The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 833 Bloodline Connection

Jalen Rose was one of the famous Michigan Fab Five during his college years.

He is an excellent backcourt scorer with accurate shooting. He is also very well-rounded, with strong playmaking and assist abilities, as well as decent defense.

He was drafted by the Nuggets and played for two seasons before being traded to the Pacers. Under Adelman's leadership, he improved rapidly and became an important part of the team's bench.

Because of his versatility, he can make an immediate impact on both offense and defense every time he comes off the bench, so he is highly valued by Adelman and is the team's emergency replacement.

Whenever the situation changed or a problem arose, Adelman would call Jalen Rose over and tell him, "Go score," "Go take care of so-and-so," or "Organize the offense properly."

These versatile players are very popular with coaches, and Adelman is adept at using them.

Adelman noticed that the situation immediately changed after Kobe was brought in to lead the Trail Blazers' backcourt.

Kobe's ability to harass Mark Jackson and disrupt the offense was something Riddell lacked.

Therefore, Adelman specifically instructed Rose to match up against Kobe and cause him trouble.

From its very beginning, the NBA has not allowed zone defense, only man-to-man defense.

Over the years, although coaches have invented many illegal defensive methods to get away with things, man-to-man marking is still the mainstream.

When a player has the ability to break through defenses single-handedly, the opposing team must find a way to counter him on both offense and defense, otherwise they will be tormented by that one player to the point of no return.

This is what makes the NBA exciting; it amplifies the importance of individual player abilities.

By the mid-to-late 90s, as the NBA's star-making movement intensified and the effectiveness of defenses increased, this phenomenon became even more pronounced.

There's a reason Kobe became one of the most popular young players in the league; his ability to disrupt the game was truly remarkable.

The format of the NBA game, to some extent, masked his shortcomings in tactical awareness.

Jalen Rose is 6 feet 8 inches tall with an outstanding wingspan. He is also young and quick, and can cover Kobe on the court.

After he entered the game, Kobe's offense was indeed not as unrestrained as before.

The two sides entered a stalemate, with the Trail Blazers focusing entirely on Gan Guoyang and playing steadily in the low post.

Gan Guoyang always finds a way to get the ball into the basket, even when facing his former underling, Antonio Davis.

Facing the Trail Blazers, whose lineup is more flexible, the Pacers have also begun to change their offensive strategy.

The extra step they took earlier was no longer effective, as the Trail Blazers were able to keep up, so the Pacers began to rely on the individual abilities of their players.

Miller and Jalen Rose, two sharpshooters, constantly used simple combinations to find space to shoot.

They completely abandoned the fight for offensive rebounds, and used a lot of screens in their inside offense to create space for their perimeter attackers to shoot.

For Miller and Rose, they are capable of making shots as long as they have even a little bit of space to exploit.

Gan Guoyang calmly positioned himself in the paint to protect the rim and secure rebounds, clearly testing the Pacers' outside shooting.

If you can keep scoring, there's nothing I can do, but if you're thinking of attacking the basket for a high success rate or getting offensive rebounds, forget it.

This was the Blazers' basic strategy last season when they had no players available. It seemed like a last resort, but it actually worked quite well.

However, the Pacers, playing at home, were in great form tonight, and the whole team was determined to defeat the Trail Blazers.

So Miller and Rose both hit three-pointers – under Adelman's leadership, the Pacers are a team that highly values ​​three-pointers.

Having worked for the Trail Blazers for so many years, Adelman understands the importance of the three-pointer, and he also brought some of the essence of the Princeton offense to Indiana.

This year's Pacers are truly a force to be reckoned with.

Dale Davis received the ball in the low post, turned and made a shot, and scored two points against AC Green in a one-on-one situation.

With the first quarter nearing its end, the Pacers still led the Trail Blazers 21-17 by 4 points, and the Pacers were indeed in good form tonight.

The inexperienced Kobe got bogged down in a battle with Jalen Rose, whose defensive ability was not necessarily better than Mario Elie's.

However, Allie was a 34-year-old veteran, and his legs couldn't keep up with Kobe's speed, so he struggled to match up against Kobe.

Rose, on the other hand, is young, has an advantage in height and wingspan, and is more experienced than Kobe, which naturally makes Kobe very uncomfortable.

If Kobe Bryant can't perform in the backcourt, the Trail Blazers' offensive impact will be much weaker.

Bird replaced Blaylock with Terry Porter, then took off Chris Mullin and replaced him with Jermaine O'Neal.

When Gan Guoyang saw this substitution, he thought, "Has Larry gone mad? What kind of ridiculous substitution is this?"

"Why did the coach call you up here?" Gan Guoyang asked Jermaine O'Neal.

"Um... Coach, let me play inside..." Jermaine O'Neal stammered.

