The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 456 - 73 Love_2
Under Ah Gan’s amazing performance, the Eagles Team didn’t crumble, at least their offense was still executed methodically.
Rivers may not be a top talent in the League, but he had a strong competitive spirit; he didn’t want to be a stepping stone.
As Gan Guoyang took a break, the Eagles slowly regained some points, closing the gap to just 5 points.
The other Trail Blazers players clearly weren’t in form, after all, Gan Guoyang had taken a lot of shots, leaving them with few opportunities to warm up and show off.
Rivers directed his teammates to move, his attention focused on the Trail Blazers’ defensive formation and his teammates’ positioning.
Wilkins had the opportunity to attack after receiving the ball on the wing, but the one defending him was Jerome Kossie, not Vandeweghe, so Rivers thought of switching to a more assured choice.
He lobbed the ball inside, which had been very effective that night; Rollins, taking advantage of his reach, caught the ball and with a relay shot, scored, closing the gap to 3 points!
A good pass, Rivers started to hear the fans shouting and cheering, but soon he felt that something was amiss. What were the Eagles Team fans chanting?
"We want Gump! We want Gump! (We want Ah Gan, we want Ah Gan!)"
Somehow starting the chant, tens of thousands of home fans were collectively calling for a player from the visiting team to enter the game.
Rivers was stunned as he looked toward the Trail Blazers’ bench, then realized that Gan Guoyang had taken off his jacket and stood up from the bench.
The cheering got louder, even applause broke out, when Ramsay called a quick timeout to let Gan Guoyang re-enter the game.
A knot tightened in Rivers’ chest, Gan Guoyang had already scored 67 points; he really was going to score 70, higher than Jordan’s 61 points.
But Rivers felt neither fear nor humiliation; on the contrary, he was looking forward to seeing how Ah Gan would continue to score.
Post moves, jump shots, three-pointers, pivot steps, or some unconventional tricks? Ah Gan was like putting on a performance, playing a friendly match between Portland-Atlanta with everyone.
In fact, Rivers knew that it was not a friendly match at the beginning. As the game progressed, the Eagles Team realized, let’s pretend it’s a friendly match; that way, at least they could save face.
It was rare for the entry of an opposing team player to elicit such a huge cheer; Gan Guoyang replaced Mychal Thompson and there were still 7 minutes left in the game.
The Hawks continued their strong defense, Rivers tried to double-team Gan Guoyang, but after catching the ball, he performed a back turn followed by a KIKI-step back and pulled up for a baseline jumper.
The ball swished through the net, his touch was simply too good, and his superior athleticism maintained the quality of his offense without any apparent decline; the step back was silky smooth.
Rivers asked himself inwardly: what can you do with that kind of shot besides enjoying the spectacle?
Next to Gan Guoyang’s highlight, Wilkins’s stop-and-pop jumper looked like an under-evolved chimpanzee throwing a medicine ball.
It didn’t go in; Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, advanced the ball himself, and Rivers didn’t attempt a steal, knowing it would be futile.
Willis no longer knew how to defend. Still stubborn, Wilkins tried to go for the steal. Gan Guoyang chose to back him down, slowly working his way inside the three-point line.
There was no way Wilkins could match Gan Guoyang’s strength. No one came to help, and Gan Guoyang turned, followed by another KIKI-step, shooting a baseline jumper, and again it hit the mark!
The entire stadium plunged into frenzy, 71 points; Gan Guoyang had reached 71 points!
CBS broadcaster Tom Heinsohn exclaimed, "Ah Gan has scored 71 points! This means he’s successfully claimed the scoring title for the season! There are still 6 minutes left in the game, enough time; will he score even higher?"
After that basket, Wilkins was also resigned, laughing and just shaking his head. How do you defend against that?
The combination of height and strength playing turn-around step-back mid-ranges; you can only say—he’s very efficient with energy!
Rivers quickly led a counter-attack but was blocked by Gan Guoyang on the layup attempt; in the fourth quarter, no more concessions. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Porter handled the ball, Gan Guoyang settled down low, and the audience began to rise and applaud. Porter passed the ball to him.
Catching the ball, double-teamed, he made a heel-to-toe spin and leaned forward for the shot, his left arm keeping Willis at bay, the shot was good!
Cheers erupted, making one wonder whose home court it was. 73 points.
Wilkins scored a mid-range, and the crowd actually quieted down briefly; even Wilkins was speechless.
Following that, Gan Guoyang’s mid-range shot missed, to which the crowd let out a sigh of disappointment; however, Gan Guoyang quickly got the ball back and drew a foul on the layup.
Both free throws were good, 75 points!
Many fans began to jump excitedly in their seats.
At this point, Fratello didn’t call for a timeout anymore, he didn’t want to ruin the show, to become the spoil-sport in the Atlanta fans’ mouths.
Think about it, it’s really quite funny.
Not only was Gan Guoyang scoring, but he was also getting fired up on defense.
Willis’s cut to the basket and layup attempt was disrupted, no good.
Walton grabbed the rebound, Gan Guoyang fast break, Willis stuck close to him—still had to go through the motions.
Gan Guoyang feinted to the outside, then suddenly spun inside, Walton connected, and Gan Guoyang completed an alley-oop dunk!
points now, the entire crowd began to cheer, and Gan Guoyang finally felt his arms starting to get sore; he guessed his long shots weren’t going to go in anymore.
Indeed, after trying a mid-range shot that didn’t hit, both sides missed repeatedly, and Ramsay called a timeout to let Gan Guoyang rest.
At this time, Ramsay was very considerate, asking Gan Guoyang, "Tired?"
"A little."
"Hang in there."
Coming back from the timeout, there were just 3 minutes left until the end of the game.
At this time, a certain number kept floating up in Gan Guoyang’s mind, the number that appeared in his dreams.
He didn’t attempt any more long shots but instead went straight to the rim upon receiving the ball, drawing a foul from Willis, which sent him to the free-throw line.
Gan Guoyang made both free throws, reaching 79 points!
The Trail Blazers’ lead had expanded to 13 points, and the Eagles Team was losing the will to resist.
Doug Rivers’s drive and floater missed, with Walton fighting hard to secure the rebound.
This might be the history-making shot, in NBA history besides Chamberlain, no one else had ever scored more than 80 points.
The entire crowd stood up, the Hawks couldn’t double-team Gan Guoyang earlier, otherwise three of them would have definitely wrapped him up immediately.
Regardless, they still had to give it their all. Gan Guoyang and Drexler’s pick-and-roll play, still getting the ball to the cutting Gan Guoyang.
Once Gan Guoyang received the ball, four Hawks players surrounded him in the three-second zone!
In such a situation, the basket area, the baseline, and the 45-degree spots all had open Trail Blazers players.
But at this moment, no one wished Gan Guoyang to pass, everyone hoped he would shoot.
He shuffled continuously, faked, pushed the opponents away, and managed to find a little space to jump.
He pulled up, releasing a quick fadeaway jump shot without even having the time to aim at the hoop, and tossed the ball out.
Three hands blocked in front of him, and Gan Guoyang could hardly see the basket, worrying also about the hands behind possibly blocking the shot.
But he still shot it, confident in himself, believing in the countless nights of arduous practice, his passion for basketball.
And on the faraway Apennine Peninsula, a black kid watched the entire unbelievable game.
As the final shot left, he had a premonition; it would go in, definitely.
The ball swished through the net, a clean strike, a smooth basket.
Gan Guoyang had captured 81 points, setting an NBA scoring record.
