The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 111 - 17 Really Simple_2

Suddenly, Ewing scored with a mid-range jump shot in the offensive end, returning the favor.

Gan Guoyang received the ball at the high post, and Jordan immediately pressed up to defend; he knew Gan could shoot from distance.

"You’re guarding me, Mike?"

"Piece of cake."

Gan Guoyang raised the ball over his head; he knew Jordan was great at stealing and was very quick with his hands.

After a jab step, he pivoted to protect the ball with his left hand, keeping it away from Jordan’s reach.

Then he powered down the middle, rolling past Mu Lin’s attempted steal, and scored a frontal move hook shot for two points.

Gan Guoyang’s steady dribbling and strong physique were undeniably showcased in this offensive play.

Usually, big men facing Jordan from such an outside position and dribbling in would definitely get the ball stolen.

But Gan executed his move in one fluid motion and managed to score over the smaller defender, reclaiming two points.

Team USA launched a fast break immediately, not pausing at all as they quickly inbounded from the backcourt.

Jordan changed direction and accelerated, getting past the defender, then jumped and switched directions in the air to avoid Ma Hong’s block, banking the shot in!

It was this kind of high-speed offense and defense rhythm that had worn down the NBA All-Star Team in the first half.

Bob Knight used a 12-player rotation, giving everyone a chance to play, so they were full of energy, and the pace was extremely fast.

As the game went on, these NBA veterans gradually couldn’t keep up. Havlicek didn’t use a 12-player rotation; he was more arbitrary with his selections.

At this point, only Gan Guoyang from the NBA All-Star Team could keep up with Team USA’s pace; he was familiar with Knight’s tactical style.

Gan Guoyang began to intensify his own attacks. The All-Star Team also realized that giving the ball to Gan was a good idea; he could make the shots.

Receiving a pass from Cummings, Gan Guoyang cut in and used a fake to shake off Ewing, finishing with a same-hand and same-foot left layup.

He avoided Perkins’ help defense on the other side through this instantaneous adjustment of hands and feet, putting the ball into the basket.

Bob Knight couldn’t help but praise Gan Guoyang from the sidelines; his finishing technique was really delicate, almost like that of a top NBA small forward.

Never underestimate a center’s finishing ability; good finishing can make tactics and teamwork efficiently translate into scoring.

Knight knew too well how frustrating and painful it was when a play was executed well, but the center couldn’t put the ball in the basket.

For these top players, sometimes little technical details can widen the gap between them. Ewing in this respect seemed much more coarse.

In the entire U.S. national team, only Jordan had the same finesse as Gan Guoyang, both pursuing technical details obsessively.

After scoring, Gan Guoyang immediately sprinted back to defend. He could keep up with Team USA’s offensive pace, and as Jordan pushed the ball up quickly, Gan reached out to stall him, then immediately dropped back into the paint to set up defensively.

Such a small defensive detail created recovery time for his teammates, delaying Team USA’s fast offense and dragging them into a half-court battle.

After a series of passes, Alford’s drive was disrupted by Gan, leading to a miss, and Ma Hong grabbed the defensive rebound to pass it to Williams while Gan sprinted ahead.

Ewing had to unfurl his long legs to chase after Gan, still wearing a knee brace, which made each of his steps appear labored.

The fast break didn’t succeed, but Gan immediately got involved in the half-court offense, posting up and calling for the ball as the All-Star Team used a tactical triangle to play off him.

This was a sign that Gan had earned his teammates’ recognition. Cummings passed the ball to Gan, and after a fake, Gan quickly spun inward and went up for a straight-armed shot.

Gan’s spin shot didn’t fade away but instead leaned forward, not giving the defender a chance to jump and block, leaving Ewing pressed down unable to jump as he watched Gan score.

After scoring, Gan didn’t rush to defend but instead teamed up with Cummings in the frontcourt to double-team Jordan, forcing him to pass the ball.

After Jordan passed, Gan flew back to the backcourt, directing his teammates in defense, and successfully stopped Team USA’s offense in a half-court set.

Once in a set play, Team USA’s scoring efficiency dropped significantly; speed was the college players’ sharpest weapon.

Gan used his tireless running and help defense to slow down the U.S. Olympic Team’s offensive speed.

The two teams began a long, grueling tug of war.

John Havlicek watched Gan’s running on the court, machine-like, brimming with endless energy, and it brought to mind his own athletic years before retirement.

Havlicek was a star in baseball, football, and basketball, having earned state all-star honors in all three sports during high school, largely relying on his superhuman stamina.

He could run non-stop on baseball diamonds, football fields, and basketball courts, seemingly never getting tired. His opponents would be exhausted after every game, while he remained full of vigor.

He spent some time with the Cleveland Browns but was ultimately cut; he then went to Boston, where he ran on the parquet floor of the Garden for over ten years without pausing, winning eight championships.

Now he had stopped, stopped very thoroughly, hardly touching basketballs, with his most frequent activity being fishing, organizing fishing competitions with a group of familiar NBA stars every year.

Hong Duo was tired; he didn’t want to coach, perhaps because he ran too much during his playing days, exhausting all his energy and interest.

Yet tonight, seeing Gan’s wind-like running, his long-dormant soul seemed to slowly revive.