The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 475 - 92 Gun
Porter’s crucial block became the deciding factor in the game’s outcome.
This was thanks to Porter’s aggressive defense and his conservation of energy.
In tonight’s high-intensity game, Jack Ramsay still ensured a nine-man rotation, allowing each player to get ample rest.
Gan Guoyang made the most significant contribution, and the other players also did everything they could, which was the only way to achieve equilibrium against the Lakers.
After the timeout, both teams returned to the court. Bill Walton replaced Vandeweghe, and Ramsay asked Gan Guoyang to extend his defense to the perimeter to counteract Johnson.
During the Lakers’ critical possession after the timeout, they entrusted the ball to Magic Johnson, only for the pass to be intercepted by Gan Guoyang.
Although he didn’t manage a steal, he successfully disrupted Johnson’s offensive rhythm. The ball was tipped past the midcourt, and Johnson had to chase it back to reorganize the attack.
With the sideline play failing, Johnson had no choice but to drive the ball himself, but Gan Guoyang’s defense was not so easily penetrated.
In the 80s, many outside players hadn’t mastered the technique of high-speed dribbling and direction changes because such dribbling breakthroughs during their youth training would often be penalized for traveling.
With the evolution of techniques, some newer generation players began to better control the ball, but Magic certainly wasn’t included in this group. He was a veteran; being able to develop a shooting ability was already impressive, and his dribbling habits were beyond changing.
Both he and Bird struggled considerably in one-on-one situations against Gan Guoyang, unable to capitalize on their speed advantages.
Johnson ultimately opted for a forced three-pointer from outside, which was disrupted by Gan Guoyang, not even hitting the rim.
Below the basket, the Lakers still had a chance for a second-chance offensive rebound, but Walton firmly controlled the defensive board and drew a foul from Jabbar.
Gan Guoyang and Walton high-fived. Two free throws made, Trail Blazers lead by 4 points. The Lakers had one last 15-second offensive opportunity, but no chance left.
Johnson rushed the ball frantically to the frontcourt and passed it to Byron Scott on the wing. Scott took a three-pointer that went off the mark.
Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, and the Lakers no longer sought to foul. Sending Gan Guoyang to the free-throw line would simply hand him his 50th point.
Eventually, the Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on the road, 114:110, with a 4-point advantage, starting the Western Conference Finals with a win.
Gan Guoyang scored an impressive 48 points, and Magic Johnson also had 31 points with 17 assists, but they were suppressed by the Trail Blazers.
Gan Guoyang continued to maintain his exceptional track record at the Great Western Forum, taking a step closer to the finals with a thrilling victory.
After the game, during an interview with reporters, Gan Guoyang unusually praised the Lakers’ performance:
"Their offense put enormous pressure on us, but thankfully we kept up the pace. This is just the beginning; we are prepared."
Tonight Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers performed near perfection, following the Lakers’ high tempo without mistakes and showcased beautiful offense and critical defense.
The entire Lakers team was clearly disheartened. They had not anticipated that a season’s accumulation, waiting, and rigorous training, every day challenging themselves with charts and statistics to improve, would amount to this.
After their all-out effort in the Western Conference Finals’ first game was not enough.
Riley returned to the locker room, and in the end, he refrained from kicking the door, feeling it wasn’t the time yet.
Although they lost today’s game, the players had performed well in offense, defense, and didn’t make any significant errors.
The only mistake, perhaps, was Michael Cooper provoking Gan Guoyang. But would that guy have let them off the hook even without the provocation?
In the end, the Lakers purely lost because the opposition had a guy who was too strong, showing pure individual talent.
For example, those consecutive forced shots against the defense that landed and the terrifying blocks below the basket left Riley wondering how a 6’10" Ah Gan could block so effectively.
His reaction speed was extremely fast, and his anticipation was excellent, often defending against two players at once, blocking one in front and immediately turning to block another, exerting tremendous pressure on the Lakers players.
Towards the end, the Lakers players, when rushing under the basket, started to play avoidantly, but the more they avoided, the easier they got blocked, and the harder to score.
Riley did advise the players to embrace physicality, but everyone responded, "It’s useless, confronting Ah Gan head-on doesn’t shake him a bit."
This guy’s physical strength was overpowered for the 80s, his body as durable as steel.
Riley controlled his emotions, analyzed the gains and losses of this game, and laid out strategies for the next one.
He demanded at all costs to contain Ah Gan, to make him stagnate offensively from the first minute of the game.
Then, he gave his players a day off to rest well and forget the defeat of this game.
