At the start of the third quarter, Gan Guoyang caught the ball at the top of the arc and hit a steady mid-range jumper.
Under this low-intensity condition, Gan Guoyang’s sudden strike was surprisingly accurate.
Moreover, she was swift and decisive, making quick shots without wasting a bit of energy or effort.
Kaman had the same space at the top of the arc but didn’t dare to shoot; he didn’t have Ah Gan’s mid-range accuracy.
The Clippers’ tactics went in circles and still gave the ball to Brand, trying to overpower this point against Ah Gan, but failed again; his fadeaway jumper was disrupted.
"Mike, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you have a grudge against Brand? Why do you always let him play one-on-one against me? Are you out of your mind?"
After grabbing the rebound, Gan Guoyang ran to the front court for offense without hesitation, taunting the Clippers’ coach Deng Liwei.
Deng Liwei crossed his arms and remained silent. Last season, Ah Gan was obviously in decline, suffering from a back injury, slow movements; everyone thought he was going to retire.
How the hell did he come back after resting for a summer and seemed to be in top form again? His offense, defense were great, and his movements were agile.
Instead, last season’s standout player Brand, only 27 years old, made the All-Star, second team, ranked seventh in MVP, seemed to be in poor condition now.
Brand indeed was in mediocre shape; after a stellar season, he was noticeably slack over the summer, training less diligently than last season.
In the NBA, any slackness will doubly punish you on the court, as Gan Guoyang returned, received the ball low and single-handedly took on Brand.
A deft Hickma Step, facing the basket, against the 2-meter-tall Brand, Gan Guoyang easily hit a mid-range shot.
Two consecutive mid-range hits, the lead widened to 9 points; the Clippers needed to score.
Cassell posted up Miller, passed to Mobley at a 45-degree angle, Mobley caught the ball and hit a high-difficulty drifting three-pointer!
Don’t underrate Cassell’s skinny frame; his post-up skills are quite proficient. Although the Clippers’ outside shooting was okay tonight, their inside play was severely suppressed.
The combination of 26-year-old Yao Ming and 42-year-old Ah Gan is actually the best inside pair in the league.
Yao Ming is entering his peak, and despite Gan Guoyang’s aging, he remains one of the best power forwards in the NBA.
With Kaman and Brand suppressed, the Clippers can only shift their firepower outward, which basically means relying on luck.
The Glory Team was steady; when Gan Guoyang got the ball at the top of the arc, the Clippers had to rush up and send it to the basket.
Yao Ming received the ball, turned around, and hit a jump shot; these two big men have an extremely high shooting percentage inside.
As the game deepened, the inside-deficient Clippers gradually became restless, intensifying the confrontation on both offense and defense.
Referees’ whistles frequently blew, the game was fragmented, yet looking at the score, Glory still led.
Glory wasn’t afraid of chaos; Gan Guoyang and Gerald Wallace were both masters in a chaotic match.
Conversely, the Clippers seemed to lose their composure. When Gan Guoyang rested mid-third quarter, he said to Porter, "The Clippers are not going to make it this season."
"Just because you say so?"
"Yes, because I said so. Brand’s pace is noticeably slower than last season; I defended him easily. If he can’t provide stable output, the Clippers’ offense will collapse. Also, the Cassell point is even more crucial; this season he’s obviously older, soon to be as old as you."
"Not that strong; I feel like his strong shooting ability has degraded a lot. We’re missing a competitor in the Western Conference."
"Clippers aren’t really competition anyway, overall, this year’s a great opportunity."
Gan Guoyang thought to himself, this year, on paper, there are no absolute super teams; all teams have fairly significant issues, meaning they also have fairly significant opportunities.
In the Western Conference, Glory’s age issues, Dallas Mavericks’ playoff softness curse, the Trail Blazers are facing injuries and internal chaos, the Kings have completely fallen apart, Los Angeles Lakers are still seeking future direction, Phoenix Suns welcomed Stoudemire’s return but Steve Nash’s defense remains a pain point in this era; without Duncan, this weakness will be further magnified.
