O’Neal’s long-distance hook shot at the start had an element of luck, but he was definitely not just throwing it recklessly without any confidence.
Even though O’Neal loved to play, he spent a significant amount of time on the training court to improve his skills.
After joining the Lakers, O’Neal on one hand further enhanced his physical fitness, and on the other hand, focused on developing and refining his offensive techniques.
He couldn’t be as versatile as Gan, but he could practice a few tricks like Karl Malone and dominate the court.
Among them, the hook shot became O’Neal’s focus for technical improvement because he knew he couldn’t drive into the basket for a dunk or layup every time.
Without much shooting talent, the hook shot was the best choice.
However, O’Neal’s hook shot was different from the traditional big hook shots of Jabbar, Gan Guoyang, and the modified small hook shots of Olajuwon and Duncan.
His hook shot was more like a toss, or a half-throw half-hook.
From O’Neal’s stance, it was evident that general hook shots are side-facing, with the arm away from the defender to avoid interference and blocks.
But O’Neal liked to turn face-to-face with the defender and the basket, using his strong arms and huge hands to throw the small ball towards the basket.
Because his hands were so big, there was no softness to his shots; the ball wasn’t flicked but thrown.
The ball often had a flat trajectory and flew fast, but his hit rate was quite good, which undoubtedly required a great deal of effort.
In that recent play, after receiving the ball, O’Neal turned to the right. If it were Gan Guoyang’s hook shot, a right turn would definitely be a left-hand hook shot; using the right hand wouldn’t be a hook shot but a straight shot.
O’Neal didn’t use a left-hand hook shot; he faced the basket, shot with his right hand, half-hook half-throw, which Gan Guoyang found a bit strange but indeed effective.
Moreover, though the shot was taken from near the free-throw line, which wasn’t a common distance for O’Neal, it was part of his daily training range.
In prior games, he had also made hook shots from this range, so it wasn’t just a lucky guess.
"Nice hook, Shaq, your technique has improved."
As they crossed half-court, Gan Guoyang complimented O’Neal.
For a big man who trained hard to improve his skills, Gan Guoyang was always generous with his praise.
Plus, O’Neal’s shot was quite intriguing.
O’Neal remained serious, coldly saying, "Of course, it’s my secret weapon."
"Secret weapon? You’re using it too early, and I don’t think it’s much of a secret."
While saying this, the Trail Blazers had already set up their formation, with Gan Guoyang at the high post signaling for the ball.
Also near the free-throw line, Brellock got the hint and passed the ball to Mu Lin, who then lobbed it to Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang received the ball, also turned right, faced O’Neal, and did a hook shot!
It wasn’t with his left hand, nor his famous moon hook, but mimicked O’Neal’s half-hook half-throw.
Equivalent to a one-handed free throw.
With Gan Guoyang’s soft touch and strong lower body coordination, the ball smoothly flew towards the basket.
O’Neal had no time to interfere; the ball spun fiercely and went into the net cleanly!
Gan Guoyang quickly responded with a shot in the same style as O’Neal, seemingly easy to learn.
"Shaq, does this mean I stole your secret weapon? It doesn’t feel very secret," Gan Guoyang asked on defense.
O’Neal blinked twice and said, "Uh... I guess you learned it. So, should you call me ’Master’?"
This chubby guy was quite thick-skinned; this psychological victory tactic left Gan Guoyang momentarily unsure of how to respond.
As he got older, dealing with these cheeky youngsters sometimes really tested his patience.
Gan Guoyang didn’t have much time to bicker with O’Neal; the pace of the game was very fast, and he had to stay fully focused.
This year, compared to last, the Lakers didn’t change much in terms of tactics; Del Harris mostly followed Beelman’s approach.
With O’Neal and Jide as the central axis, complemented by wing shooting and drives, it’s an offense-oriented team.
The difference was that under Del Harris’s leadership, the Lakers had a faster pace, more rigorous tactics, more mature players, and stronger combat power.
Jide dribbled across half-court and immediately passed the ball to Thorpe cutting to the basket when he saw O’Neal had no opportunity.
Thorpe used his footwork to shake off Sabonis, cut to the basket, received Jide’s precise pass, and dunked with one hand.
Afterward, the Trail Blazers countered quickly, with Gan Guoyang making a super-fast backcourt throw, sending a long pass to the front-court. Mu Lin caught the ball, paused, and shot directly from beyond the three-point line.
The ball hit perfectly; Mu Lin’s famed "God’s left hand" reputation was well-deserved. Such a direct three-pointer during a fast break was rare in the NBA at that time.
Larry Bird knew that for a player like Mu Lin, shooting directly on a fast break had a higher success rate than driving to the basket.
Both teams were scoring rapidly, 5:4, with the Trail Blazers leading by one point.
Later, the Lakers slightly slowed the pace, and O’Neal positioned himself in the low post.
Gan Guoyang didn’t resort to trickery; he didn’t cut the ball, pull the chair, or front the post, allowing O’Neal to comfortably receive the ball in the low post.
"Use your strength, kid, didn’t you eat enough for dinner? Your positioning is so soft,"
Gan Guoyang pressing against O’Neal was quite uncomfortable for the Shark since O’Neal wasn’t used to facing someone who could match him in strength.