For Gan Guoyang, having the new season’s opener in Milwaukee is really something new.
Because he had always played for Western Conference teams before, the openers were always battles between Western teams.
Especially teams from nearby cities, like Seattle, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Phoenix, and so on.
Seattle and Los Angeles the most, starting the new season with these two teams has become a routine for Gan Guoyang, whether the first game or the second or third.
This season, the Glory Team has been assigned to the Eastern Conference, which changes things, as the scheduling VP can’t manage Las Vegas’s location, just fill the 82-game schedule however they like.
Yao Ming’s first NBA regular season game will start with this Eastern Conference trip; after this game in Milwaukee, the next stop is Chicago to visit Jordan’s old turf, then back to Las Vegas for the third game. It’s an interesting schedule.
At the end of October, Milwaukee is right into winter, with temperatures close to zero Celsius. The plane lands at the airport at night, and the cold wind is even chillier.
After arriving at the hotel, Gan Guoyang took everyone to a famous nearby Chinese restaurant to have something to fill their stomachs, so they could sleep well that night.
For the new season, everyone is excited but also nervous, with a bit of fear, especially the newly joined players.
The "fame" of Jordan and Gan Guoyang is known to everyone, the two gods who dominated the entire ’90s, and the slightly younger players grew up watching their games.
From recent months of preseason training camp interaction, young players have found that Ah Gan seems easier to get along with, while Jordan is more strict on court. Ah Gan is more forgiving, giving some room to adjust after mistakes, while Jordan might immediately scold you.
But after a while, players realize that Ah Gan’s control is stronger and broader.
Because Jordan only cares about your on-court performance, certain plays in offense and defense—do poorly, he scolds you, but do well, and that’s it.
Ah Gan, however, can control all aspects of your life, except for your private life, with his invisible hand covering everything.
For example, you can’t gamble in Las Vegas; nobody will catch you, but you are sure to lose at the casino.
Indulgence is controlled; you can drink and see women, but if it’s too frequent, the manager will tell you, "Mr. Sonny has covered your bill."
Once or twice is okay, but if it keeps happening, you’ll think, damn, I’m under Ah Gan’s watch, never mind, stop this, I’m in too much debt.
Also, for meals, Gan Guoyang often invites everyone to eat together and have some drinks to bond.
In Las Vegas, if you’re settled, you’re required to bring your wife and kids along.
These family gatherings can strengthen team cohesion and also make wives and kids a motivation for the players to work hard.
Gan Guoyang told them: "During the season, away games will be tough. Men can’t do it without your support. Thank you for your contribution."
Pat Riley back with the Lakers used this tactic, aiming to prevent women from dragging players down, ensuring family matters don’t interfere with players’ performance on the court.
People are like dogs in a way; one or two dogs have no threat, they’d tuck tail and flee when they see people.
Once dogs form a pack, even pet dogs, in cities, suburbs, or rural areas, they become a powerful hunting group.
They might even attack some children, becoming a local menace.
The key to dogs and wolves forming packs is having a strong leader.
After a season of settling in and with new powerhouses introduced, Glory is becoming a strong group.
On the night of October 30, at Bradley Field in Milwaukee, Glory is challenging the Bucks on the road, and the venue is full, not a single empty seat.
The Bucks’ attendance has been good these years, ranking high in the league because their recent seasons have been quite successful.
But their ticket prices have never been high, and for this game, the ticket prices surged because of the debut of the Glory Twins.
Many fans from other states booked tickets when the schedule came out, buying from scalpers just to come to Milwaukee to see the Gan-Jordan duo.
For a small market like Milwaukee, this is significantly beneficial; this cold small city hasn’t been this lively in a long time.
Even during the 2001 season when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals, the home court was not as packed as for this game.
Bradley Field originally only had 18,717 seats, but additional seats were set up, increasing the capacity to 19,200.
Much like Portland’s Glass Palace back then, they almost sold standing tickets; you know, an extra hundred seats means tens of thousands in ticket revenue.
From the warm-up, the fans were already present, and the scene was indeed breathtaking, especially for Yao Ming.
When he played in the CBA, the most packed Finals had just a few thousand spectators, incomparable to nearly 20,000 in NBA arenas.
Other relatively young players like Miller, Bell, and Wallace, even with a few years of experience, find this kind of scene still nerve-wracking.
Only Gan Guoyang and Jordan had no feelings about it, having experienced too many grand occasions.
Like the 1987 Finals at the Silverdome, with 40,000 spectators on-site, grand and magnificent like a Super Bowl football stadium.
In such situations, globally broadcasted, they still played whoever they needed to, without a care.