In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are suffering internal turmoil due to Steve Nash’s trade; Bellman and Auerbach are in a major conflict. Ultimately, Nash left, the Celtics won the championship, and Auerbach passed away, proving the Red Cardinal’s trade decision was correct. Bellman’s authority in Boston greatly declined, and the Green Army’s forward line led by Bowen is entering the end of their careers; they need renewal.
Miami Heat captured the championship in 2006; O’Neal finally got his coveted second championship ring, but at 34 this season, his on-court contribution and dominance in the three-second zone are sharply declining. It’s hard to say if he can support them to finish defending the title; Heat too is too old.
The slow and clank-filled game pace kept the Glory Team in the lead.
Porter didn’t dare be negligent, always watching the situation on the court, afraid the team might suddenly collapse.
Such situations have occurred quite a few times these last two seasons, and Porter is somewhat terrified now.
69:60, over half of the third quarter has passed, Glory’s score hasn’t broken 70, Clippers have 60 points.
Actually, this score is quite high in the current NBA, with defense at its peak; entire games scoring less than 70, or even below 60 is common.
That’s why the league couldn’t stand it, with scores too low and unappealing, the rules were changed; but for such situations to be thoroughly reversed, it’ll take at least five to six seasons, even more, a new generation of players must enter the league to stir up a new wave.
Gan Guoyang reappeared towards the end of the third quarter, preparing to finish it and then play through the entire fourth quarter.
Joining Gan Guoyang were rookie Rajon Rondo and Luther Head, Porter hoped they’d cooperate with Ah Gan more, to watch and learn.
But not many rounds were played before a conflict broke out on the court; Cassell was nudged by Luther Head during an off-ball movement.
That nudge was somewhat intentional as Cassell has been trash-talking the Glory’s backcourt line throughout the game.
His big mouth is not for show; it genuinely spits out insults, and Head got a bit worked up, decisively delivered an elbow.
A verbal argument ensued, escalating into physical contact, with players from both teams gathering around.
Gan Guoyang came to watch the commotion, but Kaman seemed a bit unaware, rushing up and shoving Gan Guoyang, seemingly worried about his intentions towards Cassell.
Truthfully, Gan Guoyang wasn’t there to mediate; ever since the rookie season in 1984, when mediating the internal conflict between Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, instead got sucker-punched, Gan Guoyang has seldom intervened since.
Why bother mediating? If you have the guts, fight, count me in, or just handle it one-on-one.
That punch, even now, Gan Guoyang doesn’t know who threw it; Olajuwon denied it till retirement, claiming it wasn’t him.
External video analysis suggested it might have been Drexler, using public revenge as a smokescreen, aiming for Boss Gan’s position.
In any case, it’s still a mystery after over 20 years. Gan Guoyang doesn’t care anymore but prefers not to mediate, just watch the excitement.
But coming over to watch and someone dares to push me? The youths from the 2003 class really have no manners!
Gan Guoyang’s fist clenched, aimed at Kaman; Kaman sensed the situation turning awry, knowing a punch from him could be deadly.
At that moment, from the side, Rajon Rondo, with legs seemingly installed with springs, leaped onto Kaman’s face, and started fighting with Kaman!
The punch was quick and precise, but not intense enough; given the body size difference, it couldn’t knock Kaman down.
The two tangled up, Kaman’s long hair became a hindrance, seized by Rondo.
Now Gan Guoyang needed to mediate; this rookie Rondo was way too ferocious!
Everyone crowded up to separate the two; several strands of Kaman’s hair were pulled out.
Unsurprisingly, Rondo was ejected from the game, though the crowd applauded him.
Kaman received a technical foul, and Gan Guoyang warned him, "Don’t hate Rajon; he wasn’t hitting you, he was saving you, understand?"
Kaman looked at Gan Guoyang’s fists, the past incidents, and nodded, accepting.