The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 155 - 53 Portland Knows Wang

The overly smooth first quarter made the Trail Blazers slightly lower their guard, including Ramsay.

After the start of the second quarter, he used the second lineup for too long, wanting to give more practice to the backcourt black triangle of Kossie-Drexler-Kolter.

The Trail Blazers started with two white players in the guard and forward positions, who lacked hardness on the defense end. Kolter and Kossie were the backups Ramsay was focusing on developing.

Taking advantage of the rotation lineup’s weaker defense, the Mavericks’ substitutes Derek Harper and Dale Ellis scored consecutively, gradually cutting the 23-point lead down to under 20 points, then to 15.

Midway through the second quarter with the score at 34:46, the Mavericks were trailing the Trail Blazers by just 12 points, and it was only then that Ramsay thought to bring back his main lineup.

The starters had rested off-court for almost half of the quarter, and their hot offensive streak from the first quarter had cooled by half, whereas the Mavericks had stabilized the situation and started to catch up.

Gan Guoyang returned to the court, having scored 6 points in the first quarter, mainly focusing on defense. He used the defensive style of a power forward with the strength of a center to guard Mark Aguirre, making Aguirre extremely uncomfortable.

In the second quarter, seeing Sam Bowie on the court, he approached during a play and greeted him, asking, "Sam, are you still shooting as recklessly as before?"

Bowie tensed up at the sight of Gan Guoyang speaking to him, and became even more flustered after hearing what Gan said.

Gan wasn’t really known for having a venomous tongue; it was his eyes that were the deadliest. He had only played one game against Bowie but had already spotted a major weakness in Bowie’s offense: his shooting was too casual.

Bowie had the ability to shoot mid-range, but after severe leg injuries, in high-intensity games he could only rely on his height to score under the basket or take mid-to-long range shots as his main means of offense.

With his height and long arms, it was difficult to disrupt his shooting. He had a certain accuracy from mid-range, but his shot selection was always criticized.

Shooting from too far out, with a low release point and an overly flat arc, his mid-range could only serve as a supplementary offensive method, not effectively threatening the opposition.

All this had to be blamed on that damned injury, a stress fracture in his leg that robbed him of his explosiveness, practically nullifying his low-post threat.

In 1981 as a sophomore at Kentucky, he could average 17 points, right when his career was on the rise, but he had to rest two years due to injuries until 1984, by which time he was only averaging 10 points.

In the offensive Twin Towers combination with Melvin Turpin, 6-foot-11 Turpin played center while the 7-foot-1 Bowie acted as power forward.

The stabilized Mavericks tried to get Bowie a play in the low post, hoping to close the gap further.

Bowie was getting into position in the low post, as Gan Guoyang firmly held his ground behind him, with Blackman passing the ball over.

Gan suddenly eased his strength from behind. Bowie, with his high center of gravity, stumbled and nearly fell.

Meanwhile, Gan stole half a body length ahead, reaching out to deflect Blackman’s pass, resulting in a turnover for the Trail Blazers.

Relieved that he hadn’t fallen, Bowie quickly ran back to defend, chasing after Gan Guoyang.

Gan rushed to the basket, establishing deep position and holding off Bowie, who was bigger than him.

Thompson lobbed the ball; Gan caught it and did a scissor-leg turn, using his strong back to push Bowie away and casually scored the left-handed layup.

Although Bowie was taller and very strong, he couldn’t get the better of Gan in their contest.

He tried to jump and block but couldn’t manage it. Gan, when turning, would pin your leg firmly, then back into you, and any excessive force during a layup attempt would result in a foul.

The Mavericks hadn’t given up hope and again passed to Sam Bowie at the high post. Bowie, after catching the ball, noticed Gan was two steps away from him, showing no intention to come up and defend.

"Take the shot, Sam! You have the ability, shoot!" Gan actually encouraged Bowie to take the shot.

Bowie hesitated. It was his shooting spot, and he often shot from there, with a not so bad shooting percentage.

But he had frequently been criticized for these shots, and Bowie really had no choice; he had no more reliable scoring methods.

Remembering that Coach Dick Motta on the bench had said, "Think of a way to handle Ah Gan," Bowie steeled himself and took the mid-range jumper.

The moment Bowie released the ball, he regretted it; it was clearly short. He wanted to rush in and fight for the rebound, but Gan had already blocked the middle lane, controlling the rebound that bounced off the front of the rim.

After passing the ball to Drexler, Gan reminded Bowie, "A little higher arc, I can defend you without using my hands."

With these words, Gan shattered Bowie’s hope of challenging him offensively in tonight’s game; Bowie thought he would do well just to limit Ah Gan defensively.

Actually, Bowie’s mentality wasn’t wrong. Some stubborn players hurt the team more by insisting on going one-on-one to show competitiveness.

And Bowie indeed provided substantial help to the Mavericks on the defensive end, with excellent protection of the defensive boards that even Gan couldn’t easily challenge.

