"You should try a different approach and find a way to regain control on the court, rather than just attacking all the time. Take a rest first!"
The noisy environment made every exchange between the coach and players sound strained and hoarse.
Before the start of the fourth quarter, Beelman had Duncan sit on the bench to rest, think, and calm down for a moment.
At this time, Gan Guoyang also sat on the bench, draped in a towel and drinking water. He looked up at the scoreboard; the Trail Blazers’ lead had expanded to 15 points.
So far, Gan Guoyang had only scored 14 points. He had focused most of his energy on defense, grabbing 15 rebounds, 4 blocks, and an astonishing 7 steals.
Six of those steals were against Duncan. Tonight, he was practically possessed by a master thief, seeing through Duncan’s every move, especially his plays, predicting them with precision and flawlessly intervening.
Bird, sitting next to Gan Guoyang, said, "Sonny, your defense is really a bit excessive. Are you really not going to let the top pick score at all?"
Gan Guoyang said, "I haven’t scored either, Larry. It’s actually quite interesting to occasionally be a player who focuses solely on defense."
Bird shook his head, thinking this guy really takes pleasure in tormenting others.
This kind of tight, full-game defense, completely shutting out the opponent, is a huge psychological blow.
But Gan Guoyang couldn’t care less at the moment; he was immersed in the joy of one-on-one defense.
In his mind, he continued to meticulously recall and analyze the details of Duncan’s offense to simulate defensive scenarios.
Before the game, Gan Guoyang had, of course, watched videos to study Duncan’s offense and how to defend him.
In November, the Celtics and the Utah Jazz had a game, where the Jazz won by over 30 points at home against the Celtics.
This was the Celtics’ most brutal defeat of the season so far, with Duncan only scoring 9 points by making 4 of 12 shots against Karl Malone’s single coverage.
In the game, Malone consistently defended Duncan alone, holding position well in the post, quick to intercept, strong in steals, controlling the defensive focus and positioning very effectively, with an excellent defensive performance.
Malone had spent a lifetime emulating and learning from Ah Gan, and reached peak performance on both offense and defense in mid to late career, prompting Gan Guoyang to actively learn from Malone.
For years, Gan Guoyang had been a shot-blocking center, yet in terms of single defense details at the power forward position, Malone indeed had aspects worth learning from.
Especially his steals and control of focus, which significantly troubled the inexperienced Duncan. Combining this experience with his strength advantage and technique, Gan Guoyang disrupted Duncan’s rhythm, leaving him scoreless.
Studying these defensive nuances brought great enjoyment to Gan Guoyang.
This season, he had the time to delve into such matters.
Last season, it was impossible; he had too many responsibilities.
Scoring, assisting, shot-blocking, and organizing all had to be managed.
Many tasks had to be approached broadly rather than in detail, requiring comprehensiveness and balance.
This season, with the lineup strengthened, veterans returning, and newcomers growing, Gan Guoyang could focus more on specific functions.
The situation on the court remained unfavorable for the Celtics. In Duncan’s absence, their defensive quality dropped significantly.
Duncan had a redeeming quality; although Gan Guoyang’s defense made him doubt his offensive skills, his defensive performance on the court was undiminished.
Unlike some players, who crash on defense when they struggle offensively, becoming passive and performing worse and worse.
Duncan endured the fear and discomfort on the offensive end and made efforts on defense to support the team, achieving multiple blocks and disrupting the Trail Blazers’ cuts.
With the Trail Blazers lacking a powerful small forward, this greatly reduced their success rate in under-the-basket assaults.
Therefore, even with Duncan scoring zero points, his presence on the court remained significant for the Celtics.
Beelman let Duncan sit on the bench for just over two minutes, and seeing that the lead wasn’t being cut down, he called a timeout to send Duncan back on the court.
As soon as Duncan returned, Gan Guoyang immediately took off his warm-up jacket and re-entered the game, and Duncan could feel the shark’s fin approaching him.
"Sonny! He’s just a kid!" Standing at the sideline, Beelman yelled at Gan Guoyang.
There was a hint of pleading in his tone, implying that Duncan was still a rookie, asking him to ease up a bit.
Of course, Beelman knew that Gan Guoyang had already shown mercy; at least he wasn’t trash-talking Duncan, right?
However, this three-quarter shutout was impressive enough; Beelman knew this was a necessary path to growth, but he was also afraid Ah Gan might be too ruthless and cause serious harm.
Gan Guoyang laughed, shook his head, and said, "Bobby, you can’t grow a giant tree in a greenhouse. Besides, I’m just a kid too."
"You call yourself a kid, you shameless guy."
Beelman knew that Duncan would have to rely on himself to break through this barrier.
Whether they won or lost tonight, this would ultimately be an important lesson on Duncan’s path to growth.
On the other side, Kobe whispered to Duncan, "I told you already, just shoot! Whatever happens, just shoot, and there’s a chance! Make one first!"
Kobe’s mentality was completely different from Duncan’s. If Kobe were facing Gan Guoyang, he would have no fear or dread at all.
He would only become more determined, using immense confidence to keep shooting until he achieved his goal, a result of differences in personality and growth experiences.
At this time, Celtics players also knew they had to let Duncan score.
The outcome didn’t matter; they couldn’t let their number one draft pick be completely shut out by Ah Gan, it was too humiliating.