The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 1810 - 64: Staying in Portland (2)

But their biggest problem is that they're too young, their pool of experience is too shallow, and from the strategies of the first two games, Bobby Berman wants them to play with maturity and composure, which instead loses the sharpness of a young team.

Moreover, the Celtics' bench lacks veteran players who can change the course of the game. Cliff Robinson is experienced, but facing the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan is unlucky for him, and he can't showcase his advantages.

The 1986 Trail Blazers were also quite young, but apart from Gan Guoyang, the team had no shortage of experienced veterans, and Bill Walton on the bench played a crucial role.

Of course, the most important point is that Tim Duncan did not give a performance in the game that dominated the court like Gan Guoyang in 1986, nor did he exhibit the audacity to "dare to call the sun and moon to a new sky."

Bobby Berman was overly cautious, avoiding Gan Guoyang's edge, unwilling to design enough strategies for Duncan to play one-on-one against Gan Guoyang.

From a statistical efficiency standpoint, this approach is correct because anyone going solo against Ah Gan won't be efficient, not only is the success rate low, but there's also a risk of humiliation.

This is what the Utah Jazz did in the 1997 season, winning the series, and subsequent teams followed suit, with Bobby Berman being no exception.

However, Berman overlooked that with excellent perimeter players like Kobe and Brellock, replicating the 1997 miracle of avoiding Ah Gan inside and relying on the perimeter to dominate the Trail Blazers was no longer possible.

The 1998 Jazz was no worse, possibly even stronger than the 1997 Jazz, yet they were swept when facing the Trail Blazers.

Now, if you want to defeat the Trail Blazers, and your core is also an inside player, a power forward, you must go all out to confront Ah Gan.

The reason the Lakers could battle the Trail Blazers to seven games in the Western Conference finals is that O'Neal did not avoid Ah Gan.

It was Ah Gan who avoided O'Neal's edge in the first six games, fearing Ah Gan would be worn down by O'Neal, conserving strength until the seventh game, and then decisively defeating the Lakers.

If from the first game Gan Guoyang had confronted O'Neal head-on, with the referees' influence, it's not impossible the Lakers could've settled the Trail Blazers in seven games.

Because Gan Guoyang would have been exhausted significantly, and as the series progressed, the Lakers' advantage would become more apparent, and by the seventh game, if the Trail Blazers were drained, the Lakers would have their chance.

Unfortunately, the Lakers didn't seize the opportunity, suffering a heavy defeat away, and failing to recognize in time the intentions of Gan Guoyang and the veteran players to conserve energy, which led to a crushing defeat in game seven.

O'Neal thrived in the first six games, but in the seventh game, he collapsed at the sight of Ah Gan, defeated from body to soul, once again becoming a lost soul on Ah Gan's path to success.

Duncan faces the same crisis. This talented inside player has a talent equal to O'Neal, and Berman's coaching of him is quite successful.

But Gan Guoyang is like a huge storm cloud overhead of Duncan, and also weighs on the heart of Bobby Berman.

After the second game, the Celtics flew to Portland the next day, the city where Berman gradually ascended to the peak of glory.

Playing here during the regular season is completely different from playing in the finals in June.

In the last 15 years, Portland has been a true NBA basketball sanctuary, the land of champions. This generation of Portland fans is blessed, yet proud as well.

They are more fanatic and loyal than fans elsewhere. The Trail Blazers are Portland's only, the sole deity, a religion-like basketball faith.

As Ah Gan held a press conference in Boston announcing his retirement at the end of the season, the entire city of Portland plunged into a frenzied yet mournful atmosphere.

When the Celtics players left the airport for their hotel, the whole city was draped with posters, logos, avatars, and large images of the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang; even the lamp posts bore "Thank you, Ah Gan" signs.

Upon arriving at the hotel, a black uncle sweeping the lobby recognized Berman and the Celtics team, and said, "You can't win even a single game here, Ah Gan bless you."

Such behavior by hotel employees would receive a warning. The Celtics wanted to file a complaint, but Berman stopped them, saying play the game well, and don't bother.

"This is Portland; if Ah Gan killed someone, the cops would protect him. If we complain, the result is this uncle gets fired, then the entire Portland is enraged, and we might even have to apologize."

Berman knows this place too well; this city's fanaticism and faith in Ah Gan are deeply ingrained in its bones and genes. To be honest, Berman lacks the courage to challenge such a belief. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Because he himself was once a believer, the deepest, most loyal one at that.

No, not once, but even now, this belief is still deeply engraved in the deepest part of Berman's heart.

From the book he published, it's clear. Without true emotions, or genuine feelings, who could write such words?

Berman knows well, the outside world says this is a duel between mentor and disciple, a reunion of former close comrades.

But in truth, who is mentor, and who is disciple, is truly uncertain.

Did Berman genuinely guide and lead Ah Gan? Indeed he did.

After all, he was the coach, from high school to college and then to the professional team, he was a guide for Ah Gan.