The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 533 - 36 Discontent

Limiting Gan Guoyang’s scoring to 30 points or less was already a tremendous success for any team.

As a center who excelled in both offense and defense, Gan Guoyang contributed a large number of rebounds on the defensive end while also guarding the hoop, and on the offensive end, he could easily rack up more than 30 points, and even explode for 40, 50, or 60 points, which was quite terrifying.

This wasn’t the 50s or 60s when the league had many part-time players who had day jobs, drove taxis, fixed plumbing, installed air conditioning, and then wore jerseys to play at night.

Against someone like Chamberlain, a physical freak who transcended his era, these players stood no chance, watching helplessly as he scored 40 or 50 points and grabbed 20 or 30 rebounds per game—Chamberlain didn’t even need to rest and could play the full 48 minutes.

Now, everyone is a professional player from all over the place, geniuses in their own right, with the league gathering the most talented athletes throughout America and even the world.

Competing fiercely every night against these players, Gan Guoyang was still full of energy, filling the stat sheets on both ends of the floor.

Especially on offense, where his scoring could rival that of outside players like Michael Jordan and Wilkins, the potency of his firepower was evident.

Dick Motta believed that in order to wear down Ah Gan the most on both ends of the floor, the game’s tempo had to be slowed to a crawl, using ample physical contact to wear down his outside shooting touch, and suppress his scoring for the team to win.

This point of Dick Motta’s was the complete opposite of Doug Moe’s theory.

Doug Moe would let loose on offense, diluting Gan Guoyang’s high scoring with even greater scores.

Sometimes this tactic worked, but when Ah Gan could drop 60 points on you even in the playoffs, this tactic simply enabled him to pad his stats.

As Gan Guoyang’s offensive skills became more polished, especially as his mid to long-distance shooting reached the top tier of the league, the effectiveness of this diluting method increasingly diminished.

Therefore, teams across the league began to shift their mindset, transitioning from a dilution approach to an attrition strategy.

Different from wearing down an outside player like Jordan, which mainly relied on defense by setting up numerous obstacles and making every step Jordan took extremely difficult,

Wearing down Gan Guoyang was mainly on offense, where he had to be continuously pressured and even forced to commit fouls.

The 1987-1988 season saw the Trail Blazers’ interior resources at their worst in four years, practically at the same level as the 1984-1985 season.

Gilmore was barely sufficient, Thompson continued to age, and Anderson was too young and defensively weak.

Especially with Thompson’s aging, Gan Guoyang faced unprecedented defensive pressure in the starting lineup.

His blocks reached a career peak, but simultaneously, so did his fouls.

Besides offensive exhaustion, the Bullets’ defense couldn’t slack either—rotation was essential.

When Gan Guoyang re-entered the game in the second quarter, Rick Mahorn remained on the court, starting to guard Gan Guoyang.

Mahorn was full of little defensive tricks and particularly loved to "pull the chair."

During one-on-one defense, he wouldn’t jump or expect to block Gan Guoyang; he’d just hold his base.

If Gan Guoyang exerted force, Mahorn would retreat, and a moment’s inattention could mean losing balance, at best traveling, at worst an embarrassing fall to the ground.

Gan Guoyang initially struggled to adapt to Mahorn’s defensive method and was called for traveling by the referee.

In the first quarter, Gan Guoyang scored only 2 points, which was a rare low for him.

When Gan Guoyang tried to solve the problem with face-up jumpers, he found his touch off that night, as the considerable muscle-to-muscle contact on both ends made his arms somewhat stiff.

In this situation, Gan Guoyang didn’t stubbornly force his play, as there was still a lot of game time left.

Jack Ramsay instructed Gan Guoyang to shift his focus to defense and playmaking.

To fully protect the defensive rebounds while also setting more screens for teammates, ensuring they stayed in contention.

The fierce contest continued into the second quarter.

Bernard King took over the Bullets’ offense in the latter half of the second quarter.

Using agile pivots and precise jump shots, he attacked the Trail Blazers’ basket.

With Gan Guoyang’s attention focused on Moses Malone and Barkley, he could no longer afford to guard King.

The Bullets led by as many as 6 points at one time, and during the timeout, Gan Guoyang kept communicating with Kossie, teaching him how to defend King.

"First, don’t try to push against King’s lower body, never do that, it’s just giving him the chance to post you up, you need to cover him, maintain some distance."

"Second, don’t watch King’s feet, that’s all to deceive you, focus on his hands, focus on the ball. Also, don’t worry about whether he’ll pass, he won’t. Just disturb his shooting."

"Third, make him shoot from away from the basket, let him take mid-range shots. I will cover the two baselines in the three-second area, remember to allow him the mid-range shot, don’t stick to him, let him shoot, and then go disturb him. He has a habit of leaning forward when he shoots, so your interference will be very effective."

