Gan Guoyang, who couldn't wait, still restrained his strength on the field, obviously a preseason game was not worth doing his best, but there were many spectators at the scene, so the two sides also fought against each other in style.

For the main players, the pre-season is a warm-up game, but for the substitutes, especially the newcomers who have just entered the team, a pre-season workout is also precious.

Sabonis sat on the bench from the beginning of the game and did not dare to relax for a moment to watch the changes on the court, in his opinion, even in the preseason, the level of confrontation in the NBA is a notch higher than that of European games.

The coaches on both sides did not arrange any targeted tactics, the players played with tacit understanding on the court, and the Trail Blazers' semi-open offense was very easy to get out of shape in this low-intensity game; And the newborn Phoenix Suns, their new Audio-Technica still looks relatively rusty, Kevin Johnson is still afraid of Gan Guoyang in his heart, and the phrase "wooden floors do not conduct electricity" in high school has left a deep shadow in Johnson's heart.

After entering the NBA, Kevin Johnson met the Trail Blazers led by Gan Guoyang, who had just returned, twice in the first season of the Cavaliers, and he didn't have much playing time and different positions, so Johnson didn't have many opportunities to talk to Gan Guoyang head-on.

But Gan Guoyang still used two blocks and a steal to make Johnson understand how far he has from this No. 11.

It's good to die, Johnson thinks that he is just in the Cavaliers, and he meets the Trail Blazers twice a year, but he knows that he was traded to Phoenix all of a sudden, and now he will not only have to meet the Trail Blazers a few more times in the 1988 season, but he will play five games with the Trail Blazers every season in the future, and may even meet in the playoffs.

However, it also fueled Kevin Johnson's fighting spirit, and he also trained hard in the summer of the offseason to improve himself in all aspects, and this preseason game was also a preliminary test of results.

However, Johnson's best breakthrough, as soon as he met Gan Guoyang, he was stunned, even in the preseason, Gan Guoyang didn't want to save face for his old friend at all, and several defenses were straight to Johnson.

In terms of speed, Kevin Johnson at this time can not rely on his teammates to block and dismantle, but his control of the rhythm is not enough, Gan Guoyang's four years of polishing and the experience of two best defensive players allow him to always judge Kevin Johnson's route in advance, either make Johnson fouls, or force him to slow down, and he can't rush at all.

"Beep!" In a breakaway, Kevin Johnson "knocked down" Gan Guoyang, and the referee's whistle sounded, which was the second offensive foul of Kevin Johnson in the first quarter, and it was committed on Gan Guoyang again.

"Be careful next time, Kevin, I won't be bumped." After Gan Guoyang got up from the ground, he said to Johnson, who was a little frustrated.

"You liar." Johnson said dissatisfiedly to Gan Guoyang, Gan Guoyang's ball is obviously a fake fall, where can Kevin Johnson's small body knock Gan Guoyang down.

Now Gan Guoyang, together with Bill Lambir, has become a famous inside fake wrestling master in the league, and Ranbir has become a fake wrestling master because he has no choice but to block his opponent with his bounce speed; Gan Guoyang relied on this method to play tricks and save physical strength on the defensive end.

After this foul, Kevin Johnson was substituted, and Adelman on the sidelines also pointed to Sabonis, who was watching the game intently on the bench, prompting him to prepare for the game, and at the same time asked him to replace Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang played 7 minutes in the first quarter and scored 8 points on 4-of-4 shooting before being replaced by Sabonis.

"Come on Avidas, there's nothing to be afraid of on the Sun's inside." Gan Guoyang said to Sabonis when he high-fived Sabonis on the court.

The Suns' interior line really has nothing to fear, but that was for Gan Guoyang, and the Suns traded away Larry Nance at the same time as they got Mark West from the Cavaliers, a 6-foot-10 tall center swingman with a strong build.

Since Tom Chambers is a projection power forward, a black and rough man like Mark West has become the best interior partner, but obviously, he was not enough for Gan Guoyang to eat at the Memorial Stadium, and Gan Guoyang poured four balls in a row.

So, when Sabonis came on the pitch, West was still on the pitch, and he wanted to give Sabonis a little bit of color to show so that the newcomer could get out of his head.

Sabonis' appearance on the court sent fans cheering and some fans standing up and applauding him as Sabonis made his first appearance in an official game for the Trail Blazers.

"This guy is almost catching up with me in popularity." Gan Guoyang sat on the court and said to Drexler, who was resting together.