After everyone had left, he stayed alone in the office, reviewing the game tape, analyzing every detail of the team’s loss.
In such high-end games, the devil hides in the details, and those details determine success or failure.
After repeatedly watching the first game’s footage, Riley felt increasingly uneasy.
He realized that the Trail Blazers’ victory in the first game didn’t rely on an outburst or the players being in exceptional form.
They relied on details, especially in defense, where they hardly made mistakes.
On offense, they seized every opportunity, with a free throw shooting percentage at the top of the League.
Every pass was on point, with no frustrating errors, no hesitations, no confusion.
Their operation was smooth, stable, and firm, not as flamboyant as the Lakers but contained an overwhelming power in its tranquility.
Ah Gan was their cornerstone, performing exceptionally well in every aspect, and was technically impeccable.
Other stars had more or less technical flaws and weaknesses that could be exploited and needed to be compensated for by teammates.
But not this guy, he was all-around flawless, even his once weak spots like playmaking and passing were no longer issues after Bill Walton’s careful guidance and summer training.
Riley watched the playoff and regular season game tapes over again, growing more anxious, as it seemed the only strategy against Ah Gan was to hope he had a bad shooting day.
There was a moment when Riley suddenly had a great deal of empathy for Red Auerbach.
He thought about going to the hotel where the Trail Blazers were staying, setting off the fire alarm, spoiling them with outdated food in the restaurant, or having the fire department create noise outside with their trucks.
In short, he believed these off-court tactics were the only way to impact and disrupt Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers, otherwise, how could you stop him?
If only the Trail Blazers had been a bad team like the Chicago Bulls used to be, Ah Gan would have to suffer on the edge of the playoffs for three to five years.
But the Trail Blazers were strong, and Ah Gan had transformed them. In 1984, when Portland people chose Ah Gan at the draft, Riley had a premonition.
The shadow of Moses Malone seemed to loom over the Los Angeles Lakers once again, but this guy was even more terrifying than Moses.
Riley stayed up all night, devising numerous strategies to counter Ah Gan, since they had to win the second game at all costs.
On May 19, after a two-day rest, the second battle continued at the Great Western Forum.
In the first quarter, the Lakers indeed restrained Gan Guoyang with crazy double teams and intense defense, helping the team to lead by more than 10 points.
Without Gan Guoyang’s one-on-ones, the Trail Blazers’ offense looked disjointed, as if they had forgotten how to play, and the point gap widened, reaching 18 at one point.
Midway through the second quarter, Gan Guoyang and Walton both came on and utilized high-low post play and tight interior defense, hitting the Lakers with a 12:0 run and narrowing the score.
Gan Guoyang scored 12 points in the first half, which Riley thought was a reasonable containment.
But then in the third quarter, Gan Guoyang exploded; his post-up moves became unstoppable.
A series of face-up drives plus mid-range jumpers tallied up 28 points in that quarter alone, and the Trail Blazers took the lead.
The fourth quarter was an even match, with both sides playing extremely intense defense, and the physicality was ramping up.
In the crucial moments, every time Gan Guoyang got the ball, he was fouled by AC Green, enough times to be sent to the free throw line.
The Trail Blazers were leading by just one point, but after he made both free throws, they led by three points.
Riley, infuriated, threw his clipboard to the ground on the sideline, and then during the next offensive play, Worthy made a mistake and was called for an offensive foul.
Two consecutive foolish mistakes, not because of poor Lakers players, but due to high pressure and extensive physical exertion leading to lapses in judgment.
These fouls cost the Lakers their second victory, as the Trail Blazers won 121:119 at the Great Western Forum, taking the lead in the series 2:0.
Gan Guoyang scored a staggering 51 points, single-handedly dismantling all of the Lakers’ defensive arrangements and gaining an absolute advantage for his team.
This time Riley could not contain himself, and upon returning to the locker room, he kicked the door leading to his office off its hinges.
The door panel collapsed, and a can of cola on the table flew to the center of the locker room, bursting upon impact, spraying over the players’ heads.
Everyone was shocked; they knew Riley was angry but did not expect him to be this furious. They were as quiet as could be, not daring to utter a word.
The post-game locker room was as silent as death.
Riley had intended to put on a show, to uplift the team after a loss.
But with that kick, he suddenly didn’t know what to say.
points in one game, 51 in another. This guy came to kill, with no intention of taking prisoners.
Looking at the shattered door frame, the cluttered locker room, the broken door, and the shocked players.
Riley’s thoughts were not on basketball, but on a principle of drama:
"If there’s a gun hung on the wall in the first act, it must fire in the next."
————Chekhov’s gun
