The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 335 - 71 Double Stars
Because Portland is in the Pacific Time Zone, their game against the Spurs was the last one played today.
By the time they finished, the outcomes of the other three games had already been decided. The series between the Eastern fifth seed Detroit Pistons and the fourth seed Atlanta Hawks, considered the most closely matched, saw them battle to a dead heat in the first game.
Dominique Wilkins repeatedly attacked the Pistons’ weak small forward defense, scoring 28 points with a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
The most spectacular performance for the Hawks came from their 5’7’’ little Spud, the new dunk champion Spud Webb, who laced up his Avia "Spud" series and scored 18 points coming off the bench.
On the Pistons’ side, Melvin Turpin was excellent on both offense and defense under the basket, securing 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. His fierce defense and aggressive offense subdued his draft-class peer Kevin Willis.
However, the Hawks, playing at home, ultimately prevailed over the Pistons with a 124:128 victory, securing the first win in the series by a 4-point margin.
The Pistons exposed their issues with one-on-one defense and their deficiencies in game tempo, particularly their inability to mark their opponents at crucial moments.
Another matchup was the Denver Nuggets against the Dallas Mavericks, where Nuggets effortlessly downed the Mavericks with their fluid offense. Calvin Natt and English together combined for a staggering 70 points, their firepower was indeed astonishing.
But the one Gan Guoyang was most concerned about was the Eastern number one Boston Celtics against the Chicago Bulls, who barely caught the last train to the playoffs.
Jordan, who had rested for almost the entire season, burst into action in the playoffs, scoring a furious 49 points at Boston Garden, yet the Bulls still lost without contention, 104:123, to the Celtics.
Late in the evening, Gan Guoyang called Jordan. Guoyang told him, "It looks like 49 points aren’t enough, so you just have to score more."
Jordan agreed with Guoyang’s suggestion. As the team leader, in a playoff series, if you lose and always expect other players to perform, what’s the point of you being the leader?
If the leader scores 50 points and still can’t win the game, then to win the next game, you have to play even better and strive for 60 points, rather than the leader trying his best while the teammates play NCAA.
"No problem, Sonny, I’ll be waiting for you in the finals," Jordan confidently replied.
Although Guoyang knew that Bulls definitely couldn’t beat the Celtics, who were terrifyingly strong this year.
Especially on their front line, with Marques Johnson, Johnson had performed at an All-Star level this year.
Yet Jordan was still brimming with confidence, and the two agreed to meet in the finals.
If not this year, then next year, and if not next year, then the year after – they would meet on the highest stage one day.
After hanging up, Gan Guoyang went to sleep, but Jordan couldn’t sleep and got up to train in the hotel’s gym.
He tormented himself with physical fatigue to forget the pain of losing and to ignore the criticism from the outside world.
Although he scored 49 points, the commentariat believed that his style of play would not lead the team to victory.
"You need to be like Larry, motivating your teammates to score, not just scoring yourself!" Jerry Krause said to Jordan, no doubt provoking him, and this was not the first time he had done so.
Previously, he had said, "Michael, one day you’ll be as outstanding as Earl Monroe; you remind me of Monroe and Elgin Baylor rolled into one." But Jordan would dismissively retort, "Which Monroe, the hell with Monroe!"
Jordan didn’t like being considered as anyone’s "second," he was the first Michael Jordan.
He also didn’t like being compared, especially to a player like Larry Bird, who had a completely different style.
Of course, apart from Ah Gan, the only person Jordan really respected was Ah Gan.
On the second day of the playoffs, the results of the other matchups also came in. The Houston Rockets, positioned second in the Western Conference, triumphed resoundingly at home 107:87, a 20-point lead over the Sacramento Kings, securing an auspicious start.
Hakeem Olajuwon, the star of the game, shot 14-of-24, securing a game-high 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
While the Los Angeles Lakers ranked second in the Western Conference in wins, due to divisional rules they fell to third in the West and had to face tough opponents like the Utah Jazz in the first round.
But the Lakers proved with their performance that the playoffs are a stage for the strong. The Jazz’s Twin Towers were no match for the Lakers’ powerful offense. Last season’s effective defense against the Houston Twin Towers was nowhere to be seen, as Magic Johnson led a ferocious attack. The Lakers’ balanced perimeter shooting completely overwhelmed the Jazz.
With a 96:131 victory at the Great Western Forum, the Lakers started their defense campaign with a big win. Eight Lakers scored in double figures, and only one player played more than 30 minutes. Magic Johnson dished out 18 assists, while Byron Scott led the team with 24 points.
The Los Angeles Lakers looked to be in their prime, while the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers’ once arch-rivals, were in a different state altogether. In their first game on the 18th, they lost 90:100 to the Washington Bullets, falling behind 0:1 in the series.
The 76ers, who lost only one game in the entire 1983 playoffs, showed their age in just three short years. Dr. J, Julius Erving, managed only a dismal 25% shooting, scoring a mere 11 points.
Of course, the most significant reason for their loss was the injury to Moses Malone, who was out for the season after getting injured in a game against the Bucks. For the 76ers, it was a heavy blow. Already showing their age, without their interior pillar, they were completely out of the title contention.
