The Golden Age of Basketball.

Chapter 998 Cultivation is up to the individual

In the first two games, Glorious could be said to have effortlessly dominated the Bucks and Bulls.

Deer and cows are animals after all; how can they possibly compete with the sun's rays?

Both teams have their own problems, and at the start of the season, facing a strong roster, they naturally had no chance to fight back.

In the second game, he scored 50 points, which shocked the league and made the Glory team slap many people in the face right from the start.

Because of Gan Guoyang's collaboration with Jordan, some people cheered, while others were not optimistic.

Media outlets in Boston and Los Angeles, in particular, believe that if a 30-year-old Jordan and Forrest Gump were to team up, it would truly be the end of the world.

But how much fuel do these two, nearing 40, still have left in their tanks? Their two greatest enemies joined forces in their later years, only to end up disgracing themselves.

So many people were waiting to see them fail, but after two games, Forrest Gump and Jordan were in excellent form.

Although they are not at their peak, perhaps it is precisely because they are no longer perfect that their collaboration makes them seem even more complete.

Like two puzzle pieces that were originally close to being perfect, forcibly putting them together will only result in them being incompatible, or even falling apart.

But time has left gaps in the puzzle. When the two of them work together again, these gaps fit together perfectly, making the whole piece more complete.

It's not just about tactics and techniques, but also about personality and temperament. They argue endlessly on one hand, but also understand and appreciate each other on the other.

At the post-game press conference after the game against the Bulls, Jordan joked, "I'm already looking at the schedule to see when we play the Trail Blazers. At that time, Forrest Gump will also score 50 points."

Gan Guoyang shook his head repeatedly and said, "That's not fair. The Trail Blazers are much stronger than the Bulls. Scoring 50 points isn't that easy, buddy."

"Forrest Gump never gave up."

"That's right, so I'll get 60 points."

The two laughed heartily, and Gan Guoyang didn't care about anything else; he just wanted to make up his boast first.

The Trail Blazers are indeed very strong this year. The trio of Ben Wallace, Jermaine O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant are maintaining a stable performance, and Michael Redd, the last seed left by Gan Guoyang, is sprouting.

On the bench, the Trail Blazers acquired Bonzi Wells from the Pistons to serve as the team's sixth man, along with a number of other formidable players such as Dale Davis.

With the Los Angeles Lakers losing Shaquille O'Neal and Glorious heading east, the only team in the West that can truly challenge the Trail Blazers is the Sacramento Kings.

In the opening game and the second game, the Trail Blazers won both games decisively and held their opponents to a very low score.

With scores of 73 and 82 points in one game, it will be difficult for Gan Guoyang to score 50 or even 60 points against such defensive pressure.

The two teams' first match will not be until Christmas, and no one knows what will happen then.

After playing the Bulls, the Glorious team was finally able to return to Las Vegas for a rest after their first two games of the season, both away from home.

When he got off the plane, Gan Guoyang found Yao Ming and asked, "How was it playing in the NBA? Tired?"

Yao Ming answered truthfully: "Playing basketball is fine, but flying is a bit tiring."

Yao Ming's stature is so large that the Glory team's private jet has been modified, and a special seat has been customized to accommodate his massive body.

Once he arrives at the hotel, he needs a specially made bed to sleep in, so traveling and staying in hotels is quite troublesome for Yao Ming.

"Really? Looks like the intensity I'm giving you isn't enough. Be at the training gym at eight o'clock sharp tomorrow morning to do extra training with me."

Seeing that Gan Guoyang didn't seem to be joking, Yao Ming could only sigh silently to himself, realizing he had been too honest.

When your boss asks if you're tired from work, how can you say you're not? Even if you're not tired, you have to say, "It's quite tough."

Otherwise, your boss will think you're not doing enough work and will give you more tasks.

Yao Ming had planned to play basketball for a few days, then come back and rest well and sleep in. It seems his dream is now in vain.

Gan Guoyang seemed to see through Yao Ming's thoughts and said, "Do you want to sleep in?"

"Uh...no."

"Very good, be at the training hall at 7:30 tomorrow."

"Oh? Then... then I want to sleep in."

"That's true, but I object. We'll be there at seven."

Yao Ming was completely speechless. Why can't I sleep even if I tell the truth? Should I tell the truth or not?
However, Yao Ming still arrived at the training hall on time the next day. What he didn't know was that Gan Guoyang and Jordan had already been practicing there for an hour.

These two guys are really addicted. After Jordan was deprived of his right to gamble, he devoted himself to basketball even more and became more focused.