"What? Does that mean I have to play position 3?"

"Yes, that should be the meaning."

"I, Gan Liliang, this is only the first quarter, and you're already putting me at the small forward position? Don't you have any other ideas?"

Recently, Gan Guoyang has been playing more and more time at the small forward position and playing more and more small forwards.

Although playing the small forward position has many advantages, Gan Guoyang still felt that he should do more of his work in the paint.

When it comes to the final stage where he needs to take control of the situation, he can then go to the small forward position to finish off the opponent.

However, Gan Guoyang knew that the Pacers were in excellent form tonight, and if they didn't seize the initiative at the start, the final quarter would be very difficult.

Once a momentum or feeling is established in a match, it is very difficult to reverse it; to reverse it, you must do so as early as possible.

A coach's job is to adjust personnel and tactics to allow their own players to play in their preferred lanes for as long as possible, while keeping the opponent in an uncomfortable lane as much as possible.

For example, if a player is on a hot streak, you should let him play more, stay on the court more, and focus your offense around him.

However, sometimes coaches can be very rigid. In order to maintain balance, they will substitute players by timing the game, no matter how good their performance is.

Bird did this last season, but this season he has improved a lot. He keeps a close eye on the situation and the players' condition.

Mullin's form has been mediocre lately, lacking the excellent performance he showed at the beginning of the season. For a veteran, it's normal to experience fatigue in the middle of the season.

Bird put O'Neal on the court and moved Gan Guoyang to the small forward position in order to develop Gan Guoyang's outside shooting form as soon as possible.

After the substitution, Gan Guoyang moved to the outside to receive the ball, and Reggie Miller had to switch onto him to defend.

"When did you become a guard, Sonny? You're getting older, so you're getting more and more afraid of contact, right?"

Faced with Miller's trash talk, Gan Guoyang just smiled, faked a move with the ball, and launched a three-pointer directly at Miller.

A straight-arm shot, relying on powerful wrist strength for a three-pointer, offers excellent resistance to interference; whether it goes in or not depends entirely on one's feel for the ball.

Miller made a token gesture, then looked back to see the ball already in the net—a three-pointer.

"I'm not Michael. My three-pointers are very accurate, even more accurate than yours."

Miller was speechless. This freak, as the strongest inside player, also has the best three-point shot.

After Gan Guoyang moved to the small forward position, the Pacers' offense also encountered some problems, as Gan Guoyang's perimeter defense was very fierce.

Jalen Rose made a mistake, Gan Guoyang stole the ball, and passed it to Kobe, who finally found another opportunity to counterattack.

Kobe sprinted down the court with the ball, aiming for a fast break dunk, but was shoved down by Jalen Rose, falling into the stands. Kobe scrambled to his feet and charged at Rose, nearly sparking a major brawl.

Fortunately, with Gan Guoyang's friendly persuasion, the Pacers exercised maximum restraint, and no one made a move.

The referee called a flagrant foul on Jalen Rose, Kobe went to the free-throw line and made both shots, giving the Trail Blazers possession again.

With the first quarter nearing its end, the Trail Blazers took the lead thanks to a three-pointer and Kobe's free throws.

On the final possession, Gan Guoyang got the ball and took a long-range shot from just beyond the three-point line, and it went in!
After scoring, Gan Guoyang blew on his fingers, as if trying to cool down the hot gun barrel.

At 21:25, the Trail Blazers quickly overtook the Pacers by 4 points, seizing the momentum of the game.

But the Pacers' resilience exceeded expectations. At the start of the second quarter, taking advantage of the Trail Blazers' lack of a core player when Gan Guoyang was off the court, the second unit launched a fierce counterattack.

First, Jalen Rose drove to the basket and drew a foul from Sabonis, making both free throws for 2 points.

He then used his excellent defense to hold the Trail Blazers to a 24-second violation, and then successfully broke through the backline during a half-court offense.

Mark Jackson made a through pass to the basket, where Antonio Davis received the ball and made a layup, scoring two points and tying the game.

Gan Guoyang, sitting on the bench watching the game, said to Bird, "I'd rather play the Bulls in the Finals than the Pacers."

"why?"

"The Pacers know me very well. I'm afraid of playing them in the Finals and not being able to go 4-0. I might lose one game."

"..."

Bird didn't want to talk to this guy and focused on observing the game.

The Pacers did a really good job tonight; they truly deserve the coaching staff they had with the Trail Blazers.

They have a very good understanding of Gan Guoyang's game rhythm, and once Gan Guoyang is not available, they will immediately seize the time to grab points and make the most of this window of opportunity.

Without a doubt, the Pacers' strategy and rotation tonight were playoff caliber, and the Trail Blazers must show the same attitude if they want to win.

The two teams remained tied at 25-25 for more than two minutes, with neither side able to score, and the game entered a fierce and intense phase.

