In the afternoon, Carl ca over to find Gan Guoyang and said it was ti to head to Staples for warm-up preparations.
It was evident that Carl was quite nervous; his eyes were constantly wandering, clearly thinking about things.
Thinking about the ga tonight, thinking about how to win, what to do if they lose, and what plans and preparations should be made for the ga.
He couldn’t stop; his mind just couldn’t stop, and Carl had no way to calm himself.
He couldn’t understand how Gan Guoyang could be relaxed enough to watch a movie in the dia room.
Since last night until this morning, Carl had been thinking about tactics and rotations.
In the regular season, he could leave many things to the players, but in the playoffs, the coach can’t have a mont’s peace.
He initially wanted to take a nap but simply couldn’t sleep. He wanted to chat with Gan Guoyang but found that he wasn’t in his room.
It wasn’t until it was ti to leave that he found out the guy was watching a movie, causing Carl to almost stomp his feet in frustration, still having the mood to watch a movie.
"Rick, do you like Bruce Lee’s Kung Fu style or Jackie Chan’s codic style?"
Gan Guoyang even asked Carl whether he liked Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan.
Carl replied perfunctorily, "Oh, I... both are good, I like them both."
Gan Guoyang said, "Ah~ You should like Jim Carrey more; he’s the real cody master."
Carl shook his head, saying, "Sonny, my brain can’t fit anything except Ga 7 right now. I can’t think about anything other than basketball; I can’t do it."
Gan Guoyang said, "Why? With here, what are you afraid of?"
"It’s not about whether you’re here or not, it’s..."
"What is it?"
"..."
"Weren’t you doing well in the regular season? Most of the ti, just give the ball, and I’ll handle it."
"But this is the playoffs; losing in the regular season is just losing, and there’s still the next ga. Playoffs, especially this one, if we lose, we have to go ho."
Gan Guoyang firmly squeezed Carl’s shoulder and patted his back, saying, "Rick, trust , we’ll win and then head to Boston for the finals. Have the teammates give the ball; I’ll score 50 points, maybe more, until we knock out the Lakers at the Staples. This isn’t 1997. I’m confident I’ve got the energy, and I’m sure my teammates can hold up. Do you believe ?"
Carl nodded vigorously; his anxious mood cald down a lot, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"But..."
"No more buts, or I’ll put your photo on the bench."
"Got it."
"And tonight, I’m playing center."
"Understood."
-----------------
Evening, Staples Center, filled with stars.
Many of Hollywood’s big stars ca to the court to watch this decisive Ga 7 for the Western Conference title.
Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, ryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Jodie Foster, and other top Hollywood stars ca to watch the ga court-side.
Die-hard Lakers fan Jack-Nicholson, of course, was also in attendance, having expressed multiple tis before the ga his strong desire to see the Lakers win the championship again.
The last ti the Lakers won a championship was 15 years ago, and no one expected that the title Magic Johnson and Jabbar won against the Celtics in 1985 would be their last.
Lakers legends like Magic Johnson, Jabbar, and Jas Worthy also ca to Staples, equally hoping the new Lakers could beat this old Trail Blazers team.
Regardless, the Lakers taking down the Trail Blazers twice in the Western Conference Finals makes these veterans proud.
The teams were warming up, and the TV caras repeatedly focused on the core players of both teams: O’Neal, Jide, Tracy McGrady, Holi, Gan Guoyang, Kobe, Sabonis.
Everyone had a serious expression, even Shaq, who usually liked to joke and laugh before gas, was solemnly standing at the free-throw line practicing his shot.
He didn’t want his free throws to be a liability in the ga anymore.
Gan Guoyang, however, wasn’t shooting but continuously warming up his footwork while constantly relaxing his arms and hands.
The prega ceremonies quickly ended, and for the players, such a grand performance was torturous.
The tense mood reached its peak with the rousing music of The Star-Spangled Banner.
What made O’Neal even more nervous was that standing at the center circle for the jump ball was Gan Guoyang, not Little O’Neal.
The Trail Blazers’ starters hadn’t changed: it was still Sabonis, Gan Guoyang, Little O’Neal, Kobe, and Brellock.
But Gan Guoyang’s presence at center for the jump ball ant he was playing the center position and would match up against O’Neal.
In the first six gas, Gan Guoyang rarely defended O’Neal one-on-one; they were kept apart.
O’Neal averaged 33 points and 14 rebounds over six gas, making him the most outstanding player on both teams.
However, when Gan Guoyang stood across from O’Neal, the Big Shark swallowed nervously, realizing that his biggest challenge of the season had arrived.
He kept reminding himself: he was the MVP this season, and Ah Gan looked thinner, so taking him out in this ga shouldn’t be a problem.
"Shaq..."
"No, Sonny, don’t talk to . I don’t want to hear anything."
"Your shoelaces are untied."
O’Neal looked down, and his shoelaces were fine, not untied at all.
Ah Gan fooled again!
But O’Neal wasn’t angry; instead, he felt a deeper fear.
It was clear that Ah Gan seed very relaxed and was in great condition.
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