Chapter 700 - 68: The Summit

Gan Guoyang toyed with Kevin Johnson with relentless defensive traps and psychological games.

After the lead widened to 22 points, Fitzsimmons called a desperate timeout, which in reality had no effect.

In this game, the Trail Blazers were better prepared than the Suns, having had more rest time to study the tapes and make pre-game preparations.

The Suns had just finished a Game 5 battle with the Jazz and had only two days’ rest before entering the new series.

They continued some of the habits from the Jazz confrontation into the game, thinking that the Trail Blazers were just an upgraded version of the Jazz.

Only after the game started did they realize that the Trail Blazers and the Jazz are completely different teams, and that Ah Gan and Malone are completely different players.

A well-prepared Gan Guoyang ran roughshod over the Suns and Kevin Johnson at both ends of the court.

Kurt Rambis was half right; Ah Gan indeed had a nasty side, he enjoyed seeing his opponents in pain during the game more than the joy after a victory.

But the reason why Gan Guoyang was so heavy-handed against the Suns was also because of his complex emotions.

First, he wanted to avenge his good friend John Stockton, hoping it would improve John’s mood.

The possibility of meeting in the playoffs had to be pushed back another year.

Second, the death of Fleisher a year ago still caused ripples in his heart, and having the semifinal the day after the anniversary made it impossible to have no negative emotions.

Third, the Trail Blazers went to Game 7 with the Suns last year, which bothered Gan Guoyang internally. He wanted to prove that the Trail Blazers were not on the same level as the Suns, to shut up the expert commentators.

The last point was that Gan Guoyang came into this playoff with a strong desire for revenge.

The loss in the ’89 season was both painful and motivational; he had to prove himself again and shine on the NBA’s biggest stage.

Once a king has reached the peak, he cannot accept lingering at the bottom, and will do everything to return to the top.

All obstacles on the climbing path were but weeds to Ah Gan; they all needed to be cut down with a sharp scythe.

So this season, Ah Gan was single-minded; during the regular season, he averaged 31.6 points, 14.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.1 blocks (fifth in the League), leading his team to a breezy 69 wins.

After the All-Star game, they swept through the League, and no one was their match.

Gan Guoyang also won the League’s Player of the Month for February and March consecutively, and his MVP for the regular season was virtually in the bag.

With so many intense emotions combined, that Gan Guoyang didn’t start a fight in the game or knock Rambis flat on the floor was already good self-control on his part.

Kevin Johnson wasn’t crushed by Ah Gan’s play, but his mentality was indeed greatly affected.

From then on, Kevin Johnson didn’t dare to drive to the basket with the ball anymore; all were mid-range shots from outside.

Gan Guoyang also stopped double-teaming Kevin Johnson, just letting him shoot; could he recover a 22-point deficit by shooting?

The pace was firmly controlled by the Trail Blazers, and in the entire second half, the gap was never reduced to less than 15 points.

The final score was 100:117, the Trail Blazers easily defeated the Suns by 17 points at home, leading the series by 1:0.

Gan Guoyang scored 47 points, 16 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 4 assists, with 4 of those blocks given to Kevin Johnson.

As the game ended and he left the court, Kevin Johnson carried mediocre stats of 17 points, 5 assists, and 1 steal.

If he were a role player, these stats would have been impressive.

But he was the offensive engine of the Suns, the key to handling ball possession.

When he got restricted, the Suns lost their vitality on offense.

Back in the locker room, Danny Ainge spoke out criticizing Kevin Johnson for playing too timidly.

Kevin Johnson didn’t argue back, but Rambis stood up for him, insisting Ainge was wrong and that Kevin had done what he could.

These two former enemies with the Lakers Celtics were now teammates with the Suns, but there was still friction between them.

One reason Rambis couldn’t become the Suns’ locker room leader was because of Ainge, who wouldn’t fall in line and always caused trouble.

Ainge, not much younger than Rambis, and having not gotten along with Bird at the Celtics, why would he listen to Rambis with the Suns?

What are you, Rambis, thinking a rousing speech makes you the spiritual leader? Wishful thinking.

Now seeing the team’s nominal leader, Kevin Johnson, underperforming, An Ji is considering a coup.

Anyway, this kid’s always stealing the spotlight. To put it nicely, he’s competitive; to put it bluntly, he’s a shit-stirrer.

"Kevin’s better at offense. Next game, let me handle the playmaking, let Kevin go all out on offense. I’m not afraid of Ah Gan, who does that son of a bitch think he’s scaring?"

What An Ji means is he’ll handle the ball and let Kevin Johnson play as the shooting guard.

Actually, that’s not a bad idea.

But Rambis said, "Why didn’t you call out Ah Gan as a son of a bitch during the game?"

"I will in the next game, and who was guarding Ah Gan tonight?"

"Why not this game? I would dare to right now. I might not be able to defeat Ah Gan, but I dare to defend against him!"

Fitzsimmons, seeing the locker room getting out of control, reminded everyone it was just a single loss, urging them not to lose their formation.

"It doesn’t matter if we lost by 17 points or by 1 point, we’re still behind with a big score of 0:1. Just like in the first round against the Jazz, we were crushed in the first game but ended up winning, didn’t we? Calm down, and have faith in our teammates, in every one of them."

Fitzsimmons commands respect in the Suns, and his words quelled the dispute.

However, Fitzsimmons also needs Kevin Johnson to step up.

He said to Kevin, "I believe in you. It’s just a typical off game. You can play your game, Kevin."

Kevin Johnson nodded and said, "I know, I know Ah Gan is formidable, he’s at the summit. But I’ll be at the summit as well, and I won’t easily admit defeat."

Kevin Johnson’s maternal grandfather was George Johnson, an ordinary white laborer from Sacramento.

As a young man, George Johnson fell in love with a white girl named Georgia who ran a small bar.

But Georgia got pregnant by a black man and had a mixed-race black daughter. George Johnson accepted both mother and daughter, married her, and also named the black girl Georgia.

Young Georgia had Kevin Johnson at the age of 16, and his father, who had not married her, died in a drowning accident when Kevin was three.

So, Kevin Johnson took his mother and grandfather’s surname, and he lived in an unconventional family.

George Johnson was a kind man. When the news reported a robbery during Christmas, he would drive Kevin to the victim to give them money, helping them celebrate Christmas.

Whenever hobos knocked on their door, George Johnson would give them some money, earning him great affection in Sacramento and profoundly influencing Kevin Johnson.

During his time at the University of California, he spent his days in the library and on the basketball court.

He and a friend named Muhammad Muktar would sneak into the gym, turn off the lights, and practice dribbling in darkness.

Once, a gym staff member heard some noises and checked, finding the two intruders and asked, "It’s Saturday. Why aren’t you two at a party?"

Kevin Johnson replied, "Parties are not where I want to be."

"So, where do you want to be?"

"The summit, where I can overlook the world."

Now, he’s still at a distance from the summit, but the person on it is right before him.

The one who reached the peak before him, the former King of California, is still there.

A day later, at the Memorial Coliseum, the second showdown between the Suns and the Trail Blazers.

Kevin Johnson finally regained his form, against Porter’s defense he scored 30 points on 14 of 20 shooting, had 16 assists, and 3 steals.

The Suns even had a 6-point lead over the Trail Blazers before the fourth quarter.

However, the Suns lost the second game with a score of 106:110, a 4-point deficit, falling behind with a big score of 0:2.

Because Ah Gan, with a triple-double performance of 29 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists, along with critical consecutive scoring, destroyed the Suns’ hopes of evening the score.

Kevin Johnson is still far from the summit.