Chapter 965 - 16 Idol_3

Tonight, it’s the first encounter between the Trail Blazers and the Hornets, and the two finally have a chance to interact and spar up close.

Although Larry Johnson is as strong as a bull, he is not just a rough guy without skills.

On the contrary, he has delicate techniques, a pretty good shot, and even a three-pointer.

This seemingly contrasting style of play is all influenced by Gan Guoyang, who set a good example for the young players.

Now some young interior players newly entering NCAA and NBA pay great attention to strength training and long-range shooting.

The traditional bulky, immobile low-post players are decreasing, while versatile ones who can shoot and withstand contact are increasing.

This is the power of example.

The game between both sides was quite intense, with the Hornets, fueled by their home court advantage, being a very energetic team.

Rookie Larry Johnson is already the team’s core, averaging 19 points and 11.5 rebounds this season.

However, tonight, Gan Guoyang was mostly matched up against Larry Johnson, teaching this No.1 draft pick a lesson.

Larry Johnson’s strengths are his power and speed; without a height advantage, his power and weight are astounding.

At the same time, he possesses flexibility, able to shoot from the perimeter. Most defenders are either taller but not as fast, or faster but not as strong, always leaving a weakness for Johnson to exploit.

Unfortunately, Ah Gan has none of these issues—he is taller, stronger, and faster than Johnson.

Gan Guoyang has always been the nemesis of undersized, strong, and fast interior players. Getting matched up with him is quite disheartening.

In their first encounter, Larry Johnson tried to use his strength to push Gan Guoyang aside but was bounced back, realizing tonight was going to be tough.

Faced with ineffective strong attacks, Johnson could only pass the ball out and let the team reorganize their offense, while Gan Guoyang delivered his ultimate taunt:

"Larry, didn’t you eat tonight?"

Larry Johnson didn’t want to perform too poorly in front of his idol, so he gave it his all, hoping he could gain an advantage and strike back.

One of Johnson’s common moves is to catch the ball facing away on the wing, then drive directly with his broad shoulders pushing away defenders, approach the basket with a spin, and attack the rim with a hook, floater, or layup when the opponent’s balance is disrupted.

This move is usually effective since most defenders can’t withstand Johnson’s impact.

Additionally, he has a very solid low-post game. His finishing moves typically involve a turnaround fadeaway or a small hook, with fast rotation speed and accurate shots and hooks.

But facing Gan Guoyang tonight, Johnson quickly encountered his first problem: he couldn’t establish position in the low post.

In the fierce battle for position in the Three Second Zone, it was Larry Johnson’s first time feeling helpless, completely unable to hold his ground.

He had never faced Gan Guoyang before but had heard of Gan’s astonishing strength and rock-solid positional play.

Larry Johnson had always been confident in his power; even as a rookie entering the NBA, most ordinary big men were no match for him.

Tonight, however, he finally met a tough opponent. His idol was truly his idol—not only was his positional play strong, but his technique was also excellent, making it almost impossible for Larry Johnson to catch the ball comfortably.

For an interior scorer, not being able to catch the ball comfortably means half of his offensive rhythm is destroyed, and he won’t score well tonight.

Conversely, Gan Guoyang could easily secure good position in the low post, smoothly receive the ball, and execute his move, leaving the Hornets’ big men with no answers.

Thus, while the game was intense, the Hornets fell behind from the first quarter as the Trail Blazers increased their pressure on both offense and defense.

Once the score gap widened to around ten points, the Trail Blazers would relax a bit, with both sides alternating in scoring, but the gap remained in double digits.

Larry Johnson didn’t hold much hope for victory; the Trail Blazers were strong, the season was nearing its end, and the Hornets weren’t aiming for the playoffs, so their drive to win wasn’t strong.

Thus, Johnson mainly wanted to have a good showdown with his idol, at least scoring more points against him, learning techniques, and gaining experience.

Gan Guoyang was happy to share, giving Larry Johnson pointers while playing.

In Gan Guoyang’s view, Johnson was talented, with solid technical moves, but his details were mediocre.

At the highest level of the NBA, no top player lacks technique; the key is whether your details are good enough and if you can use them in major games and crucial moments.

Larry Johnson hadn’t yet reached the league’s highest level; he mostly relied on his physique and talent, bulldozing his way through using body, strength, and speed.

Once confronted by someone superior in all aspects physically, he inevitably struggled.

By the third quarter, with the Trail Blazers firmly controlling the game’s rhythm, Gan Guoyang began on-court teaching.

First was positioning, how to use fakes to gain position, then the move choices after receiving the ball, with incredible speed.

When it was the Hornets’ turn to attack, Gan Guoyang deliberately left a gap, letting Larry Johnson catch the ball on the wing to attack him.

"Attack, turn, too slow, I’m going to strip the ball!"

As Gan Guoyang said, he did strip the ball from Johnson’s hands during his spin.

Then he passed it to the front court, and the Trail Blazers completed a fast-break counterattack.

Johnson was very frustrated; it was the third time tonight Gan Guoyang stripped the ball from his hands.

He was already consciously protecting the ball, but the more he tried to protect it, the slower his moves became.

"Intention, use your intention, not thought, to execute moves."

"Intention?"

"Your subconscious moves, things practiced thousands of times. If not, it means you haven’t practiced enough."

Two possessions later, Johnson attacked again but missed again, as his turnaround shot was interrupted by Gan Guoyang.

After grabbing the rebound, Gan Guoyang turned and hit a three-pointer in the attack, the Hornets completely unprepared, unable to defend this man.

"I mean intention, not anger or emotion. Once more, feel, don’t think."

Larry Johnson seemed to have an epiphany; he finally caught a pass from Bogues at the top of the arc and made a mid-range shot.

Facing Gan Guoyang’s defense, he didn’t hesitate, nor did he make unnecessary fake moves to disrupt his rhythm.

He caught the ball, adjusted, shot smoothly, and it went in.

"Beautiful shot, how does it feel?"

"Feeling, um..."

While Larry Johnson was still pondering the answer, Gan Guoyang had already received the ball at the top of the arc, made a smooth drive towards the basket, and scored with a beautiful move hook.

Fast beyond belief, fluid like a stream, without any hesitation or pause.

"Don’t think with your brain, feel. Just like when the ball leaves your hand, it’s no longer under your control, but you believe it will go in."

"When a player steps onto the court, he is just like the basketball already shot; many things can’t be changed, but you are confident it will go in."

"You’re rotating, a beautiful arc... I’m going to steal it!"

Larry Johnson was confused by Gan Guoyang’s words, resulting in a mistake.

Gan Guoyang seized the opportunity, stole the ball, countered, and the Trail Blazers again completed a fast-break scoring run against the Hornets, stopping them in their tracks.

Only then did Larry Johnson realize, was his idol giving him a lesson, or just confusing him with sweet talk?

Why was he getting more bewildered?