Arenas nodded to show understanding; the serious Ah Gan was intimidating.
All the ease and nonchalance were just a guise of grass to cover the desire for victory, built on a foundation of great strength.
Gan Guoyang had moved past the early days of "I want to win every one of the 82 games, striving for victory in each one"; he knows when to let go and sees winning and losing as part of daily life.
But in important games, crucial matches, he never lets go, and this season opener for the team is undoubtedly one of those.
On defense, Gan Guoyang successfully cut off Pippen's pass to O'Neal; you've been passing easily for half the court; it's time to tighten up a bit, isn't it?
Glory Team's counterattack saw the Lakers quickly retreat to defense, not giving Gerald Wallace any chance.
Gan Guoyang didn't take it coast-to-coast himself but rather, after drawing in the defense, passed to Arenas, who charged straight to the basket with the ball.
This time, he had no hesitation, quickly bypassed Hunter, and stormed to the basket for a dunk!
He used this fierce scoring method to tell everyone he had immense energy inside him.
The place erupted in cheers; this batch of young Glory Team players really played energetically.
Then, Raja Bell successfully stole the ball from Richmond on defense.
Glory Team's morale rose; Bell, getting the steal, immediately passed the ball to Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang dribbled and organized, with Pippen sticking close, and Gan Guoyang immediately used his experience to draw a defensive foul from Pippen.
The duel between the old hands led to a successful foul draw, and Gan Guoyang soon asked for the ball in the low post.
Pippen came over to double-team, and the ball was passed to Wallace, who took the ball and charged, but got lost in the dense defense.
Yet by some mistake, the ball ended up in Miller's hands inside, who caught it, made a small hook shot off the glass, and scored.
Recklessness often comes at the cost of errors, but bravery can yield unexpected rewards.
This continuous fierce offensive made it difficult for the Lakers to cope; with the young McGrady and Fisher missing, the Lakers seemed a bit aged.
The situation reversed in the third quarter; Glory Team, relying on the steady play of Gan Guoyang and the hustle of the young players, caught up in the score and even turned it around at one point.
However, this Lakers team is indeed different from before; having won the championship in the 2001 season, their mindset had improved significantly with championship experience.
Especially O'Neal, who played exceptionally inside tonight; Miller's solo defense was practically ineffectual.
After Glory Team took the lead, the Lakers calmed down, relying steadily on O'Neal's low-post strong attacks to score consecutively and regained the lead.
The Lakers now are like the 2000 Trail Blazers, like a heavily armored tank; no matter how you attack from all directions, I steadily advance, crushing you.
Glory Team's offensive surges are wave-like; after a peak, there must be a transitional low.
This is a common problem for young teams: relying on physicality and morale to play, they lack continuity and stability.
Glory isn't without veterans, but whether it's Porter or Kerr, or Willis, they're a bit too old.
Isiah Rider, who performed excellently in the first half, saw his efficiency decline in the third quarter; after missing consecutively as a substitute, he didn't dare to shoot again.
Thus, the pressure during the low phase had to be shouldered by Gan Guoyang alone—once again, continuous isolation plays.
In the third quarter, Gan Guoyang scored 12 points through isolation plays, totaling 34 points by the third quarter, helping Glory Team to a 74:77, trailing by only 3 points.
However, Gan Guoyang has always been known as the King of the Third Quarter, and 12 points are really not a lot for him; a 50% shooting rate is considered relatively low efficiency.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang sat on the bench to rest, and this rest was relatively long.
For more than five minutes, without Gan Guoyang as the backbone, Tomjanovich replaced with the veteran guards Steve Kerr and Terry Porter to control the situation on the court.
Anyway, the Lakers' guards are also old guys; they're not afraid of breakthrough attacks.
Porter's mid-range jump shot and Kerr's three-pointer indeed played a role in stabilizing the situation.
But the stronger and more cohesive Lakers still seized the opportunity and launched a 7:1 offensive push.
Pippen scored consecutive tip-ins under the basket, while Lindsey Hunter hit a three-pointer from outside; Glory Team only scored from a three-seconds violation called by the referee, awarded a free throw made by Kerr.
The Lakers took a 9-point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter, prompting Tomjanovich to call a timeout and bring Gan Guoyang back into play.
On the Lakers' bench, Phil Jackson, who had dealt with Gan Guoyang his entire career, shouted tensely to the players: "Sonny's coming back; everyone knows he'll attack with the ball; he'll launch the final counterattack. Double-team, we must double-team him at all costs now!"
Jackson, too, was a lurking crocodile; he hadn't double-teamed Gan Guoyang before just to prevent Gan Guoyang from getting his teammates' shooting rhythm going.
Now it's the fourth quarter, and he resolutely double-teams; will you shoot or pass?
If you pass, the teammates' state is average; if you attack, facing the double-team, your efficiency will definitely decrease.
Phil Jackson's tactic was indeed ruthless; after the timeout, facing the double-team, Gan Guoyang had neither an effective pass nor shot.
The teammates missed the open shots, and Gan Guoyang's forced turnaround hook shot didn't go in either; the difficulty was indeed too high.
However, the battle-hardened Gan Guoyang did not panic; during the previous timeout, Tomjanovich also had cards up his sleeve.