The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 148 - 46 You Are Already Dead

The second quarter started and Gan Guoyang sat on the bench to rest. He hadn’t wanted to sit out, but Ramsay had said, "Others also need a chance to play, and sitting on the sideline can help you reflect on the match."

Reassured, Gan Guoyang settled down on the bench just as Jabbar was also taking his place among the substitutes. The first quarter’s encounter let Gan Guoyang experience the intensity of the era’s strongest center.

He knew Jabbar hadn’t put in his full effort yet. Their confrontation had just begun. Professional basketball is a long marathon. Jabbar had been running it for a very long time, while Gan Guoyang was just at the starting line.

The on-court confrontation wiped away some of Gan Guoyang’s slight fear of the legendary giant. Before the match, he had been somewhat worried because it is truly difficult to defend against a 7-foot-2 skillful center.

Gan Guoyang detested the feeling of helplessness when continuously scored on during a match. Ewing, Olajuwon, and Sikma couldn’t manage to keep scoring on him repeatedly, but Jabbar could.

The one-on-one confrontations during the match proved this. When Jabbar secured an advantageous position, he was indeed undefendable. Whether he scored or not depended entirely on his shooting form.

Walton was right. Defending Jabbar was a systemic project. What you need to disrupt isn’t the moment he shoots, but every step before that, preventing him from finding his rhythm and state.

By the time he shoots and you think of interfering, it’s already too late.

So far, the project was going okay, or so Gan Guoyang thought.

During the rotation, the pace of the game between both sides didn’t drop an iota, the Lakers’ backups were still highly intense.

And the Trail Blazers had Drexler, who was now gradually getting used to the role of the sixth man.

When he took to the court with the ball, the Trail Blazers’ offense seemed to have more imagination.

He was the number two engine of the team, second only to Gan Guoyang. Everyone else was just additional parts.

A while into the second quarter, the score went from 31:31 to 40:40, with both teams tightly entwined in the struggle.

At that moment, a small interruption occurred in the match as an unexplained commotion suddenly arose courtside.

A large number of fans left their seats and squeezed towards one spot, prompting the arena security to go up to the stands to maintain order.

The chaos off the court affected the game, and the referees blew the whistle to pause the match, allowing staff to handle the situation.

Firstly, people needed to figure out what exactly had happened.

Gan Guoyang and his teammates all stood up and looked towards the stands, where being tall had its advantages.

"It’s MJ! He’s come to watch the game!" Gan Guoyang caught sight of the most influential face of the 80s amidst the crowded throng.

Michael Jackson, for whatever reason, had appeared at the game. He had arrived at the start of the second quarter, but his presence immediately shifted the fans’ attention from the court to him.

The game was paused for a full eight minutes. With the staff and Magic Johnson holding a microphone to speak, fans gradually returned to their seats and order was restored, allowing the game to continue.

Gan Guoyang warmed up a bit before re-entering the game. Before going on court, he glanced at the stands and spotted Jackson, who, sensing Gan Guoyang’s gaze, waved at him.

The arrival of the superstar added another layer of magnitude to this match.

The Trail Blazers on court were Gan Guoyang, Drexler, Vandeweghe, Kolter, and Parkson.

The Lakers too brought back Jabbar, along with Rambis, Cooper, Worthy, and Magic Johnson.

Riley learned from the first quarter’s lesson. Whenever Gan Guoyang was on the court, he played Rambis to assist Jabbar in defense.

With Cooper present, Gan Guoyang had to be cautious with each ball handling and hook shot. You never knew when the ball might be stolen right out of your hands.

The Lakers’ defense had become three-dimensional, with outer, middle, and inner layers restricting Gan Guoyang’s previously unyielding assault on the Lakers’ paint.

"Rambis fouls! But he stopped Gan’s intent to kill into the basket, he won’t let Gan easily penetrate the three-second area again."

"Cooper’s double-team, Gan passes, Drexler’s outside shot doesn’t go... Oh my, his shooting form seems different from before... Lakers with the rebound, fast-break, Worthy dunks the ball! Woh! Show-time!"

"Gan knocks down Rambis! The referee calls him for an offensive foul! It looks like our superstar rookie is having some trouble in the second quarter."

As Hearn’s voice grew more intense, the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang encountered some problems.

The Lakers’ defensive strategy adjustments hindered Gan Guoyang, who had been fiercely aggressive in the first quarter.

Rambis drew an offensive foul, causing Gan Guoyang to pick up his second personal foul and make a turnover.

This white guy with black-rimmed glasses, who looked as though he could be an office employee, played an indispensable role in the talented Lakers’ squad.

A team needs someone to score, assist, block shots, deliver eye-catching dunks, and hit thrilling game-winners.

But it also needs someone to do the fundamental, less glamorous work: setting screens, fighting for out-of-bounds balls, and blocking shots with tenacity.

You can’t expect Jabbar to fly out of bounds for a ball. With old arms and legs, he might not get up if he does.

Nor can you expect Worthy or Johnson to always be blocking shots or boxing out; they need to conserve their energy for fast breaks.

