Chapter 833 - 35 Deserving the Salary

Gan Guoyang certainly didn’t want to be defeated by Jordan twice. For him, besides Jordan, no one else in the league caught his attention.

The players from the ’70s were either aging, retiring, or suffering from injuries, with only Magic Johnson posing a threat, while the rest were progressively exiting the competition stage of the ’90s.

This season, the Lakers, with Johnson, have battled the Trail Blazers three times so far, and the Trail Blazers have won all encounters. Clearly, after many years of confrontation, the two teams know each other too well.

Without Jabbar, the Lakers have been struggling to compete against Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers, and last year they even fell short against David Robinson and the Spurs.

The players from the ’80s class of 1984 are now reaching their prime, with Charles, Olajuwon, Stockton, and others leading their teams in a sprint towards the top of the league.

Meanwhile, Ah Gan is already sitting at the peak, waiting for them; for now, only Jordan has come close, and Gan Guoyang can see Jordan’s shiny bald head as he vigorously climbs upwards.

Every matchup in the regular season accumulates experience and lessons, serves as training for tactics and willpower, and is a psychological and public opinion clash.

Therefore, he will definitely not allow his team to lose tonight.

The second quarter of the game begins, with Jordan and Gan Guoyang sitting down to rest.

Jordan, while drinking water, scolds his teammates, urging them to lift their spirits.

"I don’t want to find us down by double digits when I get on the court! If that happens, I’ll kick your asses to shreds."

Jordan has grown tired of coming off the bench to see the hard-earned leads dissipate, weary of constantly having to clean up after his teammates.

This season, the Bulls’ bench isn’t bad. After the arrival of Buck-Williams, Horace Grant has become the sixth man on the team.

Grant is one of the league’s fastest power forwards, and his height of 6-foot-9 doesn’t put him at much of a disadvantage in the three-second zone, while ensuring his extreme agility and responsive speed.

Whether on offense or defense, he is well-rounded, good at shooting, low-post play, passing, blocking, and steals, and his one-on-one defensive and help-defensive abilities are often undervalued.

This season, Grant has been extremely diligent in his training. Since converting to Christianity with his wife, his lifestyle has become more regulated and healthier, giving him more time and energy to focus on basketball instead of messing around.

He is eager to prove to the management and to Michael Jordan that he is an excellent player, certainly no worse than Charles Oakley and Buck-Williams.

Grant was initially uncomfortable with his sixth man role at the beginning of the season and felt dissatisfied. But as the season went on, he realized that being the sixth man has its perks.

For example, he doesn’t have to play alongside Jordan as much; their playing time is somewhat staggered, avoiding Jordan’s bossiness during the games.

Furthermore, on offense, he doesn’t always have to lookout for Jordan because as the second unit’s core, the team’s tactics revolve around him, which pleases Grant.

After the All-Star game, Grant’s performance steadily improved, with numerous games demonstrating comprehensive excellence, and several times he managed to outperform and shut up Jordan.

Tonight, Grant is leading the Bulls’ second unit against the Trail Blazers’ bench squad. On the entire Trail Blazers, the only person Grant fears is Ah Gan.

Against others, including Sabonis, Mitchell Thompson, Grant can play to his advantage.

Sabonis may be tall but not fast enough, giving Grant the edge in speed, and Mitchell Thompson is already too old.

The likes of Mark Bryant, Antonio Davis, Pinkney, and others are not on the same level as Grant.

As for Jerome Kossie, he’s at a height disadvantage, making Grant a tough problem for the Trail Blazers to solve.

As long as Ah Gan is off the court, Grant feels quite free to do as he pleases, like a bird soaring high in the sky.

He frequently relies on his mobility to sneak offensive rebounds and score on second chances under the basket. On defense, he’s versatile, capable of guarding several positions, making him quite a useful asset.

According to the Bulls management’s plan with Klaus, once they bring Toni Kukoc to the Bulls, having two versatile players leading the bench, the Bulls’ second unit will be unmatched league-wide—of course, Jordan has zero respect for both players, especially Kukoc, as he doesn’t believe the Croatian will make it and even complained to the management about wasting draft picks and effort, preferring they sign Walter Davis instead.

However, Jordan clearly underestimated Grant. Grant isn’t a traditional old-school power forward like Buck-Williams, rigid and inflexible.

His style is more flexible and varied, with smart play on both ends, and his ability to cut to the basket after screen plays is particularly strong.

One could even say that in the entire league, aside from Ah Gan, Grant can take on any other power forward, including top centers like Olajuwon and David Robinson, with his speed and shooting range advantages.

Moreover, his character is quite tough, being one of the few Bulls players who dare to defy Jordan, willing to clash with him in both practice and games.

Phil Jackson, facing Grant’s personality, not only refrained from repressing him but instead focused on nurturing him to become the leader of the second unit, a shrewd move indeed.

Of course, the Trail Blazers have a similar strategy, with Bobby Berman nurturing Dražen Petrović.