This season, the Pistons returned to the playoffs. The team, centered around Hill and Dumars, was complemented by Lindsey Hunter, with Charles Oakley and Ratliff in the interior as defensive stalwarts, making them very strong.
Before the game, Detroit fans were hoping that Hill could dunk over Gan Guoyang’s head to avenge the "deep sea of blood" feud.
It should be noted that in league history, the only player with a clear record of dunking over Gan Guoyang’s head is Michael Jordan.
Others either got blocked by Gan Guoyang, missed the dunk, or Gan Guoyang committed a foul to prevent it.
Trying to dunk over Gan Guoyang is more challenging than climbing over the African Mountain, Mutombo. This guy isn’t tall but reacts too quickly and is incredibly strong.
This makes it impossible for attackers to overpower Ah Gan in mid-air; without overpowering, dunking is impossible, at most drawing a foul or attempting a layup or floater.
Charles Barkley has always claimed that he once dunked over Ah Gan in a game shortly after joining the league, but he can’t provide video evidence.
Currently, league attackers wanting to dunk over Ah Gan can only rely on speed, using lightning-fast drives to catch Gan Guoyang off guard.
But Gan Guoyang is smart; if you really reach a certain speed, and he can’t defend in time, he simply lets you go. I won’t defend.
But once you are marked, closely guarded, or in a face-to-face confrontation like against the Knight, aside from Jordan, no one can use a dunk to overpower him.
Hill, known as Jordan’s successor, used an invincible first-step change-direction after joining the league to break into the paint and dunk over many top interiors.
In the game, Hill quickly realized that Ah Gan was completely different from other interiors. Not only was he fast, with strong explosive power and quick reactions, but most importantly, his judgment was too accurate.
He always managed to position himself in advance, precisely blocking Hill’s breakthrough route. For Hill to score in the paint, he had to find a way around, choose a reverse layup, floater, or stop-and-pop jump shot.
If he just charges straight ahead, stubbornly trying to dunk, the result is getting blocked.
Hill certainly knows about the feuds between Ah Gan and the Pistons.
Ah Gan fought across the NBA, with about six sides belonging to the Detroit Pistons.
Thomas was almost battered to death, Rodman was thrown onto the technical table, Dumars, Melvin Turpin, and Mark Aguirre all took punches, even the coach was hit.
Bill Lambier suffered most; the first time he faced Ah Gan, he got suplexed.
Every subsequent clash with the Trail Blazers, even if Lambier hadn’t done anything, Ah Gan would still pursue him and beat him, thinking, "Since we’ve already fought, might as well include Lambier."
This battle saw Lambier specifically come to watch in person. He greeted Ah Gan, asking him to take care of his packaging business, and reminded Hill, "Find a way to dunk on Ah Gan’s head."
For Detroiters, winning or losing doesn’t matter anymore; what’s important is dunking on Ah Gan’s head, humiliating him to reclaim some pride.
With this expectation and pressure, in this game, Hill repeatedly attacked the paint, challenging the league’s top shot-blocker with his rapid speed and explosive power.
The result was predictable: Hill’s penetration routes were too monotonous, lacking variation in offensive tactics and finishes, relied mainly on physical prowess and basic moves, fully understood by Gan Guoyang.
In the first quarter alone, Hill was blocked thrice, leaving him dazed and out of rhythm offensively.
Later on, Gan Guoyang sensed Hill’s intention to dunk over him, so he ignored others and focused solely on Hill.
In the second quarter, he gave Hill two more blocks, two more in the third, and by the fourth quarter, Hill completely gave up. Even when he had a chance to dunk on one occasion, Hill hesitated and ended with a shot instead.
In this game, the other Pistons players performed well, and they won at home 101:98, ending the Trail Blazers’ winning streak.
However, Hill didn’t dunk over Ah Gan as Pistons fans hoped, and he got a stomach full of blocks.
Gan Guoyang had 10 blocks throughout the game, 7 of which were against Hill, highlighting Hill’s determination but proving impractical.
The only way to deal with Ah Gan is to go around him, a circuitous strategy, which Stockton and Hornersek-type players are more frustrating for Gan Guoyang.
In a direct confrontation, only Jordan stands a chance.
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After playing the Pistons, the regular season entered its final two weeks, with the Trail Blazers embarking on their last Eastern road trip; the next destination was Boston.
This was supposed to be an uneventful game, as the Celtics were the worst team this season, willing to throw away their pride to vie for Duncan.
The team was in a full tanking mode, and winning was considered a sin given the stakes, even the NBA’s most storied franchise bowed to Stern’s lottery rules.
And what’s worse, even if you tank to the worst, you’re not guaranteed the top pick; in the end, it all depends on the league’s favor.
Despite this matchup, on the flight from Detroit to Boston, Coach Larry Bird was unusually tense.
For this game held great significance for him, although he showed nothing on the surface, behaving as usual.
The night before the game, he met friends in his hotel room, reminiscing about his playing days in Boston over drinks.
Bird was invited to several parties but declined them all, avoiding the Celtics’ management, including ML Carr, Auerbach, and NBCA television interviews; he focused solely on preparing for the game.