.
On TV, Kobe was given a chance to play at the most critical moment in the fourth quarter and contributed a spectacular hand-switch layup during a counterattack.
His strong waist and abdominal strength, and elegant posture in the air, elicited cheers from fans in a Los Angeles bar.
Many white-collar workers and students gathered here, drinking beer and watching the game; as the game reached its peak, they drank to their heart’s content.
Zhang Weiping couldn’t help but cheer at Kobe’s goal, usually a reserved person, at most smiling when excited watching games, rarely shouting.
The boss of Buton Company saw Zhang Weiping like this and said, "So, you really like Kobe?"
Zhang Weiping smiled and said, "Uh... how to say it, it’s the first time I watched him play, he... hey look, he intercepted!"
Kobe successfully pressured Steve Kerr on defense, immediately snatching the ball from him, counterattacking again, and assisting Little O’Neal to attack the basket causing the Bulls a foul.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers’ second lineup put immense pressure on the Bulls.
"This young guy is good, very energetic, he has a certain charm," Zhang Weiping took a sip of beer.
What kind of charm? Zhang Weiping couldn’t say exactly, but overall, it’s very attractive.
"Is it like you, fearless, with an attitude of venturing no matter what? I see him talking back to Michael not once, young players generally wouldn’t dare," said the boss again, wanting to commend Zhang Weiping and persuade him to stay with the company for further endeavors.
But Zhang Weiping was deep in thought, his attention completely captured by the game, taken by the basketball.
Because the game was indeed very intense, reaching a fever pitch, the referee frequently blew the whistle to soothe tempers on both sides.
Jordan and Kobe were already arguing, with Gan Guoyang sarcastically saying from the side, "Michael, why are you so petty."
"Michael, why are you arguing with a kid? He’s still just a kid."
"Michael, you need to be more magnanimous and have some tolerance."
Jordan was straightforward, sending Gan Guoyang a few "F**k You" gestures, which Gan Guoyang gladly accepted.
However, emotions are just the fuel; real combustion requires real skill.
Gan Guoyang was very anxious inside, the point difference remained between 5-8 points, unable to overturn.
The Bulls were incredibly stable, very stable, in defense and offense, with no major flaws.
This caused the Trail Blazers to only hold close to the Bulls’ score but unable to tie or overtake.
They were submerged underwater for too long, the experienced Bulls firmly controlled the rhythm.
Gan Guoyang wanted to break through with Offensive Rebounds, but Dennis Rodman was the only one who could compete with Ah Gan on rebounds.
Moreover, the Bulls’ defense against second attacks was very solid, consistent from the first quarter, with quick supplementary defenses.
Time was ticking away, his teammates’ stamina constantly depleted, clinging on was already tough, the Trail Blazers kept failing to find a turning point.
Jordan received the ball in the low post, Gan Guoyang defended Jordan one on one, Jordan didn’t force it, passed to Kukoc.
Kukoc drove to the basket with a layup but missed, Rodman followed up with a successful tip-in, the score became 94-87.
A very crucial tip-in success, the Bulls maintained the lead at a steady 7 points, with 4 minutes left until the end of the game.
In the span of 8 minutes, the two teams scored pitifully few points; the Trail Blazers got 10 points, the Bulls only 9 points.
High-intensity confrontation rapidly drained both teams’ stamina and shooting touch, while the Bulls tightly restricted passes to Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang also couldn’t personally dribble every ball from the backcourt to the basket; he was accumulating energy for the final sprint.
But if the deficit was too large, the sprint would be too late.
Kobe’s fast break and steal were particularly precious at this moment.
Bird called a timeout, holding three timeouts.
Using this one, there were two remaining.
Kobe went to rest; Bird rarely picked up a tactical board to start drawing.