The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 133 - 33: Great Victory, Small Victory

Ramsay, after a bout of intense coaching, continued to observe and direct the game from the sidelines, kneeling on one knee and clad in plaid pants.

He kept shouting "Run, run, run, don’t fall behind," urging his players to intensify their offense, to keep running and seeking scoring opportunities, using points to deflate the opposing team’s momentum.

But in reality, Ramsay hadn’t quite decided what kind of tactical system the team would use for the new season.

Observations from the preseason games weren’t enough for him to set the tone for this team, full of rookies. This year’s Trail Blazers were among the youngest in the League.

Their oldest players were Mychal Thompson and Tom-Scheffler, both only 30, with the rest being youths in their twenties.

Of these, seven were under 25, four just entering the NBA this year—they were really too young.

Being young isn’t a problem. The Trail Blazers who won the championship in 1977 were even younger than the current team, making them the youngest champions in history.

However, there’s a significant difference in the composition of the two teams, and the rules and style of the NBA are also in the midst of drastic changes.

Ramsay himself was often puzzled—could his concepts and thoughts keep up with this rapidly changing era?

The trend of fast-paced offense on the NBA court was growing stronger. The Showtime fast-break started by the Los Angeles Lakers in the West had inspired the entire League to increase the speed of play and attract fans to the games.

After the addition of the three-point line, although few took three-point shots, the NBA’s game experience was increasingly divergent from the NCAA, with the players’ personal offensive skills becoming more pronounced.

Teams like the Celtics, Lakers, and 76ers each had two to three top players, two to three near All-Stars. Unprecedented superstars like Magic and Bird had changed NBA’s philosophy of play; the 70’s ideal of team-above-all seemed no longer valid.

From 1978 till now, after six to seven years of collapse and chaos, Ramsay increasingly felt that the miraculous championship win of 1977 was a grand firework before death.

It was like in 1945 when he was in the navy, preparing to be part of the land invasion of Japan, when two mushroom clouds from atomic bombs ended his dreams of battle and glory.

Even after 40 years, he would often wake up from dreams, shouting, "Quick! Don’t fall behind," a drill instructor’s roar during swim training that was indelibly etched in his very genes.

Since he began his professional coaching and management career with the 76ers, he had been fighting all sorts of troubles, especially troubles related to centers.

In ’68, just as he took over the 76ers, Wilt Chamberlain said he wanted to be a player-coach. At another time, he said he was tired of playing in Philadelphia and wanted to go to the West Coast, to Los Angeles. The strong-willed Ramsay didn’t compromise and immediately sent Chamberlain to the City of Angels.

He had a falling out with Walton in ’78, and now this year, the team had another talented big man. Ramsay finally softened a bit, giving up on the obsession to change the guy.

But how to use and position him, Ramsay had no ideas yet, which shocked even himself.

He was "Dr. Jack," not a nickname like Dr. J, but he truly held a doctorate degree.

He was the League’s encyclopedia, knowledgeable and well-read, respected by many, and a mentor to many young people.

Yet for this number 11, be it his personality or style of play, Ramsay had no clue for the time being.

Just a few days ago, he called up Bobby Beelman, the coach at Gan University, and asked him how he used Gan.

That brat from the University of Notre Dame directly said, "Don’t know, you ask him how he used me."

What kind of answer is that!

Ramsay focused on his line of thought while keeping an eye on the game’s progress.

Following the timeout, the Trail Blazers got their offense back on track, with Vandeweghe in great form tonight.

He and Gan executed a hand-off pick and roll on the left low post. Vandeweghe received the ball and with one step from the baseline, he sped to the basket and dunked with his left hand!

That move electrified the crowd. Not only did he score the dunk, but he also drew a foul from the opponent, earning an extra throw.

Vandeweghe was ambidextrous, with a habit of shooting with the right hand but preferring the left for layups and dunks.

Even if he drove from the right, Vandeweghe would switch to the left hand for a reverse layup, a habit that often troubled his defenders.

Gan Guoyang took note of Vandeweghe’s habit quietly. The balanced use of both hands indeed could greatly disrupt the defensive player.

In his quest to learn offensive skills, Gan Guoyang preferred to follow the small forwards rather than centers. Whether Bernard King or Vandeweghe, their techniques offered great inspiration to Gan Guoyang.

Subsequently, the game almost turned into Vandeweghe’s offensive show. With his hot hand, his teammates kept feeding him the ball.

Making his debut with the Trail Blazers, Vandeweghe was ruthless. Hook shots, mid-range jumpers, long-range shots from the corner, fast-break layups—he showcased the full spectrum of his offensive prowess.

Of course, on the defensive end, he was as good as nonexistent. The opponents would pass him in a single stride, putting considerable pressure on Gan Guoyang to cover inside the paint.

Gan Guoyang held his ground and delivered two more blocks in the third quarter, raising his rebound count to 14.

On the scoreboard, Gan Guoyang snatched two offensive rebounds under the basket. This time, he wasn’t generous. With a turn-around hook shot and a reverse basket, he scored.

