After all, he was already 22 years old, a man growing into maturity, unlike Kobe and Little O’Neal, who still looked quite immature.
He was very diligent on defense, quick to make a move, with a strong desire for rebounds, very much like Dennis Rodman in that regard.
Wallace’s statistical contributions were practically negligible; he could manage 1 point per game, a few rebounds, and occasionally a block or a steal, and that was it.
But Bird knew that playing against a team like the Jazz, you couldn’t just focus on stats; you needed results, needed on-court influence.
Little O’Neal had more talent, but against the Jazz, a rougher, more practical, and previously unseen young player might be a better choice.
The Jazz team didn’t pay attention to Wallace; of course, all their focus was on Ah Gan, with Karl Malone returning to the game.
When Gan Guoyang came back, he received the ball at the elbow, faced Ostertag, and directly took a mid-range jump shot, scoring.
A precise and steady shot, the arc of the ball like a cold, glowing curved blade, stabbing accurately into the basket.
Stockton organized the offense, with Malone in a high post classic pick and roll, and the Trail Blazers didn’t switch defense.
Stockton charged straight to the basket and was about to float a shot, but unexpectedly, Ben Wallace came charging from the side, blocking Stockton’s shot with a big block!
Although the referee called a foul on this play, Wallace’s reaction speed was truly astonishing. Gan Guoyang went up and patted Wallace on the shoulder, indicating he did well.
Stockton hit both free throws, maintaining a 10-point lead. Gan Guoyang received the ball at the top of the arc, faced Ostertag, and once again made a mid-range jump shot, scoring!
With two consecutive mid-range shots, the Jazz players began to feel uneasy, and from the sidelines, Hornacek shouted, "Don’t let him shoot again! Dangerous, dangerous!"
Having been teammates with Gan Guoyang for many years, Hornacek knew better than anyone what happened when Ah Gan’s shooting streak became hot.
Especially with his mid-range jump shots, at the top of the arc, at the elbow, not only does he have an open shot, but he shoots quickly and scores rapidly, which can easily make you question your life.
Stockton, of course, understood this. He steadied the pace, slowed the offensive rhythm, dribbled and dribbled past half court, trying to run down the clock and disrupt Ah Gan’s shooting rhythm.
It wasn’t until the last few seconds of the 24-second clock that Stockton attempted a three-pointer after a pick-and-roll, but missed.
Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, passed to Kobe, and told him not to rush, but Kobe charged ahead anyway.
"Damn it..."
Gan Guoyang could only chase hard from behind, while Kobe dashed to the basket and missed the layup.
Gan Guoyang was boxed out and couldn’t secure the offensive rebound, but out of nowhere, Ben Wallace jumped up and tipped the ball to Winfield.
Winfield obediently passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, and Gan Guoyang made a triple threat move at a 45-degree angle on the wing, and immediately pulled up for a mid-range jumper.
Scored again!
Scoring three consecutive shots, Jerry Sloan sensed trouble and immediately called a timeout.
"Why the hell don’t you follow instructions and just charge with the ball?"
On the bench, Gan Guoyang reprimanded Kobe, since his recklessness almost disrupted the scoring rhythm.
"I thought it was a good opportunity," Kobe retorted.
"A shot guaranteed to go in is a good opportunity!" Gan Guoyang shouted angrily.
"There’s no such thing as a guaranteed shot," Kobe muttered.
Facing Gan Guoyang, Kobe always maintained his defiance.
He was never an obedient player, which made him very different from Little O’Neal.
Little O’Neal always followed Ah Gan’s instructions, and his skills and experience on the court were steadily improving.
But Kobe seemed to always be searching for a way to achieve a breakthrough in one leap.
He often turned a blind eye to Ah Gan’s steady and solid side.
In many games, Gan Guoyang would play very patiently, and once the Trail Blazers had a lead over average opponents, there was absolutely no chance for a comeback.
Kobe always said that’s work for the inside guys, Jermaine, you learn well.