He realized this might be his last happy time with basketball, and given his exceptionally good chemistry with Forrest Gump, he cherished it all the more.

Seeing the two 40-year-old men practicing so hard, Yao Ming's complaints disappeared.

However, Gan Guoyang still told Yao Ming that if he came an hour early, he should leave an hour early and go back to get some rest.

"Rest and training are equally important. A person who does not know how to rest will not be able to work well. This is what Lenin said."

Gan Guoyang trained with Yao Ming, but contrary to Yao Ming's expectations, Gan Guoyang did not conduct low-post drills with Yao Ming.

"You did these things quite well. There's no point in me continuing to train you. Let's practice something more useful."

Gan Guoyang first took Yao Ming to the video room and played a compilation of his first two games.

The footage was limited but representative. Gan Guoyang paused the video and pointed out Yao Ming's numerous problems in offensive and defensive details.

These problems were mentioned and improved during the previous training camp, but they still surfaced in actual combat.

For example, in the simplest case, after grabbing an offensive rebound, you subconsciously put the ball down, only to have it stolen by the opponent.

Gan Guoyang reminded Yao Ming to change this bad habit when they were on the national team.

Yao Ming may have heard it but didn't take it too seriously. After returning to China, he continued to play basketball according to his old habits.

Because there aren't that many fast-handed players in the CBA, Yao Ming can get up quickly after getting the ball, and no one can stop him.

It's different in the NBA. The players here are quick and ruthless. In the first two games, Yao Ming's first priority after getting the ball was not to lose it.

Under this premise, he can proceed to the next step, which makes his ball handling relatively slow, which is of course another detail issue.

"I know that these habits are formed from childhood and are very difficult to change. You won't realize how deadly such habits are until you experience them firsthand in an NBA game. There's a long road ahead and many games to play. Sometimes a seemingly insignificant bad habit can ruin a game, a series, or even a season, leaving regrets for your career. So, you must pay attention to details and all kinds of habits. If you can change them, it's best to change them. If you really can't... your basketball career is in your own hands."

Having said that, Gan Guoyang has fulfilled his responsibilities; anything more would be beyond his scope.

Yao Ming nodded emphatically. He knew that good words should not be repeated more than three times. Good things are placed in front of you, it's up to you whether you learn them or not.

After experiencing two games in the NBA, Yao Ming did discover many problems and minor flaws in himself.

In the days that followed, Yao Ming hired a trainer to correct his movements and on-court habits, allowing him to play more comfortably and avoid making basic mistakes. The difference between the NBA and the CBA is that in the NBA, a mentor guides you through the door, but the rest is up to you.

It's already a great blessing if someone can give you some pointers and show you the right path.

The rest is up to you. If you wait for someone to feed you, you're just waiting to starve to death.

Gan Guoyang didn't have the time to coach Yao Ming every day, and the team soon had its opening game in Las Vegas.

Their opponent was the reigning Western Conference champions, who defeated the illustrious Sacramento Kings 4-2 in the semifinals.

It's not a case of enemies meeting with intense hatred; the semi-final match between the two sides was fierce, but it didn't reach the point of hatred.

After their upset of the Lakers, Glory had exhausted all their momentum, and the team's fighting spirit, which they had built up in Palm Springs, was also depleted.

Because the team was both too young and too old, after the game-winning shot against the Lakers, everyone felt they had accomplished their mission and relaxed.

Even if Gan Guoyang wanted to tighten things up at this point, he couldn't. After all, he wasn't a god, and even he himself felt a sense of relaxation.

This is the problem of starting too early. Strong teams progress gradually, exerting their strength slowly. The further they go, the better their condition and the more energetic they become.

The team's overall strength was insufficient, so in order to defeat the Lakers, they unleashed their potential and energy early on.

The saying goes, "One should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane after a second attempt and eventually be exhausted." If one's energy is too high too early, it will naturally weaken later on.

In addition, the Kings' belief was indeed very strong, especially Chris Webber, who was determined to defeat Glorious and Forrest.

Although they were at a disadvantage in direct confrontations with Forrest Gump, the Kings relied on teamwork, and Adelman, as the head coach, also knew Forrest Gump very well.

He knew there was only one way to defeat Forrest Gump: to wear him down, to exhaust him completely, and only then could he win.

The Kings exhausted the glory of last season, winning the series 4-2, then eliminating the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals.

In just a few months, Forrest Gump teamed up with Jordan to form a "Double God" duo, which surprised everyone at the Kings.

Fortunately, just a few days later, the league announced that the Glorious had been transferred to the Eastern Conference, and Adelman and Webber breathed a sigh of relief.

