In the previous rules, if the ball hit the rim or the backboard, it counted as completing an attack, resetting the 24 seconds. Now it’s stricter, making it undoubtedly more difficult for the offense, and easier to violate the 24 seconds rule.
About malicious fouls, the League has increased penalties. As long as you lay hands in the game, whether you hit someone or not, you’ll be immediately ejected, followed by at least one game suspension.
If you hit someone, the suspension varies from 1 to 5 games depending on the severity, and there’s a corresponding fine. Players leaving the bench during a conflict will also be fined.
After clearing the plagues of drugs and gambling, David Stern has focused all his energy on court violence. Stern realized that for the NBA to surpass MLB and NFL, targeting the broader middle-class and youth market, curbing violence was necessary.
Before the game started, the referee joked with Gan Guoyang: "Sonny, don’t swing the fist, not even the motion; it would make it hard for us."
Gan Guoyang shook his head with a smile, it seems that hitting people in the future will need to be more careful, especially in playoffs and finals; those massacre nights would become a thing of the past.
With four main players missing, substitutes filled the starting lineup, leaving the Trail Blazers’ bench in a disastrous state.
Rookie PJ Brown got a chance to play in the first game of the new season, replacing Gan Guoyang as the team’s center.
As a result, he made countless mistakes, standing in the three-second zone like a headless fly, getting dizzy from the Nuggets’ passing and positioning during defense.
In the absence of Porter, the Trail Blazers could only use Curry and Petrović as guards, forcing two players who aren’t good at organizing to take turns handling the ball.
The Princeton offense had no run at all. Under the loose defense of the preseason, it was enjoyable, but in the regular season, the result of too much passing was one mistake after another.
Beelman was very anxious watching from the sidelines. He kept cursing sitting beside Gan Guoyang, couldn’t help saying: "Sonny, I think proposing tonight was a bad idea."
Gan Guoyang said: "No, this is not bad, it’s us not playing well enough. Call a timeout; we are 10 points behind."
After Nuggets forward Marcus Liberty made a dunk in a fast break, the Nuggets led the Trail Blazers by 10 points, 39:29 in the second quarter, an unexpected but reasonable scenario.
During the timeout, Gan Guoyang said to his teammates: "This is just the first game, but I feel like everyone has aged like it’s the 2000 season, and the Nuggets play like college students!"
Gan Guoyang wanted to motivate his teammates to show some energy, but he also pointed out part of the truth, the Portland Trail Blazers were an old team.
Not in terms of age, in terms of average age, the Trail Blazers currently fall into the mid-age category, in their prime, but they’re more spiritually old, undoubtedly old guys.
The championship wears players out like a beautiful woman wears out a man; the more you get, the more your energy and spirit get sucked dry.
That’s why some players collapse immediately after winning a championship, declining rapidly the next year, never to rise again.
Trying to boost his teammates in the first game of the season was indeed a first for Gan Guoyang’s career.
Cheering them up was secondary; the most important thing was that Gan Guoyang had to show his full strength to withstand the impact of the young Nuggets team.
Beelman wanted to sub Gan Guoyang in for PJ Brown, but Gan Guoyang said no, "Let me sub for Pete, he’s already exhausted, I’ll play with Dell."
Gan Guoyang subbed in for the long-playing Petrović. After coming back on court, he started setting picks, working with Dell Curry to bring the ball over half-court.
Inside, Pinkney and PJ Brown guarded, while Mario Ely squatted in the corner; the Nuggets’ defensive attention was entirely on Gan Guoyang.
In a hand-off play from the top of the arc, Mutombo was momentarily confused. Should he come out to guard Ah Gan or stay in the three-second zone for protection?
In that brief moment of hesitation, PJ Brown smartly cut under the basket. Gan Guoyang made a high lob pass inside, and PJ Brown caught it for a two-handed dunk!
In college, PJ Brown wasn’t known for his offense; his nickname was "Miner." You could tell from the name what kind of playing style he had.
This basket greatly relieved his pressure from the first match. Gan Guoyang shouted at him: "How about it? You scored, not hard right? Isn’t the NBA easy?"
Brown smiled, his previously terrible mood eased, allowing him to focus on defense. In training camp, he constantly received defensive guidance from Gan Guoyang.
He was always silent but adept at quietly completing his work. In this aspect, he was steadier and more substantial than Antonio Davis.
In a way, when it was hard for the Trail Blazers management to uncover outdated stars like Walton and Gilmore, rookies like Mason, Davis, and PJ Brown became bodyguards carefully prepared by Jerry West for Gan Guoyang. Anyway, once used, they were replaced.
Mason left, Davis came, one day when Davis leaves, PJ Brown can step up too.
And if these players weren’t in the Trail Blazers, they wouldn’t be able to play in the NBA in a short time.
On other teams, they couldn’t meet the basic requirements to get on the court for a game.
Only in the Trail Blazers, after experiencing high-intensity rookie training camps, receiving Gan Guoyang’s mentorship, could they quickly make a name for themselves.
Gan Guoyang not only guided them in training but also taught them how to play and defend during games.