In several rounds, even if Ewing stood waiting in the Three Second Zone for Ah Gan, he couldn’t stop Gan Guoyang from directly attacking the basket.
This guy is like a battering ram, getting hit by him leaves you unable to recover for quite a while, and Ewing was so fed up he didn’t even want to defend him anymore.
After all, this was a regular season game, and the Supersonics didn’t make any targeted defensive arrangements; everyone was just fighting against the Trail Blazers with sheer will.
By the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers, with Gan Guoyang’s 17 points in that quarter alone, had widened the lead to 14 points, and the Supersonics’ spirit was dampened.
Gary Payton attempted to block Ah Gan during the defense, but after getting knocked flying twice, he no longer dared to try.
The recovery plan set when Gan Guoyang made his comeback in 1996 was executed to perfection.
Despite a decrease in speed and explosiveness, he elevated his strength to a historically unmatched level.
When he stepped off the court for a rest in the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang raised his right arm, showing off his blazing biceps to the fans in the arena.
Cries of MVP erupted in the arena; last year, he was an absolute lone hero, creating the greatest individual performance season in NBA history.
This season, Gan Guoyang led the greatest team in NBA history, achieving the most remarkable record.
Whether taking charge to turn the tide or stepping back to integrate and command the team, Gan Guoyang’s performance on the court this season had reached a state of mastery.
Ultimately, the Trail Blazers won 124-113 at home against the Seattle Supersonics, securing their 77th win of the season, establishing an unreachable peak for future contenders.
George Karl, with his full beard, once again returned home disappointed, but he still looked forward to showcasing his skills on the playoff stage, hoping at least to compete in the Western Conference Finals for another chance to challenge the Trail Blazers.
Four days later, the NBA playoffs officially began, with the Trail Blazers’ first-round opponent being the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets made a wrong decision in the summer, trading away Robert Horry and acquiring Sibaros in hopes of improving their offense.
But Sibaros was just better in stats, and his impact on the court was far less significant than Robert Horry’s.
With Horry, the Lakers instantly became a Western powerhouse, qualified to break out of the Western Conference with immense potential.
However, the Rockets fell from being an emerging strong team to barely making it into the playoffs.
Chris Weber’s performance declined compared to last season, and he didn’t make the All-Star team.
Although he signed a very long contract with the Houston Rockets, by the summer of 1998, he would have a player option to exit the contract early.
At that time in the NBA, there were no standard contracts, and various clauses were flexible; a contract could be signed for 10 or even 15 years, but with player or team options starting from the second year to ensure operational flexibility for both sides.
With the Rockets’ current downturn, whether they can retain their talented forward by the summer of 1998 is a big question mark.
Facing the Trail Blazers in the first round undoubtedly deepened Weber and the Rockets’ despair—last season, they relied on their frontcourt talent to win two games in the semifinals.
This year, the Rockets had no hope at all, losing three games 91-109, 88-117, and 102-125, with the Trail Blazers scoring increasingly high and easily sweeping the Rockets out of the playoffs.
After losing badly to the Trail Blazers at the Summit Arena, Chris Weber hung his head and walked back to the locker room through the tunnel, silently telling himself that he might have played his last game with the Rockets.
Meanwhile, Weber also silently vowed inside that, one day, he would defeat Ah Gan in the playoffs, no matter how slim the chance, he would strive to try.
This became the faith that would run through Chris Weber’s career, the strongest expression of his will in his athletic life.
[No one knows how much I gave for this moment, the long and solitary journey I made, this path turned me from a boy into a man. I chased the light, progressed with hardship, and finally found my own brightness. I thank God, and I thank the sun.]
———— May 2002, NBA Playoffs, Chris Weber post-game interview excerpt.