Kobe’s relentless defense against Jordan made him very uncomfortable, and after the pick and roll, Kobe also fiercely chased him.
Back on the bench, Jordan sipped water, his face serious. Gan Guoyang nudged him and said with a smile, "How’s it going, can’t beat Kobe now? The new waves of the Yangtze River push the old ones onto the shores~ Hey, buddy, do you want me to help you?"
"I just missed two shots, what are you talking about help or no help? You should focus on helping yourself first, see how many points you can get tonight."
Gan Guoyang chuckled, knowing Jordan would stick to his pride for a while.
As for his own scoring, Gan Guoyang wasn’t in a hurry; the game had just begun.
Jordan did feel a bit pressured; the pre-game plan was for Jordan to assist Gan Guoyang.
However, Kobe was too arrogant, continuously scoring over Jordan’s head, making Jordan feel embarrassed.
He wanted to respond, but Kobe’s defense was truly excellent this year; his physical attributes not only held up but were better than Jordan’s.
The key was that Kobe wasn’t alone; Little O’Neal and Big Ben, two agile and great defensive inside players, were constantly aiding Kobe.
Three of Jordan’s offensive attempts resulted in two missed shots and one forced pass, leading to Gerald Wallace drawing a foul under the basket and making one of two free throws.
Ah Gan, that bastard, was watching from the side, waiting for Jordan to ask for help, which Jordan stubbornly refused to do.
Tomjanovich didn’t bother with these two guys, and he revised the offensive focus, allowing Yao Ming to primarily set up screens and facilitate plays.
Gan Guoyang moved to the primary offense position, initiating attacks from the post and baseline to stabilize the situation.
Speaking of stability, Gan Guoyang truly delivered; after the timeout, at the left baseline sweet spot, facing Big Ben with two feints, he managed to shake up the usually cautious Big Ben.
He drove along the baseline into the basket and completed a left-handed dunk, drawing a foul from the help defense by Little O’Neal, scored the extra free throw, 10:11, closing the gap to 1 point.
Then, Gan Guoyang and Jordan double-teamed Kobe during defense, intercepting his pass, leading to a fast-break dunk by Gerald Wallace! Taking the lead!
In the following rounds, the Trail Blazers temporarily shifted their offensive focus to Little O’Neal, who began one-on-one post plays against Gan Guoyang.
But Gan Guoyang wasn’t Jordan; his post defense hadn’t deteriorated, rather, it had become even craftier, presenting a significant challenge for Little O’Neal.
Last season, every time Little O’Neal faced Gan Guoyang, he’d falter; all his fundamental skills were taught by Gan Guoyang. When he backed down in the post, it was like leaning against an insurmountable mountain, the psychological pressure was immense.
Two consecutive failed attempts, Yao Ming grabbed the rebound, and Gan Guoyang scored a three-pointer in the fast break, giving the Glory Team the lead.
When Gan Guoyang scored with a turnaround hook shot against Big Ben, the Trail Blazers called a timeout.
On the bench, Kobe said to Little O’Neal, "It’s not that you can’t score; you’re afraid of him! Why are you afraid of him? Focus, beat him! You have to beat him to win! He’s already old, what about your shooting? Your hook shots? Just do what you usually do!"
Kobe was furious; he saw hesitation in Little O’Neal’s eyes; he knew Little O’Neal felt fear and reverence towards Ah Gan.
Little O’Neal sat silently on the bench, took a sip of water, and exhaled deeply; he too was introspecting, realizing this wasn’t right.
Even on the court, Ah Gan said, "Come on, Jermaine," hoping he’d score, but it was really difficult.
Whenever he made a move, Little O’Neal couldn’t help but think, "Ah Gan would surely anticipate what I’m doing, right? I need to change my approach."
But no matter how he changed, Little O’Neal realized all he had learned came from Ah Gan; he couldn’t break out of that framework.
Carl consoled Kobe and Little O’Neal’s emotions, knowing everyone valued this game greatly and wanted to win, win beautifully.
"If we do our jobs well, we can win the game," Carl said before the game.