His points reached 15, only three points shy of Jordan’s 18.

As the third quarter was nearing its end, the Trail Blazers were leading the Kings Team by 14 points, 101:87.

Gan Guoyang received Valentine’s pass at the perimeter, unguarded at the top of the arc—he didn’t hesitate and took another three-pointer!

The three-pointer didn’t go in. Ramsay was about to lose it on the sidelines, but Gan Guoyang had predicted his shot would fall short, charging under the basket to catch the offensive rebound and swiftly executing a layup!

On his way back on defense passing the substitutes’ bench, Ramsay was about to yell at Gan Guoyang, "Why do you keep shooting..."

Before he could finish, Gan Guoyang cut him off, yelling back, "No time to explain!"

He suddenly burst from the wing, trapping Philadelphia’s Eddie Johnson along the baseline with Vandeweghe.

Eddie Johnson, cornered, attempted a pass while jumping, but Gan Guoyang leaped and intercepted it in mid-air.

Gan Guoyang, ball in hand, barreled down the court like a bulldozer, from the backcourt to the frontcourt, taking off from within the free-throw line for a one-handed slam dunk!

The crowd began cheering for Gan Guoyang—what could be more electrifying than a 6-foot-10 player making steals, fast breaks, and soaring for dunks?

The rim was trembling, and so was Ramsay, who lowered his head, hand on forehead, comforting himself that if a stiff player like Bill Russell could handle a fastbreak, Gan’s ball-handling was pretty smooth. Plus, the Kings’ defense was absent, so let it be a break.

When he looked up, he saw Gan Guoyang on his way back, raising his arms high, swirling them around like egg beaters, his teammates, as if possessed, rushing to hug him—the third quarter hadn’t even finished, with a few seconds left on the clock.

"Defense! Defense!" Ramsay shouted, recognizing the familiar scene all too well.

During Walton’s prime with the Trail Blazers, when he was excited, he would raise his arms like that. It was his signature move.

Whenever he performed this mysterious act, his teammates seemed summoned, circling around him. Then he would receive the ball on an excellent pass and layup or dunk, pushing the atmosphere at Memorial Coliseum to its peak.

Memories flickering, Ramsay felt a well of tears rising, but he held them back.

The third quarter ended quickly, with the Kings Team failing to score on their last possession.

After Gan Guoyang came off, Ramsay called out to him, "Playing like that can hurt people’s pride. This is an away game; you need to consider the fans’ feelings."

Gan Guoyang was speechless, not knowing what to say, panting heavily, he could only reply, "I’ll... I’ll be more restrained next time."

But Ramsay thought to himself, let him play how he wants to play. Let’s see what he can become—I have plenty of time to wait patiently.

In the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang, already with 19 points, had no interest in further increasing his career debut score.

Instead, Vandeweghe and Jim Paxson went absolutely wild in the fourth.

Building on the shooting rhythm from the entire game, Vandeweghe, who had already scored 27 points before the fourth, went on a scoring spree.

He displayed his offensive arsenal to his new teammates and the coaching staff, slashing 20 points in the fourth quarter alone and, along with Paxson, steering the Trail Blazers to score 40 points in the quarter.

The Kings collapsed under the Trail Blazers’ scoring tidal wave, Eddie Johnson’s pull-up jumpers utterly unable to stop the Trail Blazers’ precision strike team. In contrast, Reggie-Seth, traded from the Bulls during the summer, was completely off, making only 2 of 10 shots and failing to provide any fire support for Johnson.

However, Audie Norris did offer considerable support under the hoop for Johnson, securing 17 points and 8 rebounds.

The game eventually lost its suspense, with the Trail Blazers kicking off their 1984-1985 season with a resounding 145:115 victory.

In his debut, Gan Guoyang posted 19 points, 17 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals easily and comprehensively, proving that the 20-year-old could adapt to NBA-level play—though the Kings Team was indeed a weak opponent.

The brightest star of the night for the Trail Blazers was Vandeweghe, who scorched for 47 points in his debut for the franchise. Even with measly other stats (1 assist, 2 rebounds), in basketball, scoring is the most critical stat since all other stats are ultimately to facilitate scoring.

Victory was sweet. The team celebrated simply in the locker room after returning, exchanging high-fives and fist bumps. It was a good start.

Back at the hotel later, since they hadn’t managed to buy tickets for a late-night flight, the players had to spend the night and leave the next morning.

The first thing Gan Guoyang did once in his room was to call Jordan’s apartment. After three unanswered calls, he persisted and dialed a fourth time.

The call connected immediately, Jordan’s voice came through, "Okay, okay! I know you won. Just by one point, what’s the big deal! Who were you playing against, who was I against? I didn’t have a teammate scoring 47 points!"

Gan Guoyang laughed heartily, saying, "Michael, you need to realize, you scored 18 points because that’s all you could get, while I scored 19 points because that’s all I wanted."

The Trail Blazers crushed the Kings, and Gan Guoyang had his small victory over Jordan.