Kossie, drenched in sweat, worked hard to take in Gan Guoyang’s advice and then asked, "You also lean forward, why doesn’t the disturbance affect you?"

"I won’t lean forward without body contact, stop fucking asking, you can’t defend me anyway, get back on the court! If you fucking let King score at will again, I’ll twist your head off."

Gan Guoyang learned many offensive moves from Bernard King, as they were part of the same system with precise footwork, swift turns, rapid shooting, great power under the basket, and never using the backboard.

However, Gan Guoyang has surpassed his master, boasting a more varied and enriched offensive arsenal, and his mid-to-long range shooting is far better than King’s.

In his autobiography (Volume 1, Chapter 38), Bernard King mentioned that the two best defenders against him were one of his former teammates, George Johnson, and Ah Gan.

Both shared the common traits of being tall with long arms and possessing flexibility and speed; King didn’t fear the sturdy defenders who relied on their lower body strength but dreaded those with long limbs like spiders.

Moreover, both were well-versed in King’s offensive intricacies, effectively neutralizing him.

Kossie had similarly impressive physical attributes and a keen understanding. Under Gan Guoyang’s guidance, his defense against King became much more systematic.

Defending a key offensive player is most daunting when lacking a clear plan, flailing like a headless fly, attempting to guard here and there, ultimately getting played in circles.

After meticulous study and adherence to one strategy, the mindset is to persist with that defense, even if the opponent scores; the aim isn’t to prevent every shot but to reduce the number and make them uncomfortable.

The Bullets also employed this approach against Gan Guoyang, a firm commitment to encircle and double-team him, leaving the three-point line open for his teammates to shoot.

If you make the shot, it’s my bad luck; if not, I’m ready to hit back with a counterattack.

As it happened, the Trail Blazers’ shooting from beyond the arc was truly off this game, with Hornacek, Curry, and Porter squandering many open opportunities set up by Gan Guoyang.

Clearly, they were affected by the Bullets’ intense confrontations and the game’s slow pace, struggling to find their shooting rhythm.

For shooters, rhythm is crucial.

Without a comfortable, accustomed pace, shots are likely to drift off target.

Especially with long-range shots, being off by just a bit can lead to an entirely different outcome.

Relying on this firm strategy of attrition, counterattacks, isolation plays, and offensive rebounds, the Bullets gained an upper hand over the Trail Blazers in the first half.

At halftime, the score was 41:45, with the Bullets leading by 4 points.

Neither team managed to score over 50 points in the half, with Gan Guoyang registering 9 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists.

It was rare for him not to score in double figures by halftime.

The satisfying number of rebounds indicated there were many missed shots by both teams, leading to numerous second-chance opportunities.

Such a style of play took Gan Guoyang back to his rookie season.

Bernard King had 12 points and 1 assist, the highest scorer for either team.

Steve Colter unassumingly dished out 6 assists.

Drexler contributed 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, with the Trail Blazers’ offense primarily relying on his and Gan Guoyang’s individual talent.

During the halftime break, Drexler voiced his opinion, "Our shooting hasn’t been great tonight, and we’ve wasted too many opportunities from outside. We’re almost bending the hoop."

"We need to change our strategy—we have to play fast, with speed and impact. We have to score instead of engaging in a muddy defensive battle with the Bullets. This isn’t the way we’re meant to play."

The first game after the All-Star break would set the strategic direction for the team for the rest of the season.

The game wasn’t over yet and Drexler was already objecting, demanding a faster pace because that’s what he excelled at.

Jack Ramsay provided an answer, "No, we must stick to our previous strategy. It’s just halftime. If we waver so easily, we won’t be successful."

"We had started losing some games even before the All-Star break," Drexler continued.

However, Ramsay remained unmoved; he insisted on sticking to the strategy and going all out against the Bullets.

Drexler didn’t say anything more, but it was clear he was unhappy.

In the first half, he had the highest score on the team, and with Gan Guoyang tied up, his clutch scoring propped up the team.

Not only in this game but also when the team’s outside shooting was inconsistent in previous games, Drexler had been a stabilizing force, and naturally, he believed his role had grown and desired a higher tactical status.

What Drexler didn’t expect was that he hardly ever faced double teams in the game.

In contrast, Gan Guoyang found himself increasingly confronted with double, triple, and even quadruple teaming.

Moreover, the spread offense by Hornacek, Curry, Porter, and others provided him with the maximum space to operate.

Gan Guoyang didn’t get involved in the argument. The game wasn’t over yet, and there was still a second half to play; he didn’t want discord in the locker room.

But just before taking the court, he shot Drexler a look. Drexler tucked away his dissatisfaction and said, "I’ll play well, Sonny. Don’t glare at me. I was just making a suggestion. No one’s threatening you. No matter the tactic, you’re the first option; you can adapt to any strategy."

Gan Guoyang replied, "I hope you can too, adapt to any strategy. Cut the chatter, let’s get on the court!"