In the afternoon, Carl came over to find Gan Guoyang and said it was time to head to Staples for warm-up preparations.
It was evident that Carl was quite nervous; his eyes were constantly wandering, clearly thinking about things.
Thinking about the game tonight, thinking about how to win, what to do if they lose, and what plans and preparations should be made for the game.
He couldn’t stop; his mind just couldn’t stop, and Carl had no way to calm himself.
He couldn’t understand how Gan Guoyang could be relaxed enough to watch a movie in the media room.
Since last night until this morning, Carl had been thinking about tactics and rotations.
In the regular season, he could leave many things to the players, but in the playoffs, the coach can’t have a moment’s peace.
He initially wanted to take a nap but simply couldn’t sleep. He wanted to chat with Gan Guoyang but found that he wasn’t in his room.
It wasn’t until it was time to leave that he found out the guy was watching a movie, causing Carl to almost stomp his feet in frustration, still having the mood to watch a movie.
"Rick, do you like Bruce Lee’s Kung Fu style or Jackie Chan’s comedic style?"
Gan Guoyang even asked Carl whether he liked Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan.
Carl replied perfunctorily, "Oh, I... both are good, I like them both."
Gan Guoyang said, "Ah~ You should like Jim Carrey more; he’s the real comedy master."
Carl shook his head, saying, "Sonny, my brain can’t fit anything except Game 7 right now. I can’t think about anything other than basketball; I can’t do it."
Gan Guoyang said, "Why? With me here, what are you afraid of?"
"It’s not about whether you’re here or not, it’s..."
"What is it?"
"..."
"Weren’t you doing well in the regular season? Most of the time, just give me the ball, and I’ll handle it."
"But this is the playoffs; losing in the regular season is just losing, and there’s still the next game. Playoffs, especially this one, if we lose, we have to go home."
Gan Guoyang firmly squeezed Carl’s shoulder and patted his back, saying, "Rick, trust me, we’ll win and then head to Boston for the finals. Have the teammates give me the ball; I’ll score 50 points, maybe more, until we knock out the Lakers at the Staples. This isn’t 1997. I’m confident I’ve got the energy, and I’m sure my teammates can hold up. Do you believe me?"
Carl nodded vigorously; his anxious mood calmed down a lot, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"But..."
"No more buts, or I’ll put your photo on the bench."
"Got it."
"And tonight, I’m playing center."
"Understood."
-----------------
Evening, Staples Center, filled with stars.
Many of Hollywood’s big stars came to the court to watch this decisive Game 7 for the Western Conference title.
Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Jodie Foster, and other top Hollywood stars came to watch the game court-side.
Die-hard Lakers fan Jack-Nicholson, of course, was also in attendance, having expressed multiple times before the game his strong desire to see the Lakers win the championship again.
The last time the Lakers won a championship was 15 years ago, and no one expected that the title Magic Johnson and Jabbar won against the Celtics in 1985 would be their last.
Lakers legends like Magic Johnson, Jabbar, and James Worthy also came to Staples, equally hoping the new Lakers could beat this old Trail Blazers team.
Regardless, the Lakers taking down the Trail Blazers twice in the Western Conference Finals makes these veterans proud.
The teams were warming up, and the TV cameras repeatedly focused on the core players of both teams: O’Neal, Jide, Tracy McGrady, Holi, Gan Guoyang, Kobe, Sabonis.
Everyone had a serious expression, even Shaq, who usually liked to joke and laugh before games, was solemnly standing at the free-throw line practicing his shot.
He didn’t want his free throws to be a liability in the game anymore.
Gan Guoyang, however, wasn’t shooting but continuously warming up his footwork while constantly relaxing his arms and hands.
The pregame ceremonies quickly ended, and for the players, such a grand performance was torturous.
The tense mood reached its peak with the rousing music of The Star-Spangled Banner.
What made O’Neal even more nervous was that standing at the center circle for the jump ball was Gan Guoyang, not Little O’Neal.
The Trail Blazers’ starters hadn’t changed: it was still Sabonis, Gan Guoyang, Little O’Neal, Kobe, and Brellock.
But Gan Guoyang’s presence at center for the jump ball meant he was playing the center position and would match up against O’Neal.
In the first six games, Gan Guoyang rarely defended O’Neal one-on-one; they were kept apart.
O’Neal averaged 33 points and 14 rebounds over six games, making him the most outstanding player on both teams.
However, when Gan Guoyang stood across from O’Neal, the Big Shark swallowed nervously, realizing that his biggest challenge of the season had arrived.
He kept reminding himself: he was the MVP this season, and Ah Gan looked thinner, so taking him out in this game shouldn’t be a problem.
"Shaq..."
"No, Sonny, don’t talk to me. I don’t want to hear anything."
"Your shoelaces are untied."
O’Neal looked down, and his shoelaces were fine, not untied at all.
Ah Gan fooled me again!
But O’Neal wasn’t angry; instead, he felt a deeper fear.
It was clear that Ah Gan seemed very relaxed and was in great condition.