Although the eavesdropping on tactics failed, after the confrontation in the previous two games, video study, and the confrontation in this game, Gan Guoyang gradually grasped some details of the Kings Team's tactical system.
As the saying goes, an old thief never dies, Gan Guoyang has mixed in the League for so many years, and his experience playing basketball and understanding of the court has reached a deep level.
Of course, even at this level of accumulation, Gan Guoyang still has to keep learning and summarizing, because the NBA court is not static, and each season brings new changes.
After generations of players and coaches developing and strategizing, today's game mode has seen immense changes compared to the past.
At the end of the first half, the Kings Team led the Glory Team 59:51, ahead by 8 points. Their offensive power is indeed formidable.
Especially their transitional play, which is executed very well. Adelman uses substitutes smoothly; Turkoglu and Bobby Jackson fit perfectly in the Princeton System.
During halftime in the locker room, Tomjanovich and the players reviewed the video of the first half to analyze the Kings Team's offensive patterns.
Everyone watched very seriously. Watching video at halftime was Pat Riley's favorite thing to do back then, and now it has become widespread in the League. Players can receive timely feedback and make adjustments in the second half.
After watching for a while, Gilbert Arenas, who was injured and did not play, suddenly said, "They really use a lot of pick-and-rolls."
Tomjanovich paused the video and said, "That's right! Gilbert, you're correct, a lot of pick-and-rolls. Sonny, did you use this many pick-and-rolls when you played Princeton?"
Gan Guoyang shook his head and said, "No, when we played Princeton, passing half-court to me or Sabonis was the most common action. Pick-and-rolls were used less at that time, they easily got called for fouls, and were not favorable for isolation plays."
"Now it's different, pick-and-rolls will become increasingly important. Wei Bo and Divac still position at high spots, but their primary task is screening, and the ball is mainly in Bibby, Christie, and Jackson's hands. Playing pick-and-roll around screens is their most common initiator, with the greatest variety."
"We need to practice more pick-and-roll coordination," Gan Guoyang said. He knew that pick-and-rolls were a crucial indicator distinguishing basketball of the 90s, 00s, and 10s.
The further time progresses, the more pick-and-roll usage increases, and the more power goes to the perimeter.
"Will it be in time, Sonny?" Porter asked.
"If you play for another two years, it'll definitely be in time."
Porter shut his mouth, pretending he hadn't spoken, and even wanted to slap himself, why did he say that?
The second half of the game began, and of course, the Glory Team couldn't immediately start playing pick-and-roll coordination and battle the Kings.
They still followed the previous training content, played more transition, while Gan Guoyang operated more at the 45-degree angle, increasing mid- and long-range shots.
At the start of the third quarter, Gan Guoyang received the ball near the free throw line, made a mid-range jump shot, and scored.
Shooting is truly the veteran's best friend; it won't fade away with time but instead steadfastly stays by your side, becoming the most important weapon.
The Kings counterattacked, Bibby drove in and passed to Wei Bo, who shot a mid-range jumper at a 45-degree angle on the left side, scoring.
Wei Bo's mid-range shooting ability is equally strong, but it's hard to say during the game's final moments.
Porter waited for Gan Guoyang to position again at a 45-degree angle for a mid-range shot, gave it to Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang received the ball, turned around, faced the basket with the triple-threat stance, rose up to shoot again, and scored.
Wei Bo attempted to return the favor, but Gan Guoyang came close to defend, and Wei Bo gave up the shot and instead did a hand-off screen for Bibby, who caught the ball and jumped up to shoot quickly, scoring again!
The opening offensive of both teams in the third quarter remained smooth and beautiful, with not much collision under the basket, mostly jump shots.
Not only did Bibby score that ball, but he also drew a foul on the trailing defender Porter, made a free throw, and scored.
Porter is quite old, but you can't bully a ten-time champion; he came back and drew a foul successfully, scoring two free throws.
Afterward, the Kings shifted their offensive focus from the left-side Wei Bo-Bibby duo to the right-side Stojakovic-Divac Serbian duo.
Stojakovic dribbled, Divac came for a screen, but it was actually a fake screen, the ball went to Divac, Divac made a direct pass to the basket, Christie received and made a successful layup, a classic Princeton backdoor tactic coordination.
The Glory Team's offense played well, but the problem is that if the Kings keep executing such smooth coordination, the Glory Team will find no hope of catching up to reverse the score.
Gan Guoyang received Bell's pass, completed an alley-oop dunk, then quickly returned on defense, signaling teammates to engage in zone defense.
This season, Glory's defense has two main strategies: zone defense and half-court trapping shift defense. These were custom-made by Tomjanovich and his coaching staff based on the team's characteristics.
Zone defense goes without saying; each team is researching and developing it. Old Tang once coached the US National Team and played FIBA, having researched this area.
Half-court trapping shift defense involves suddenly executing a half-court trap, attacking the ball handler, disrupting the opponent's offensive organization.
These two defensive strategies emphasize sudden attacks, changing form, altering rhythm intensity, often catching opponents off guard.
Tonight against the Kings, the half-court trap may not work well, because the Kings pass well and space out, a sudden trap could be very risky.