But facing the Glory Team and Ah Gan, everyone wondered, "Can I win against him like this?"
The timeout ended, and the game continued as Carl made a key adjustment, bringing in Bonzi Wells, the sixth man acquired this summer, replacing Michael Redd.
Bonzi Wells was selected by the Pistons in 1998 and served the team for four seasons before he chose not to renew with them and joined the Trail Blazers.
Bonzi wasn’t his real name; his given name was Gavin Wells, and because his mother loved a certain ice cream while pregnant with him, she gave him this nickname.
In the Europe and America sports circle, using nicknames, abbreviations, and aliases instead of real names is common; some names are used so often many people don’t know it’s not their real name.
Like Magic Johnson, originally Evan Johnson, was called Magic due to his excellent passing, and eventually Magic became his official name, even at the draft, Larry O’Brien announced that the Lakers selected him as "Magic Johnson."
Doug Rivers, originally Glenn Rivers, nicknamed "Doc" became his formal name now.
Regarding nicknames and abbreviations, "Larry" is a common nickname, for example, Larry Fleisher, whose real name is Lawrence Fleisher.
A more common abbreviation is "Bill," with many people in America named Bill, and the NBA has had many great players named Bill.
Like Bill Russell, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Walton, their true names are "William," simplified to Bill.
Gan Guoyang is similar, "Sunny-Gump" was never his official English name; his formal English name is the pinyin of his Chinese name.
But the name Sonny Gan has been passed around for 20 years and has become an indelible part of him.
When Wells took the court, with "Bonzi" armband, he launched an assault on this legendary Portland name.
Because of its similarity in sound, Chinese players called him "Bangzi," truly capturing the essence in nickname creation.
Although sometimes not very elegant, they certainly are apt and direct; Bonzi Wells, in terms of play style, appearance, mentality, and English name, resembles "Bangzi" indeed.
Once he had the ball, he charged inside without hesitation; standing 1.96 meters tall, he cared for nothing and simply attacked. Despite initially being blocked, he soon successfully drew a defensive foul from Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang’s reaction was inevitably slower than before, and Yao Ming’s lack of experience in this play didn’t provide proper protection, exposing Gan Guoyang directly.
The energetic Wells rushed in to draw the foul.
Standing at the free-throw line, Wells made both free throws; for him as a substitute, forcing a foul from Gan Guoyang achieved his offensive task.
Afterwards, to avoid further fouls, Gan Guoyang would certainly ease up defensively, while Bonzi Wells grew more courageous and wildly engaged in combat.
He could drive, shoot, has three-point range, heavy-built, and great impact, resembling a mini Barkley. Appearing as a substitute, he could attack immediately, not requiring tactical cooperation, instantly revitalizing the Trail Blazers’ offense.
Scored a three-pointer from outside, then managed a turnaround jump shot against Gerald Wallace on the wing, scoring!
In the latter half of the first quarter, Wells led the Trail Blazers on a small scoring run, and with Gan Guoyang taking a break, he grew more unrestrained.
In response, the Glory Team brought in Van Exel, similarly sinking a three-pointer, and the two bald-headed players wearing headbands started a thrilling contest, turning an initially organized confrontation into chaos.
Yet, neither side’s defense intensity waned; crazy as it seemed, it still had order within chaos; both sides firmly controlled the game pace, avoiding loss of control.
As the first quarter ended, the teams were locked at 23:24, the home team Trail Blazers leading the Glory Team by 1 point, Kobe scoring 10 points in the first quarter, and Wells scoring 7 points.
Little O’Neal couldn’t score against Ah Gan, Big Ben didn’t capitalize on two free throw opportunities, while on the Glory side, Jordan went scoreless in the first quarter, with Gan Guoyang still being the anchor in both offense and defense.
The competition was intensely fierce, as Gan Guoyang grew more excited, realizing this Trail Blazers team was significantly better than last season.
The Glory team’s attempt to dominate the Trail Blazers wasn’t easy, they might even be suppressed by them; it all depended on how many cards Carl held.
Let’s see if Carl can force the Glory’s hidden card, the "Double Deity Duo," to appear.