The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 1801 - 61: Victory of the Young (Part 2)

Duncan rarely challenges Gan Guoyang in the low post, instead, Pierce and Nash use control and isolation to attack the Trail Blazers' defense.

And at the corners, Rick Fox, Bruce Bowen, Cliff Robinson, and others can hit pivotal threes to maintain the lead.

This is exactly like the previous Trail Blazers, where Beelman always emphasized corner plays, surpassing other coaches in the league.

The Celtics aren't the team with the most three-point attempts in the league, but they are the most accurate, utilizing space and efficiency exceptionally well.

One could say, this is a former Portland Trail Blazers team, a terrifying team that dominated the league and steadily stifled opponents.

Not only Gan Guoyang has come full circle back to where he started, but the entire Portland Trail Blazers also find themselves facing their former selves.

The Trail Blazers are struggling hard, Gan Guoyang warms up in the third quarter, hitting consecutive shots, but the Celtics respond to every attack.

Tim Duncan very cunningly capitalizes on two offensive opportunities, defended by Little O'Neal and Sabonis respectively; once hitting a 45-degree bank shot, another time spinning and cutting into the basket for a dunk.

The second shot even caused Gan Guoyang to foul on help defense, resulting in a free throw but he missed.

In summary, the Celtics play very smartly and balanced on offense, without any dominant points, yet each point is strong and distinct.

On the outside, Paul Pierce and Kobe are completely locked in a battle, their physical confrontation is so intense that it's almost a fight.

But just almost; Kobe doesn't dare to fight Pierce, as Pierce appears more robust and formidable.

Kobe can only play ball; fighting is not his strong suit, leading him to fall behind in several one-on-one clashes.

Kobe falling behind is a deadly issue for the Trail Blazers as Kobe is crucial to their offense and defense.

The burden on Gan Guoyang's shoulders becomes heavier as Rick Carlisle tries to bring Charles Barkley on to improve the situation, but to little avail.

No, not just little, it's quite disastrous.

Faced with Duncan, Ilgauskas, and Cliff Robinson's towering lineup in the paint, Barkley shows his static talent's disadvantage.

Though in the Game 7 battle, Barkley and Gan Guoyang combined for 60 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and played a crucial role.

Tonight, Barkley faces the Celtics' towering interior lineup, consistently getting stifled under the basket, blocked by Duncan several times.

While wasting shot attempts, Barkley becomes a defensive liability, getting hit in fast breaks by Nash, Pierce, and Robinson.

The Celtics seize the opportunity and hit the Trail Blazers with a 6-1 mini-surge—the Trail Blazers' only score comes from Gan Guoyang's free throw.

When Gan Guoyang's free throws start missing, it indicates his form tonight is quite off.

By the end of the third quarter, the score stands at 82-73, with the Celtics' lead extending to 9 points.

Throughout the third quarter, Gan Guoyang scores 15 points, a commendable performance, but others score too little, completely silent.

Although the Celtics make some mistakes, they control them and execute reasonable damage control.

While stabilizing their camp, they occasionally deploy Nash and other light cavalry for plundering raids.

Every time they gain a slight advantage, building up cumulatively, the Celtics' advantage increases significantly.

This is clearly Beelman's strategy, constantly shouting at the sidelines, instructing the young ones to seize advantages when they surge ahead, telling them to hold steady.

Beelman knows that once the youngsters get heated, trying to tear open the Trail Blazers' wound to expand their advantage, it might end in Ah Gan winning amidst chaos.

For instance, when Nash rushes headlong, Ah Gan waits under the basket for the block, then pushes a counterattack, reversing the score difference in two waves.

But now, Beelman prevents Nash from getting heated, every counterattack must assess the situation, preferring to give up than take risks.

Thus, the Trail Blazers are forced into a tit-for-tat positional battle with the Celtics; with outside shots misfired, their inside-out connection fails, extinguishing Kobe and Gan Guoyang's twin-star brilliance.

Before the fourth quarter begins, Beelman does not relax for a moment, continuing to meticulously execute strategy, rotate according to plan, maintaining the core players' stamina.

Under such detailed arrangements, the Celtics withstand the Trail Blazers' frantic counterattack in the fourth quarter.

Dell Curry and Gan Guoyang hit consecutive threes, leading the team into a 7-2 surge, temporarily closing the gap.

But the awakened Celtics solidify their fortress again, starting from defense, avoiding reckless advances.

Then, Paul Pierce and Nash hit jump shots respectively, helping stabilize the team.

Duncan throughout the match, never once single-handedly challenged Gan Guoyang, solely utilizing tactical mismatches against others.

Despite this, Duncan does not feel embarrassed at all; he believes it's the best method and the greatest respect towards Ah Gan.

Ultimately, when Gan Guoyang launches a strong three-point shot from the outside but misses, the Trail Blazers lose their final chance to close the gap.

The Celtics withstand the Trail Blazers' foul tactics, withstand pressure from the Emperor's counterattack, winning the first game of the finals with a 100-96, 4-point advantage!

A victory for the young generation.

Gan Guoyang ends the match with 37 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists.

For him, it's an average performance, shooting only 46%, quite low indeed.

In this match, Gan Guoyang loses convincingly; the Celtics perform exceptionally, rarely making mistakes, executing strategies successfully.

The Trail Blazers are inadequately prepared, poorly responding, and lackluster in their on-field state, losing without grievance.

Despite seeming to win by just 4 points, the Celtics actually fully controlled the game's dynamics, akin to winning by 10 or 20 points.

As the match ends, Gan Guoyang hugs Beelman, sincerely praising Beelman's beautiful arrangements.

"Sonny, is there anything I haven't considered thoroughly?"

"No, you've considered everything, you did very well."

Beelman says no more, knowing Gan Guoyang is genuine.

And Gan Guoyang doesn't say anything else either, acknowledging the truth.

Beelman's arrangements are very thorough, every aspect designed perfectly.

Even his appearance is quite commendable; tonight he wore a silver suit, slicked-back hair, looking exceedingly handsome.

Truly impeccable.

Back in the locker room, Rick Carlisle's anxiety is visibly apparent, his strategic arrangements tonight completely overwhelmed by Beelman.

Unable to resist, he asks Larry Bird, "Larry, was I awful tonight?"

Bird nods, "Yes, awful."

"What should I do then?"

"Do your job."

"What?"

"I said, do your job. That's how games are; some win, some lose, but you need to do your job. There's no magic potion for victory, and I'm sure Ah Gan would agree."

Post-game, Gan Guoyang is interviewed and asked how he evaluates the Celtics, not hesitating with his praise, commending the Celtics' excellence tonight.

Regarding how to approach the next game, Gan Guoyang shrugs, saying they'll know when it comes.

On the way back to the hotel, Bird inquires about Gan Guoyang's next game plan.

Gan Guoyang smiles, "If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Don't answer right away, write on paper, let's see if we align."

Thus, both take out notes, each writes a word, then reveal them, both laugh, unsurprisingly writing the same.

They both write one word, "Fight."

"Basketball at our level, we actually know deep down, in the finals, will and courage matter more. If the skill gap isn't vast, it ultimately becomes a form of battle. This Portland Trail Blazers team, tactically, there's almost no room for adjustment or variation; everyone understands it's about desire and fighting spirit," Bird expresses his sentiments.

Gan Guoyang nods in agreement with Bird but remains silent.

Bird pauses in thought, suddenly asking, "Sonny, when I say Fight, I mean in the battle sense. You..."

"Of course, I mean your sense too~" Gan Guoyang replies breezily.

Fight also implies fight in the sense of brawling...