The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 306 - 46 Experimental Field

Gan Guoyang scored 31 points in the first half, but the Trail Blazers were only ahead by 8 points.

The Bucks didn’t crumble, they played with great tenacity, especially considering they came from behind to win the last game on the road, trailing by more than ten points.

During the half-time break, Stu Inman came to the Bucks’ locker room and watched Don Nelson set up the team’s defense for the second half.

The earthshaking dunk from Gan Guoyang seemed to have informed Don Nelson of Ah Gan’s limits; he didn’t persist in allowing Gan Guoyang to play one-on-one.

He still arranged for Cummings to defend Gan Guoyang one-on-one, but had Brule, Mokeski, and others ready to provide help defense and double team.

"Let him go baseline, but absolutely do not give him the top of the key. If he shoots, just let him shoot," Nelson instructed.

"When necessary, I will bring on the Twin Towers, so be ready on both offense and defense," he added.

Upon hearing Don Nelson mention bringing on the Twin Towers, Stu Inman knew that Nelson was serious and would no longer allow Gan Guoyang to dominate in the low post.

Of course, Nelson’s Twin Towers were not the same as other teams’ Twin Towers. The Bucks used their Twin Towers to contain the opponent’s key low post players from one-on-one situations.

This genius coach had his own brilliant ideas; he wouldn’t let the Twin Towers just linger in the paint, waiting to be broken down by Gan Guoyang’s varied offensive moves.

"Ah Gan is a Twin Tower Killer," Inman reminded Nelson.

"My Twin Towers are not ordinary Twin Towers, as you know," Nelson responded.

Inman nodded, and Nelson asked him, "You really do hate the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan, don’t you?"

Inman shook his head and said, "No, I just want him to face some challenges."

"Is that so? Then our Bucks are just a challenge for him, right?"

"..."

Inman found himself at a loss for words momentarily, but he indeed had no intention of staying long with the Bucks. It was too cold here.

The second half began with Moncrief’s jump shot hitting the mark, 63:57, narrowing the lead to a 6-point difference.

When Gan Guoyang got the ball in the low post, the Bucks quickly shrank their defense, double-teaming Gan Guoyang.

In particular, the Bucks players thoroughly clogged the paint, making it impossible for Guoyang to take the top of the key or the middle path to attack the basket as he did in the first half.

Taking the baseline was also no easy task, as there were players waiting under the basket. Cummings had only left Gan Guoyang the option of a baseline turnaround jumper.

Alternatively, he could pass the ball out to the perimeter, allowing Vandeweghe, Parkson, and Drexler to finish the play.

The Trail Blazers’ three-point shooting percentage for tonight was quite ordinary. Had their shooting been more accurate and their stamina fuller, Ramsey would not have let Gan Guoyang shoulder the burden alone.

Vandeweghe’s three-point attempt from the outside did not connect, and Moncrief secured the long rebound, initiating a fast break with Paul Pressey driving in from the baseline and scoring a right-handed floater for two points.

Afterward, Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post on the left side. Before the double team could set, he spun and powered past Cummings, but his drive against Brule did not succeed.

There was a suspicion of a foul on Brule during the play, but the referees did not blow the whistle. The Bucks grabbed the defensive rebound, with Pressey this time pushing the ball forward.

Although Pressey stood only 6 feet 5 inches tall, typical of a guard, his broad shoulders, wingspan, and large hands were quite impressive. Nicknamed "Pterosaur," he was fully capable of playing as a small forward.

Pressey, averaging 7.8 assists per game, was a core playmaker for the team. When he handled the ball, defenders found it difficult to determine whether he would pass or take the basket on his own.

Pressey, who had just scored, this time chose to pass. He drove along the baseline, abruptly sending a low, no-look pass to Cummings, who dunked the ball with both hands!

In college, Pressey was a master at passing. His low no-look passes and behind-the-back passes were a feature of the West Texas College basketball games, and he was the only NBA player in the school’s history.

In the third quarter, the Bucks started with a 6:0 offensive run against the Trail Blazers, reducing the gap to just 2 points.