Rambis’s mediocrity actually perfectly fit into the dazzling array of talent, even his office worker-like appearance seemed to provide a perfectly harmonious touch.

In the second half of the second quarter, his defense against Gan Guoyang had an effect, at least it appeared that way on the surface.

After Gan Guoyang was called for an offensive foul resulting in a turnover, he stopped actively calling for the ball to initiate offense.

Instead, he committed his energy to defense and contending for the offensive rebound; Rambis never eased up on his struggle against Guoyang.

As soon as Gan Guoyang crossed the three-point line, Rambis would block his route to prevent him from quickly driving in and striking at Jabbar.

The focus of the Trail Blazers’ offense shifted from Gan Guoyang to Drexler and Parkson, with Guoyang clearing out the key area to give Drexler a chance to drive and Parkson a chance to cut to the basket.

But this kind of by-the-book tactical coordination was exactly the rhythm Jabbar enjoyed; he squatted in the paint to protect the basket, and even if the little guys came up to challenge, Jabbar could stand still and their shooting percentage would automatically drop by ten percent.

This was the deterrent power of a tall center under the basket; after a few rounds, Parkson and Drexler both scored, but the team gradually fell behind in points.

The Trail Blazers’ offensive efficiency was dropping, while the Lakers maintained their high efficiency; their fast breaks hit the Trail Blazers’ basket like waves.

The Lakers gradually gained the lead, extending to a 5-point advantage, but it couldn’t get any larger because Guoyang’s interior protection wasn’t something you could just easily get through.

He even blocked Jabbar’s nearly certain left-handed layup and then, with a long pass to the frontcourt, Vandeweghe dunked the ball!

Gan Guoyang’s defense against Jabbar was as tough as in the first quarter, fully entangled, creating chaotic scuffles, and he would foul when necessary to disrupt his rhythm.

Jabbar even thought, Is this kid giving up on offense and just focusing on me? Really annoying.

The Trail Blazers, though at a disadvantage, clung to the score fiercely. Ramsay was somewhat restless on the sidelines, wondering why Ah Gan had given up ball handling on offense.

Only by coordinating low post plays with the outside can they tear the opponents’ defense and create more opportunities, yet Guoyang seemed to have turned back into a defensive stalwart and offensive rebounder.

During a timeout, Ramsay shouted at Gan Guoyang, "You should increase your ball-handling on offense! We need our tactics to be more dimensional!"

Gan Guoyang wiped his face but said, "Now’s not the time!"

Ramsay thought to himself, fuck, who’s the coach, you or me?

Upon reflection, he still let it go, thinking it was still early in the season, still the observation period, no hurry, no hurry.

This season, Ramsay had been changing himself, from a coach who demanded absolute control to one who allowed players more freedom, somewhat like a nanny-coach.

Guoyang’s arrival had given him much to consider—reflecting on his past successes as well as past failures and lessons. He did not want to make the same mistakes again.

So he extended leniency to Gan Guoyang, and even to Drexler—over the past few games, Drexler felt unaccustomed to the coach seldom scolding him.

The second quarter ended, with the Trail Blazers trailing the Lakers by 4 points, 55:59. It was an acceptable margin.

During the halftime break, Michael Jackson made a visit to the Trail Blazers’ locker room, astonishing everyone. They did not realize that Guoyang and MJ were friends.

"Fuck, why didn’t you let me know before you got here?" Gan Guoyang chatted naturally with MJ, leaving the others so surprised they were speechless.

"I have to go soon, staying too long would cause trouble," Jackson’s voice was still light but not inaudible.

"Shit, I haven’t even started my third-quarter show, and you’re already leaving?"

"Sorry, I have to leave. I was actually invited by Magic; I promised to watch a game after touring with Jackson 5. I chose this one," Jackson explained.

Gan Guoyang thought of the commotion in the audience when Jackson was spotted in the second quarter, understanding that he had to leave, or there might have been even greater chaos during halftime—there was still a half to play.

"Being a superstar is not all fun; look at me, play well and still no one cares," Guoyang said.

Jackson didn’t say much, just smiled. He wasn’t one for sharp words, unlike these basketball players whose tongues were as sharp as knives.

Michael Jackson, having watched only one quarter of the game, left under the escort of his bodyguards. He promised Guoyang he would definitely check out the post-game coverage of the match.

Stars had their own troubles, especially epoch-making pop stars like MJ; the tides of time pushed him to an unimaginably high peak, continuing to push upward, regardless of how it felt for the person at the top because it was beyond his control.

The second half began, and Riley made changes in the starting lineup, with Rambis and Cooper replacing Wilkes and Scott.

He realized that putting the five best offensive players on the floor didn’t necessarily mean they were the strongest.

Rambis, wearing his somewhat comical black glasses, continued to stick close to Gan Guoyang, ready to continue his successful defense from the first half.

Suddenly, Gan Guoyang said to Rambis, "Rambis, let me tell you a secret."

Rambis, without glancing away, said, "I’m not interested, let’s play."

Gan Guoyang went on, "No, this secret is about you."

Rambis didn’t speak, but his eyeballs moved slightly.

Gan Guoyang continued, "Kirk, you’re already dead."