Gan Guoyang stood up to strongly support Carl’s strategy, saying:
"If we just want one championship, then I think we can achieve that goal with any tactic. But if we want to maintain competitiveness in the long run and create a dynasty, I think Rick’s tactical system will play a key role."
The situation is the same as when Bobby Berman introduced the Princeton System in the 1990 season.
A solid, effective, and reliable tactical system is the guarantee for the team to maintain competitiveness for a long time.
This year Gan Guoyang is 33 years old, about to turn 34, and he believes his condition is good enough to fight for another four or five years.
A solid base and camp foundation mean that when young players like Kobe and others grow up, maybe we can compete for another five or six years.
In this way, as long as there are no unexpected events like in 1993 and with the old coach’s health, Gan Guoyang can compete with the Trail Blazers for the next 10 years.
Retirement? Gan Guoyang hasn’t thought about it yet; he wishes he could make up for the time lost during those two years of retirement immediately.
The second half of the game begins, third quarter, the Trail Blazers start intensifying.
After the warm-up in the first half, the players’ physical condition and concentration reached their peak.
At the start of the third quarter, Gan Guoyang assists Chris Mullin for a successful three-pointer.
Then he defended Tim Hardaway’s breakthrough layup, assisting Brellock for another successful three-pointer in the counterattack!
The Trail Blazers’ three-point shooting percentage tonight is quite high, showing that the players are in great shape.
This season, the League made a rule change to extend the shortened three-point line back to 23 feet 9 inches (about 7.24 meters, previously shortened to 6.7 meters).
Because the League found that after the three-point line was shortened, there were more three-point shots, somewhat affecting the excitement of the match.
Too many outside shots and too few inside breakthrough layups upset some hardcore fans.
After the three-point line returned to its previous length, the League’s three-point shots and shooting percentage will definitely decline.
However, for the Trail Blazers, their three-pointers should increase rather than decrease.
Mullin and Brellock are both three-point specialists, and Sabonis also has three-point ability.
Gan Guoyang was the player who made the most three-pointers last season, with the highest shooting percentage.
If three-point data is included in standard statistical data, Gan Guoyang is the data five-time champion.
The Trail Blazers’ continuous three-point shots in the third quarter left the Heat at a loss, and Riley had to call a timeout.
Carl looked at the performance of these veterans on the court and felt there was nothing much to say during the timeout.
"We’re fine, keep moving forward, guys," Carl said confidently.
The subsequent match saw the Trail Blazers playing more relaxed, while the Heat apparently hadn’t moved past the pain of losing Olajuwon.
Even though Olajuwon was gradually declining over the past two seasons, he was still one of the best centers in the League with rich experience against Gan.
If he was there, Charles Barkley probably wouldn’t be shadowed by Gan Guoyang throughout the match, a feeling as uncomfortable as it gets.
Barkley, in his prime, could use agility and shooting to confront Ah Gan.
Now, his shooting level has declined significantly, and with the three-point line lengthened this year, it’s even harder for him.
pounds of weight is more than enough to bully any inside player in the League, he’s not even afraid of O’Neal.
But dealing with Ah Gan, 300 pounds is of no use, instead, it deprives Barkley of the most important burst and speed.
The more he played, the more awkward it got; the point difference gradually widened, and by the start of the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers were already leading by 20 points.
Barkley was very frustrated, trying to back down Ah Gan in a head-on confrontation, but after a long time, he still couldn’t move him.
He also got called for traveling by the referee, which made Barkley very angry, sweat covering his smooth head.
He spat out his mouthguard and explained to the referee that he didn’t travel, but the referee ignored him, and the fans kept booing him.
Barkley’s appeal was unsuccessful, and in the following defense, he committed two consecutive fouls on Gan Guoyang, bringing his foul count to five.
Riley saw this and thought this guy doesn’t want to play anymore, deliberately fouling.
However, Riley was unmoved and had no intention of substituting Barkley for rest.
Barkley finally lost his temper, shouting at Riley: "Why are you keeping me on the court?!"
Riley countered: "You’re a player, playing is your duty! Stay on the court!"
Barkley looked up at the score, down by damn 20 points, there’s no hope at all.
Why keep 300-pound me on the court? To help me lose weight?
Barkley was unceremonious, on the next offensive play he committed another foul and was fouled out.
After being fouled out, Barkley didn’t return to the bench but went straight to the locker room.
He brushed past Pat Riley, who had a stern face, and at the first match of the season, their relationship was already tense.
Although Barkley couldn’t break Ah Gan’s defense, he still managed to score 16 points and grab 14 rebounds with his experience and remaining ability, being a reliable offensive pivot for the Heat’s inside.
Once he was off the court, the Heat completely lost their will to resist, and the time in the fourth quarter passed quickly, the score settled at 114:95.
The Trail Blazers triumphed over the Miami Heat by a 19-point margin in the opener, marking a good start to the season.
Gan Guoyang fulfilled his promise, scoring 30 points and grabbing 21 rebounds in the game, but his assists were not up to par, with only 4 assists.
When your teammates are all good at passing, Gan Guoyang focuses more on scoring and rebounds, naturally decreasing his assists.