After setting a record with a 34-game winning streak, the Trail Blazers have become an invincible presence in the league.
However, correspondingly, the resistance they face in subsequent games is increasing.
It’s like the jackpot in a lottery pool, starting from ten million and accumulating to a super prize of over a hundred million without anyone winning.
According to tradition, at this moment, a mysterious person often appears, buying a dozen tickets and winning the prize, then wearing a mask or hood to collect the prize and disappearing into the crowd.
Of course, the situation might be different in America, where winning big would be widely publicized, and they might even appear on TV and become a celebrity.
Now, the "End the Trail Blazers’ Winning Streak" prize pool has accumulated to an unprecedented 34-game winning streak, and every opponent is eager to take a shot.
Once the Trail Blazers play away games, troubles will surely come one after another, with minor issues like false fire alarms and fan harassment, but there are even more extreme measures for the big prize.
On January 11th, the Trail Blazers traveled to Philadelphia for an away game against the 76ers, and that night information about their hotel was leaked, leading to many local prostitutes knocking on players’ doors to harass them.
NBA teams do not impose restrictions on private lives, and compared to other NBA teams, the Trail Blazers are slightly better in this regard because their leader is more upright.
As the saying goes, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked. If the leader takes the followers to brothels every day, players, especially young ones, will become more reckless, worsening the team’s atmosphere.
Gan Guoyang never engages in such nonsense, and everyone knows to keep it under wraps, so the Trail Blazers are relatively better off in this aspect—albeit just slightly better than other teams.
NBA players not drinking or smoking is already considered disciplined; with such intense training and so much money, expecting them not to get involved with prostitutes is impossible.
Previously, Jerome Kossie was caught dating young girls with staff and was later accused of rape, leading to a major downturn in his career.
The Trail Blazers’ reputation in the Portland community also suffered greatly, resulting in Kossie being let go after Gan Guoyang retired, and now he’s a backup player at the end of the bench with the Trail Blazers’ old rival, the Seattle SuperSonics.
The next day, when Gan Guoyang joined the team for practice, he noticed that his teammates were somewhat listless, lacking energy.
Even Kobe, who is always full of vigor and tireless in training, seemed a bit deflated, with a distracted look in his eyes during practice.
Sensing something was off, Gan Guoyang asked a few teammates, but everyone dodged the question, either claiming they didn’t sleep well last night or were tired from taking the flight for the away game.
Gan Guoyang knew that traveling for away games was indeed tiring, and as the season reached its midpoint, the Trail Blazers hadn’t lost a single game, and the pressure on the entire team was immense.
They defeated the Lakers and set a new historical record, and the carrot that dangled in front of everyone was gone; how far they could go depended on their internal motivation.
Lack of motivation is understandable; after winning 34 consecutive games, victory can become numbing, and on the court, the drive for revenge and progress is gone, making everything feel like going through the motions.
Yet, Gan Guoyang still felt something wasn’t right; yesterday on the plane, everyone seemed fine, and although there was a sense of victory-induced numbness, the team’s atmosphere was good.
Some even said they wanted to continue winning, ideally going an entire season without losing, like the Miami Dolphins in the NFL, achieving an undefeated championship season.
NBA games are much more frequent than in the NFL, and going undefeated in a season is exceedingly difficult, but shouldn’t such aspirations prevent them from losing morale overnight, right?
When training was over and back in the locker room, as Gan Guoyang was changing, he suddenly asked Kobe, "How was the girl last night, Kobe."
Kobe was also changing clothes, bare-chested; it is at such moments that one is least guarded and most vulnerable, and Kobe replied, "Great..."
Just as he finished, Kobe realized he had slipped, quickly shutting his mouth, but Gan Guoyang already knew what had happened, saying, "I’ll tell your mom."
"No! Don’t do that, Sonny, I beg you," Kobe pleaded with Gan Guoyang in a low voice.
Kobe’s mother is very strict with him; during last season’s away games, Kobe’s parents followed him around.
When playing in Portland, after games and training, his mother would urge him to go home, like a student doing homework or studying for college courses.
This season, Kobe was a year older, his skills improved, and his parents’ control over him weakened.
He didn’t want his parents constantly following him on away games, and after training and games, he would go out for a drink with teammates.
At eighteen or nineteen, it’s hard for a young man brimming with energy to resist the temptation of women; he’s not AC Green, after all.
When Gan Guoyang saw that everyone was listless, only AC Green and himself seemed fine, he guessed something.
The group of prostitutes who harassed the Trail Blazers last night were wise enough not to knock on Gan Guoyang’s door; they knew Ah Gan’s reputation.
With a little probing from Kobe, who was too naive, he accidentally blurted it out.
The players must have had a wonderful night last night, which might lead to a not-so-wonderful game tonight.
Gan Guoyang couldn’t say much about it; such matters are everyone’s freedom. He only reminded Bird before the game to let him play a little longer tonight.
"They overexerted themselves last night, so let me play a little longer tonight; I’m afraid they might not be in good shape, weak in legs and arms."