When Gan Guoyang appeared, it was still the familiar sunrise music, still the endless cheers and applause, the enthusiasm of the Portland people was undiminished.
This made Kobe quite unhappy; he was already prepared to fiercely beat the two gods in this game.
Standing on the court in his jersey, it was evident that Kobe was very muscular this season, much more solid and robust than when he first entered the league.
Especially his shoulders and back, which are considered quite broad and muscular among guards; he had replaced his youthful afro with a mature buzz cut.
This is his seventh year in the league; it truly is the time for a player to reach their full form.
The Trail Blazers’ starting lineup: Ben Wallace, Little O’Neal, Michael Rick, Kobe, Derek Anderson.
A lineup that is strong on both offense and defense, whether it’s maturity, chemistry, or talent, it’s an unquestionably excellent combination.
The key is, this lineup is still very young; Reed is 23, Kobe and Little O’Neal are 24, Ben Wallace and Derek Anderson are 28.
As long as they don’t have internal conflicts, they will be strong contenders for the championship for at least the next five years, even with some tweaking.
Gan Guoyang was right; the Portland Trail Blazers are still enjoying the grace he left behind.
While he was here, he won enough championships.
After he left, the saplings he nurtured gradually grew into towering trees.
Instead of piecing together a super lineup for the championship while he was here, only to leave behind a mess of feathers after he left.
Gan Guoyang’s long-termist thinking even impressed Phil Knight, his opponent.
"Ah Gan laid a solid cultural foundation for the Trail Blazers. After I bought the team, I realized that no matter how I remodel it, the core doesn’t need changing, because Ah Gan’s legacy is too rich."
This season, Phil Knight said many good things about Gan Guoyang, raising his image in the hearts of Portland fans significantly.
Of course, there’s also the reason that Gan Guoyang’s influence has grown so vast, the subsidies and dividends from the Glory Team to each team are really too much.
So Knight realized there’s no point in going against him. Praising him a bit doesn’t hurt.
The Glory Team’s starting lineup is Yao Ming, Gan Guoyang, Jordan, Gerald Wallace, and Andre Miller.
Except for the two core players being a bit old, overall, it’s still a very balanced and highly competitive lineup.
This battle is bound to be very intense.
Yao Ming stood at the center circle to jump ball with Big Ben.
Big Ben looked up at Yao Ming, sighed, and thought, damn, am I facing a center taller than me again?!
The height disparity is indeed a bit much! Big Ben claims to be 6 feet 9, 2 meters 6, but in reality, he’s just around 201.
Counting his afro, he barely looks like he’s about 206, which is basically just bluffing.
In every game, Big Ben often has to face much taller center positions, but this doesn’t affect his performance.
During the jump ball, Wallace surprisingly was the first to touch the ball, flicking it to Kobe, and the game began.
Although Yao Ming was tall, his arm span was quite average, and his rebound preparation time was longer, he wasn’t advantageous in jump ball.
Sometimes even when competing for the ball with guards, Yao Ming couldn’t win, this aspect is indeed Yao Ming’s weakness.
In the opening offensive, both sides were very cautious; today’s Trail Blazers were not the firepower team of ’97-2000 anymore.
They played slower, steadier, more traditional because Carl discovered that without Ah Gan, the all-around genius, the offensive team style simply doesn’t work in this era.
Building a solid defense foundation steadily, leveraging Kobe and Little O’Neal’s talents on the offense is the safest strategy.
Big Ben was calling for the ball at the right low post, his back against Yao Ming, like a hermit crab carrying a big shell.
Sometimes in the opening, the Trail Blazers would let Ben Wallace try a couple of shots to make him happy.
Once Big Ben got happy, his enthusiasm on defense would be stronger, equivalent to applying a Buff to him at the start.
Derek Anderson hesitated for a moment and didn’t pass; why bother giving the ball? Big Ben wanted to play against Yao Ming? How could you beat him?
So he faked a pass and gave the ball to Kobe on the left side, with Little O’Neal positioned at the left horn, matched against Gan Guoyang.
Little O’Neal boxed out Gan Guoyang, also posing as if he wanted the ball.
In the opening attack, the two big men took turns posting up; it was clear the Trail Blazers’ set offense was quite traditional and solid.
Kobe ignored Little O, knowing it would be hard for Little O to beat Ah Gan; he just needed to tie up Ah Gan.
After a crossover switch, Kobe held the ball with his left hand, breaking through to attack Jordan fiercely!
Jordan caught up to Kobe, but during the airborne confrontation, he was pushed away by Kobe, who then scored with a left-handed layup!
Jordan, whose strength once had absolute advantage, now fell behind when facing Kobe one-on-one.
Jordan gestured to the referee for an elbowing foul, indicating Kobe’s hand wasn’t clean just now.
"This kid, always playing with dirty tricks, damn, doesn’t even know who he learned it from." Jordan complained while sarcastically gibing at Gan Guoyang.
"Anyway it’s not me; he doesn’t play like me. You’re his template." Gan Guoyang deflected.
"He said, I’m not his idol, you are." Jordan retorted.
The game had just started, and Jordan and Gan Guoyang were already arguing, which was a unique spectacle in the current NBA.
Other teams would have the opponents mocking each other with trash talk, but on the Glory side, it was Gan Guoyang and Jordan, two teammates, bickering.
Sometimes the arguments got so intense, even the opponents couldn’t stand it, saying please stop roasting each other, we can’t take it anymore.