The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 242 - 127 I Must Go

Gan Guoyang’s successive scoring evened the score between the Mavericks and the Trail Blazers, bringing them back to the same starting line.

A center with strong attacking firepower both inside and outside was just too advanced for the defenses of the 1980s.

Dick Motta thought back to 1979’s Eastern Conference Finals against Larry Kenon, a guy even more troublesome and annoying than Gervin.

Kenon excelled both offensively and defensively, and while Gervin consistently scored high points, Kenon was the barometer for the Spurs. When he played well, the Bullets had trouble.

Later, he led the Bullets to a comeback from a 1:3 deficit and famously said, "The show isn’t over until the fat lady sings," and the key to the comeback was that he found a way to deal with Kenon.

The critical player at the time was Bob Dandridge, a 6’6" forward who was versatile in all aspects, including passing, ball control, shooting, and defense—an underrated All-Star.

He was a key figure in the Bullets winning the championship in 1978, but during the 1979 Eastern Conference Finals, Motta, considering the offensive end, did not assign Dandridge to match up with Gervin for extended periods, resulting in Gervin racking up 34, 29, and 42 points in the series.

Facing a 1:3 deficit, the media criticized Dick Motta’s stubbornness, questioning why he didn’t let Dandridge guard Gervin, as he could’ve neutralized the Iceman.

But Dick Motta insisted that the team’s problems were on offense and that Dandridge needed to deal with Kenon, not Gervin. Kenon was the key, and Dandridge’s organization and outside shooting were crucial for the team. Using him to defend Gervin was a waste.

As it turned out, Dick Motta was right to some extent. They survived the toughest Game 5 and, in Games 6 and 7, Dandridge contained Kenon. Even though Gervin still managed to score 42 points efficiently, the Bullets laughed last.

Of course, when I say to some extent, it’s because if Motta had let Dandridge go all out on Gervin from the start, they might have won more easily, instead of being pushed to a 1:3 brink.

Moreover, the Eastern Conference Finals drained the Bullets of their energy and luck, leaving them easily dispatched by the Supersonics in the Finals with little resistance. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

For Motta, Ah Gan was a more daunting opponent than Kenon. At the Trail Blazers, he was a combination of Gervin and Kenon, which saved Motta the dilemma of choosing whom to target; focusing on Ah Gan would suffice.

But the problem was still too challenging to target. When the third quarter ended in a tie and Motta called a timeout to discuss defense, he didn’t know what to instruct.

What else could they do? They had already done their best in the first half.

Even Mark Aguirre, who usually didn’t defend seriously and constantly argued with Motta, actively participated in the defense.

The Mavericks were not a defensive team; their defensive tenacity was limited, and their aim was to use defense to drive offense.

When your defensive strategy cannot contain the opponent’s core player, the players’ defensive enthusiasm wanes, and they start playing more loosely, then trying to catch up through risky offense.

This is a challenge all coaches face during their career, as players’ attention to implementing the coach’s instructions is finite, especially among these black players, some of whom have the attention span of preschool children.

The coach needs to coax, deceive, and scold, much like dealing with children, to get them to do the right thing.

Including the likes of Dandridge; Motta asked him to play point guard to organize offense, and he objected, saying the team only paid him to play as a small forward.

Not to mention Aguirre now; they could go a week without fighting, which is harder than a game without traveling violations.

Just when Motta felt at a loss, Sam Bowie suddenly said, "Coach, let me take care of Ah Gan."

Motta glanced at Bowie, and everyone else looked his way, too. Motta asked, "Can you handle him?"

Bowie replied, "I don’t know, but I must try."

With the tactics failing, it was time for someone to take the plunge and block the barrage.

The score was tied, and it wasn’t time to decide the winner yet. It would come down to the players’ will and individual performance.

Bowie’s determined look infected the entire Mavericks team, and it reached Dick Motta as well.

This season, Bowie indeed hadn’t met expectations, suffering injuries that caused him to miss about 30 regular-season games, making the Mavericks drop to sixth place to face the Trail Blazers.

His offensive contributions were limited; Motta knew he could never become the "Unseld and Hayes hybrid" the Dallas media envisioned, even if those two combined weren’t as tall as Bowie.

But he was important, and at this moment, he decided to use his own strength to defend Ah Gan, freeing up Aguirre and Vincent, so relying on offense might still win them the game.

"Alright, Bowie, you take care of Ah Gan. We need good offense; we need to be faster, to dare to take shots..."

Dick Motta knew that tactics weren’t as influential now; they had to survive the third quarter, get through it, they needed baskets.

After the timeout, the Mavericks executed a bold offense on the outside, with Blackman, after receiving the ball and using a screen, hitting a three-pointer from the top of the arc!

It was a desperate shot—if it missed, the momentum was likely to swing fully to the Trail Blazers.

But the ball went in, and Reunion Arena erupted; the Mavericks still had a chance!

Gan Guoyang noticed that the Mavericks’ illegal defense had vanished, and Bowie began guarding him one-on-one.

Bowie was extremely invested, using all his might to prevent Gan Guoyang from receiving the ball in the low post.

After testing the waters, Gan Guoyang immediately slipped out to set a screen for Drexler at the top of the arc.

Drexler accelerated into the lane, but his floater was swatted down by Bowie!

Gan Guoyang followed up with an offensive rebound, stepped back out and went for a hook shot!

Bowie, giving it his all, managed to block the ball in midair, his arms astonishingly long.

