The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 255 - 138 Cockpit

Being able to compete on home turf was certainly a good thing, especially in a city like Portland where the atmosphere was intensely enthusiastic.

In 1977, the Trail Blazers had relied on their home-court to accomplish a major comeback from a 0:2 deficit, and this time the Trail Blazers had seized the home-court advantage.

Upon returning to Portland, Ramsay did not schedule any more training sessions, knowing everyone was weary.

The six-game series against the Nuggets was not highly confrontational, but the continuous running had left the players as if they had completed two marathons.

Like the Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers were a team that could run, and their confrontations were even more intense, so appropriate rest and relaxation were important at this time.

On May 14, the morning brought intermittent drizzle to Portland.

Unlike the sunny Los Angeles, Portland was famous for its endless rain.

It was one of America’s cities with the highest suicide rates; the constant rain compounded people’s melancholy, perhaps one of the reasons the Trail Blazers were so popular.

Under the gloomy sky, people needed light and warmth to dispel the gloom.

For Gan Guoyang, the rain could not dampen his enthusiasm for training; while everyone else rested, he chose to go to the University of Portland’s gym to play basketball.

Every basketball court in Portland was open to Gan Guoyang – who wouldn’t want to watch Ah Gan play for free? Tickets to the Memorial Coliseum weren’t easy to come by, after all.

On the court of the gym, Gan Guoyang spent most of his time thinking about how to deal with Jabbar, how to handle the Lakers.

Judging from the second game, it was difficult for him alone to deal with the Lakers; the playoffs were a stark contrast to the regular season, and the first game they won had a element of luck.

Jabbar was the key. Once Jabbar began to perform efficiently, Gan Guoyang would have to expend most of his energy contending with the Sky Hook, and his focus on defense and offense would decrease.

Ramsay had tried to assign Thompson to guard Jabbar in the second game, but Thompson was even less effective against Jabbar, forcing Gan Guoyang to help defend, which collapsed the team’s defense even more.

Jabbar could only be countered by Gan, but the Lakers could deploy Rambis and others for a rotation battle against Gan – of course, most of the time Jabbar would personally match up. He was no longer avoiding the young players like during the regular season when he seemed like a cowardly child.

At 7 feet 2 inches tall, with those long arms, he was a nightmare for any low-post attacker. After putting himself through a spiritual and physical torment, his enthusiasm for playing and defending was at its peak; he no longer loathed the physical confrontation with Gan Guoyang, for his body that laid dormant all season was fully revived.

In his youth, Jabbar was also an angry young man, a fearless warrior; when activated, he was still the strongest center in attack and defense in the world.

The reason Gan Guoyang scored less in the second game was due to his low efficiency under the basket; he increased his outside shooting, but unless his shooting was on fire, the efficiency could not compare to the damage done inside.

Gan Guoyang closed his eyes, standing near the three-second zone, imagining how he should break free from Jabbar’s defense to score when completely covered by him.

He had to be wary of Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Johnson, and others double-teaming and stealing the ball.

Kurt Rambis, that nuisance, occasionally came over to harass him, uttering pleasantries while his hands did sneaky moves.

He could attack on his own, but he had to be quick; fadeaway jump shots wouldn’t work, too slow, and the hit rate was poor.

Leaning jump shots were feasible against those of similar height, but difficult to employ against the likes of 7-foot-2 Jabbar – Ewing was the limit.

Using a hook shot to counter the Sky Hook? But a moving hook shot required space, and with the Lakers, the court was always crowded, cleverly using early double-teams and small-area zone defense to block his offensive space.

This was something he didn’t have to face when playing against the Mavericks and Nuggets; the lack of attacking space was fatal for a center.

Gan Guoyang was not relying much on receiving the ball, but after all, he was not Jordan, he wasn’t a guard.

Moses Malone was a master at fighting for space; he always found gaps among the forest of tall players, hurling the ball toward the basket.

Whether it went in was another matter; at least the shot was taken. If it didn’t go in, he could fight for the rebound – but it wasn’t 1981 or 1983. The Lakers’ height offered exceptional protection of their backcourt rebounds; even Moses struggled against the Lakers in March.

Combining power with some pivot moves might be the most suitable form of attack, but there were two issues – first was space again, prone to double-teaming; second, Gan Guoyang’s low-post footwork was a weakness.

His low-post moves were not as polished and smooth as Kevin McHale’s; some of Gan Guoyang’s high scores relied on his explosive touch, as well as a flexible and cunning mind with a varied and advanced offensive technique.

