The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 950 A Nightmare You Can't Wake From
The absence of two key Lakers players tonight gave the Glorious a chance to upset their opponents.

Derek Fisher and Tracy McGrady were both unwell and could only sit on the sidelines as cheerleaders.

These two young players, born in 96 and 97, played a crucial role in the Lakers' championship win last year.

After Kidd was traded, Fisher took over as the starting point guard, and as a point guard in the triangle offense system, he performed his duties quite well.

Jerry West remained optimistic about McGrady, whom he was unwilling to trade. McGrady grew into the team's second-leading scorer in the 2000-2001 season and was also the Lakers' best one-on-one ball-handler on the perimeter—although his efficiency needed improvement, it was better than nothing.

However, McGrady also revealed his relative vulnerability last season, suffering several minor injuries during the high-intensity playoff games.

Although he persevered and finished the finals, he spent a lot of time recovering this summer, and as a result, he experienced back discomfort again during training camp.

McGrady is still young and has a strong ability to recover, but the Lakers coaching staff still let McGrady rest first, avoiding the Las Vegas Glory in the opening game, and wait until the next game back at home to play.

From both a court and business perspective, McGrady met Jerry West's expectations last season.

He successfully made it into the All-Star team, averaging over 20 points per game, and became one of the league's hottest new guard stars.

McGrady's absence slightly diminished the intensity of the game, but the Lakers' rotation over the past two seasons has been remarkably deep.

Even without McGrady and Fisher, they can still field a very strong starting lineup and have three decent rotation players on the bench.

In comparison, the starting lineup of the Glorious team was really too inexperienced. Their so-called 2-3 zone defense lacked resilience and variation, and they couldn't maintain it after a few rounds, reverting to one-on-one man-to-man defense.

After the timeout ended, Guanghui did not make any roster adjustments. Gan Guoyang and Tang Shuai said that they should give the young players enough time and confidence, and that they would do their best to support them.

Sure enough, on the first attack after returning, Gan Guoyang held the ball at the top of the arc, pretended to support the attack, and suddenly fired a three-pointer from the front!
The classic high arc shot was so smooth that Gan Guoyang knew he had the ball the moment he released it.

"Agan's first three-point attempt of the game, and it's in! Wow! This is the first three-pointer in the history of the Glorious!"

The TV commentators praised Gan Guoyang's first three-pointer, a move that left Samaki Walker completely bewildered by his fake pass and subsequent shot.

On defense, they regained their man-to-man defensive prowess, but were once again outmaneuvered by O'Neal under the basket. This time, Brad Miller brought O'Neal down with a vicious foul.

Don't let Miller's appearance as an ordinary white center fool you; he plays with a fierce intensity.

The fact that he was drafted by the Glorious Team but didn't want to come here to assist Forrest Gump, instead wanting to return to his hometown of Indiana, shows that he is an old-school and tough player.

O'Neal was a little angry; Miller's actions were a bit too much, and there was a hint of tension between the two.

After missing his first free throw, Gan Guoyang whispered to Gerald Wallace, "Whether you make it or not, keep running forward. I'll pass you the ball."

Wallace understood immediately and quietly moved to the three-point line, ready to start.

The second free throw also missed. Gan Guoyang made a precise prediction, grabbed the rebound, and then made a super long pass to the frontcourt.

Gerald Wallace started like a black panther, with no one in front of him. After receiving a long pass from Gan Guoyang, he burst into the air and dunked successfully!

Every offensive possession now will set a new record for the Glory team; Wallace has now achieved his first dunk.

Gan Guoyang has a sharp eye; he knows that the Lakers' perimeter game will lack athleticism tonight without McGrady.

The Lakers are a relatively slow team overall, and Pippen is getting old, so defending against fast breaks will be a problem for them.

Of course, defending the Lakers' half-court offense will also be a problem for the Glorious, as their young players lack experience.

Gerald Wallace, who had just delivered a spectacular fast-break dunk, was immediately called for a foul on the defensive end.

He was still getting used to the NBA's officiating standards, and then the Lakers used the space created by the triangle offense to Pippen cut to the basket, receive a pass from O'Neal and make a layup, scoring two more points.

Pippen and the triangle offense are indeed a perfect match; the routine is so familiar that the Lakers can handle half-court offense with ease and versatility.

At this point, Gan Guoyang no longer had the seasoned teammates from the Trail Blazers, and his defense was always full of holes.

However, on the offensive end, with Gan Guoyang's three-pointer and Gerald Wallace's fast break, the young players gradually calmed down.

NBA games are played the way they're supposed to be; they're not that mysterious or unpredictable.

Arenas dribbled the ball repeatedly on the perimeter, using his speed to force his way past Lindsey Hunter, a duel between a young rookie and a veteran.

Hunter is very experienced, but Arenas had explosive power on that shot, rushing into the three-second zone, but his final touch wasn't quite right, and he crashed into O'Neal and was bounced away.

