Both teams were warming up on the court, and the game was about to start.
As tonight’s opponent, since Gan Guoyang entered the league, the Clippers almost never had a good season.
As long as their owner is Donald Sterling, the Clippers have no real chance of getting better.
However, in the past few seasons, Sterling seems to have had an awakening or a change of heart.
Or perhaps he feels he’s earned enough money and, given his age, doesn’t need much; it’s time to invest some thought into the team.
So, in the 2005-2006 season, with the financial and decision-making support, Elgin Baylor put effort into remodeling the team.
They signed Sam Cassell, who left the Timberwolves. Cassell, despite his looks, brings something to each team he joins, improving their records. Although he is already 36, his performance on the court rivals that of younger players.
Cassell teamed up with Elton Brand, acquired from the Bulls, Mobley from the Rockets, and Chris Kaman from the 2003 draft, forming a strong team.
The Clippers successfully made it to the playoffs and advanced past the first round to the semifinals. Although they were eventually eliminated by the Phoenix Suns, the seven-game series with the Suns marked the best season performance in the Clippers’ history.
This performance gave Donald Sterling even more confidence to run the Clippers well. During the summer, besides retaining their original lineup, the Clippers signed Tim Thomas and Jason Hart for further strengthening, aiming to progress further in the 2006-2007 season.
Therefore, before the match started, everyone in the Clippers camp was confident and didn’t take Glory seriously.
Ah Gan was getting older, at 42, even older than many coaches in the league.
During the 04 and 05 seasons, Glory was still strong enough to compete in the upper half of the Western Conference.
Last season, Ah Gan missed the playoffs due to a back injury. At the time, many media outlets speculated that Ah Gan might retire.
Even if he didn’t retire, it’s anticipated that the 06-07 season would see a sharp decline, making it hard to maintain competitiveness.
But after a summer and into training camp and the pre-season until the regular season started, there was no news of Ah Gan retiring.
Now he stood well on the court, waiting for the referee to toss the ball into the air.
Although he had just experienced the torturous back pain earlier in the morning, after Dr. Carter’s treatment, he felt much better.
Once on the court, Gan Guoyang would get into his best state, forgetting the pain and fatigue, focusing only on playing well for 48 minutes.
Many people said he should retire at 42, with 11 championships, what else is there to play for?
When it comes to passion, does he really love it so much? Playing for over 20 years without feeling tired?
Gan Guoyang truly wants to say, not tired, especially playing in the NBA.
The NBA’s characteristic is rapid renewal. With the basic rules unchanged, over the decades, playing in the NBA has become like playing a different game.
Just like the vitality of video games lies in updates, the NBA is the same, updating players, rules, and gameplay.
In recent seasons, the NBA has been racing towards a focus on defense and downgrading offense, reaching its peak in the 2003-2004 season.
The league averages 93 points per game, almost 20 points less than the peak of the ’80s, over 110 points, causing a vast difference in game perception.
Due to low scores and excessive defense, the league’s regulatory hand intervened once again, making rule changes favoring offense.
In these two seasons, scores have improved, and three-point shooting is on the rise again, gradually transforming the game’s dynamics.
Of course, the defensive-heavy scenario hasn’t changed, but on the offensive side, the role of the ball-handling playmaker is becoming increasingly important.
Overall, the league is gradually leaning towards a balance between offense and defense.
The NBA, as a commercial league, is like a seesaw, not tipping in one direction all at once, but slowly balancing. When it leans too much towards offense, it moves back to support defense and tighten up offense.
This goes on repeatedly until one day, when the NBA collapses.
The Clippers seized the trend towards balanced offense and defense, delivering an impressive performance with a balanced lineup last season.
In contrast, Glory’s problem is a severe lack of outside shooting, still relying on Gan Guoyang as the sole playmaker.
After the player introductions, Yao Ming and Kaman stood at midcourt for the jump ball, and the game began.
The Clippers’ starters, similar to last season, included Kaman, Brand, Mobley, Cassell, and Corey Maggette.
A balanced and competitive starting lineup.
Glory’s starting lineup was Yao Ming, Gan Guoyang, Gerald Wallace, Raja Bell, and Andre Miller.
A lack of outside firepower, overly reliant on the inside, stood in stark contrast to the Clippers’ outside tandem.
Especially Miller, he is an excellent player, reliable on both offense and defense, but his reluctance and inability to shoot threes limit Glory’s tactical diversity.
In the current NBA tactical environment, even making one out of three three-point attempts per game can greatly aid the team.
However, Miller’s three-point attempts have consistently been close to zero. He has tried to practice but couldn’t develop the skill; his technique has already been set.
In these three seasons, Miller has delivered many stunning performances, even scoring 50 points in a game, and often getting the better of Steve Nash in direct matchups.
But his technical limitations also restricted the tactical possibilities for Glory.
Therefore, before the game started, the management had already considered trading him.
However, in tonight’s game, Andre Miller remained a crucial initiator of Glory’s outside offense.