He still has a lot of room for improvement when it comes to solid low-post footwork. In the highest level of competition, there’s often no room for trickery.

The excessive force of his strength led Gan Guoyang to neglect footwork training during the season, but there was no avoiding it, as the hectic schedule of games made it difficult to refine his techniques.

Perhaps he should have passed the ball, assisting his teammates while opening up his own offensive space.

Clyde is in the middle, and he would definitely drive if he gets the ball. Jabbar would move to help defend, and Sky Hook, who is very astute, always manages to hold the central position which troubles penetrators. It’s also tough because the Lakers’ rotation is very efficient, making direct attacks or follow-ups difficult.

Passing to Cheche on the wing could be an option. Cheche played quite well in the semifinals because it was against his old team, the Nuggets, and he’s used to that pace. However, facing the Lakers, he seemed too weak; once the ball gets to him, it’s hard to get it back, and defensively he has even more issues. Yet, he’s become the most reliable scorer beside Gan Guoyang.

Parkson and Valentine, those two are nearly the same. They play like guards from the ’60s or ’70s, looking like college students when going up against the tall Lakers. Valentine was almost broken by Magic in the first couple of games, and Parkson’s performance has also been terrible.

Kolter is a miracle, but the reason a miracle is a miracle is that it doesn’t always happen. By the second game, Kolter had gone completely silent, his magical scoring touch gone.

The veteran Kenny-Carl has become particularly important in the playoffs. If only he were 2 inches taller.

Thompson is Gan Guoyang’s most reliable inside helper. With him around, Gan can afford to be distracted with many other things. Thompson eases Gan’s pressure greatly, both offensively and defensively.

But playing the Lakers, even if he doesn’t defend against Jabbar, he has to face James Worthy, which is a formidable challenge in itself. Worthy is as fast as lightning.

Thompson can handle some of the ball responsibility and execute tactics, but he can’t score in large numbers. Alongside Gan Guoyang, prying open the Lakers’ defensive gate is not easy...

Gan Guoyang stood on the court, holding the ball without moving, silently simulating thoughts for quite a while. Finally, he made his move.

Dribbling with his left hand, he used explosive power and force to break through the middle, then pushed away Jabbar with a left-hand layup or a floater.

The ball slid into the basket, but Jabbar hadn’t really been pushed away. Even if he were, there still would be his long arms to contend with. Trouble.

Gan Guoyang glanced at the clock on the wall. It was time. He and Wang Fuxi had arranged to have lunch together.

After tidying up and leaving the gymnasium, Gan Guoyang carried a large umbrella as the midday rain grew heavier. He jogged all the way to the University of Portland’s library.

Wang Fuxi and her two roommates waited at the entrance. Upon seeing Gan Guoyang, Wang Fuxi, disregarding the rain, rushed under the umbrella.

She grabbed Gan Guoyang and said, "Ah Gan, look, who’s that?"

Gan Guoyang followed the direction Wang Fuxi was pointing and saw a tall figure under the eaves of the library, protected by the curtain of rain.

It was actually Jabbar. He was holding a book, standing in the middle of a line, waiting.

"Jabbar? What’s he doing here?"

"He’s waiting for a cab. He came to the library this morning to read."

Gan Guoyang approached Jabbar to greet him. Jabbar raised his hand slightly in acknowledgment but didn’t speak.

"It’s hard to get a taxi here, why don’t we have lunch together? I can take you back to the hotel afterward."

"No, thank you," Jabbar declined.

It wasn’t because the teams were competing and he didn’t want to mingle with the Portland players off the court; rather, he’s just that kind of person who doesn’t like socializing with anyone.

But as the rain poured down harder, and with scarce taxis passing by the library—a place not frequented by bars or cinemas at lunchtime—surely his stomach was growling.

Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi stood beside Jabbar, like admiring a sculpture in the rain. Meanwhile, more and more onlookers gathered, as the two of them were currently some of the most famous faces in Portland.

Jabbar couldn’t bear it any longer and reluctantly said, "Alright, let’s have something to eat together, if your girlfriend doesn’t mind. I wouldn’t have come if I’d known it was going to rain this hard."

Wang Fuxi replied, "I don’t mind at all. Ah Gan, my classmates, friends, and the Portland people all think highly of you. You are incredible."

A touched expression appeared on Jabbar’s calm, indifferent face. The three of them went to an on-campus restaurant called "The Cockpit" to grab something to eat and wait for the rain to lessen.