But Gan Guoyang picked up the ball, bounced it through O'Neal's legs, and passed it to Brad Miller on the other side. Miller was unguarded and slammed the ball in with both hands!

This nutmeg pass was beautiful; the commentators said it might be the number one play of the day.

Gan Guoyang, who had just received the pass, ran to the baseline and shouted at the camera, "Larry! Larry, doesn't this look like you!"

I wonder if Larry Bird watched the live stream tonight, and how he felt if he saw this.

Next, Gan Guoyang encouraged Arenas, saying that the drive was beautiful, although the finish wasn't great, it had disrupted the Lakers' defense and created opportunities for his teammates.

This has been a major trend in the NBA since 2000: the value of perimeter ball-handling and penetrating players has become increasingly higher.

As each team's defensive system becomes more sophisticated, breaking through their defenses in high-intensity battles becomes increasingly difficult.

Low-post centers have an inherent disadvantage in receiving the ball, and players like Forrest Gump were no longer pure centers after 1992.

At this point, when a team has an efficient ball-handler who can score one-on-one against opposing defenders, his tactical value becomes extremely high.

In the early 21st century, in a game where both sides scored no more than 90 points, a skilled penetrator could score 20 points himself and then pass the ball to his teammates through penetration, directly or indirectly assisting them to get another 15-20 points. This means that nearly half of the points were related to the penetrator.

For players with stronger scoring abilities who can penetrate the defense, this percentage would be even higher, making them extremely valuable to the team. However, due to salary cap restrictions, such players would certainly not receive half of the team's salary.

This is why, in recent years, the role of perimeter stars has become increasingly prominent, and perimeter players have become more and more popular in terms of publicity—another reason is that they can sell shoes and jerseys.

After Jordan retired, Kobe, McGrady, Iverson, and Carter became known as the four great shooting guards of the new era.

If someone were to bring Forrest Gump out, people would say, "Is Forrest Gump even a real center?"

He started shooting three-pointers in his rookie season and broke through the Bulls in 1992 with his driving ability, so he was no longer a traditional center.

Arenas' shoulders are still quite thin, but his explosiveness and ball-handling skills make him a very good perimeter ball-handler and a rare resource in the current market.

Gan Guoyang's encouragement helped Arenas maintain a better mindset for the game. To be honest, when he bumped into O'Neal, he thought he had hit a wall.

I really don't know how Forrest Gump managed to go toe-to-toe with Shaquille O'Neal in the paint and even dominate him.

The Glory gradually narrowed the score gap, but the Lakers remained steady, especially O'Neal, who always stepped up to score in the low post.

His current role is similar to Gan Guoyang's back then: consistently scoring in the low post, with a shooting percentage of over 60% or even higher if you don't double-team him, leaving you helpless. But the Glorious team insists on not double-teaming, which has always been Gan Guoyang's team's strategy—to prevent O'Neal from leading the team's offense. They're basically saying, "Try to beat me if you dare."

O'Neal could never defeat Gan Guoyang's team because he tended to underperform as the game progressed, until he was completely lost when the two faced off in crucial moments.

Tonight, O'Neal looked at Forrest Gump's physique, which had dropped below 250 pounds, and thought, "Forrest, you shouldn't be able to handle me this time, right?"

I don't believe that you can still stop me one-on-one in the fourth quarter.

After the first quarter, the Glorious team made substitutions at the end of the quarter.

Kevin Willis came on, replacing Brad Miller, and Terry Porter came on, replacing Arenas.

Brad Miller had already committed two fouls in the first quarter, and although Arenas had a few good drives, he still had zero points.

Gan Guoyang led the team through the first quarter, scoring 13 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and dishing out 3 assists, showcasing his all-around performance.

The Glory trailed the Lakers 24-27, down by 3 points, but the Lakers were clearly playing with more dominance, while the Glory were trying to catch up.

Once Gan Guoyang leaves the court to rest, Guanghui immediately loses its backbone and is unable to break through the Lakers' tight defense on offense.

At this point, the Lakers hadn't really exerted their full strength yet, and Phil Jackson's teams also liked to step up their game in the third quarter to widen the gap with their opponents.

Both teams' substitutes played haphazardly, but the Lakers still maintained their advantage. Robert Horry scored on a drive, and Tyronn Lue hit a three-pointer from the outside, giving the Lakers a 7-2 run over the Glorious.

The point difference widened, and Tomjanovich called a timeout, but Gan Guoyang remained on the bench to rest.

During the timeout, Coach Tang requested a return to zone defense, specifically a 2-3 zone defense, to protect the paint.

On the offensive end, Isaiah Riddell came on, and this guy still has the ability to attack with the ball.

In today's NBA, without lineups that can dominate the perimeter and drive to the basket, half-court offense is really difficult to win.

