Chapter Seven: Details

Gan Guoyang’s scoring and towering blocks humiliated the afro-haired black player in the green vest. At the same time, he felt the powerful pressure radiating from Gan Guoyang—completely shattering his preconceived stereotypes about Chinese players.

The tall, stern-faced youth before him stood on the court like an immovable rock, inspiring fear. This was not only due to Gan Guoyang’s height and his inexplicable basketball talent but also owed to the relentless spirit forged in the welfare home where he was raised. His childhood and adolescence had been marked by cold stares, discrimination, and pity, yet he had not become timid or weak. Instead, he dared to glare defiantly at all forms of oppression and injustice.

This is why basketball, a fiercely competitive sport, deeply captivated him. Though he had never played in official games, his spirit had been tempered countless times on the court. The disdain Americans held toward Chinese Americans in the 1980s was utterly insignificant in Gan Guoyang’s eyes. His confidence and courage soon enveloped the entire court.

Basketball was not just a contest of skills and tactics; it was a psychological battle. If one side faltered mentally, even superior technical prowess could be rendered ineffective. The Raptors were a mid-level squad from Hunters’ Point, with three players from Philip and Salaberton High’s team. Though not starters, they were far better than ordinary players. They often put on fine performances in Hunters’ gymnasium, defeating some tough opponents and showing considerable strength.

Yet today, facing Gan Guoyang’s trio, they quickly fell behind. The two-meter-tall Gan Guoyang’s interior defense cast a dark shadow over them. His blocks and defense were terrifying; every layup or shot forced them to divide their attention, wary of his shot-blocking skills. This hesitation led to indecision, distorted techniques, frustration, and psychological collapse.

After an opening volleyball-like block to establish dominance, Gan Guoyang’s defense became even smarter and craftier. He rarely jumped recklessly or sent the ball flying far out. Like a venomous snake, he locked onto his opponent, and when blocking, he would barely nick the ball to subtly alter its trajectory—snatching it right back to his team’s possession. On offense, he wielded a precise mid-range jumper, often catching defenders off guard immediately after receiving the ball. He had already scored four from outside and assisted Chen Xing twice.

The Raptors had to shift their offense to rely on jump shots from beyond the arc. Gan Guohui became their defensive weak spot. Trailing 3 to 7, down by four, the Raptors changed tactics, focusing their attack on Gan Guohui’s vulnerability. The player in the short shorts and the green vest executed a screen: the green vest body-blocked Gan Guoyang, preventing him from helping defend the short shorts, who then stopped abruptly near the free-throw line and nailed a jumper.

During Gan Guoyang’s team’s offensive possessions, the Raptors completely abandoned guarding Gan Guohui, opting instead to double-team Gan Guoyang. Jason, meanwhile, applied intense one-on-one pressure on Chen Xing from outside. Chen Xing made a mistake, turning the ball over to the Raptors.

Once again, their polished outside play unfolded.

In three-on-three half-court games, the space was vast. Jason moved the ball, keeping far from Gan Guoyang. The player in short shorts caught the ball at a zero-degree angle and hit another mid-range jumper. The score was now 5 to 7, with the Raptors closing the gap. The fear of repeated blocks by Gan Guoyang began to fade—they realized they could neither provoke nor avoid him.

Chen Xing drove to the basket but was swatted away by the green vest’s towering block. Gan Guoyang followed through, pushing past the crowd to grab the rebound and scored on the put-back.

“Damn, why is this guy so strong?” Jason grumbled, having just been shoved aside by Gan Guoyang without any resistance. Although Gan Guoyang’s build was not bulky, his muscles were tightly packed as if his bones themselves had grown muscle.

At 5 to 8, with ten points played, Gan Guoyang’s team was just two points from victory. The Raptors called a timeout, sipping water to regroup. Jason, the green vest, and the player in short shorts huddled together to discuss strategy.

“That tall guy’s defense is terrifying. Which high school is he from?”
“Never heard of him in San Francisco, but that fat guy is a weakness.”
“We should stick to our plan and protect the rebounds.”
“Try hitting that kid hard. We need some morale—some morale!”

Jason instructed the green vest to challenge Gan Guoyang physically; winning by constantly avoiding the defensive wall wouldn’t be honorable. The green vest nodded and, on his next low-post reception, instead of charging with the ball, used a pivot to back into Gan Guoyang near the basket. Relying on experience and subtle moves, he slipped past Gan Guoyang’s block in a delicate timing, scoring a bank shot beneath the rim.

It was the green vest’s first basket of the night. He showed no pride, only a slight relief. Gan Guoyang’s oppressive presence behind him had made his hair stand on end, forcing him to summon all his experience and training to sink a routine shot.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the ball with one hand, but instead of frustration for the defensive lapse, he felt exhilarated. That basket had shown him something unattainable outside the basketball court or in casual play—those intricate details of confrontation, subtle shifts in balance and rhythm, mastery of a split-second delay, and the myriad tiny movements of hands, shoulders, and back.

Without facing competition above one’s level, such subtleties remain elusive and unlearned. Previously, he had thought shooting, dunking, dribbling, driving, three-pointers, crossovers, and catch-and-shoot were everything. No—it was these details that truly separated players’ levels.

“We call a timeout too!”

Chen Xing used the only timeout in the game. Gan Guoyang was rubbing the ball so it hissed, and Chen Xing mistook this for frustration over the defensive failure.

“It’s okay, Guoyang. You’re defending well. Guanghui, you’re the weak link now—no points yet.”

Gan Guohui was scoreless and repeatedly exposed as a defensive liability. The Raptors had made him their main target. He looked dejected, pursing his lips, wanting to retort but knowing Chen Xing was right.

Gan Guoyang patted his younger brother on the back. “It’s fine, Guanghui. Since they underestimate you, seize the chance and make them pay.”

Yet Guanghui’s eyes revealed confusion. What chance was there to grasp? His skills were indeed lacking, even behind Chen Xing, who had improved drastically through summer camp. Facing any of the three Raptors varsity players was overwhelming—no wonder he felt discouraged.

After the timeout, back on the court, Gan Guoyang suddenly called for the ball on the left side. Chen Xing passed it immediately. The player in short shorts closed in for a double-team, but Gan Guoyang swiftly dribbled, spun, and cut along the baseline, evading the trap.

The move was almost identical to the footwork the green vest had used earlier: right foot stepping inward, turning with his thigh against the defender’s leg, pushing into the paint, using his back to shove the defender off balance, then leaping to gently bank in a layup.

The Raptors saw it as Gan Guoyang mocking them, unaware he had just learned and applied the green vest’s technique.

Energized, the green vest grabbed an offensive rebound and attempted a strong layup, only to be lightly blocked by the well-prepared Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang retrieved the ball and passed back to Chen Xing, who again called for the ball down low. The green vest, clearly inexperienced in low-post defense, didn’t aggressively box out. The ball was easily delivered to Gan Guoyang, who was one basket away from clinching the game.

The short shorts player hurried over to double-team, moving faster than before, but Gan Guoyang didn’t spin or dribble. Instead, he passed to the unattended Gan Guohui.

“Shoot!”

Gan Guohui caught the ball and hesitated for a moment.

“Seize the chance. Make them pay.”

So, the opportunity was here. He raised his hand, aimed for the white square on the backboard, and released softly.

The ball traced an imperfect arc, hit the backboard, and bounced perfectly into the hoop.

Gan Guohui had scored his only basket of the game.

“Did we win?”
“We won!”