Chapter 2203 - 24: Pioneer_3
During the break, Porter asked Gan Guoyang, "Sonny, are you crazy, playing so fast, don’t you care about your life? How old are you?"
"I’m 42, not 72, am I so fragile that I can’t run?"
"Efficiency, you have to aim for efficiency, Ah Gan, stick to the plan!"
Before the game, the team had devised a plan, and Porter’s initial plan was to use defense to stifle the Warriors.
Drag the Warriors into a slow-paced game, using intensity and power to put them in a bind.
Then rely on Gan Guoyang and Allen Iverson’s personal abilities to kill the opponent.
This was the most effective way to win, most aligned with the current Glory lineup and capabilities.
"Terry, sometimes life needs a bit of change, don’t be too rigid."
Porter’s biggest coaching flaw is being too rigid, each move and style meticulously executed.
How the plan is set before the game is how it should be played, without much flexibility.
Every game undergoes meticulous planning, considering various scenarios and ways to handle them.
Once encountered, solutions can be immediately provided, though not necessarily effective, but you have a plan.
But if an unexpected situation arises beyond the plan, Porter could become clueless, lacking imaginative directing skills.
In such situations, Porter has to hand over command, letting Ah Gan and Iverson decide the game.
This game, however, nothing had happened yet, Ah Gan himself made things happen, dribbling and playing back and forth with the Warriors.
It’s apparent that under the long and grueling regular seasons year after year, Gan Guoyang needs some exceptions to adjust his mindset.
So, when Gan Guoyang said this, Porter didn’t argue further, instead he went along, since the old man wants to play, we accompany him.
Thus, in the second quarter, Porter used a lineup of one big and four small, replacing Yao Ming with Robert Horry.
Gan Guoyang directly said to Horry, "Buddy, you play center."
"Huh? What? And you? Are you going to be the coach?" Horry, being seasoned, dared to joke with Gan Guoyang.
"The coach is warming up."
Both sides went into a frenzy of back-and-forth attacks in the second quarter, hardly defending, just running and shooting.
During this time, Iverson played with caution, every shot and pass considered and calculated.
His scoring dropped from 31 points during Philadelphia 76ers days to 24, but his shooting percentage increased from 41% during 76ers days to 47%—his highest career shooting rate.
With Ah Gan allowing open play, it was quite unabashed, both teams began running, fiercely attacking and shooting, organizing offense in less than 8 seconds.
The pace of the game suddenly became rapid, both teams continuously delivering striking shots.
Yi Jianlian grabbed the ball and slammed it with both hands, Gan Guoyang made a falling-back three-pointer from the corner, Iverson made continuous behind-the-back moves, jumping to the basket for a score.
Baron Davis used his strong body to break into the basket, then received a block from Gan Guoyang, and Yi Jianlian followed up with a successful put-back.
Tonight Yi Jianlian harvested tremendously, Gan Guoyang clearly didn’t go hard on this junior brother, giving Yi Jianlian many scoring opportunities.
Fans cried out in excitement, this attacking showdown is even more thrilling than a defensive battle, especially in the regular season.
Keeping up intensity, people are inherently exhilarated by the collision of speed and power, and the curing sensation of scoring.
On-site fans’ dopamine secretion was much higher than usual, Porter looked at the hustle on the court and said to Yao Ming, "Do you want to go on the court to run a bit?"
Yao Ming shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Forget it, coach, let me sit for a while, a truck isn’t suited for drifts and races."