"Okay, I understand." Bird seemed to see through everything and immediately understood what Gan Guoyang was talking about.
"You weren’t involved too, were you?" Gan Guoyang looked at Bird with suspicion.
"Go to hell, I’ve got a weak heart." Bird gave Gan Guoyang a glare.
He was indeed knocked on the door yesterday, but Bird, having reached a certain age, was less interested in women.
In his younger years, Bird was also wild, having hastily married and then divorced in college, producing a daughter he didn’t acknowledge.
In the basketball world, players who stay loyal to their partners and are free of scandals are extremely rare, and the Trail Blazers have two such players, making them one of the most well-regarded teams.
During the evening game, the Trail Blazers players indeed looked out of sorts.
The game’s passing and tactical execution were still smooth, but the players’ shot accuracy from the outside was quite bad.
They repeatedly missed three-pointers, and their mid-range shots and free throws were subpar, putting the Trail Blazers at a disadvantage from the start.
But Gan Guoyang quickly took the stage, his recent excellent form allowing him to make consecutive shots.
His mid-range, three-pointers, and hook shots continuously scored, helping the Trail Blazers stabilize.
From being a super role player at the start of the season to returning to the core scoring role in mid-season, Gan Guoyang transitioned smoothly.
Indeed, it was time for him to push forward.
Over the summer, the Philadelphia 76ers made a trade and got Tim Thomas in the draft.
They then engaged in a three-way trade, sending away Jerry Stackhouse and draft picks, acquiring Ratliff and Alon McGee from the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks.
These two trades were aimed at building a roster around Allen Iverson.
Stackhouse’s offensive style conflicted with Iverson’s, and a reliable potential inside presence and a defensive-minded backcourt were what the 76ers needed.
The Philadelphia 76ers specially brought in Larry-Brown to serve as both the team’s head coach and general manager, pushing this trade through.
The 76ers are the eighth team that Larry-Brown has coached in his career. His philosophy has always evolved, but his temperament remains unchanged.
In his past coaching stints, Larry-Brown generally doesn’t stay with one team for more than four years, usually leaving after two to three years.
He is sharp, harsh, and difficult to get along with. People aren’t optimistic about him coexisting peacefully with the strong-willed Allen Iverson.
This season is their first year working together, and this team built around Iverson is still very immature, though some potential is beginning to show.
In this game, the Trail Blazers’ outside shooting percentage was poor, partly because of the players’ poor form, but also because of the 76ers’ effective defense.
Larry-Brown’s shouting may be unbearable, but his coaching strategies and methods are effective and reliable, especially in this current defensive version, which suits him well.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t consistently have a job in the league; he is undoubtedly a capable coach.
Larry-Brown’s defense is characterized by precision - precise positioning and precise defensive help, using fixed defensive routes and strategies to aid players in forming defensive memories.
No matter how the opponent plays, I stick to those exact fixed paths to counter. If you score, good for you, but under this machine-like precise defensive system, the opponent’s offensive feel is bound to be affected.
However, tonight, Gan Guoyang was on fire; with his teammates shaky in both legs and hands and shooting inaccurately, Gan Guoyang was almost a hundred percent at the free-throw elbow position.
No need for pick-and-rolls, no need for teammates to create; just give him the ball, and against one-on-one defense, he could score any way he wanted.
Undoubtedly, tonight was Ah Gan’s scoring night; apart from himself, no one could stop him.
In the first half, Gan Guoyang exploded for 25 points, with only 3 points from free throws, and 18 points from mid-range shots.
Like Jordan, Gan Guoyang’s catch-and-shoot was simple, smooth, and launched very quickly, giving opponents no time to double-team him.
In the NBA, where zone defenses are not allowed, and early double-teaming is prohibited, isolation plays can solve many problems, especially in the late ’90s.
Gan Guoyang and Jordan were precisely the promoters and epitomes of this style.
By halftime, the Trail Blazers led the 76ers by 10 points.
In the second half, the 76ers had no choice but to start double-teaming on defense.
Offensively, Larry-Brown demanded Iverson step up and counter with Gan in scoring firepower.
Iverson is a fearless player, although this season, under Larry-Brown’s guidance, his average points have decreased.
But his shooting percentage and offensive efficiency have increased, and his playing time and ball usage have been more reasonably arranged.
He significantly reduced his three-point attempts and increased his two-point shots, yet his shooting percentage improved a lot.
Despite being only 6 feet tall, he repeatedly drove into the paint, against far taller and stronger defenders, finding ways to get the ball into the basket.
Larry-Brown was trying to develop him as a central offensive tactic, making him handle a substantial amount of shooting and scoring output.
But against the Trail Blazers and Gan, even the usually fearless Iverson seemed a bit intimidated.
Larry-Brown had ordered him to attack the Three Second Zone, but Iverson did not comply.
By the start of the third quarter, Iverson didn’t drive into the Three Second Zone to battle as Brown had expected.
Instead, he utilized his masterful dribbling and mid-range shooting to roam outside, not daring to make a move to attack inside.