The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 246 - 130 Coach Mo’s Good Idea_2

English was going to interfere, the top scorer could beat Vandeweghe to crap.

Calvin Natt was going to hold his ground, the big iron bull under the basket, with unrivaled strength.

Wayne Cooper was set to defend, another big man who could shoot, especially accurate from mid-distance.

Even Fatt-Lev Gan Guoyang had to pay some attention, because this diminutive point guard could sometimes become the Nuggets’ king of backcourt rebounds in some games.

That was the style of the Nuggets team, flowing like water, with any position capable of initiating an attack, taking shots.

When mismatches occurred, if the defenders went to find their own matchups, exchanging positions, the defensive gaps would widen, allowing the Nuggets to seize the opportunity to attack and score.

Moreover, Doug Moe often employed the bewildering four-guard lineup during games, leading the Nuggets to victory time and again amidst criticism from conservatives.

It could be said that by the late ’70s and early ’80s, the Nuggets had already kicked off the small ball trend in the League.

Not just Gan Guoyang, every Trail Blazers player had to be ready for the Nuggets’ mismatch attacks, which was undoubtedly a huge problem for the Trail Blazers, who relied on Gan Guoyang as their absolute defensive core; their defensive traps were not very effective.

The only team in the Western Conference that could steadily suppress the Nuggets was the Los Angeles Lakers, for the talent and ability of each position on that team was strong enough to not fear the Nuggets’ mismatch offense.

Even without Beelman’s reminders, Guoyang had mentally prepared himself to face the challenge from the Nuggets.

As the game approached, Beelman returned to his seat, and Fitz said, "You’re really overdoing it, Ah Gan never needs your guidance; he understands everything, even more than many coaches."

Beelman said, "I know, I just... just worry about him, that’s all. The Trail Blazers are so stupid, they actually let go of Fatt, Natt, and Cooper over the summer, giving the Nuggets three starters in exchange for just one Vandeweghe. They would have been better off if they’d gotten Larry Bird."

Fitz agreed, saying, "If it weren’t for that trade, the Trail Blazers might have been able to challenge for the championship this year, that fool Stu-Inman. Are you sure you want to work for such a fool?"

"Stu-Inman isn’t completely foolish, after all, he snagged Ah Gan, and that’s the wisest move."

At that moment, Stu-Inman and owner Larry Weinberg were also sitting in the VIP box of Memorial Coliseum, keeping an eye on the match.

Inman’s feelings were exceptionally complex and tense; the summer trade was indeed something he had strongly advocated, believing that Vandeweghe could become a superstar.

However, Vandeweghe’s performance early in the new season was only passable, while players like Fatt-Lev Gan Guoyang, who had underperformed in the ’84 playoffs, had revitalized their careers with the Nuggets.

Calvin Natt had become a 23+7+3 All-Star forward, Fatt-Lev had turned into a more reliable point guard than Valentine, and Wayne Cooper’s scoring, rebounding, blocking (2.5 blocks), assists, and steals had all reached career highs.

Inman wondered whether these three were playing dead at the Trail Blazers or if the Nuggets’ Doug Moe had performed some magic that could turn stones into gold, bringing out the players’ fullest potential.

Or, as many in the media criticized, Doug Moe merely turned the Nuggets into a discipline-lacking stat-padding team.

Regardless, the outcome of this playoff series would decide everything.

Inman could feel the pressure from Larry Weinberg before the game even started.

As Fitz said, without that trade, and with Ah Gan, the Trail Blazers could challenge the Lakers.

Now Inman could only hope that Ah Gan would shatter the Nuggets, proving that Fatt-Lev and the others were just good with stats.

At 7:30 p.m., the game started on time, with Doug Moe and Ramsay shaking hands before the game.

Doug Moe wanted to crack a little joke with Ramsay, but Jack didn’t linger and turned back to the bench.

Doug Moe shrugged. Tonight he wore a subdued black suit with an equally conservative blue shirt.

Since the ’80s began, coaches’ attire no longer resembled the flashy style of the ’70s—flared pants, floral shirts disappeared, and solid-colored suits became popular, following the trend set by Pat Riley.

However, Doug Moe was often the winner of the worst sideline attire, regularly disheveled, not wearing suits or ties, with hair as messy as a bird’s nest, yelling at the players on the sideline, like a middle-aged man who had just lost his job. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He often made bizarre remarks before games that sparked controversy, and people couldn’t tell whether he was just trying to mentally disturb the opponents or if he was genuinely an oddball.

But this time in Portland, he was quiet, dressed neatly, didn’t say a word before the game, and silently led the Nuggets, starting the game quietly.

Even the Nuggets’ offense in the first quarter was conducted quietly—fast movements, passing, shooting, defense, quick ball outs, running, passing, shooting, and back to defense...

The five games against the Spurs hadn’t affected the Nuggets players’ stamina; Doug Moe was using a 9-10 man rotation in the playoffs to ensure the players had ample energy to run.

In the regular season, the Nuggets had a very strong offensive rebounding ability, with Natt, Cooper, and Issel all striving for offensive rebounds.

But tonight, the Nuggets completely abandoned contesting for offensive rebounds right from the start, quickly retreating whether the shots went in or not, not giving the Trail Blazers a chance to counterattack quickly.

Doug Moe knew that with Ah Gan there, trying to compete for offensive rebounds was somewhat futile; might as well give up on them, retreat, and bet on his own offense’s success rate.