The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 1782 - 55: This Damn Game (Part 2)

Then he ran off on his own, to the corner, to the weak side, and sometimes lurked in the Three Second Zone.

Sometimes, the teammates scored and it seemed to have nothing to do with him.

But when the strategy was activated, Kidd always appeared in the right place.

For instance, when McGrady’s shot missed, Kidd could sneak an Offensive Rebound right in front of Sabonis and Little O’Neal.

Followed by a brilliant pass to the basket, O’Neal caught the ball and slammed it with both hands, scoring.

Or when he was lurking in the weak-side corner, Lakers’ low post offense stalled, and the ball returned to Kidd’s hands.

One more pass from Kidd, and often the Lakers’ Triangle Offense was revitalized, with very few dead ball situations.

Phil Jackson was right, Kidd was truly an excellent "off-ball organizer."

His sense of positioning is superb, which is crucial for the Triangle Offense.

In fact, for Kidd, the Triangle Offense is too simple and lacks fun.

The Triangle Offense is like that, its principles are very simple, but the changes are numerous and complex.

Once you grasp the principles, the subsequent changes follow naturally, without the need for rote memorization.

But if you cannot grasp the principles of the Triangle Offense, or some basic skills are lacking, integration can be very difficult.

Kidd, with a commanding presence, easily mastered the Triangle Offense, and held an invisible dominant position in the offense.

Just like in the previous matches between the Trail Blazers and Lakers, Kidd has always been the key factor in the Lakers’ victories.

Seeing this clearly, Rick Carlisle immediately adjusted the defensive strategy in the second quarter, allowing Kobe to guard Kidd, putting more pressure on Kidd.

Doing this indeed weakened Kidd’s power, but the problem that came with it was the overall defensive quality of the Trail Blazers’ perimeter declined.

This season, Kobe not only provided suffocating one-on-one defense, but also offered help defense, rebounding, unexpected steals, and more.

In the semifinals against the Suns, without the pressure of Grant Hill’s assault, Kobe was very impressive on defense, with many brilliant help defense, positioning, and key defensive rebound battles.

Carlisle letting Kobe bite Kidd felt a bit like treating symptoms rather than the root cause.

Sure enough, after the matchup adjustment, the Trail Blazers started showing some defensive holes in the second quarter, giving the Lakers an opportunity.

The Lakers seized this chance, launching a 7:1 run, leading by 7 points, and taking the initiative in the game.

Carlisle immediately called a timeout, with Dick Hart reminding him that Kobe should focus on defending the shooting guard position.

"Kobe is not good at guarding Kidd who moves without the ball, he’s suited to guard the ball handler, where the ball is."

Indeed, Kobe on defense isn’t the type who excels without flashy achievements; he must actively engage the strong side, engage at the forefront of ball possession battle.

Carlisle quickly made adjustments, simultaneously substituting Terry Porter for Brellock, as Brellock’s height was at a disadvantage against Kidd.

Phil Jackson also moved his pieces around, trying out more players and combinations in the first game of the series to see which works best.

Devin George got 2 minutes of playing time in the middle of the second quarter, resulting in Gan Guoyang seizing the opportunity for a three-pointer and a 2+1, narrowing the score gap to 1 point.

Seeing this, Jackson quickly substituted Devin George, and for the remainder of the game, George did not get a single second of playing time.

Jackson was also sweating bullets, even after almost 10 years has passed, Ah Gan’s ability to seize opportunities was still as strong as ever, just making a slight mistake and he would be on you like a shark smelling blood, biting fiercely.

In fact, in the first half, Gan Guoyang was much like in previous games; besides getting warmed up at the start, he spent most of the time playing conservatively.

Maintaining basic intensity on defense, focusing on fast breaks and easy scores offensively, if it wasn’t a particularly good chance, he’d opt to pass and create opportunities for his teammates.

However, those recent two minutes proved that this guy’s nerves were tightly strung, a patient hunter lurking beneath the water’s surface, eyes fixed on you, ready to make you pay if you err.

Jackson merely probed slightly to realize, Ah Gan had declined, yet his predator instincts remained, perhaps even more acute.

Because when an old tiger ages, it relies more on surprise attacks and ambushes, rather than frontal assaults.

Relying on Gan Guoyang’s sudden exertion, the Trail Blazers caught up in the middle of the second quarter, drawing level at 51:51 by the halftime break, with both teams evenly matched.

Regarding the score, Jerry West wasn’t satisfied; he shouted as the Lakers players left the court, "Without a lead of more than 10 points, how are you going to face Ah Gan in the third quarter!"

Clearly, Gan Guoyang was conserving energy in the first half.

He only exerted in certain phases, such as opening by battling O’Neal for a few rounds to prevent the team from falling into a pit early.

Then, in the middle of the second quarter when the team was trailing, taking advantage of Devin George’s appearance, scoring six consecutive points to tie the game.

In the first half, Gan Guoyang scored 13 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and made 4 assists, which to him, was an unremarkable set of stats for half a game.

Back in the locker room, Phil Jackson reminded the players to be wary of Ah Gan’s sudden outburst in the third quarter on defense.

"He’s a cunning guy, like a hunter, always lurking in the shadows aiming arrows at us. Our defense must stay vigilant at all times. Focus, everybody focus, every minute and every second!"