His defense around the basket was quite impressive, and after the start of the season, he was able to block an average of 3 shots per game, making him a very good guardian of the paint.

The Trail Blazers’ shooters were ice cold, with Vandeweghe, Parkson, and Gan Guoyang’s mid-range shots all missing the mark—they had rested too long.

Sam Bowie grabbed three defensive rebounds, providing ammunition for the Mavericks’ counterattacks. The Mavericks scored on two fast breaks, and the gap was narrowed to only 10 points.

Ramsay, who was kneeling at the sideline, stood up intending to call a timeout, but Gan Guoyang gestured not to and to continue with one more play.

Ramsay retracted the timeout signal, and Gan Guoyang set a pick-and-roll with Valentine at the high post, rolling down quickly to receive Valentine’s pass.

After entering the paint, he executed a pump fake that sent Bowie flying, and in the instant Bowie took off, he thought to himself, "I’m done."

Gan Guoyang jumped, laying it up over Bowie, not only scoring the two points but also drawing Bowie’s foul, earning an additional free throw.

In that era, many players were straightforward about playing basketball—they would dodge the defender after a pump fake and attack the rim directly. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Only a few crafty players would deliberately collide with their defenders to draw fouls and earn free throws, with Dantley being a typical example, and Mark Aguirre, who was sitting off the court, was one of them.

Such players were generally strong and good at taking contact, able to complete the shot even amidst collision, causing the opponent to foul while possibly adding a bonus free throw—a multifaceted gain.

Dantley, a power forward standing only 6 feet 4 inches tall, managed to earn an average of 12 free throws per game during his peak season, not due to favorable calls from referees but thanks to skill, physique, and awareness.

Gan Guoyang played this way to stabilize the situation, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath while also finding his shooting rhythm at the free-throw line.

When dealing with Bowie, mid-range shots were still indispensable.

Gan Guoyang stood at the free-throw line, took a deep breath after a good adjustment, and then released the ball, hitting it steadily.

Cheers filled the Memorial Coliseum as Gan Guoyang fist-bumped toward Ramsay at the sideline, signaling, "Keep kneeling, old man, and don’t wander around unnecessarily."

Ramsay let out a slight sigh, wondering where the young lad had accumulated such rich experience in games and how he had such keen on-the-spot intuition.

With that shot made, the Mavericks’ plan to cut the lead to 10 points by halftime was pretty much spoiled.

The Trail Blazers steadied themselves, and the Mavericks’ offensive momentum diminished, with Blackman’s forced shot not finding the mark.

The second quarter was almost over, and Aguirre sat on the sidelines. It seemed Motta was not planning to let the hefty player on.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, executed an offensive play with Kolter’s pick-and-roll, flared to the right baseline, then caught Kolter’s pass and nailed the mid-range shot.

This was one of Gan Guoyang’s sweet spots, where he was highly accurate with mid-range pull-ups.

Bowie shook his head, completely at a loss, stubbornly proceeding to inbound the ball at the baseline while daring not to look at the anxious Dick Motta on the sideline.

Motta had asked Bowie to handle Ah Gan, but not getting crushed by Ah Gan was already commendable. The gap between the two was even wider than it was eight months earlier.

The half-time score was Mavericks 48, Trail Blazers 62, with the Trail Blazers leading by 14 points.

A 14-point lead was not insurmountable. If the Mavericks united and made the right adjustments, they had the chance to turn the game around.

However, during the half time break, Aguirre and Motta had an even more intense confrontation in the locker room.

Aguirre kicked the locker room door open and left the arena, signaling that he would not be playing in the second half.

As for Motta, the champion coach who once served in the Air Force, he too kicked a locker door, denting it in the process.

He then pulled out a hundred US dollars from his pocket, threw it in front of the locker, and after calming his own emotions, continued to set up the strategy for the second half for his players.

The Mavericks players were used to the quarrels between Motta and Aguirre. They would always make up later, cooperate well for a while, argue again, and then reconcile...

It’s just that their first fierce argument of the season came a bit earlier than usual.

On the other hand, the Trail Blazers’ locker room was quite harmonious. Gan Guoyang was bragging to Ramsay, "I told you, with my left and right hand, I could handle Aguirre and Bowie! Aguirre didn’t play a minute in the second quarter. I bet there’s internal conflict on their side, and that’s thanks to me. Nobody understands a double-team better than I do!"

The conflict between Aguirre and Motta had been building up over time, starting from 1981 when the Mavericks selected Aguirre. There began a story of love and hate between a Utah old soldier and a Chicago street hustler.

Gan Guoyang’s annoying defense in the first quarter was the catalyst that led to the full-blown eruption of the conflict between the two, although it might not be a bad thing for it to erupt earlier in the season.

Ramsay nodded in agreement, saying, "That’s right. From now on you’re the king of understanding in Portland. Tell me how we should play in the second half. I’ll give you the tactical board."

Gan Guoyang laughed and refused, "No way. I’ll need a raise for that."