The game against the Philadelphia 76ers marked the start of the Trail Blazers’ short Eastern road trip.
After that, they visited Washington and Charlotte, securing victories on the road.
Gan Guoyang showcased his exceptional defensive dominance in all three matches.
In Washington, he nearly shut down the Bullets’ power forward Rashid Wallace.
It wasn’t until the last stages of the match, when the outcome was no longer suspenseful, that Wallace managed to score 4 points, barely avoiding the embarrassment of being scoreless.
In the matchup against the Hornets, Larry Johnson found himself frustrated and threw in the towel when faced with Gan Guoyang, unable to support the Hornets’ interior after Alonzo Mourning’s departure.
The once formidable interior Twin Towers crumbled due to disunity, leaving Larry Johnson struggling during his time with the Hornets, with his departure from Charlotte imminent.
For new teams like the Hornets and Magic, the establishment of team culture is still incomplete, and lacking an authoritative leader can easily lead to internal conflicts.
The Hornets losing Mourning and the Magic losing O’Neal are both bloody lessons for the two teams.
Gan Guoyang defeating Johnson was just the final straw; disunity is the biggest issue.
After wrapping up the Eastern trip with three victories and returning to Portland, the Trail Blazers went through a period of recuperation.
The team faced some injury issues, with Van Exel having sprained his finger, Riddle suffering from a leg sprain, and PJ Brown experiencing back problems.
According to the Trail Blazers’ medical response system, they missed several games upon returning to Portland, as well as a few away games before the All-Star break.
Injuries affected the team’s completeness and rotation, and Larry Bird had to continue adjusting the lineup while making changes to certain strategic components.
Fortunately, young players like Kobe and Little O’Neal could shoulder considerable playing responsibilities, lessening the impact of the veterans’ absence.
Especially Kobe’s performances on the court sometimes served as a warning to Van Exel and Riddle: If you continue to miss games or don’t perform well, this kid will soon replace you.
Off the court, Kobe never hides his intention to supplant Van Exel and Riddle.
Whenever possible, he would challenge Van Exel and Riddle to one-on-one bouts during practice breaks.
Van Exel and Riddle are different styles of backcourt players, with Van Exel being agile, quick, possessing ghostly footwork and precise outside shooting.
Riddle is physically strong, excels in post moves, is adept at low-post battles and fadeaway shots, forcing Kobe to use different techniques and strategies against them.
Moreover, both are volatile characters, often trash-talking during practice, sometimes leading to physical scuffles, resulting in a tense atmosphere.
Yet Kobe is unfazed, boldly challenging the two veterans, sometimes remaining silent when provoked to cursing, other times retorting.
Kobe’s actions further agitate veterans like Van Exel and Riddle, motivating them to be more earnest and diligent in training and matches.
They certainly don’t want to be outperformed by Kobe, especially Van Exel, who doesn’t want to become a substitute with Kobe starting and himself just a backup rotation.
Thus, Van Exel works hard in training; where he previously disliked extra practice, now he seizes any opportunity to train with Kobe.
He dedicates a lot of time to honing his three-point shooting prowess and making his elusive footwork even more unpredictable.
Meanwhile, Kobe observes from the sidelines, sometimes challenging Van Exel, though Van Exel often refuses, fearing Kobe might learn too much.
Yet he can’t resist Kobe’s persistent persuasion, with Kobe even using poor provocations, claiming Van Exel is afraid of being surpassed, hence reluctant to face-off.
Van Exel, being straightforward, responds by saying he’s not afraid, leading to more frequent joint training sessions.
Initially, Van Exel completely dominated, with Kobe unable to fend off Van Madman’s agile and unpredictable footwork, struggling to find a pattern.
After spending more than a week, Kobe gradually picked up some patterns, accumulated experience, but defending was still difficult.
The bouts against Van Exel provided some assistance for defending Allen Iverson, but not much; Kobe couldn’t hold Iverson one-on-one.
Van Exel initially resisted sparring with Kobe but eventually began seeking him out for joint practice.
Realizing that rather than fearing being surpassed by Kobe, it was better to embrace the challenge and progress through sparring with him.
Kobe is a highly intelligent young player, adept at learning, and Van Exel also progresses while guiding him.
Surviving in this league by concealing skills won’t work; continuous exchange and learning are necessary.
Here, no technique or tactic is secret; anyone can learn, depending on how much sweat you’re willing to invest.
In comparison, Riddle’s attitude towards Kobe is worse; from the start of the season, he disliked Kobe.
In fact, not many in the team really like Kobe; at best, they don’t dislike him, but none truly like him.
Because this guy is so arrogant, always with his head held high and an imposing demeanor, naturally making people uncomfortable.