The Golden Age of Basketball

When you rush upstairs in a panic, madly knocking and asking why there's constant renovations, the property management tells you that no one actually lives here.

By the end of the first quarter, Gan Guoyang had scored 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals—an average performance.

O'Neal only had two points, coming from a dunk after a teammate's pass.

He used all his strength for a furious dunk, as if trying to break the rim.

Because he played very frustratingly in the first quarter, the Trail Blazers were successful in their defense against him.

Low post against Ah Gan, he found he couldn't budge him; the two were evenly matched.

Moving inside, he either got double-teamed and couldn't pass the ball or got intercepted.

All three of Gan Guoyang's steals were completed against O'Neal.

Obviously, Gan Guoyang had closely studied O'Neal's offensive habits.

The timing of his dribbling, the characteristics of his moves, and his weaknesses in ball protection were all finely analyzed.

Such poor low-post offense not only left O'Neal with nothing but also disrupted the Magic's offensive rhythm.

The Trail Blazers quickly gained an 8-point lead.

The Magic could only rely on outside shooting to add points; with the Twin Towers blocking the inside lane along with O'Neal being restrained, it was hard to score.

In the first quarter, the Magic hadn't secured a single offensive rebound; their power forward, Torbert, was a soft, white-winger.

Facing the Trail Blazers' Twin Towers, he offered little support to O'Neal.

During the break, Magic head coach Matt Guokas comforted O'Neal, "It's fine to be outplayed by Ah Gan; don't be discouraged."

Guokas didn't even try to motivate O'Neal; almost all the league's coaches did the same.

Because encouraging a rookie to go hard against Ah Gan usually led to the team's and player's downfall.

Challenging a boss too aggressively too soon often didn't end well.

But at that moment, O'Neal's competitive spirit was ignited, and he said, "Coach, let me play more in the second quarter. I can do it."

Guokas hesitated, patted O'Neal's shoulder, and said nothing.

He recalled his days playing with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Back then, one of his major tasks was protecting Chamberlain, ensuring he wasn't worn down, harassed, and relieved him of pressure.

In the 1966-1967 season, they won the championship, ending the Celtics' eight consecutive titles.

Now, O'Neal didn't have a forward like him by his side or a teammate like Luke Jackson in the post.

The Magic needed a good defensive big man to succeed.

In the second quarter, the substitute lineup for both sides played evenly.

The Trail Blazers maintained a 10-point lead, and Guokas called for a timeout.

Both sides' starting lineups returned to the court.

O'Neal couldn't wait to get on the court; his competitive spirit had been fully ignited.

As soon as he entered the game, he began demanding the ball in the low post, this time much faster.

Catching the ball, he spun and pressed inside, hoping to use his weight and height to score!

Gan Guoyang stepped aside, allowing O'Neal into the basket.

O'Neal leaped up, aiming for a one-handed dunk!

Most defenders at this point would be pinned down by O'Neal, unable to jump.

Then, they'd watch helplessly as they were humiliated by a towering dunk.

But Gan Guoyang actually withstood it, directly confronting O'Neal!

Single-handedly blocking O'Neal's dunk attempt!

In the clash of powerhouses, both lost their balance in mid-air.

O'Neal fell heavily to the floor.

And Gan Guoyang also fell back, crashing into the soft pads of the hoop's base.

The ball fell into a Magic player's hands, and they scored a layup.

The Magic made that shot, but it wasn't O'Neal who scored.

O'Neal struggled to his feet, throwing himself back into defense.

Gan Guoyang had already sped past half-court, charging into the paint.

Porter threw a long pass to the interior, and Gan Guoyang caught it.

O'Neal couldn't keep up, and Gan Guoyang easily dunked it in.

After emphatically slamming the ball, O'Neal felt very frustrated, unable to keep up with Ah Gan.

O'Neal was already quite fast, but Gan Guoyang was faster.

O'Neal wanted to position himself for low-post offense again.

This time, Gan Guoyang began to front him, directly blocking O'Neal with his body.

In the fierce struggle for position, neither would give way.

O'Neal tried to carve out space, but Gan Guoyang firmly controlled the territory.

For the first time, these two players encountered an opponent of comparable strength on the court.

In fact, Gan Guoyang was a bit stronger.

O'Neal felt fatigued; the ball didn't come into his hands.

The outside shot missed, and Gan Guoyang quickly anticipated the rebound.

