Kobe’s absence has had a greater impact on the Trail Blazers than expected.
On the offensive end, the Trail Blazers can make up for it; they don’t lack offensive resources.
Gan Guoyang relies more on outside play, and Carl is also making efforts to develop Henderson, while Charles Barkley still has some fuel left in his offensive tank.
In addition to veterans like Dell Curry, Chris Mullin, and Brellock, squeezing out a little more contribution from each game is possible.
So without Kobe, the Trail Blazers’ offense can still stand tall; as long as it revolves around Gan Guoyang, they remain top in the League.
However, the problems on defense are significant. Without Kobe, a big chunk of the Trail Blazers’ perimeter defense has collapsed.
Losing to the Suns, the Trail Blazers exemplified a defensive breakdown, facing a barrage from Hill, Walker, and Hardaway’s individual skills.
Gan Guoyang held the Three Second Zone and backcourt rebounds, but the Suns’ precise stop-and-shoot mid-range and three-pointers found him helpless at the basket.
Even if Sabonis returned, or Little O’Neal did his best to defend, the Trail Blazers couldn’t withstand the Suns’ talented wing and guard lineup.
Indeed, controlling variables is necessary for lineup experiments. Kobe’s absence has led to a defensive imbalance for the Blazers, and this gap is hard to fill.
In December games, the Trail Blazers hit a low period.
After losing to the Suns, the Trail Blazers consecutively lost to the Pacers and the Supersonics, and on December 7th, were severely defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers at an away game.
The good news is, the Trail Blazers didn’t lose consecutively; after losing one game, they could win the next. The bad news is, the new system built after last winning against the Lakers has loosened again.
After losing Kobe, not only has the defensive issue stood out, but the second lineup’s offensive blackout problem has also become increasingly evident, frequently going scoreless for three to four minutes during a phase.
For a strong team, this spells disaster for rhythm control. No matter how good your defense is, the moment you can’t score on offense, you’ll fall into a passive situation.
Players become anxious mentally, facing the risk of opponents’ counterattacks on defense, exhausting their stamina, ultimately leading to easier losses and a considerable drop in game control.
Though after a loss, the team can make immediate adjustments, Carl indeed has tactical insights, and can always find ways for improvement, winning the following game.
But the next game presents new opponents and new problems. The Trail Blazers’ previous process and routine of keeping stable throughout the regular season and overpowering opponents doesn’t exist anymore, and it’s not working.
Stabilizing Carl’s emotions wasn’t easy, and those strands of hair that finally grew back have all fallen out again.
This is the most grueling part of the NBA’s long regular season. Teams’ states fluctuate; you may think issues have been resolved and form improved, and you can keep winning.
But then, an accident, an injury, or a key player’s absence can undo your previous efforts, forcing you to raise your spirits and adjust again to find the winning rhythm.
Such repetition occurs three to four times per season at the least; if a team’s strength is less stable, with some transactions and internal struggles, experiencing five to six, six to seven roller coasters is quite normal.
Moreover, your opponents are also constantly adjusting. A team faced in the early season could have drastically changed by the next encounter.
On December 14th, the Trail Blazers were challenged by the Nuggets team on the road; previously, the Trail Blazers easily defeated the Nuggets, but this time they faced a strong counterattack.
The Nuggets played exceptionally well at home, winning 107-103 against the Trail Blazers, avenging their previous heavy defeat.
After this game, the Trail Blazers held a 3-4 record in December, pushing them into a rather unfavorable situation once more.
Even though they need to save their strength for the playoffs, if the regular season performance is too poor, they’ll have to scramble to improve their standings later on, leaving little energy in reserve.
Home court advantage is crucial; sometimes, having one more home game in a series can be decisive.
Carl has experienced it; the past Trail Blazers have never gone through such experiences.
Even in 1989 and 1997, seasons without championships, the Trail Blazers remained very stable in the regular season.
Because at that time, Gan Guoyang’s control was exceptionally strong; he fully mastered the team, having different styles for the rich and fallback tactics for the poor.
The coach didn’t need to create trouble; just perfect the support work, and I’ll guarantee you the West Finals at minimum.
But now, Gan Guoyang’s court control has declined, and more importantly, outside the game, he doesn’t have that much energy to face the bottom line.
Leading the coaching staff for a session and providing an example counts as a generous offer; afterwards, dealing with hearings, various business affairs, and family issues isn’t even manageable. How can he have time for daily sessions with the team when the coaching staff doesn’t offer extra pay?
Moreover, Gan Guoyang personally doesn’t prioritize regular season performance any longer; his vision extends further, already planning to reserve energy in the regular season for playoff preparation.
Since returning from New York, he has been adjusting his training, increasing the intensity, regulating his weight, and conserving stamina to store energy until April next year.
This has led to Gan Guoyang noticeably holding back during the regular season; he only does his part, playing according to the coach’s instructions, fulfilling tasks 100%, without concerning himself more.
The data still shows a 25+15 level, but his influence on the game is contracting, and Kobe’s absence makes this even more apparent.