The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 203 - 92 Stable Lineup_2

Biking, swimming, running—a complete set of these, and even a young and fit ordinary person would find it exhausting, yet Ramsay finished the race and even scored one of the top spots in the senior category.

Not to mention playing in the NBA, even to work as a coach there, one’s physical fitness has to be quite astonishing.

Jokes aside, Ramsay reminded Gan Guoyang, "Next week we’re heading to the Eastern Conference for an away game, rein it in a bit, and don’t get into another fight."

The Trail Blazers were about to embark on a series of Eastern away games the following week. Learning from past experiences, Ramsay gave a friendly reminder.

"Don’t worry, as long as they don’t provoke me, I won’t start anything," Gan Guoyang assured.

"I know, but one of the games is in Boston, and the fans there aren’t very friendly."

"What, you’re worried I’ll fight the fans? That’s impossible, I’m a good guy," Gan Guoyang said.

Ramsay didn’t say much more; he was just fulfilling his duty to caution.

He knew very well that Gan Guoyang was a very rational person who had a precise grasp of everything. He didn’t need to worry too much.

What Ramsay needed to concern himself with more were other issues: the overall state of the team, injuries, fatigue management, the remaining schedule, and whether there was potential for further optimization of the current roster before the trade deadline.

The good news for the Trail Blazers was that Cheche Vandeweghe was coming out of a poor state that started in late December.

In December, he had three games in which he didn’t score double figures and five games where his shooting percentage was below forty percent, all concentrated around Christmas.

Compared to his average of 29 points per game last season as one of the League’s top scorers, his points had significantly declined. So far, he was only averaging 21 points per game since joining the Trail Blazers.

Jim Paxson was in a similar situation. However, Paxson’s problem wasn’t his shooting percentage but rather that he was too uninvolved in certain games, taking too few shots and lacking the ability to handle the ball.

Last season, as an All-Star, Paxson averaged 21 points per game, but this season, after signing a big contract, his performance dropped significantly, falling to 15 points.

Even though his shooting percentage was unchanged from the previous season, his average number of shots per game had decreased from 16 to 13.

Part of the reason was that his shooting opportunities were being taken by Gan Guoyang—after scoring consecutively high points, he was now averaging 25.8 points per game, second only to Michael Jordan among the rookies and ranked eighth in the entire League.

But more of the reason was that Paxson’s style of play, which was completely reliant on off-ball movement, was gradually becoming marginalized and functional in an NBA that demanded faster speed and higher individual offensive capability.

Especially with guards like Michael Jordan entering the League, following David Thompson, representing the League’s new direction for perimeter players, Paxson seemed more suited to the 1970s.

After Gan Guoyang’s morale-boosting performance, where he hit six three-pointers in a game, the team’s form started showing signs of revival. Vandeweghe increased his drives to the hoop and became more daring in taking long-distance threes, prompted by Gan Guoyang.

Moreover, the collaboration between Paxson and Gan Guoyang became more frequent—Paxson’s advantage being that he could play Point Guard, combining that with his shooting ability to good effect.

As for the bad news: even if Vandeweghe and Paxson returned to their best form, their defensive and physical weaknesses were irreparable, and these gaps were bound to widen as the season progressed.

As the games kept rolling, every game’s footage turned into research material for the opponents, and the Trail Blazers’ defensive issues on the wings would be exploited by their adversaries again and again.

Although Gan Guoyang greatly alleviated the perimeter defense crisis with his help defense, in the long run, the opponents would surely find counter-strategies.

Once Gan Guoyang fell into foul trouble or faced a team well-balanced both inside and out, the Trail Blazers could easily find themselves at a disadvantage. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Coach Rupp once said, "Your defense will save you on nights when your offense fails."

Offense is a more precise system, prone to fluctuations and off-target shots, while defense is more stable and reliable.

The League’s top teams all possess solid defense, including the Lakers, known for their fast breaks. They have the tallest and quickest lineup in the League, providing suffocating one-on-one defense at critical moments.

The Trail Blazers boast the League’s best stats in interior blocks and perimeter steals, helping them achieve the second spot in the Western Conference.

But in one-on-one defense, the League’s top small forwards and shooting guards could easily score on them. This vulnerability is extremely detrimental, especially come playoff time.

Since the new year, the Trail Blazers’ management had been contemplating whether to make a trade to ensure a more balanced roster.

Stu-Inman deeply regretted making that trade before the summer draft, sending away three starting-caliber players who were all well-rounded in both offense and defense.

Now flourishing with the Nuggets, who were third in the Western Conference and had a sizeable lead over the fourth-place Rockets, they had become one of the Trail Blazers’ formidable competitors in the West.

It was foreseeable—if the Trail Blazers were to rank second ultimately, and they met the Nuggets in the playoffs, the Trail Blazers would be slaughtered by English and Fatt Lev’s scoring, and Inman was bound to be lambasted by the media.

What Inman hadn’t anticipated was that Gan Guoyang could perform so exceptionally in his rookie season, single-handedly propelling the Trail Blazers into the ranks of the League’s strong teams.

Had he known this guy was so strong, he wouldn’t have made that trade before the draft. Vandeweghe, despite being a pleasure to watch and having excellent individual skill, was really poor at defense.