Jack Ramsey called for a timeout. He wasn’t angry; instead, he calmly asked Gan Guoyang, "Ah Gan, can you still keep going?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "Of course, it’s only the third quarter. This is exactly when I should be shining."

Ramsey nodded and said, "Good, we won’t change our tactics. Continue to let Ah Gan attack in the low post. However, we need to make some adjustments on defense. Clyde, you take Pressey. We’ll also compress our defense, leave the wings open, and block the middle to prevent them from driving. Bill, you’re in, replacing Mitchell. Block the middle. I know everyone is exhausted tonight, so conserve your energy and play smart."

In these back-to-back games on the road, relying solely on intensity would not work. It was necessary to make some trade-offs when needed.

After the timeout, the game continued with Gan Guoyang still positioning himself in the low post, his abundant stamina astonishing even Brule who was guarding him.

"Aren’t you tired?" Brule asked.

To be honest, Brule was getting tired of defending and was starting to feel numb from Gan Guoyang’s pounding.

"How can playing basketball be tiring?" Gan Guoyang answered.

He once again established position in the low post and received a pass from Drexler. He shot a turnaround jumper before the double team could set.

The two-pointer was good; the Trail Blazers finally scored in the second half, 65:61, maintaining a 4-point lead. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The Trail Blazers defended by giving the Bucks space on the wings. Pressey’s perimeter jump shot was on target.

Gan Guoyang still received the ball in the low post. Amidst the double teaming, he turned and took the baseline for a short pass inside.

Walton caught the ball and dunked it!

Nelson, watching from the sidelines, shook his head, thinking, "Aren’t you testing Ah Gan’s limits tonight, Dr. Jack? Tonight, Gan Guoyang’s usage rate must be over 70 percent, I guess? His stamina and consistency are indeed surprising."

Nelson glanced over at Ramsay at the other end of the court. With his arms crossed and no expression on his face, Ramsay stood on the sidelines.

In fact, Gan Guoyang’s playing time this year was lower than last year, dropping from a workhorse-like average of 41 minutes down to 38 minutes.

Having Gan Guoyang dominate the low post with the ball tonight was due to specific reasons, since everyone else was exhausted from the back-to-back away games.

Only Ah Gan, that beast, remained at full strength, and he was known for becoming fiercer as the battle wore on, so there was no need to worry about him running out of steam.

On one hand, Ramsay really wanted to see what would happen if Gan Guoyang was given an extremely large amount of ball-handling responsibilities in the low post.

Ramsay was trying to build a system that was starkly different from the past, but for now it was still in its infancy.

If Ramsay, who had been immersed in the traditional basketball system for half of his life, hadn’t met Ah Gan, he would have stepped towards a coach’s normal decline and disappearance with his past glories and an inability to adapt to a new era.

This was a law of development for all things and a normal metabolism in the world of sports.

However, the arrival of Gan Guoyang continuously provided the old man with new inspirations, and since last season he had been trying new things, striving to break his own limits.

Gan Guoyang began to change his low-post attack strategy. He no longer went to the high post nor easily went baseline into the trap, but trusted his shooting touch.

After receiving the ball and making a slight adjustment, he directly took a baseline turnaround jump shot or hook shot, scoring three in a row. The Trail Blazers once again widened the gap, 69:61, now it was Nielsen’s turn to call a timeout.

Gan Guoyang had already scored 37 points.

Nielsen put in the Twin Towers lineup, with Brule and Mokeski teaming up in the paint.

Lister had been dunked on by Gan Guoyang in the first half until he saw stars and lost all his confidence.

And Mokeski, the old fox, wouldn’t get depressed even if Gan Guoyang scored 50 points over him.

Players like Mokeski, Lan Bi’er, and Bolts belonged to the same category.

White big men with average physical abilities who could shoot from the outside and used many small tricks in defense.

They were never considered star material from the beginning, unlike some black players with natural talent in the paint who were so proud.

