Chapter 2216 - 30: Optimal Choice_2

Chapter 2216: Chapter 30: Optimal Choice_2

And every time the Jazz tried to gain momentum, Gan Guoyang would stabilize the situation for Glory with solo plays and scoring.

Although his stats weren’t very prominent and he occasionally made mistakes on the court, Ah Gan was still a Sea-Calming Needle presence.

After Allen Iverson no longer needed to bear such heavy pressure in the game, he focused all his energy on the offense.

This warrior, suppressed for too long, heated up in the fourth quarter, repeatedly attacking the Jazz’s interior, continuously using his scoring to offset Deron Williams’ rally attempts.

Perhaps he should never have borne so much from the start. He is frail, like a sprite, and also like a child who hasn’t grown up.

A child given too much responsibility also means giving him too much power.

It’s like giving a child a gun in a war. Although he’s accurate, he doesn’t know how to really use it well, especially off the battlefield.

In Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson became a hero on the court, but off the court, he didn’t even know how to be a good husband and father.

Success on the court brought him immense wealth, honor, status, and power, but he couldn’t manage these well, becoming a target for the greedy to exploit.

After arriving in Las Vegas, Glory took control of him, telling him in which direction to exert his strength, and that he didn’t need to bear the greatest pressure and responsibility.

His life lacked unsavory friends, gambling, alcohol, and all kinds of women, leaving only basketball, his wife, and children.

Throughout the regular season, he maintained a stable state. In Yao Ming’s absence, and with Gan Guoyang reducing his playtime, he used high scores to underpin Glory’s record.

Even if ranked fifth, Glory still achieved more than 50 wins, and Iverson knew in his heart that Glory had great untapped potential.

"Iverson, scores a mid-range jump shot after receiving the ball!"

"Iverson, dribbles between the legs, breaks through, scores with a layup."

"Iverson is like a sprite. He bypassed Deron Williams and made Deron Williams stumble to the ground! Whoa! Scores with a layup!"

In the fourth quarter, during an attack, Iverson used a dazzling crossover to make Williams stumble and fall to the ground.

After scoring, Iverson wasn’t excited at all; he just high-fived Gerald Wallace and Mutombo, as calm as when he stepped over Tyronn Lue back in the day.

This was the fourth time Glory had withstood the Jazz team’s counterattack wave, the previous three times were suppressed by Gan Guoyang, and this time it was Iverson who stepped up.

The so-called "first drum begets energy, second drum fades, third drum exhausts," the Jazz attempted time and again to change the game with offense and physical confrontation, only to fall repeatedly before their opponent’s superstars, and the Triangle Center fans’ voices weren’t as loud.

When Gan Guoyang returned to the game and formed a high tower inside with Yao Ming, the Jazz team had no motivation to pursue.

In fact, it was just a 10-point difference, the time was sufficient, but the Jazz lacked a player who could step up.

Deron Williams had given his all, scoring 30 points, but Boozer’s 7 points and 5 rebounds performance was insufficient to support the Jazz.

No matter how hard others tried, they couldn’t fill this score gap of more than ten points. Boozer’s performance against the tall interior combination has always been poor.

This game, encountering Ah Gan and performing like this, was within expectations.

98:89, Glory ultimately secured their opening victory in Salt Lake City, seemingly without drawing a drop of blood.

They maintained a lead after the opening and fully demonstrated the team’s defensive suppression capability.

Porter’s brilliant tactics didn’t work, but as a commander, the team was disciplined and rotated smoothly, didn’t make mistakes, allowing the entire team to perform normally, making him a qualified coach.

Just like when Porter assisted Gan Guoyang with the Trail Blazers back in the day, he wasn’t a super point guard who could turn the tide, but he could complete his tasks, managing the team’s offense in an orderly manner, which was enough.

Glory doused the Jazz with a cold shower on their home court, the inexperienced Jazz thought they could steal a win in the playoffs, but Glory was too seasoned.

After the game, Gan Guoyang was very satisfied with the performance of his teammates, except for Yao Ming’s performance, which was a bit unsatisfactory.

On the court for 31 minutes, scoring only 10 points, mostly from assists, lacking independent offense.

