Gan Guoyang is not a veteran who likes to play the "Welcome to the NBA" game.
On the contrary, Gan Guoyang is relatively friendly to most rookies who have just entered the league.
He is not interested in bullying newcomers or hazing rookies. Although it’s an old tradition in the NBA, Gan Guoyang does not agree with it.
The Chinese say "do not do unto others what you do not want done unto you," and when Gan Guoyang was a rookie, he most disliked veterans bullying using their seniority.
At that time, he was young and vigorous, and if any old guy from any team dared to bully him, he’d go up with direct punches and wrestling.
Fighting a whole team alone was no problem.
Now that he has become a veteran himself, he is keen on tormenting those old friends with comparable skills, like Jordan, Ewing, Malone, Barkley, Hakeem, O’Neal, etc.
As for rookies, if you quietly play well, I’ll have a good match with you, and when I’m in a good mood, I might even give you some pointers or share some experience.
But if you overstep, thinking you can use me, Ah Gan, as a stepping stone, then I’m sorry, I won’t be polite to you.
Like before with Kevin Garnett, he was an exception. He fell for Kobe’s scheme, causing a misunderstanding with Gan Guoyang, so I simply had to blow him up.
There’s also O’Neal, another exception, as a potential player in the same position, he would receive special attention.
For other rookies, young players, Gan Guoyang maintains the attitude of, if you don’t provoke me, I won’t attack you.
Like a lion sleeping in the grasslands, he won’t bother with the occasional stray dog passing by.
But tonight, Allen Iverson made a mistake; he actively provoked Gan Guoyang.
For those who actively provoke, according to his principles, Gan Guoyang not only hits them hard, but also imprints on their young minds.
This is something he has adhered to since entering the league in 1984, which has built for him a terrifying reputation.
This reputation is both a protection and a burden. To maintain it, his methods have had to become increasingly tough and ruthless.
The number of people who provoke you will decrease, but there will always be those who are ignorant of the rules and those eager to make a name for themselves, and the prize pool keeps growing.
If one day, someone ignorant or incredibly talented really succeeds in challenging you, the accumulated reputation would collapse in an instant, falling harder than anyone else.
The Detroit Pistons are a good example. When they lost stamina and henchmen, the so-called "Bad Boys" became unusually desolate after 1991.
However, Gan Guoyang is far from losing stamina and henchmen. After entering 1997, his condition has been getting better. His experience, skills, and physical state have gradually returned to their peak.
His strength has not only reached a historical high, but his explosiveness and speed have also risen compared to the season’s start, thanks to more scientific training, good nutrition, and honing of deep muscles and small muscles.
An unignorable factor is Larry Bird’s reasonable planning of Gan Guoyang’s playing time. Bird employs different rotation strategies in different games to ensure Gan Guoyang is in a comfortable playing state.
As a superstar, Bird does this better than Beelman. He understands how players play on the court and when they play most smoothly.
Gan Guoyang’s defense level has gradually recovered from the season’s 85% state to a peak 95%, and his defensive anticipation has reached a higher realm.
Before the timeout, Gan Guoyang’s defense against Allen’s two shots relied entirely on anticipation, making preemptive choices, which is why Allen felt Ah Gan was so fast.
After all, Allen is a rookie; his experience and skills are not fully matured yet. His offense could not reach the level of unpredictability like Jordan’s or Gan Guoyang’s, where even you yourself don’t know your next move.
What troubled Allen even more was that Ah Gan seemed to know some secrets deep in his heart, which made him feel like sitting on pins and needles.
Being grasped at your personality weaknesses is more terrifying than being grasped at your technical weaknesses. After all, skills end on the court, but human nature runs through life.
When the timeout ended and he was about to return to the court, Allen took a deep breath, thinking about how to deal with the devil he himself had lured out.
On the other side, Gan Guoyang actually didn’t know the secrets Allen had in prison; he just followed the news and noticed Allen’s imprisonment in 1993, which was known to all of America.
Knowing Allen’s future achievements, Gan Guoyang naturally kept an eye on him and understood the ins and outs of the incident, and even helped in the retrial affairs of Allen’s case.
Of course, Allen himself didn’t know; otherwise, he wouldn’t have disrespected Ah Gan right from the start.
An inconspicuous interview report mentioned Allen’s life in prison merely in passing, yet it was noted by Gan Guoyang.
Unexpectedly, it became a weapon in Gan Guoyang’s psychological warfare during tonight’s game. Gan Guoyang noticed the hesitation in Allen’s eyes, knowing the kid had fear in his heart.
For a court overlord like Gan Guoyang, an opponent’s fear is like the blood of prey. Once he smells blood, it won’t trigger sympathy but will evoke the more bloodthirsty side of him.
After the timeout ended and returning to the court, Allen temporarily concealed his sharpness, no longer holding the ball to attack but passing it to teammates to create opportunities.
Soon, Jerry Stackhouse hit a three-pointer from the outside, helping the 76ers break their scoring drought and easing the situation.
This Jordan protégé from North Carolina has very comprehensive offensive skills and is expected to form a strong backcourt with Allen.