Chapter 957: Chapter 14 Perfect
Gan Guoyang’s greed for rebounds, and his obsession with being the Rebound King, reached its peak when facing Magic.
No one is without obsession, and Gan Guoyang is no exception. Most of the time, he doesn’t care about statistics, but not always.
When it comes to competing for significant stats, Gan Guoyang never hesitates and never backs down.
The 1987 season saw an epic scoring king battle with Jordan, which led to Gan Guoyang’s 81 points, leaving a series of scoring records.
At that time, Gan Guoyang fought not just for himself, but also for the Trail Blazers, for the team’s morale, for the fans, leaving them with a spectacle.
Afterward, Gan Guoyang lost interest in the scoring king title, Jordan continued to dominate as the scoring king, while Gan Guoyang focused on monopolizing the Rebound King title.
This year, finally, a formidable rebound challenger appeared: Dennis Rodman, a rebounding genius.
With Rodman’s rebounding performance this year, for the past seven seasons, Gan Guoyang wouldn’t have been a match; Rodman’s average rebounds per game are rushing towards 18.
Gan Guoyang has monopolized the rebounding list for seven years; he couldn’t easily give up this honor, especially since this season Sabonis has missed multiple games, Mychal Thompson retired, reducing the Trail Blazers’ inside rebounders, so Gan Guoyang started sweeping for rebounds.
Rodman, around the All-Star Game, continuously chased high rebound counts, using single-game high boards to elevate his average rebound count.
Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang, leading the way, was more stable, ensuring he got around 17-20 rebounds each game, keeping his average rebounds stable at around 18.
Thus, Gan Guoyang didn’t grab 25 or 26 rebounds on impulse, but still maintained a lead in statistics, since he had more responsibilities during the game.
The Trail Blazers teammates intentionally left some rebounds to Ah Gan, or proactively positioned for Gan Guoyang, giving the rebound stats to Gan Guoyang.
This is an intangible competition on the court, concerning honor and morale, especially as the opponent is the Pistons and Rodman, the Trail Blazers didn’t want to lose to Little Bug.
However, Rodman’s momentum was truly fierce; after consecutive games with over 20 rebounds, the gap with Gan Guoyang was narrowing.
In the match against the Pacers, 34 rebounds would surpass Gan Guoyang, but unexpectedly, the Trail Blazers vs. Magic game was later than the Pistons vs. Pacers.
This year, Magic’s team was very weak, their record plummeting, aiming for the No.1 pick, with virtually no resistance in Portland.
Rodman twice reached over 20 rebounds against Magic, and now it was finally Gan Guoyang’s turn to sweep.
Thus, a relaxed offensive duel ensued, both sides with various attacks, frequent shooting, frequent misses, Gan Guoyang greedily seized rebounds like a glutton.
To grab 40 rebounds in a match requires not only physical strength and technique but also focus and desire.
Throughout a match, consistently focusing on missed shots, finding ways to control the ball.
In the increasingly slow-paced 90s, 20 rebounds per game is extremely difficult, 30 rebounds belong to fantasy, 40 rebounds are a mythical performance.
After Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, the ancient rebound gods retired, except for Ah Gan, no player could touch the peak of 40 rebounds in a single game.
It’s not only an issue of ability but also of the era. Previously, NBA records of 40 rebounds were all born in the 50s and 60s, throughout the 70s no player could grab 40 rebounds in a single game.
Moses Malone once had 37 rebounds in 1979, relying on his infinite greed for offensive rebounds and repeated layups under the basket; failing, grabbing the ball, going up again, still failing, repeating board sweeps.
In the 80s, in 1988, Charles Oakley grabbed 35 rebounds in a single game, which was already the closest to the record of 40 rebounds.
At that time, Oakley was still with the Chicago Bulls, and the opponent was Cleveland Cavaliers—a backdrop for creating records and iconic moments for Bulls players in the 80s and 90s.
Only Gan Guoyang, in regular seasons and playoffs, set the record for 40 rebounds in a single game, his hands seemed to have vacuum grips, constantly pulling the ball into his arms.
His reaction speed was so fast, prediction so precise, always one step ahead, firmly occupying advantageous positions, then clearing the court with top-tier strength, easily grabbing rebounds.
Among all the techniques mastered by Gan Guoyang, his training and research on rebounding was the least.
This is where he differs from Rodman; Rodman has talent, but his physical condition dictates that he must delve into study.
Rodman watched a lot of film, thought intensively, and distilled a set of rebounding skills, which he practiced on the court.
Gan Guoyang didn’t have much early hard work accumulation, nor the sudden enlightenment in the middle and later stages; he was the rebound king since high school.
He has a natural affinity and desire for basketball; he knows where the ball will go, more importantly, he always wanted to firmly grasp the ball.
At the Rose Garden Arena, after the game, in the locker room, reporters pointed cameras at Gan Guoyang, who created a rebound record.
Gan Guoyang has long been accustomed to such scenes; he adeptly handled reporters’ questions, expressing his astonishment at his own 43-rebound performance.
When asked by reporters how he managed to grab so many rebounds in a single game, Gan Guoyang solemnly said: "First, you need to be a ball hog, teammates must give up rebounds to you. Because in a game, there are only so many rebounds; if teammates grab too many, you’ll have none left to grab. So, I must thank my teammates for their willingness to share rebounds with me."
