The Rockets, with Wei Bo as the core, complemented by Cassell, Robert Holi, Eddie Johnson, Campbell, and Kevin Willis, are quite formidable and have shown signs of rising this season.
After the scandal broke out, Wei Bo began to undergo investigation, and his performance was affected. The Rockets suffered a three-game losing streak in mid-March and were badly defeated by the Trail Blazers in a tiebreaker, 87-105, dropping to third in the Western Conference, sharing the same record as the Seattle SuperSonics, but leading them in head-to-head standings.
On the Trail Blazers’ side, Gan Guoyang was like a truck with the gas pedal fully pressed. As the playoffs approached, he couldn’t care less about his teammates’ form—he was charging forward at full speed.
From late February to March, Gan Guoyang put on a series of outstanding individual performances, as if returning to his most astonishing personal display in 1987.
On February 21, at home against the Detroit Pistons, he scored 44 points, grabbed 24 rebounds, and had 11 assists, leading the team to a major victory.
On February 24, away against the Phoenix Suns, he scored 49 points, recorded 18 rebounds, 9 assists, and narrowly beat the Suns by 4 points.
On March 3, away against the Los Angeles Clippers, he scored 55 points, collected 12 rebounds, had 7 assists, and made 7 blocks, achieving a big win against the Clippers.
On March 4, in a back-to-back against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Shaquille O’Neal absent due to injury, Gan Guoyang scored 51 points, grabbed 21 rebounds, delivered 12 assists, made 6 blocks, and had 2 steals, single-handedly demolishing the Lakers.
In the two back-to-back away games, Gan Guoyang scored 106 points in his lucky city, Los Angeles. This was his third time scoring over 50 points after the All-Star Game, leaving the entire League’s front courts trembling.
On that day, O’Neal was resting at home, not daring to go to the Great Western Forum Arena. He didn’t want to sit on the bench watching Ah Gan play.
As the playoffs neared, Gan Guoyang’s performances became increasingly violent, and the Western Conference teams’ fear of Ah Gan intensified.
On March 8, O’Neal’s good friend, rapper Biggie-Smalls, was shot and killed on the street due to gang disputes in the rap world.
On the same day, the Trail Blazers achieved a home victory against the out-of-form Houston Rockets, with Gan Guoyang scoring 48 points, obtaining 20 rebounds, and making 10 blocks for an unusual triple-double.
He maximized his personal abilities, single-handedly suppressing the team’s instabilities, immaturity, fatigue, and exhaustion within the Trail Blazers.
The basketball media in America could no longer find more superlatives to praise Gan Guoyang’s performances. They could only say, "Admire and enjoy this return to the NBA’s personal show feast. The championship remains a mystery, but there’s no longer a second choice for the regular-season MVP selection."
In the MVP voting and odds rankings, Gan Guoyang surpassed high-achieving team players Michael Jordan and Karl Malone, firmly establishing himself in the undisputed first place.
Although the Trail Blazers didn’t consistently overpower like the Jazz or Bulls, they were still one of the League’s best-performing teams, conservatively estimated at 55 to 58 wins.
This result is absolutely excellent. Last season, the Trail Blazers couldn’t even make the playoffs, but this season Gan Guoyang’s return saw the team undergo little major personnel adjustments or changes.
The acquisition of Riddle was just about getting a third-rate scorer, and they picked two immature high school students in the draft. That Gan Guoyang could elevate the team to this height surely makes him deserve an MVP.
Gan Guoyang didn’t think much. Post-All-Star Game, he was fully immersed in the court, training off the court, resting, maintaining condition, and preparing for the playoffs.
No matter the team lineup or teammates’ states, Gan Guoyang never slacked off. He planned to go all out in the playoffs and wouldn’t allow himself to lose heart as he did in 1994.
He wouldn’t permit such a situation to happen again.
On March 10, the Trail Blazers left Portland to play an away game up north against the newly formed Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, joined the League in 1995, as part of the NBA’s expansion plan into Canada.
As a matter of fact, early in its founding in 1946, Toronto was already a part of the NBA League. The Huskies were among the earliest NBA teams.
However, due to poor management, they exited the ranks early, and for decades Toronto persistently sought to return to the NBA map.
In 1993, the League formally approved the decision to set up a new team in Toronto.
At first, Toronto wished to revive the old and commemorative team name "Huskies."
Yet, at that time, the League already had the Timberwolves, whose mascot, a gray wolf, closely resembled the Huskies logo.
To improve team recognition, the new team setup committee initiated a nationwide vote as usual.
Finally, they chose the name "Raptors" due to its popular appeal, linking it to the global dinosaur craze kicked-off by Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster "Jurassic Park," seizing the wave of popularity.
Like other new teams, the Raptors naturally had to go through a painful rookie phase.
In 1996, they secured the second pick in the draft and selected Marcus Camby from the University of Massachusetts.
The reason the Raptors picked Camby was simple: he resembled Ah Gan.
His height, wingspan, playing style, even his draft position—all so closely matched Ah Gan.
At the University of Massachusetts, Camby led the team to the NCAA Final Four and was a champion for the school.
The Raptors’ head coach remarked that Camby could play like a guard, often performing perimeter offensive moves, driving to the basket, or shooting to score.