Gan Guoyang certainly didn't want to be defeated by Jordan twice. For him, besides Jordan, no one else in the league caught his attention.
The players from the '70s were either aging, retiring, or suffering from injuries, with only Magic Johnson posing a threat, while the rest were progressively exiting the competition stage of the '90s.
This season, the Lakers, with Johnson, have battled the Trail Blazers three times so far, and the Trail Blazers have won all encounters. Clearly, after many years of confrontation, the two teams know each other too well.
Without Jabbar, the Lakers have been struggling to compete against Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers, and last year they even fell short against David Robinson and the Spurs.
The players from the '80s class of 1984 are now reaching their prime, with Charles, Olajuwon, Stockton, and others leading their teams in a sprint towards the top of the league.