Everyone could feel the Pacers' desire for victory, for defeating the Trail Blazers, and for ending this long winning streak.

With a little over three minutes left in the second quarter, Bird patted Gan Guoyang on the shoulder, signaling him to come on early.

During the regular season, Gan Guoyang usually rests until the middle of the second quarter, but it looks like he won't be able to tonight.

After taking off his sportswear and replacing Jermaine O'Neal, Gan Guoyang still played at the power forward position.

Upon entering the game, Terry Porter missed a three-pointer, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound and scored two points with a hook shot to break the deadlock.

Antonio Davis got a mismatch opportunity to isolate and score against Mullin in the low post, and the Trail Blazers' defensive communication broke down.

Davis turned and scored with a hook shot. After scoring, he pointed at Gan Guoyang, implying that Gan taught him this technique.

This Pacers team does indeed have a lot of Trail Blazers blood in its veins, and Gan Guoyang's basketball wisdom is evident in many of them.

Putting aside other factors, other teams are more or less afraid of Gan Guoyang when facing him, especially the younger players.

The Pacers were excited about Forrest Gump from top to bottom, with a sense of excitement about proving themselves to their former leader.

Reggie Miller, who was in high school and had just entered the league, was beaten badly by Gan Guoyang. He was terrified of Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.

With the arrival of Adelman's coaching staff, along with the addition of players like Allie and Davis, Miller would hear them talk about Forrest Gump every day.

As I listened, my fear of Forrest Gump gradually disappeared. I realized that although he was very strong, he wasn't some kind of man-eating demon.

Play well with him, learn about his strengths and weaknesses, and you'll know how to compete against Forrest Gump.

With this confidence in mind, Reggie Miller was no longer afraid, and instead pressed forward, actively confronting Forrest Gump.

After the score was tied, Miller hit another three-pointer on offense, helping the Pacers take the lead.

After scoring, Miller trash-talked Gan Guoyang, trying to provoke him into shooting three-pointers and challenging him to a shooting contest.

He knew Gan Guoyang had a tough hand, but even the toughest hand couldn't guarantee a 100% hit rate.

If Forrest gets carried away and throws a three-pointer that misses, the Pacers will have a chance to counterattack.

But Gan Guoyang didn't fall for it. He was still unsure of his touch when he first came on, so he chose to receive the ball in the low post.

The Pacers double-teamed Gan Guoyang, who passed the ball to the outside player. The ball was then passed to the other side, where Gan Guoyang received the ball, turned around, and made a jump shot.

Gan Guoyang played a very steady low-post two-point game, remaining quite calm, and the Trail Blazers trailed by one point.

Miller continued talking, and Gan Guoyang glanced at him and said, "Are you sure you want to keep rambling on?"

Miller swallowed hard and shut his mouth.

As Adelman once said, provoking Forrest Gump should only be done in moderation.

You absolutely cannot let it go on and on, otherwise he will never let it go.

True skill should be demonstrated through ball handling, not words.

Miller was tough on the talk tonight, but his actions were even tougher.

He created another opportunity through active movement on the outside.

He received a pass from Dale Davis, caught the ball, and shot – another three-pointer!

The entire stadium erupted in cheers as Reggie Miller unleashed his fury in the second quarter.

At this point, Gan Guoyang stopped being polite, quickly inbounded the ball from the backcourt, and dribbled it across half-court.

After drawing the defense, he passed the ball to Mullin, who faked a shot, made a fake move to break through, and then passed the ball again.

Gan Guoyang received the ball at a 45-degree angle, took a three-pointer, and it went in!
The stadium, which had just been bustling with excitement, immediately quieted down.

Gan Guoyang hit an answer ball, calming down the home fans.

After a period of back-and-forth shooting stalemate, both teams entered a period of heightened offensive activity.

As expected of two teams with similar bloodlines, their playing styles are remarkably alike.

Subsequently, the two teams traded baskets, reaching a total score of 40-41, with the Trail Blazers still trailing the Pacers by one point.

Kobe came off the bench and missed a three-pointer, but successfully assisted Gan Guoyang on the rebound, who then scored with a second-chance dunk!

Brilliant assist! The Trail Blazers have regained the lead!

However, just as Gan Guoyang was running back to defend, he saw Kobe and Jalen Rose actually fighting!

The two started fighting. Kobe threw a punch at Rose, but missed. Instead, Rose punched him in the chin, and Kobe staggered and almost fell to the ground.

The players from both sides reacted quickly and tried to break up the fight. Kobe was being held back by his teammates, but he still yelled, "Let go of me! Let go of me!"

But when Jalen Rose saw Forrest coming, he had already quietly slipped away and hid behind the two Davises for safety.

Kobe really suffered a great loss when facing Rose.

(End of this chapter)