Fans are gradually growing tired of basketball being just a sport for giants; Allen Iverson has given them a way to challenge giants.
In this game, the shot Iverson made to tie the score was under Gan Guoyang’s defense.
He still remembers how in his rookie season he was tortured and humiliated by Ah Gan, who, like a prison warden, completely locked Iverson up in a cage.
Now, Iverson has become faster and more experienced, while Gan Guoyang’s defensive footwork is clearly not at its peak. Iverson hit this extremely important shot, and after scoring, he roared loudly, showing his somewhat skinny biceps to the audience on the sidelines.
Iverson knows the game isn’t over yet; 11 seconds is enough time for Ah Gan to punish everyone with a buzzer-beater.
So, who cares, let’s celebrate first; if later there is a buzzer-beater, I’ll be dumbfounded. Celebrating now isn’t a loss.
With 11 seconds left, tied score, after the Trail Blazers’ timeout ended, Larry-Brown immediately called another timeout to disrupt the Trail Blazers’ setup.
Carl was also not idle; when the 76ers’ timeout ended and the Trail Blazers struggled to inbound the ball, Carl called a timeout too.
In the final 11 seconds, the game was repeatedly paused, making fans at the venue and in front of the TV anxious, dragging the game on for long.
Finally, the Trail Blazers launched an attack; Gan Guoyang passed the sideline ball to Kobe and then went to the low post to demand the ball to attract attention.
Kobe received the ball and broke through, stopping near the free throw line for a jump shot, but instead, it was a fake shot and pass directly underneath to Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang caught the ball and easily made a layup! Scored two points, and the Trail Blazers led 90:88, leaving only 3 seconds for the 76ers.
Larry-Brown used the last timeout. Iverson looked up at the scoreboard and big screen, thinking damn, indeed Ah Gan scored.
The game-winning Gan Guoyang had no expression on his face, as if he scored an ordinary goal, for in his long professional career, such shots were too common.
The 76ers had a chance to win the game in the last moment; Iverson, facing double teams, passed to Alon Magee, who attempted a three-pointer from outside the arc. If it went in, it would be killing his old team.
Unfortunately, as soon as the ball was released, it was known to be off. There wasn’t enough time as the ball hit the rim’s front and bounced out, ending the game with the Trail Blazers securing another victory.
A tough win, the Trail Blazers find winning not as easy as before since recent games have all reached the final moments.
As the buzzer sounded, the whole team breathed a sigh of relief. Kobe performed well tonight, showcasing brilliant plays at crucial moments.
But as the game ended, he bypassed Allen Iverson who came over to greet him, lowered his head, and left the court back to the locker room alone, looking like he lost the game.
Within the Trail Blazers team, Kobe seems increasingly out of place, becoming more reclusive.
His skills have greatly improved since his rookie season, but his relationship with teammates is worse than during his rookie years.
Back then, though he was arrogant, competitive, and aloof, at least he was lively, occasionally seemed humorous, like a child.
Everyone was quite tolerant towards him, viewing him as a naïve youngster, able to tolerate many of his flaws.
Now that he has been in the League for 4 years, from a workplace perspective, working for four years counts as a senior employee.
His competitiveness and aggressive mindset haven’t changed, but even intensified, while his temper becomes more odd and unpredictable.
He rarely participates in most social events, has no private connections, disappears after training and games, and no one knows where he goes.
Even Little O’neal, who had always been close to Kobe, often finds it hard to grasp what Kobe thinks or does since this season started.
Gan Guoyang, entangled in various issues inside and outside the court, has no time to care for this younger brother, especially as he has been in the League for four years; he should have learned to walk on his own long ago.
Of course, there is no airtight wall; sports stars’ daily gossip has always been media’s favorite, and once there’s a stir, the paparazzi run faster than anyone.
On the flight from Portland to Miami that day, Gan Guoyang saw news about Kobe’s romance in the newspaper: he is having a heated relationship with a beauty in Los Angeles.
In the autumn, Kobe went to Los Angeles for training. He had a group of friends in the hip-hop circle, who helped Kobe produce a hip-hop album - which then was common practice for many NBA black players, as NBA and hip-hop circle interactions were frequent.
While filming a music video, Kobe met a 17-year-old beautiful dancer named Vanessa, and Kobe fell in love with her at first sight.
At the time, Vanessa was still in high school, but Kobe didn’t care; he immediately began pursuing Vanessa.
He started sending flowers constantly to Orange County High School, where Vanessa studied, and drove his Mercedes to pick her up and drop her off at school, causing a stir in the area.
Back then, Gan Guoyang’s spy case was causing quite a stir, so not many paid attention to Kobe’s younger brother’s romantic gossip.
After the spy case cooled down, the media in Portland and Los Angeles began to focus on Kobe and his young girlfriend.
Due to working and living in Portland, Kobe and Vanessa embarked on a painful long-distance relationship; for Kobe, the only good news was Los Angeles had two teams, giving him four opportunities to play away games in Los Angeles in a season.