What attracted Kobe most was that small unpredictability and imagination in Gan Guoyang.
Like the ultra-distance three-pointer against the Bulls, or the tough shot against double-teaming by the Knicks.
This fascinated Kobe; he loved watching Ah Gan deliver the ball into the hoop in unexpected ways during difficult and desperate situations.
For instance, when Malone received a long pass from Stockton to the front court, too deep to attack the basket directly, with the opponent’s defense closing in, Malone would choose to stop, wait for teammates to catch up, and reorganize the offense.
In the same situation, Ah Gan would use a crossover followed by a behind-the-back dribble to get around the defender, sweep to the back of the basket from the baseline, then score with a reverse layup or dunk.
He might also simply finish with a moon hook or a step-back close-range jumper; these are all highly effective offensive moves.
Malone didn’t have this capability, nor would he do so; he was part of the system.
Ah Gan had this capability and he wouldn’t be constrained by the system because he was the system.
Kobe hoped to reach such a height, becoming someone who could integrate into and transcend the system, ultimately becoming the system itself.
"If you run off on your own again, I’ll kick your ass back to Portland," Gan Guoyang warned Kobe.
Kobe grimaced and took a sip of water; Bird subbed him out and put Riddle back in.
"Sometimes you need to be a bit calmer; Ah Gan has guided you enough, and tonight he wants to win badly, so don’t disrupt his rhythm," Bird said as he sat next to Kobe.
"I know, but...I thought I could make it, I wanted to help him."
"No, you don’t want to help him, you want to hog the spotlight," Bird easily saw through Kobe’s thoughts, making the young Kobe a bit embarrassed.
"But it’s okay, sometimes having someone who can take the spotlight from him isn’t a bad thing. I find it annoying when he’s in the spotlight all the time too," Bird added with a laugh.
"He actually needs a teammate who can occasionally steal his spotlight," Bird continued, becoming more serious.
Kobe’s expression improved a bit, thinking to himself that he would become that person.
At this moment, Gan Guoyang scored again, making Sloan’s timeout ineffective.
Gan Guoyang hit his fourth consecutive mid-range shot at the top of the arc.
Although the Jazz responded immediately, with Malone hitting a mid-range shot.
Poor Malone; it was his first point of the night, and against Ah Gan, scoring was so difficult.
The Jazz team remained 6 points ahead, but the momentum of Gan Guoyang’s furious scoring was starting to show.
An atmosphere of tension and impending doom gradually enveloped the Triangle Center.
On Gan Guoyang’s fifth attempt, the Jazz couldn’t take it anymore; Hornacek went up and directly grabbed Gan Guoyang’s hand to pull him down.
A foul, sending Gan Guoyang to the free-throw line.
"Jeff, are you trying to get me into my shooting rhythm?"
"I have no choice; if you score again, I’m going to lose it."
Although Hornacek’s words seemed to praise and curse at the same time, the way Gan Guoyang kept scoring made the Jazz players feel a sense of despair.
It’s only the second quarter, and there’s still the second half, a third quarter, and a fourth quarter. Is this guy really going for 60 points?
Standing at the free-throw line, Gan Guoyang mimicked Hornacek by touching his face, making the first free throw.
Hornacek laughed, went up to pat Gan Guoyang’s butt, and shook his head resignedly.
For the second free throw, Gan Guoyang touched his face again, only to have the ball head straight for the neck of the basket.
The ball rebounded off the neck of the basket, bounced far, and Gan Guoyang charged straight to the hoop, jumping high before anyone else could react, and dunked the ball in with both hands!
After scoring, Gan Guoyang let out a loud roar; this play was the equivalent of a 2+1.
On the sidelines, Kobe excitedly waved his towel, as this was precisely the quality he admired most.
That kind of imagination surpassing everyone else on the court, while others are running, only he is flying.
"I must become that kind of player, I must," Kobe told himself for the 3,800th time.