"Thank you so much for that. Giving him a lesson isn’t a bad thing; it might give him more motivation. Honestly, sometimes I feel like he doesn’t care about anything and lacks some competitive spirit."
Saying this, Belman hugged Gan Guoyang tightly, and the mentor and apprentice seemed very close.
Gan Guoyang felt a bit uncomfortable inside; he sincerely hoped Belman could be reborn in Boston.
But in the past, it seemed like Belman never took such care of him. It was evident that Belman cared for Duncan like a father, afraid that his growth would be hindered in any way.
Look at the teammates the Celtics paired Duncan with; the interior and forward lines were entirely built around Duncan’s skills and style. Someone like Antoine Walker, who didn’t fit, was immediately traded.
Nash, Ilgauskas were good trades; renewing Fox and signing Bowen were also excellent moves, and getting a draft pick was a masterstroke.
"Bobby, I’m really happy for your success. No wonder you’re so cautious and careful."
"Alright, I promise to go easy. I’ll... I’ll just make sure he doesn’t score."
Warm-ups ended, and the game was about to start. The cheers on site reached their peak.
This game was star-studded, with Celtics’ legendary figures all attending to participate in Robert Parish’s jersey retirement ceremony.
Gan Guoyang scanned the audience, spotting many of his past defeated rivals.
They were all hoping the younger Duncan could give Ah Gan some trouble.
Kevin McHale and Parish sat on the sidelines in suits, and McHale asked Parish, "How many points will Tim get over Ah Gan tonight?"
Parish said, "I guess...18 points."
McHale shook his head, "I guess he could get 20, maybe even 25 points."
Parish said coldly, "Not likely. Ah Gan is quite vindictive; everyone says Duncan is like Ah Gan the second, he’ll suppress Tim."
"Ah Gan isn’t Jordan; I guess he will show Belman some courtesy."
"Bet 100."
"200."
The two legends made a bet just like that.
If Bird were here, he probably wouldn’t participate.
Although Bird also likes to bet, he prefers to bet with his own performance.
Meanwhile, Bird was equally restless; with so many old friends present, he thought to himself: Ah Gan, you better step up!
At the center circle, Ilgauskas and Gan Guoyang were about to jump ball.
Ilgauskas, standing 7 feet 3, was an unquestionable Lithuanian giant.
Gan Guoyang and Sabonis were both his idols, so he wore the number 11 jersey.
Facing Ah Gan, he was visibly nervous, making a mistake on his first jump by going too early.
"Relax, young Lithuanian. Later, I won’t defend you; you can match up with Sabo."
Ilgauskas didn’t dare to respond. Before the game, Belman had advised, don’t chat with Ah Gan, just pretend you’re deaf.
On the second jump, Gan Guoyang tapped the ball to Sabonis, and the Trail Blazers started their offense.
This season, the Trail Blazers’ offense was incredibly fluid, so much so that even before initiating the first attack, they didn’t know where to begin.
Sabonis held the ball but didn’t pass it to Brellock; he noticed Chris Mullin had an opportunity under the basket. A direct pass went straight to him.
Mullin received the ball, shook off defender Fox, and went for the layup.
It was an excellent pass, but instead of a score, it ended in a superb block.
Tim Duncan followed from behind and swatted Mullin’s shot.
Duncan not only blocked the shot but also retained possession of the ball.
He passed to Nash, and the Celtics launched a quick counterattack, with Nash dribbling straight into the Three Second Zone.
He circled out and passed to the trailing Duncan, who caught the ball, feigned a move, and drove down the middle!
The fans in attendance rose from their seats. Would Duncan set the tone on both ends of the floor right at the start?
No, as soon as he entered the Three Second Zone, Gan Guoyang came from the side and knocked the ball out of Duncan’s hands.
It was yet another great steal, grabbed by Brellock, and possession returned to the Trail Blazers.
Having lost the ball, Duncan thought, "Such speed, where did he come from?"
Before his drive, Duncan had observed the path, and it seemed to him that Ah Gan’s focus was on the opposite side; he wasn’t even looking this way.
But halfway through his drive, Ah Gan appeared, and just like that, the ball was gone.
Coach Belman was right, Ah does have those so-called "defensive feints," and he shouldn’t be fooled.
Having successfully stolen the ball, Gan Guoyang said nothing to Duncan as they both crossed half-court to continue their offense-defense matchup.
On defense, the Celtics didn’t let Duncan match up against Ah Gan; instead, they had Ilgauskas defend.
Belman really went to great lengths to prevent Ah Gan from destroying Duncan on offense, opting for a mismatch and letting Duncan guard Sabonis instead.
As for Ilgauskas? Taking some hits wasn’t a concern; his role was to absorb that damage.
At the start, Gan Guoyang didn’t focus on attacking but rather continuously set screens for his teammates on the perimeter, while the true pivot was Sabonis.
Another cut, and this time Mullin was smart, switching hands under the basket to avoid the block, scoring the first points!
On the Celtics’ side, the court spread wide open; they aimed to offer Duncan an iso-play at the start!
The one guarding Duncan wasn’t Sabonis; it was Gan Guoyang.
Two talented big men facing off in the low post!
Fans were up on their feet again, and Coach Belman watched with bated breath.
Nash passed the ball to Duncan, who took a moment to assess the situation.
Yet, just as he turned to observe, the ball was gone from his hands!
Gan Guoyang reached out from behind, striking down swiftly to knock the ball away from Duncan!
It was phenomenally quick; Duncan didn’t even have time to react.
For an NBA-caliber big man, protecting the ball is fundamental.
Duncan is adept at handling the ball, but he didn’t anticipate Ah Gan’s lightning-fast hands.
"How did he get here? Where did he come from?"
Duncan pondered for merely 0.1 seconds; there was no time for more thoughts as he needed to chase the ball.
Gan Guoyang had already reclaimed the ball; his extraordinary strength brushed off those who lunged at him.
Securing the ball, opting against a fast break, he settled into a set offense, again rallying through Sabonis on the high post.
Riddle caught a pass and shot a mid-range jumper but missed; the Trail Blazers’ offensive rhythm was only mediocre at the start.
Duncan snagged the defensive rebound, demonstrating superb anticipation.
Duncan dribbled the ball past half-court himself; his ball-handling skills were quite good.
Before playing as a big man, he initially trained as a perimeter player.
Then his body shot up rapidly, turning him into a big man.
His dribbling was smooth and unimpeded; Duncan intended to attack down the middle.
In past games, Duncan often did this, catching opponents off guard.
Just as Duncan was ready to speed up, a robust shadow approached from the flank.
"Careful!" Belman shouted from the sideline!
Duncan suddenly felt a chill, but careful of what?
What on earth was suddenly attacking him? Was it a Shark?
No, it was Gan Guoyang, appearing from the side, intercepting the ball from Duncan.
Duncan was knocked to the ground; the referee didn’t call a foul, another successful steal.
Gan Guoyang seized the ball, turned, and charged towards the frontcourt.
Nash attempted to block his path, only to be brushed aside.
A coast-to-coast slam dunk.
The Fleet Center fell silent, as Duncan laboriously picked himself off the floor, his face impassive.
Yet internally, as he watched Ah Gan advancing with powerful and steady strides, he felt a twinge of anxiety.
He hadn’t experienced this feeling for a long while, especially after dominating the NCAA scene.
He seemed to see ahead not a mere opponent, but a deep, dark sea with dangerous sharks lurking within.