"It's a long way from you, when you came, the team gave you a fan welcome party." Drexler still remembers that when Gan Guoyang arrived in Portland, although he went to the airport to interview reporters, the fans were very enthusiastic, and tens of thousands of people crowded into the square of the memorial stadium at the newcomer meeting.

In contrast, Drexler was selected that year, but there was no welcome ceremony.

After Sabonis came on the court, he didn't seem particularly nervous, after all, he was not a pure newcomer, but after a few attacks and defenses, everyone could see that he didn't seem to be able to keep up with the pace of the game, the two sides were too fast, Sabonis looked like a big bear who had fallen into the herd, and he didn't know what to do.

This made him seem to be a beat slower to do anything, on the defensive end, Mark West missed twice, put the ball in the basket before Sabonis blocked it, obviously Gan Guoyang after he went off the court He was much more relaxed, and Sabonis still had problems with defensive positioning, defensive skills and speed were much worse.

"Like me before, I can't keep up with the rhythm, I don't know what to do on the court, I hope he can adapt quickly, the time in the first quarter is running out." Gan Guoyang remembered his first official game, when he took half time to adjust his strength.

"Give him the ball! To catch the ball! Gan Guoyang shouted into the field, knowing that it was a very stupid thing to let a big man of 7'2" do a switchback run on the field.

Danny Young, who came off the bench, apparently forgot all about his training and was focused on his individual performance, and it was then that he remembered that there was another Sabonis, so he threw the ball to Sabonis after half-time.

It was a terrible pass, Sabonis was still outside the three-point line, running inside just after halftime, and Danny Young himself handed the ball to the center just after halftime, which is the rhythm of using the center as a guard.

If it's a normal interior lineman, you have to be startled when you catch the ball first, and then eighty percent will pass the ball back to the point guard to reorganize.

However, Sabonis watched the ball coming, received the ball sideways with one hand, and suddenly flicked his hand, and before his body could come over, the ball flew directly to the three-second zone.

At this time, it was Buck Williams who passed in the three-second zone.

Buck Williams didn't expect Sabonis to pass the ball at all, he went around the left side through the baseline to the right side, originally trying to catch the ball in this position and play a single in the low post, so in the three-second zone he really just passed through, not cut inside.

Unbeknownst to him, Sabonis's ball just came in, like a cannonball, and the unprepared Williams was stunned for a moment, and the ball slid past his hand.

Bounds.

The audience on the sidelines sighed, and the Trail Blazers' bench also hugged their heads and regretted, if this magic stroke succeeded, it would definitely be the level of the best goal of the game.

"I'm sorry big man, I didn't pay attention, you should have informed me in advance that you were going to pass the ball like this so I could catch it." Buck Williams and Sabonis said after the turnover, half-apologizing and half-joking.

Sabonis also smiled, this ball not only did not affect the morale of the Trail Blazers, but instead made Williams's attention begin to focus, the veteran is actually not interested in the preseason game.

Adelman, who was on the sidelines, watched the rotation closely, and Sabonis began to settle into the game better and better after that failed pass after a moment's loss.

On the defensive end, he learned his lesson, no longer following the ball or following people, but fixed around the basket and moved around the basket, stepping on the edge of the joint defense to defend the basket.

On the offensive end, he is getting more and more open, running, covering, passing, grabbing boards, and his presence on the field is getting stronger and stronger, and his every pass is unusually smooth, although it does not always form an assist, but it can open up space and give teammates a better chance to choose.

The first quarter ended quickly, and Sabonis had two points, three rebounds and one assist in five minutes, and of course, he also received two fouls, and it seemed that he was not comfortable with the scale of the referees.

"Well done nice Avidas, unexpectedly good, it's a little worse than I was back then, but you've done a great job." Gan Guoyang said after Sabonis went off the field.

"Don't brag Gan, I know what your first game and first quarter were like." Drexler "reminded" Gan Guoyang on the side.

"I was in the regular season! What is the intensity of the regular season? Besides, I'm back to normal soon. Gan Guoyang argued.

"Two rebounds, an assist, plus two fouls, I remember very well how you did in the first quarter, and then throughout the first half, you came up a little bit of the first quarter, poor Gan." Jim Paxson made up for it at the right time, and he still remembered Gan Guoyang's performance in the first quarter of the first game.

"How much money do you owe Jim, do you even remember this? Do you remember that I scored 12 points in the second half and gave away 3 blocks? Gan Guoyang immediately lifted his excellent performance in the second half.

"Remember, then you were scolded by Mr. Ramsay."

At this time, the atmosphere within the Trail Blazers team can be described as harmonious, the players have a clear division of labor and positioning, have the same goal, and there is no longer the friction and intrigue of the past, this is a real team.