O'Neal desperately tried to grab it, but Gan Guoyang held him off, tipping the ball to a teammate.

Still, Trail Blazers' possession.

O'Neal put in a lot of effort, yet didn't even touch the ball.

This made the emotional big guy very angry.

In the following play, he found it difficult to continue attacking from the low post.

Every center, after multiple strong post plays, needs some time to adjust.

Except for Ah Gan—he could keep attacking relentlessly.

Thus, in the latter part of the second quarter, O'Neal's nightmare began.

Gan Guoyang entered a continuous low-post attack mode.

No matter how many players double-teamed him, no matter how O'Neal defended, he insisted on taking the ball strong to the hoop.

In low-post offense filled with powerful clashes, the most vigorous physical confrontations ensued.

Spinning jump shots, hook shots, and floaters after cutting through the middle.

And purely relying on strength, pushing past O'Neal under the basket for layups.

When Gan Guoyang made six consecutive shots, O'Neal was genuinely overwhelmed.

"Big guy, is your stamina bar infinite?"

"Such intense clashes, aren't you tired?"

"I'm already exhausted defending, aren't you?"

But it wasn't over yet; on the seventh attempt, Gan Guoyang kept attacking.

He used the Sigma Step to face the basket, continuing to show off his skills.

Gan Guoyang didn't take mid-range shots or sneak threes, nor did he resort to pick-and-rolls.

He was determined to use his body, facing the rim, charging right at O'Neal.

Another baseline move, reverse layup; this time, O'Neal panicked and slapped out, not daring to let it go.

The slap landed on Gan Guoyang's shoulder, but the ball still went in.

Two points, plus a free throw!

O'Neal stood there stunned, holding his waist and wiping his sweat.

"Damn it, this must be a nightmare, right?"

"What is this nightmare? Why do I keep giving up points?"

"Why can't I defend him? I'm so tired, I can't keep up."

O'Neal had great endurance, but even he couldn't withstand the high-density, continuous high-intensity offense and defense.

Gan Guoyang didn't even want to give O'Neal a rest during free throws; he grabbed the ball and threw it in.

O'Neal had given up on low-post attacks on offense, passing the ball to teammates instead—he needed a break.

Sikels' driving layup was swatted away by Gan Guoyang as he charged in.

The entire Magic team was a bit dazed, and the point difference was heading towards 20.

It was still a slow pace; Gan Guoyang demanded the ball in the low post for the eighth time.

Three Magic players surrounded him, and Gan Guoyang distributed the ball to Lewis.

Lewis took a step inside and passed back to Gan Guoyang, who started moving outward.

Outside the baseline three-point line, a location unsuitable for double-teaming.

O'Neal had no choice but to engage one-on-one, yet again a one-on-one situation.

At this moment, O'Neal's gaze towards Gan Guoyang was somewhat lost.

Sweating profusely, with his mouth slightly open, he seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.

He thought, "Just take a mid-range shot, big guy, just a mid-range. I'll give a token hand raise."

But then, Gan Guoyang adjusted his breathing, broke through the baseline again!

The baseline breakthrough was a defensive weak point for O'Neal.

Because with his wide build, he had to give space to the attacker.

Otherwise, he would be blocking.

Combined with a slightly slower turn, there was no help on the baseline from teammates.

So, he never had much of a solution for the baseline breakthrough.

Luckily, very few use this move; which center constantly breaks through the baseline?

But Ah Gan would. Having studied thoroughly, he'd keep targeting you with it.

O'Neal gave up on chasing and also on fouling.

Gan Guoyang went baseline, twisted mid-air, jumped off two feet, and dunked one-handed.

This kind of dunk allows him to brace with his shoulder to prevent collisions, making it ideal for a 2+1 play.

Unmatched in detail, completing a unilateral slaughter against O'Neal with a 17:2 run.

And as the half ended, Gan Guoyang said to O'Neal, "Not bad in the second quarter, keep it up in the third, you know my specialty is the third quarter."

O'Neal was so distraught he appeared angry, glaring at Gan Guoyang, saying, "Did I provoke you, Ah Gan? Did I provoke you?"

Gan Guoyang calmed O'Neal down, saying, "It's a game, Shaq. I greatly admire you, so I give it my all. Did you give it your all?"

O'Neal was left speechless.

Come on, the second half, the so-called third-quarter king, come on!

Smash me!