More critically, the defense, where he allowed Oko to score three three-pointers, was manipulated repeatedly, looking quite embarrassed.

Of course, Yao Ming had rested for more than a month, and it’s normal for his state to be less than ideal immediately participating in such high-intensity playoff games after the return.

The next day during team training, Gan Guoyang pulled Yao Ming aside for one-on-one offensive and defensive drills to help Yao Ming find his offensive feel.

"Oko’s defense isn’t better than mine, right? Play freely, he’s no match for you."

Oko played very well at the Jazz this season and even made the All-Star bench because current centers are really dwindling.

Gan Guoyang, Duncan, Garnett, etc., were all selected as forwards, leaving centers like O’Neal and Yao Ming, while players like Dwight Howard, who claims 6’11", but is actually around 6’9", would have been dominated by the four major centers of the 90s.

After adapting to the first game and with Gan Guoyang’s help in analyzing gameplay during training, pinpointing weaknesses in the Jazz’s defense, Yao Ming had more confidence going into the second game.

After a day’s rest, the second match continued in Salt Lake City. The Jazz, having learned from their first loss, were eager to win the second game, or else losing two home games would put them in danger.

As a result, the Jazz started aggressively, with Oko and Deron who performed well last time, attacking with the ball, while Boozer followed Karl Malone’s advice, opting to screen for teammates, acting as a facilitator to draw Ah Gan away.

The Jazz opened with an 11:3 offensive wave, seizing the initiative over the game.

While Glory started somewhat disorganized, trying to find Yao Ming, the Jazz defense was proactive, fronting, interfering with Iverson and Bell.

The biggest issue with Glory’s backcourt line is the height. Iverson, no need to mention, and Bell is just a regular guard in height.

Besides being disadvantaged on defense due to lack of height, their court vision for feeding the ball on offense was greatly affected, Yao Ming was not receiving the ball comfortably.

Porter called a timeout, Gan Guoyang came to the arc top and worked with Yao Ming on high-low post plays, delivering a direct pass to Yao, who scored his first basket.

Glory started their rally, which was far more aggressive than Jazz’s attempt from the last game. The team suddenly switched from man-to-man defense to the Turtle Formation, challenging the Jazz’s three-point shots.

Jerry Sloan’s team was known for its aversion to three-pointers, refusing to adopt the league-wide increase in three-point attempts over the seasons, where three-pointers had become a tactical weapon of spatial play. Sloan still adhered to classical tactics, utilizing lots of mid-range shots, under-the-basket attacks, and sparingly used three-pointers as a tactical embellishment, mobilizing defense with them as a strategic surprise.

He had never considered making three-pointers a large-scale high-volume weapon. The Jazz’s three-point attempts and makes were among the lowest in the league this season.

Once Glory initiated the Turtle Formation, the Jazz tried to use repeated, extensive pick-and-rolls and low-post offenses to break through.

However, Boozer couldn’t penetrate Ah Gan’s position, making the Jazz’s offense crippled and ineffective.

In contrast, Glory capitalized on their steady positional warfare counterattacks, with Yao Ming repeatedly exploiting the Jazz’s unsettled footing with successful low-post one-on-ones.

In the latter half of the first quarter, Yao Ming surged, scoring 10 points.

In the second quarter, after stepping on the court in the middle section, Yao Ming scored another 9 points.

Oko couldn’t stop Yao Ming from scoring in one-on-one defense, only sending him to the free-throw line.

In the first half, Yao Ming made 7 out of 11 field goals, 5 out of 6 free throws, scoring 19 points by halftime, sweeping away the lethargy from the first game.

Drexler, still doing commentary tonight, laughed, "Yao Ming’s performance is outstanding. He already has 19 points at halftime; he might end up with 40 for the game."

It wasn’t clear whether Drexler was praising or critiquing, as Yao Ming is hampered by stamina in the second half, with efficiency likely to decline, and at crucial moments, his shooting percentage would plunge.

In those situations, not giving him too many shooting rights is the correct choice. The more he shoots, the slower the scoring, maintaining an average of around 20 points is the best approach.

At night, upon returning, Gan Guoyang reviewed the game tape and listened to the commentary, becoming more convinced that back in the day, it might have been Clyde who threw that punch!