The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 515 - 18 California Bald

[Thursday, October 5, 1995, Indianapolis.]

When did I start missing and needing Ah Gan?

I think it was during my ninth season in the League, which was also my ninth year with the Pacers.

Without Ah Gan in the League, there was no one for you to look up to.

Over the years, some sad things happened to him, dealing with death, accidents, and farewells.

He needed a break, and so did we.

I always thought he shouldn’t have run a funeral home, that brought him closer to death, but he didn’t seem to care much, after all, he kept burying us, leaving the whole League gasping for breath.

I never shrank from facing him, but I never won either. I lost to him back in high school, and in 1987, when I entered the League, the night before our first home game against the Trail Blazers, I kept thinking about how I was going to "show him some colors."

Yes, colors, that’s how you say it in Chinese, which Ah Gan taught me later.

It means "Give somebody a piece of my mind."

Later I showed him, and it was red.]

— Excerpt from Reggie Miller’s autobiography "I Love Being the Enemy," published in 1996.

On a back-to-back road game, the head coach doesn’t demand much from the team’s condition.

Jack Ramsay’s expectation for his players is to avoid injuries as much as possible.

With Vandeweghe and Paxson both plagued by injuries, the Trail Blazers can’t afford to lose more veterans.

Gilmore is on the bench tonight, while Jim Paxson is resting in Portland, showing signs of a recurring leg injury.

Now, both Trail Blazers’ management and coaching staff practice strict medical management, treating even minor injuries with great care.

Of course, due to the limitations of medical technology, some injuries are still inevitable.

However, in these past three seasons, aside from Kenny-Carl’s herniated disc, no one else has suffered any serious career-affecting injuries, nor has the team’s championship pursuit been hindered by injuries.

That’s why the Trail Blazers have been paying more and more attention to medical care and are supportive of the coaching staff giving players some rest, expanding the rotation, and letting go of some games when appropriate.

But maybe inspired by Gan Guoyang’s incentive of $10 per block, the Trail Blazers put a lot of effort into the defensive end in tonight’s game.

Money isn’t important, what’s important is the feeling of cheering and clapping while taking money from the stats sheet after the game.

Lately, the atmosphere in the Trail Blazers’ locker room has been improving.

The relations between Drexler and Porter, Vandeweghe, and Kossie have eased.

With Ah Gan as the Sea-Calming Needle, everyone’s confidence and form will gradually solidify as the season progresses with victories.

The back-to-back Trail Blazers scored 34:15 against the Pacers in the first quarter, leaving the Pacers a bit lost.

Gan Guoyang contributed four blocks in the quarter alone, this guy setting his own rules and then crazily racking up blocks.

His teammates cooperated with him, employing one-on-one defense, staying close, denying shots, and letting opponents challenge Ah Gan inside.

Gan Guoyang himself would judge when to block and when to defend.

The Pacers, without a particularly strong penetrator, have a fairly balanced inside and outside scoring, primarily based on shooting.

The Trail Blazers’ defensive strategy of guarding against penetration but not shots, with a big tiger inside, made the Pacers extremely uncomfortable.

Mike Schuler paced the sidelines anxiously, but of course, no one was more anxious than Reggie Miller, sitting on the bench.

The Pacers were in dire need of scoring; their offensive tempo was completely suppressed by the Trail Blazers, with misses from outside and no way through inside. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

In such times, what is needed is someone who can stand up and break the situation, using individual ability to penetrate the Trail Blazers’ defense.

In terms of capability, Miller wasn’t that kind of player.

Like many high-pick, talented college players, after entering the League, he had a period of excellent performance.

In a game against the Boston Celtics at the Boston Garden in November, Miller scored 24 points with a shooting percentage of 69%, including 4 out of 2 three-point shots.

The Celtics apparently underestimated the energy of this skinny guy; although they lost the match, Miller drew the League’s attention.

That was just his fourth game since joining the NBA.

Inspired by the game, Reggie Miller scored over 20 points in each of the next four games.

This included an away game in Chicago where he shot 9 out of 12 from the field, 1 out of 2 from the three-point line, scoring 20 points and leading the team to defeat the Bulls, rendering Jordan’s 37 points ineffective.

This was Miller’s first professional encounter with Jordan and he was very satisfied with his performance.

His series of excellent performances gradually quieted the voices questioning Indiana management’s choices, as people began to reevaluate the slender California shooter.

However, after a brilliant November, like many high draft picks, he hit the rookie wall.

The intensity and frequency of NBA games were just too high.

For a shooter, physical fitness is extremely important.

In the past in college, players would play at most about 30 games a season.

And generally, there would be two games a week, or even just one.

Not only are NBA games more frequent, but the long and exhausting trips on the road can be very unsettling for rookies.

The upside-down flight schedules, a variety of unexpected events, and the back-to-back games quickly drained the inexperienced Miller.

Once you start making a name for yourself, appearing in newspapers and news, attracting the attention of other teams, the coaches and players of the next team you face will start targeting you.

Unless you can distance yourself from the competition as rookies such as Jordan, Gan Guoyang, and Bird did, performance on the court can easily plummet under the dual pressures of targeted defense and fatigue.

Entering December, Reggie Miller never scored over 20 points again, and even reaching 15 became difficult.

He started to play games with a low shooting percentage, chose to forgo some shooting opportunities when being targeted, and began to score in single digits, with the halo of November quickly fading away.

Miller was not pleased with his performance, so he was looking forward to this game, hoping that Ah Gan’s arrival would inspire him to play a beautiful game and regain his form.

In the first quarter, Miller didn’t get to play, but Schuler noticed his eagerness and said, "The second quarter, when Ah Gan isn’t there, will be our chance to catch up."

"We can catch up even with Ah Gan, coach. I’m not afraid of Ah Gan," Miller rejoined.

In that high school championship game, Miller also scored over 30 points.

He was just one shot away from the 1982 California state championship.

Schuler appreciated Miller’s fearless spirit, as fearfulness is the last thing one wants on the basketball court.

Even if the opponents are very strong, there should be the determination to take on the challenge.

Miller took the court at the start of the second quarter, avoiding Gan Guoyang.

Coming off the bench, he didn’t focus on scoring to help the team but started with defense.

Miller might look slender, but he had a great frame and was tall for a guard.

With long arms and legs, he received excellent defensive training at UCLA.

His positioning on the defensive end was very precise, and his hands were quick. With steals, taking the ball away, and competing for rebounds, he was able to give the team help.

Once the Pacers stabilized their defense, Miller first made a cut to the basket and received a pass from a teammate for an easy layup.

Then, in a set play, Tisdale missed a shot, but Miller grabbed the ball tapped out by his teammate.

Outside the three-point line, he took one step in and shot over Drexler, hitting a long two-point shot.

Drexler’s attempt to overpower Miller surprisingly didn’t succeed.

When Drexler tried to get aggressive, Miller suddenly stepped back, sending Drexler stumbling, and Miller stole the ball.

In the counterattack, Miller received a pass from Tisdale and dunked with both hands!

The Pacers hit the Trail Blazers with a 6:0 run, closing the gap.

Ramsay promptly called a timeout, and the Indiana home crowd erupted in applause. Miller was performing well again tonight.

Fans of the Pacers were growing fonder of this sharp-shooting, intelligent California baldy.

When Miller left the court, he made a point of gesturing with his finger towards the Trail Blazers’ bench, pointing at Gan Guoyang, as if to say, "It’s time for you to take the floor."