Of course, with zone defense now allowed, teams will gradually develop and adapt, and perimeter scorers will have to endure a tough time for a while.

After Riddle entered the game, he scored 4 consecutive points, helping the Glory team quench their offensive thirst.

After arriving in Las Vegas, Riddell indulged in partying, but he did not miss any training sessions.

That's why, in the entire league, only Forrest Gump could keep Riddle in check.

Gan Guoyang used a carrot and stick approach with Riddle: "Train hard, train extra every day, find your form as soon as possible, and be a good substitute for Microwave."

In your spare time, you can enjoy all the activities in Las Vegas as you please, and MGM Resorts will reimburse you.

So, after Riddle arrived in Vegas, he worked hard, had fun, and his overall condition improved.

This game happens to be against the Lakers again, and the conflict between Riddell and the Lakers hasn't been resolved yet, so he's feeling really frustrated.

So after coming on tonight, Riddell immediately launched an attack on the Lakers, scoring consecutive points.

The Lakers were missing two key players, McGrady and Fisher, which weakened their bench strength.

Richmond was originally a substitute scoring threat, but he was promoted to the starting lineup for this game. The substitutes no longer have an experienced shooting guard like him to counter Riedle.

The Glorious team withstood the pressure and gradually narrowed the score gap. Riddell became more and more excited as he played, and suddenly stole the ball in defense.

He dribbled the ball and launched a fast break, finishing with a powerful two-handed dunk! The entire MGM Grand Sports Centre erupted in cheers.

After scoring, he waved his fist at the Lakers' bench, as if to say, "Who told you to abandon me? I have a better place to go now."

Without a doubt, a player like Riedle is a double-edged sword; if used well, his exceptional talent can lead to some very beautiful plays.

If misused, they become a locker room cancer, a ticking time bomb off the court, and can cause unpredictable harm to the team at any time.

Phil Jackson appeared unperturbed, but he was quite unhappy, because Jackson had always claimed to be a master of psychology.

With the Bulls, he successfully "tamed" Dennis Rodman, forming a new Bulls trio, which became a legendary story.

But with the Lakers, Riddell was disobedient, and Rodman didn't play a significant role after arriving, being unruly and opposing Jackson.

Riddle seems to be doing well with the Glorious Team now. It's said that Riddle listens to Forrest Gump, and Dennis Rodman also deeply respects Forrest Gump, which makes Jackson feel awkward about having some of his persona exposed.

Especially when his relationship with Michael Jordan actually broke down and they only maintained a superficial friendship, some people questioned whether Phil Jackson was just a psychological and manipulative wizard who simply used the power of superstars to achieve commercial success.

He tried every means to package himself with all sorts of glamorous words and championships, but he was never a truly great basketball coach. Once stripped of these glittering clothes, he was surprisingly empty when it came to the real things about basketball.

So when he leaves one day, he won't leave much for the basketball world except for his championship legends and stories, including his triangle offense.

Of course, this is only the opinion of some critics. After winning the championship in 2001, Jackson's reputation was still very high and his name was quite good.

His new book has topped the US bestseller list. In it, he discusses Eastern philosophy, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen, as well as Native American witchcraft, meditation, and so on—things that readers in today's society enjoy.

But these criticisms still stung Jackson, and he knew that they all stemmed from comparisons with Forrest Gump.

He sometimes even hated Forrest Gump, especially since he knew that Forrest Gump and Jordan's relationship became closer after Jordan's first retirement, while he himself drifted further and further away from Jordan.

With Jordan's return, Jackson desperately wanted him to join the Los Angeles Lakers. He believed that if they joined forces, they could easily defeat Forrest Gump's team.

But Jordan refused, politely declining Jackson's invitation and choosing to go to Seattle instead. Jackson has been upset about this ever since.

Riddle was just one of the many things that irritated him, and it was relatively insignificant.

Faced with Riddle's consecutive scores, Jackson blew a few whistles, demanding that the defense be tightened.

The Lakers immediately applied a half-court press, causing the Glory to make consecutive mistakes, and the Lakers scored again to widen the gap.

The Glory team is indeed too inexperienced, with a mix of old and young players, and their teamwork is far inferior to that of more mature teams.

Jackson's only concern is one person: Forrest Gump. As long as he doesn't let the Rockets win, the Lakers should have no problem.

However, when the gap widened to 8 points, Gan Guoyang returned to the court and immediately hit two consecutive three-pointers, narrowing the gap to 2 points.

He then made a successful steal on the defensive end, picked up the ball amidst the chaos, and made a long pass, assisting Gerald Wallace for the second time. Wallace easily laid the ball in the paint, tying the game!
Gan Guoyang led an 8-0 run, erasing the score difference in an instant. That bastard has that kind of ability.

Jackson sighed deeply, muttered "a nightmare I can't wake up from," and got up to ask the technical desk for a timeout.

(End of this chapter)