All the teams in the Western Conference breathed a sigh of relief. They had gotten rid of the two old men, and the days of them teaming up to seduce and avoid Glory, like last season, were finally over.

After losing the NBA Finals last season, the Sacramento Kings strengthened their roster in the summer, signing Damon Jones and trading a draft pick for Jim Jackson from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jim Jackson was traded to the Lakers in the Shaq trade, but he was not in the Lakers' future plans, and his position overlapped with McGrady and Pippen, so he was sent to the Kings.

The Lakers' management knew they were no longer championship contenders for the new season, and Jerry West's strategy was to develop McGrady and wait for his opportunity.

As for the Western Conference title, let the Kings and Trail Blazers fight for it.

This battle is a true challenge for Glorious, and also the first serious test of just how strong the Jordan + Forrest Gump combination really is.

The game was indeed much tougher than the previous two. The Bucks and Bulls were on a downward spiral, one being a bottom-tier team, and their fighting power was nowhere near that of the Kings.

The Kings started strong with an 11-2 run against Lux. Lux had a poor start, and the Kings frequently used fast breaks to attack Lux's backline.

Jordan has revealed his inability to chase down ball handlers as quickly on the defensive end as he used to; he is becoming a player who is biased towards and reliant on offense.

Tomjanovich made timely adjustments, making Andre Miller the primary defender on the defensive transition, followed by Gerald Wallace, with Jordan taking on more responsibility for help defense in the paint.

As the offense gradually improved, the defensive issues also gradually got better.

Neither Jordan nor Gan Guoyang rushed to attack; instead, they focused on tactical coordination.

The Princeton offense, which wasn't very well-developed, actually improved as they played against the more skilled Kings.

Because you can learn it by stealing it.

For example, Bibby and Webber would set a screen and take a shot, and then Jordan and Gan Guoyang would coordinate to take a shot.

Divac orchestrated the offense from the high post, and Gan Guoyang immediately followed suit, assisting Jordan on an alley-oop.

Gan Guoyang knew all these tricks, but Jordan wasn't very familiar with them. He learned them the most by secretly observing Bibby.

Bibby helped the Kings transform last season with his accurate pick-and-roll mid-range shooting, earning him a place in the MVP rankings.

But no matter how accurate your mid-range shot is, can it be as accurate as Jordan's? Webber's screens aren't as good as Gan Guoyang's either.

In the second quarter, the two players came on at the same time, and one of them made a mid-range jump shot after a pick-and-roll, which made the Kings feel like they were dying.

Adelman was speechless, going from a 10-point lead to a 3-point deficit.

When the Kings called a timeout, Jordan shrugged and spread his hands toward the sidelines, indicating that even if he could make the shot, there was nothing he could do.

Adelman questioned the players: "Why didn't you double-team Jordan!"

Bibby said, "The one who took it apart was Forrest Gump, Coach."

This left Adelman speechless. After the pick and roll, the player cutting to the outside or rolling to the basket is Forrest Gump. How are you going to double-team the ball handler?

He was either shot to death by Jordan or shot to death by Forrest Gump.

Moreover, the two players have a variety of pick-and-roll techniques, including real screens, fake screens, and half-real screens, which confuse the defenders.

Glorious incorporated the Ganjo pick-and-roll as the core of the Princeton offense, making it flexible, versatile, and highly effective.

Adelman knows best what the advantages and changes are of playing this way.

But the Kings can only have Bibby and Webber playing together, while the Glorious can have Jordan and Forrest Gump playing together.

They had no choice but to go all out and launch a counterattack during the second quarter when both players were off the court.

But the Brilliant bench is no joke, with Van Exel maintaining the high level of performance he displayed in last season's playoffs.

He didn't perform well in the first two games, but when he returned to Las Vegas, his three-point shooting became accurate, and he hit consecutive shots.

Yao Ming, along with players like Rose, Barry, and Bell, took to the court, running back and forth between the two ends of the court, meticulously executing various tactics.

This lineup alone, if centered around Yao Ming, could actually put together a decent starting lineup for a mid-tier team.

At halftime, the Glory led the Kings by 3 points, and both teams went to the locker room to rest.

The Kings felt the immense pressure from the Radiant team and their deep bench, and were all relieved that the Radiant team had gone to the East.

In the locker room, Gan Guoyang said to Yao Ming, "When you play the second unit again in the second half, try to play in the low post more often. Remember, be quick."

Yao Ming nodded; he hadn't scored in the first half yet.

(End of this chapter)