Therefore, their mental strength was actually better. They could lose their pride in the game, resort to unfair tactics if necessary, all just for the sake of victory.

Personal performance and stats didn’t matter at all, seeing their opponent’s frustration was the happiest moment for them.

Of course, such players inevitably took beatings during games.

After Mokeski entered the game, he did not guard Gan Guoyang head on, but roamed outside, looking for opportunities to double-team Gan Guoyang.

This was a trick invented by Nielsen, allowing a big man like Mokeski to hover around the strong-side high post or the three-point line, then utilize his arm span and large strides to double-team the opposing low-post center with the fastest speed.

This effectively avoided the problem of not being able to double-team a low-post ball handler in time due to illegal defense rules, allowing a small guard to double-team might be fast, but not as quick as a long-limbed center like Mokeski taking one step.

At the same time on offense, Mokeski had outside shooting ability, he didn’t clog up space under the basket, so the Bucks’ Twin Towers were atypical, not occupying too much space and resources in offense or defense.

This move made Gan Guoyang uncomfortable; he was unable to comfortably receive the ball in the post for several rounds in a row, forcing the Trail Blazers to pass the ball and revert to ordinary tactics.

Once the Trail Blazers started moving the ball, the Bucks’ traps and switches got going, and the game fell into chaos, which was the rhythm the Bucks liked. They had plenty of guards, and they were strong in chaos.

Hodges stole the ball from Terry Porter on the perimeter, dunked on a fast break causing Porter to foul, and hit the extra free throw, narrowing the Bucks’ deficit to three points.

This time, Ramsay did not call a timeout; he wanted to see how Gan Guoyang would solve the problem.

Gan Guoyang began actively coming out to set pick-and-roll screens for Porter, cutting to the basket afterward to draw the defense’s attention.

Porter took the mid-range jump shot directly and scored.

Porter shot decisively, knowing that Gan Guoyang could provide an offensive rebound under the basket.

Once caught in a half-court battle, the Bucks didn’t have many options. Walton and Vandeweghe completely blocked the middle.

With the wings and baseline left open, after much hassle, the Bucks could either take mid-range shots or let Cummings go one-on-one in the low post.

Cummings’ shot didn’t go in, Walton grabbed the defensive rebound, Porter took the ball and slowed down the pace, and Gan Guoyang came over again for a pick-and-roll.

Porter went down the middle, Gan Guoyang cut along the wing, took Porter’s bounce pass, and directly hit the mid-range jumper!

The Twin High strategy, a simple pick-and-roll broke it. Mokeski’s long legs and tall stature were actually a disadvantage in defending the pick-and-roll.

Nielsen even had to applaud, "Smart guy."

Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang high-fived Porter. This guy’s ability to stop and shoot from the outside was the key to the pick-and-roll’s effectiveness.

As the game went deeper, the skirmishes between both sides increased, and the physical confrontations became more and more intense.

The tactics arranged by the coaches were gradually disrupted, with fast breaks, defense, fouls, rebounds, second-chance offensive skirmishes, and individual talent solving problems...

Nielsen and Ramsay didn’t call a timeout, letting the players sort out problems and find their own ways to counter and retaliate.

This was when the players’ experience, basketball IQ, talent, and a bit of luck were tested.

That night, the Bucks were lucky. Unable to find good opportunities with the Trail Blazers’ defense tightening up, they hit several three-pointers from outside.

Pressey, Pierce, and Moncrief all made strong three-point shots, which were quite fatal to the Trail Blazers’ defense.

But as the team’s defensive commander, Gan Guoyang shouted for everyone to stick to the previous strategy, decisively tightening up.

On offense, Gan Guoyang continued to carve out space in the low post. He didn’t care how many people were doubling him; he turned and drove baseline into the paint, charging in.

Either he would be blocked or score while drawing a foul. Just like that, he tallied 15 points in the third quarter.

With 46 points in three quarters, he seemed set on reaching 60 points once again.

The Trail Blazers led 88:84, maintaining a 4-point lead over the Bucks as the game entered the most intense and exhausting fourth quarter.