The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 110 - 17 Really Simple

Havlicek made the right decision in the second half, which was to keep Gan Guoyang on the court without interfering too much, letting the young man lead the team’s defense.

This was not an easy thing to do; the NBA is a circle that values seniority, and for the veterans, being directed by a junior in defense was quite embarrassing.

But Gan Guoyang didn’t care at all. When he stood in the paint, he was full of authority, commanding every teammate like a general, reminding them to cover, position, and grab rebounds.

His defensive awareness was excellent, and he was also very familiar with Team USA’s offensive plays. After several rounds, the NBA stars found that the defense was effective following his commands.

Rick Mahorn was pushed by Gan Guoyang to help defend. The big man was a bit unwilling, yelling at Gan Guoyang not to touch him, but then Gan Guoyang blocked Kangkak in a one-on-one defense.

On the offensive end, he received a pass from Gus Williams, drove to the basket, and dunked with one hand, scoring his first points as Kangkak couldn’t keep up with Gan Guoyang’s speed.

Gan Guoyang’s dunk was clean and decisive; his large hands could completely grip the ball, and he even managed an airborne dodge mid-dunk.

As Rick Mahorn returned to defense, swaying his behind, he praised Gan Guoyang’s dunk as being gorgeous. "Nice dunk, kid! You really play with energy!"

"Keep defending well, and it’ll be even more exciting once we turn the score around."

The morale of the NBA star team was gradually warming up; the defense and vitality brought by Gan Guoyang were contagious for everyone.

They originally took a casual approach, thinking that defeating these college players would be easy.

But once the game started, they realized that without cooperation and understanding, they couldn’t beat the well-trained and united national team.

Then they thought, since it’s just a warm-up, it didn’t matter if they lost; it was like giving the national team a morale boost.

How could they possibly win with that mindset?

Gan Guoyang’s appearance changed everything; the NBA All-Star Team quickly closed the score gap.

Then Jordan, reentering the game, got past Darrell Walker with a single step outside, and drove straight to the basket.

Gan Guoyang came over to help defend; the two clashed in mid-air, and even though Gan Guoyang overpowered Jordan, Jordan managed to shoot the ball, drawing a defensive foul from Gan Guoyang.

Jordan was too fast; even NBA-level guards couldn’t keep up with his pace, and it was quite difficult for Gan Guoyang to help defend against Jordan.

Jordan, looking at Gan Guoyang’s Avias, found them intriguing and asked, "What are those sneakers you’re wearing? They look damn good."

"Avia, the brand I endorse. How about it? A one million dollar endorsement deal."

Jordan’s eyes widened upon hearing the figure, thinking to himself that this guy had already landed a shoe endorsement, and for a million?

"When did this happen?"

"Just last night at dinner."

"Damn, I want to play cards with you tonight."

"Let’s talk about it after we win this game."

Jordan didn’t bother to take the free throws, just casually chatting with Gan Guoyang.

The referee was getting anxious and warned that he would cancel the free throws if Jordan didn’t take them soon.

Jordan made both free throws, but the national team still maintained a 6-point lead.

"Gan, the sneakers you’re wearing today are too eye-catching; I’m going to explode on you."

Jordan threw out the tough talk to Gan Guoyang, clearly envious of those very cool new shoes.

What made him even more jealous and envious was the one million US Dollar endorsement deal Gan Guoyang had secured.

It wasn’t the money he envied but the fact that Gan Guoyang had landed such a big endorsement deal so quickly—he felt outshined.

At the draft, Gan Guoyang was already the second pick, ahead of Jordan, and now he had beaten him to an endorsement deal, which naturally didn’t sit well with Jordan.

But Gan Guoyang had a comeback for that, "You can try, but after the game, Bob will explode on you."

As soon as Gan Guoyang said that, Jordan deflated—if he insisted on one-on-one with Gan Guoyang, he would definitely get an earful from Knight after the game.

However, Gan Guoyang wasn’t fixated on one-on-one play; he didn’t post up for the ball but instead came out to set a screen for Gus and then cut to the basket to attract defensive attention.

When the outside shot missed, Gan Guoyang valiantly grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the put-back.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t pass him the ball; he would grab it himself.

Gan Guoyang had an acute sense for offensive rebounds, leaving Kangkak no chance to compete.

Then, on the offensive end, Gan Guoyang stripped the ball straight from Kangkak’s hands, causing a turnover.

Coach Knight couldn’t sit still any longer. At the next dead ball, he gestured to Ewing to enter the game.

Ewing inwardly sighed, thinking, damn, I have to face Gan Guoyang again.

He didn’t like matching up with Gan Guoyang, feeling that he always got tormented.

Gan Guoyang’s boisterous, fiery playstyle, paired with his calm, meticulous game plan, often made Ewing experience the agony of fire and ice.

As soon as Ewing entered the game, Gan Guoyang approached him and said, "Patrick, what do you think of my new shoes?"

Even from the sidelines, Ewing noticed Gan Guoyang’s flashy new sneakers.

He glanced down and replied, "Not bad, super cool."

Before he could finish speaking, Gan Guoyang suddenly spun and cut to the basket.

"Wizard" Gus Williams lobbed the ball to the basket, and Gan Guoyang caught it mid-air, completing a two-handed dunk!

After landing, Gan Guoyang shouted at Ewing, "Patrick, don’t look at the floor when defending; you need to watch the air!"

Ewing could only go to the baseline to inbound, cursing under his breath. This was exactly why he hated matching up against Gan Guoyang!