All summer long, Bird has been contemplating what sort of playing style to bring to the current Trail Blazers.
Over the past decade, they have been very illustrious; in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the Trail Blazers have always been trendsetters in their style of play.
They were pioneers in utilizing the three-point shot and made the center three-point strategy a relatively standard tactic.
At the same time, many of the Trail Blazers’ offensive concepts were innovative and counterintuitive, such as reducing passing to cut down on turnovers.
For example, they initiated a slow tempo to play more half-court sets and fully utilized isolation plays instead of team coordination.
These seemingly rebellious tactics allowed the Trail Blazers to lead the league in offensive efficiency for a long period.
In an era when data analysis was not yet widespread, the Trail Blazers were an enigma, and coaches often felt puzzled when facing them.
No matter how the game went, they just couldn’t beat them, especially during the playoffs when it seemed nearly impossible to find hope of winning.
Unnoticed, they fell behind; unnoticed, time slipped away, and eventually, they lost the game.
Unable to score or defend; this was the most obvious feeling, but both players and coaches couldn’t quite understand why.
By the mid-’90s, with the rise of video analysis, computer processing, and data analysis, the Trail Blazers were under the microscope.
Various programs, interviews, and books started to focus on uncovering the strong secrets of the Trail Blazers, and Gan Guoyang showcased his extraordinary physical talents on shows.
Now the whole league understood how the Trail Blazers played: the efficiency brought by three-pointers, lower turnover rates due to less passing and more half-court play, and a top-tier superstar two levels above all other players.
Bird played beautiful basketball with the Celtics then; they were a team of speed and talent, but at their peak in 1986, they were tripped up by Portland.
Bird later learned that by 1986, the Trail Blazers had already figured out the Celtics’ weakness: slowing them down and dragging them into the mud of half-court play, then using their sharpest weapons to defeat the team.
This remained a perpetual regret in Bird’s heart; the five-star Celtics were enormously strong, their desire for the championship was intense, and they firmly believed that year’s championship was theirs.
However, in the finals, they faced a strong blockade by the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang and never had a chance at the championship again.
The influence of the Trail Blazers’ style and tactics on the NBA is profound, as more teams start using the three-point shot as a regular weapon.
The philosophy of less passing, less fast break, more half-court play spread to every team, with the NBA’s average points per game diminishing, and defense becoming the main theme.
The league shortened the three-point line in the 1994-1995 season from 23 feet 9 inches to 22 feet to continue encouraging players to shoot threes.
This shortening led to an explosion of three-point shots in the ’94-’95 season, indirectly contributing to the Miami Heat’s championship win—they implemented the three-point, defense, and simple half-court offense strategy most thoroughly.
Relying on Olajuwon’s strong ball-handling ability, combined with a simple inside-out game plan and a lot of threes, they toppled the Chicago Bulls in the East.
Pat Riley could be said to hate the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan while almost adopting everything from them.
The management, logistics, commentary, players, and tactical strategy all came from the Trail Blazers.
By the 1995-1996 season, the Bulls came to realize, and Jordan even began to increase his three-point attempts.
In the 1996 season, Jordan’s three-point shooting percentage reached a career-best 42%—already on par with rookie Ah Gan.
His output was also a career-high, averaging four attempts per game, becoming one of the league’s most efficient three-point shooters.
During the Trail Blazers’ second dynasty period, they creatively incorporated the Princeton System.
The Trail Blazers excellently blended the Princeton System with their previous strategies, combining this once grassroots tactic with superstar strategies.
In the regular season, they could easily crush opponents with a steady mode, achieving great results year after year.
By the playoffs, the system, along with the superstars, pushed forward, and even death couldn’t stop them from winning the championship.
Now, some teams are also beginning to introduce Princeton-like philosophies to coach their teams, and the Trail Blazers are indeed one step ahead of the league at every turn.
Coaching such a team naturally puts a lot of pressure on Larry Bird; it’s no wonder no coach dared to take over in the 1994 season, except for PJ Carlesimo, who ended up leaving unsatisfactorily.
In the process of thinking, Bird first needed to determine one question: in the past decade, what ultimately determined the Trail Blazers’ dominance, their system and strategies, or Ah Gan?
The result of discussing with Buckwalter was that it mainly depended on Ah Gan; without Ah Gan, everything was in vain.
Even though Bird had a deep appreciation for Ah Gan’s court prowess, as a head coach, he still needed to confirm it.
Before training camp began, Buckwalter suggested Bird call Beelman to inquire about some questions regarding the Trail Blazers’ system.
Bird was a bit hesitant and said, "Is it appropriate to ask Beelman these things now that he’s the head coach of the Lakers?"
Buckwalter replied, "Beelman may indeed be the coach of the Lakers, but he will always be Ah Gan’s coach. He will answer your questions about Ah Gan truthfully."