Kobe came off the bench in the second quarter, as usual, fulfilling his duties.
Active defense, moving on offense, waiting for opportunities on the outside.
Occasionally, he gets the chance to create with the ball, and that’s the opportunity Bird gives him.
At this time, Kobe often chooses to hold the ball beyond the three-point line, make a large change of direction, then break into the inside to attack the basket.
This was an offensive technique that many NBA guards were learning and developing at the time, which had become a standard for guards.
Allen Iverson was also skilled in this, he learned it from his schoolmate Bailey, and had scored a shot over Jordan’s head.
Kobe tried to execute a move like Iverson’s during a possession, but ended up with a missed shot.
The ball hit the front edge of the rim with a bang, and the rebound was grabbed by the 76ers, who seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack.
Even though Gan Guoyang was no longer in the Trail Blazers’ interior, Little O’Neal inherited Ah Gan’s skills and delivered a big block to the opponent.
Kobe got the ball to counterattack, again changing directions continuously. Kobe was very fast, and his dribbling was agile, but his rhythm wasn’t good enough.
In the end, he jumped to pass the ball, resulting in a turnover...
"Fack... what the hell are you doing? A circus clown?"
Gan Guoyang finally couldn’t resist trash-talking Kobe from the sidelines.
Most of the time, Gan Guoyang was as warm as a spring breeze to his teammates.
Especially when teammates made mistakes on the court, his first reaction was to cover for them, rather than blaming them.
Over the years, every player who teamed up with Ah Gan would give a thumbs up; he was a true leader.
But with Kobe, sometimes Gan Guoyang really couldn’t stand it. This guy was like a mischievous child, naturally without ears.
He often acted on his own on the court, doing baffling things, as if wearing a helmet, his vision was as narrow as a square, seeing nothing but the basket.
At first, Gan Guoyang patiently guided him, but Kobe often replied with two phrases: 1. "Isn’t this what you do?"
2. "Isn’t this what you say?"
Actually, Kobe had a third phrase in his belly but dared not say: 3. "I just want to do it this way."
At such times, Gan Guoyang would think of his unfortunate son, and then a rush of anger would shoot straight to his head.
So later, Gan Guoyang couldn’t hold back anymore, directly cursing. Kobe wouldn’t talk back, just sulking as he continued to focus on the game.
After this, he often made changes, and maintained them for a long time, until a certain game when he had another fit.
Tonight, Kobe had another episode because he didn’t see fans welcoming him in Philadelphia, and because he encountered Iverson.
Using Kobe’s mistake, the 76ers launched another counterattack, this time scoring, closing the gap.
Both teams’ benches were a bit messy on the court, so Bird quickly called a timeout and subbed in Porter to stabilize the situation.
Kobe was substituted due to his poor performance; he was a bit frustrated, as he hadn’t had a chance to face off against Iverson yet.
Gan Guoyang gave Kobe a glare and said, "Think about what you’re supposed to do on the court, don’t do things beyond your capabilities."
Kobe wiped his face, expressionless, still not speaking, like a rebellious son.
Gan Guoyang returned to the court midway through the second quarter, and the 76ers couldn’t find a way to stop him.
Gan Guoyang continued to score steadily in the paint, grabbing rebounds, and not giving the 76ers a chance to turn the tables.
And like Kobe, Iverson stubbornly tried to do something, to prove something, but to no avail.
Gan Guoyang kept targeting Iverson, making Iverson feel like he faced a zone defense from his NCAA days.
Iverson hated zone defense. He’d rather face a one-on-one defense from Michael Jordan than deal with Ah Gan’s ghost-like help defense.
Since coming to the NBA, Iverson always felt scoring had become easier because there was no zone defense, a lot of man-to-man that made him feel at ease.
But tonight, Gan Guoyang made him relive the horror of a zone defense, always someone tagging along when he drove inside.
Iverson still hadn’t scored in the second quarter, 0-for-3, one layup blocked, a missed mid-range, and an unmade three-pointer.
By halftime, the Trail Blazers led the 76ers 59-49 by 10 points, Iverson went 0-for-7 and scored no points, even without a free throw attempt.
This season, the Trail Blazers weren’t a top defensive team, their average points allowed were only mid-range in the league, sometimes the perimeter defense was truly awful.
One defense always leaks, lacking height and intensity, no covering help inside, relying on PJ Brown and Gan Guoyang’s tough defense in the paint.
This year, the league’s three-point line was shorter, so the strategy against the Trail Blazers was clear: explode outside and move the ball extensively to avoid Ah Gan’s strong points.
The Trail Blazers had the best basket protection in the league and the worst three-point defense. If Iverson were stronger at three-pointers, or taller with a better view, and more experienced, he wouldn’t be completely imprisoned in the first half.
Of course, a more important reason was because he had offended Ah Gan.
Why challenge him so well, especially when everyone could hear it at the start?
During halftime, Bird praised Ah Gan’s defense and also commended Van Exel’s performance tonight.
He also contributed to defending Iverson. With Ah Gan there, his job was just to keep following.
Bird criticized Kobe alone; Kobe wasn’t right tonight. After coming on, he played impulsively and didn’t follow tactics.
Two turnovers, two solo efforts, not only failed to score but also led to the opponent’s counterattacks; it could be said it was counterproductive.