But the move was clearly goaltending; the referee blew the whistle, and the basket counted for two points.

Such defense, even if only worth two points, was a deterrent to the Trail Blazers.

Gan Guoyang felt that Sam Bowie was different from his NCAA Final Four self in 1984, and also distinct from his regular season play.

Gan Guoyang also began to concentrate one hundred and twenty percent of his attention into the game.

Mark Aguirre pulled up for a jump shot and made it.

Gan Guoyang received the ball at the top of the arc and made a long two-pointer.

Blackman drove to the basket for a layup, drawing a foul from Thompson, and made the additional free throw.

Gan Guoyang and Vandeweghe coordinated as Vandeweghe took a left-handed drive to the basket and scored with a one-handed dunk!

Gan Guoyang blocked Vincent’s shot, then blocked Sam Bowie’s layup, and on the fast break, received a pass from Drexler and slammed it home!

Aguirre’s shot missed, and Bowie grabbed the offensive rebound, made a layup drawing a foul from Gan Guoyang, and hit both free throws.

Bowie blocked Parkson’s floater, and Gan Guoyang got the ball, making a mid-range jump shot.

The score rose alternately for both teams; Gan Guoyang’s touch was completely fired up, his jump shots and hooks were unstoppable.

But the Mavericks had not given up. Fighting with all their might at home court, Bowie continuously delivered blocks under the basket, doing his best to put a stop to the Trail Blazers’ offense.

In the third quarter, Gan Guoyang scored 18 points alone, and the game tied at 84:83, with the Mavericks trailing the Trail Blazers by just one point.

The situation in the fourth quarter did not change. Coaches’ tactics became less significant. Players were like warriors in the fray, every ball fiercely contested, every play aggressively fought for. The physical confrontations intensified, and almost every drive to the basket ended in a tumble.

Gan Guoyang, like a wild beast, charged to the basket after a pick-and-roll and dunked over Sam Bowie, sending Bowie flying out of bounds, crashing hard onto the floor.

But the referee called an offensive foul on Gan Guoyang; Bowie successfully defended the play.

Although Bowie was quite shaken by the collision, Gan Guoyang’s impact was as terrifying as that of a truck.

Yet Bowie immediately stood up, ran to the frontcourt to join the offense, provided screens for his teammates, and positioned himself for the offensive rebound on their shot.

Gan Guoyang had to put all of his effort into positioning against Bowie, and after securing the rebound, Bowie would attempt to disrupt Gan Guoyang’s outlet pass, preventing a fast break, and then hustled back to defend.

Such seemingly insignificant efforts were depleting both Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers, as preventing even one fast break could directly impact the outcome of the game.

The game lasted until the final moment, when Aguirre, despite a double-team, made a jump shot to tie the game at 113:113!

The Mavericks made three three-pointers in the third and fourth quarters, their final gamble in desperate moments. They made them, dragging the suspense out to the very last second.

With the final 15 seconds left, the Trail Blazers held one offensive chance. This time Ramsay didn’t arrange for anyone else to attack as Gan Guoyang’s clutch strategy was too predictable if used too often.

The ball went directly to Gan Guoyang at the top of the key, the rest of the team spread out. Guoyang faced Bowie one-on-one; Bowie, like a giant spider, was fixed on Guoyang. The others dared not help, knowing each Trail Blazer possessed the ability to deliver a fatal blow.

Gan Guoyang didn’t rush to dribble, he checked the time while sweat dripped down from his hair. At that moment, he could only hear his own heartbeat.

With only five seconds left on the clock, Gan Guoyang started to dribble, a simple strong drive to the right, with Bowie sticking close.

Suddenly, Gan Guoyang stopped short and took a step back with the Kiki-step at the right side of the free-throw line and made the jump shot!

Nobody expected Gan Guoyang to execute a sudden stop and step back, let alone his teammate Vandeweghe’s signature Kiki-step move.

Bowie had no chance to contest the shot, only turning around to watch the ball fly toward the basket and swish through, 113:115, leaving the Mavericks just 2 seconds.

The entire Reunion Arena fell silent as Gan Guoyang showed no signs of excitement, only softly high-fiving his teammates as if he had just completed a simple free throw.

With that shot, he had scored 36 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and blocked 6 shots.

Dick Motta called timeout. On the bench, a sweat-drenched Sam Bowie said to Motta, "I’m sorry, Coach."

Motta patted Bowie on the shoulder, "You’ve done well, the game isn’t over yet."

After the timeout, the Mavericks once again attempted a three-pointer instead of a two, having shown precision from beyond the arc that evening.

But Blackman’s three-point try failed, the ball smacking against the front rim without going in. Thompson batted out the rebound as time expired, ending the game.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Mavericks on the road 113:115, sweeping the series 3:0 and advancing to the next round.

In the final moments, Bowie was benched by Motta because they needed a three-pointer, and therefore put in five shooters.

Watching his teammate’s missed shot, he covered his face with a towel. After a while, his eyes reddened, his face moist with either tears or sweat.

He knew his 1984-1985 season had ended in a painful but not shameful way.

He had given it his all, unable to stop Gan Guoyang, but he had stopped the fear and hesitation in his heart.

In the end, Gan Guoyang came over to shake hands with Sam Bowie, the two hugged on the sidelines.

"Someday I’m going to get you, Ah Gan," Bowie boldly said to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang just smiled and replied, "The day the world ends."