There is already a basic consensus among all the teams when constructing their rosters: if the team is extraordinarily talented and the players have strong individual abilities, then they go the offensive route; if the team has few offensive leads and mostly consists of role players, then they build a defensive lineup.
The former can raise the ceiling, with the Trail Blazers being the best example, while the latter can secure the baseline. In today’s League, to make the playoffs, defense is a must.
The power between offense and defense is roughly split sixty-forty, basically balanced, with no serious imbalance between attack and defense, no situation of twenty-eighty split.
Carl actually had the opportunity to lead the third revolution, and his fluid offense showed tremendous power.
Unfortunately, this system’s requirements for the overall configuration are too high, and Ah Gan has already entered the downward trajectory and can no longer support a new system.
And the old things he left behind are already sufficient for various teams to research repeatedly. The more they study, the more they achieve, the more they discover aspects of him that transcend the Time.
There are technological, tactical, and strategic aspects.
In 1998, the NBC television station produced a three-episode documentary during the Trail Blazers’ 77-win championship season, describing in detail Gan Guoyang’s transformation in technical style over more than ten years and his huge impact on the League.
Of course, the documentary is mostly narrative and doesn’t truly delve into the details; people just watch for the excitement.
The real impact came from a book about basketball thinking published in October 1999.
Larry Bird gave this book to Carl, saying, "Rick, take a look at this book. It contains all kinds of secrets about Ah Gan. Of course, they are not secrets anymore; everyone knows and is studying. The influence of this book is comparable to ’Forrest Gump’s Law.’ You should take a good look at it."
Carl was hearing for the first time that such a book was published on the market, and he hadn’t paid much attention, while the book’s influence grew as the NBA season progressed and the espionage case continued to ferment.
The book is called "The Sun Rises from the West," with the subtitle "The Greatness and Hidden Places of Ah Gan." The author is none other than Bobby Berman, Gan Guoyang’s high school, college, NBA coach, now the Celtics’ head coach.
"Berman actually published a book? This guy, actually using Ah Gan’s fame to make money."
"You can also do it in the future; you coached Ah Gan for at least a year. I’ve even got the name figured out for you: ’Ah Gan in the Final Years of the NBA,’ or ’Confessions of Ah Gan’s Last Coach in the NBA.’ Guaranteed best-seller."
"Xie Te, does Ah Gan know?"
"Not only does he know, but he also gets a hefty sum in royalties, though he surely doesn’t care."
"...What’s inside? Ah Gan’s story or something else?"
"Take a good look. Bobby’s analysis of Ah Gan is very accurate, from technology to tactics to strategy. He understands Ah Gan very well. His understanding means a lot of people understand as well. Look at this quote; Bobby’s idea is now shared by many teams."
Bird flipped to a certain page in the book, pointing at one sentence that read: "No one can defeat Ah Gan, but they can try to beat Ah Gan’s team. If you don’t understand this, you cannot truly understand Ah Gan or recognize his greatness."
Carl said: "I don’t want to defeat Ah Gan; he’s one of us."
"Exactly, but you need to know how those who want to beat the Trail Blazers think. Moreover, I believe you need to take a good look at this book to understand this historically great player more deeply; he is your strongest weapon at hand. I believe your development and use of Ah Gan are not even ten percent of Bobby Berman’s. Ah Gan may be declining and facing troubles, but he is still the best player in the world. You can’t waste that, can you?"
"What you mean is..."
"I don’t mean anything; you figure it out yourself."
After Bird left, Carl sat alone in the coach’s office, holding the book "The Sun Rises from the West."
The book’s cover was a photo from 1981, showing Gan Guoyang at Beiqiao High School, together with Berman, celebrating the CIF California State Championship trophy with him.
In the photo, Gan Guoyang appeared so youthful, but his eyes, holding the championship trophy, were as daring and resolute as they are now.
Carl rubbed the textured cover, as if opening the "Bible," and casually flipped open a page to read.
And the beginning of this page happened to say: "As a head coach, when I encounter problems that are difficult to solve, as tangled as a ball of yarn with no clue at all, there’s always one infallible solution, and that is to test Ah Gan’s endurance, and the problem will always be solved."