The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 307 - 47: The Decisive Kill

Before the start of the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang sat resting off the court.

Adelman sat next to Gan Guoyang and asked, "Are you tired from playing like this, Ah Gan?"

Gan Guoyang took a sip of water and said, "It’s okay, but I think I should get a raise for playing this way."

Adelman laughed and said, "You’ve scored so many points, yet our lead still isn’t big enough."

Gan Guoyang replied, "No kidding, my points aren’t worth more than anyone else’s. The Bucks aren’t easy to deal with, everyone is tired. We’ve already made 14 turnovers tonight, which is too many."

The Bucks’ aggressive double-teaming and pressing caused many turnovers for the Trail Blazers, with Kolter and Terry Porter, the two young guards, needing to learn how to handle the pressure.

"What about letting you handle the ball?"

Gan Guoyang looked at Adelman with disbelief and said, "What? Are you guys from the coaching staff even human? Making me handle the ball too?"

"It’s not like you haven’t done it before."

Indeed, Gan Guoyang did handle the ball past half court himself during his high school and college days.

Mainly because his teammates back then couldn’t withstand the opponent’s double-teaming.

It was simply easier for Gan Guoyang to handle the ball and break the opponent’s full court and half-court tight defense.

After entering the NBA, Gan Guoyang occasionally displayed his skill in fast breaks after handling the ball himself.

In this regard, he was truly ahead of other big men at the time by at least three versions, and his ball-handling skills were top-notch among interior players.

"Still, you can’t work me to death like this."

Gan Guoyang was prepared to sacrifice himself tonight, but he didn’t expect to be this sacrificial.

"I’m just suggesting, don’t take it too seriously," Adelman said, passing a towel to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, how could I not care? Your suggestion is Ramsay’s idea all along, sending you to test the waters with me.

Now they say let me handle the ball, next they might as well have me coach.

On the court, the Bucks and the Trail Blazers were still playing a tense game, with Ramsay fielding a smaller lineup.

Thompson, Kenny-Carl, Drexler, Kolter, and Parkson.

Nielsen was set on dragging the game into messy skirmishes in the fourth quarter.

Having three big men represented order on the court, whereas three guards represented chaos—this was a struggle between order and chaos.

Ramsay decided not to stubbornly use three big men to challenge the Bucks’ defense at MECCA; he thought to get through the transition period first.

He planned to have Gan Guoyang re-enter the field in the fourth quarter to make a decisive strike.

Nielsen constantly rotated his players, sending in those 6-foot-5 point guards one after another.

Tonight, Nielsen’s rotation expanded to 11 players; except for the twelfth man Derek-Roland, who rarely got to play, the rest all took to the court for at least three rounds.

Moncrief was also resting off the field. He had been troubled by plantar fasciitis throughout the season and often played through pain.

Nielsen controlled his minutes on the court. Moncrief’s performance in the first three quarters was mediocre, and as the Trail Blazers did not rely on backcourt offense, his defense was not showcased.

Richie Pierce truly excelled for the Bucks tonight, playing smartly. The substitute made repeated fouls, going to the free-throw line to score the most secure points.

Kolter and Terry Porter both struggled against this super sixth man.

With Gan Guoyang absent, Drexler supported the Trail Blazers’ offense and defense.

His fast-breaks and breakthroughs in the middle lane were the team’s most potent offensive weapons.

The scores alternately rose, from 88:84 to 94:90.

The Bucks kept the score close, while the Trail Blazers struggled to maintain their advantage.

Thompson grabbed several offensive rebounds in the paint in a row but failed to score.

Both sides often scrambled under the basket, and the game became increasingly chaotic.

During a dead ball, Gan Guoyang thought it was time for him to get on the court.

But Ramsay waved him off, signaling him to keep resting.

"It’s my time to go in."

"No, you keep resting. Wait for the last 5 minutes."

"The last five minutes? That’s too long a rest."

"It won’t be too long. Trust your teammates, rest."

Gan Guoyang obeyed Ramsay’s command, and Walton came on to replace Thompson.

Ramsay had his reasons: Gan Guoyang’s offensive efficiency had declined in the second half.

He hoped Gan Guoyang would save his best for when the outcome would be decided.

After Walton entered, the Bucks sped up again, trying to exhaust the limping giant.

But Drexler blocked Pressey on the return, then Walton made a high pass that cut through the defense, and Kenny-Carl caught the ball and scored with a layup!

At that moment, luck swung back to the Bucks, as Pierce hit a three-pointer from outside!

This was their fourth three-pointer of the night, closing the gap to 96:93, just 3 points behind.

Folding the wings had its cost, but the Trail Blazers had no choice.

In the following two minutes, neither team scored. They aggressively charged back and forth, but the basket seemed to have a lid on it.

The Trail Blazers’ backcourt faced a severe test, with Moncrief and Pressey both being expert defenders and stealers.

The pair contributed to 7 steals in the game, pressuring the Trail Blazers’ ball-handlers massively.

Of course, the Bucks’ backcourt also had a tough time, with Drexler’s athletic ability, height, and wingspan surpassing those of Pressey.

It was a good decision by Ramsay to put him on Pressey. Drexler already had four steals, forcing Pressey to be extra cautious with Drexler around.

With 5 minutes left to play, Ramsay called a timeout. The score remained at 96:93, with Gan Guoyang ready to re-enter the game.