Chapter 966 - 17: The Moon

The game between the Trail Blazers and Hornets had little suspense, with the strong and well-performing Portland team continuously suppressing the Hornets.

The Hornets fought hard, but the gap in talent and hard skills couldn’t be made up by effort and home court atmosphere; they couldn’t find a breakthrough point.

Especially Larry Johnson was consistently controlled by Gan Guoyang, and when the Trail Blazers tightened their defense and increased their pace, the Hornets struggled to respond.

They could only catch a breath during the few minutes when the Trail Blazers relaxed or during the second lineup rotation and score some points to avoid looking too bad in defeat.

As the game was nearing its end, Larry Johnson felt his head was dizzy, somewhat disoriented, questioning his life choices.

He thought he understood Ah Gan, having watched Gan Guoyang’s games since high school, learning techniques from this top center through televised live broadcasts.

It was only after a real encounter tonight that he understood and realized the enormous gap between them and the vast chasm that existed.

Gan Guoyang’s attention to detail and pursuit of the game’s essence showed Larry Johnson a world far away from his own.

Over the four quarters, Gan Guoyang scored 25 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, which wasn’t considered an impressive statistic to him.

Sabonis scored a game-high of 31 points, his towering height causing the generally shorter Hornets to be at a loss.

Larry Johnson only scored 12 points, struggling to compete with Gan Guoyang in one-on-one offensive and defensive battles.

His prideful brute physique lost its advantage in front of Ah Gan; this was when he needed more technique, wisdom, and ample experience.

In this regard, Charles Barkley was stronger than Larry Johnson; the big guy’s techniques were more refined, his experience richer, sometimes even making Gan Guoyang suffer.

After the game, Larry Johnson shook hands and hugged his idol, stating honestly at the post-match press conference: "Ah Gan is even more outstanding than I imagined. I’m completely not his opponent; I have a long, long way to go."

Of course, rookie Johnson wouldn’t be Gan Guoyang’s opponent; by this time, Gan Guoyang had approached the gates of the new world, leaving everyone far behind, with only Jordan able to glimpse his silhouette.

Long-term training, game accumulation, experience, technique, and emotional layers have led Gan Guoyang to touch the edge of the "selfless realm."

In the NBA, being able to use your mind to play and not just instincts and habits is already a cut above the rest.

Gan Guoyang was not just using his mind anymore; he didn’t need to think; he had internalized everything related to basketball into his subconscious.

He was like a black box with an extremely fast reaction time, containing all answers about basketball, ready to react instantly and provide optimal solutions when a problem arose.

On the flight from Charlotte to Miami, Gan Guoyang sat in his seat, eyes closed, and thought back to training at the YMCA gymnasium in Chinatown during high school.

The gym’s first floor was a basketball court, the second floor a martial arts dojo, and at that time, Korean Xu Xun often practiced martial arts upstairs, sometimes joined by Gan Guoyang.

It was probably from that time that Gan Guoyang developed an interest in wrestling, boxing, and other combat sports, not to fight people but to discover these combat skills could improve flexibility, balance, and resistance, greatly benefiting basketball.

Xu Xun was a Bruce Lee fan, often telling Gan Guoyang, "To punch with feeling, not thinking; once you think, it’s already too late."

"It’s like pointing a finger at the moon, but you shouldn’t focus on the finger; otherwise, you’ll miss all the moonlight."

At that time, Gan Guoyang didn’t believe Xu Xun’s words, laughing heartily, and could beat this Korean guy in both combat and basketball.

Xu Xun always scratched his head, saying he couldn’t reach that realm, but one day Ah Gan might.

Gan Guoyang never dwelled on it until today, finally realizing something.

Opening his eyes, Gan Guoyang pulled back the window shade. The plane flew at high altitude, devoid of clouds.

The golden moon hung afar, surrounded by misty halos, turning the dark sky into an ink blue.

Gan Guoyang reminisced about Xu Xun, who went with his father to Los Angeles after graduating high school. A few years ago at a Beiqiao High School basketball team reunion, Xu Xun appeared, having given up basketball and martial arts to take over the family Korean restaurant business.

As Gan Guoyang gained fame nationwide, becoming a basketball hero step by step, other classmates flocked to him, but Xu Xun lost contact.

Gan Guohui was sent to Los Angeles for news, reporting that Xu Xun opened a new Korean restaurant in Korea Town, married, and lived the life of an ordinary person.

As for the high school championship, it was the best memory in life, but it’s past now, let it stay as just a memory.

Gan Guoyang immediately understood the vast difference between himself and Xu Xun and classmates; wherever he went, there was media, there was exposure.

For classmates who only want a peaceful ordinary life, forcing them to reunite would only bring them trouble.

So over the years, he didn’t disturb this old classmate, only when his basketball skills were about to reach a new realm did he suddenly think of him.