The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 538 - 41 Old Train

"Don Nelson’s makeover of the Lakers was successful; they limited Ah Gan’s offense again in the first half. In fact, no one can play an unruffled offense when facing a triple-team, not even Ah Gan."

"Of course, Ah Gan still managed to score 13 points with a shooting percentage of 52%... This monster, keeping his shooting percentage below 55% is already a significant achievement."

"Nelson’s bigger success comes from offense, with his smooth fast breaks. We thought the Lakers might not be able to show ’show time’ without Riley, but it turns out that the key to ’show time’ is Johnson, not Riley..."

"55:62, the Lakers lead by 7 points, the situation is favorable for Los Angeles, everyone, please look forward to the second half of the game."

In the Los Angeles area, through radio and television broadcasts, Chick Hearn summarized the first half of the game between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers with his signature shrill voice and rapid-fire delivery.

Overall, the Lakers played well in the first half, just like in the previous games where they defeated the Trail Blazers, they had a good setup against Gan Guoyang on both offense and defense.

Facing heavy defensive pressure, Gan Guoyang opted to pass to his teammates, managing 13 points and 6 assists in the first half, a respectable number of assists.

Drexler and Kossie both performed well.

But with Guoyang scoring less, his threat was diminished.

In the first half, the Trail Blazers only had 4 free throws, which was too little pressure on the Lakers.

Fewer free throws not only mean less damage but also that the tempo of the game can’t be slowed down.

The Lakers’ wave after wave of attack, spreading the wings, and tacit small collaborations combined with mid-to-long-range shots, made Guoyang’s strong basket defense useless.

At the same time, Nelson did not reduce Jabbar’s share of the game; Guoyang had to devote a significant portion of his energy to defending Jabbar alone.

The Trail Blazers’ lack of resources in the frontcourt was exposed once more.

Gan Guoyang indeed has exceptional defensive abilities, but the problem is, no matter how strong he is, he’s only one person.

During the halftime break, Gan Guoyang rarely expressed anger in the locker room, saying, "We let the Lakers take control of the game again! We’re being led by the nose by the people of Los Angeles! Where is our defense? How many times have we been played, focus your attention!"

Guoyang seldom gets angry during games; he usually encourages his teammates, or simply takes over if they can’t handle it.

But this season, Guoyang’s outbursts have become more frequent, as other teams target him more strongly, even to the point of ignoring the other players and marking Ah Gan intensively, leaving the others to play however they like.

And the Trail Blazers’ players, in defense, clearly haven’t put in the effort they had in the previous two seasons.

"Sonny, anger won’t solve the problem," Jack Ramsay comforted Gan Guoyang, advising him not to be too angry.

Gan forced himself to calm down and listened as Ramsay summarized the first-half situation and laid out the strategy for the second half.

When the topic of interior defense came up, Gilmore suddenly said, "I think I can be put into the game earlier."

Everyone looked at Old Train, and Gilmore continued, "I’m not saying Thompson’s defense is bad, but if I take on Jabbar, and Ah Gan can devote his energy to dealing with those annoying mosquitoes from the Lakers, perhaps our defensive effectiveness will improve."

Gilmore played for a while in the second quarter of the first half and did not get more playing time after that.

Ramsay was worried about the Lakers’ sharp fast breaks, concerned that Gilmore would not be able to keep up.

Indeed, in previous games, Gilmore could go one-on-one against Jabbar, but the problem is that Jabbar is no longer the Lakers’ spearhead and doesn’t need special attention.

Moreover, with Gilmore on the court, there would also be issues on the offense; he’s not as adaptable as Mychal Thompson.

Even though Thompson hasn’t been in great form lately, he is still more versatile than Gilmore.

However, Gilmore joined the Trail Blazers originally to go up against the Lakers, specifically to face Jabbar, and to get his revenge—a grudge spanning nearly twenty years.

Dick Motta said it right: while the body and skills are indeed important, the role of willpower in defense should never be underestimated.

Thinking of the playoffs and considering the tactical and rotation changes in later matchups, Ramsay decided to accommodate Old Train’s request.

"Okay Artis, then I’ll substitute you in at the first dead ball or timeout in the second half. You have to hold the fort down low. Then keep up with the pace of the game, especially on defense. Give up fighting for the offensive rebounds and return first," Ramsay said.

"Understood, coach," Gilmore said.

In the first half of the season, Gilmore’s performance was mediocre, making the Trail Blazers’ fans feel that the summer signing was wasted.

But Gilmore, who had trained with Gan during the summer, did not slack off.

Influenced by Gan’s diligence and perseverance during the season, he persisted with early morning training every day, controlling his diet and weight.

He kept telling himself: This is my last season, I have to save my best form for the most critical games.

As the season progressively deepened, Gilmore’s condition got better and better.

After the second half of the game started, Gan Guoyang steadied his mindset.

The third quarter belonged to Gan Guoyang, but he didn’t rush to force his own shots.

"Make use of your attractiveness to create opportunities for your teammates. You’re now carrying Bill’s responsibilities, you have the ability to make your teammates better."

This was what Ramsay had told Gan Guoyang numerous times this season.

During the regular season, Gan Guoyang’s assists hit a career high.

After the third quarter started, he facilitated more, setting screens, and handed the leading offense over to Drexler, Porter, and Kossie.

These three little black guys, once they exploded in firepower, were indeed fierce.

Kossie and Drexler hit consecutive shots, followed by Porter nailing a three-pointer in the counterattack, helping the Trail Blazers close the gap to 2 points.

Old Nelson quickly called a timeout, knowing full well that the Trail Blazers were fierce in the third quarter.

During the timeout, Nelson devised a play for Jabbar’s one-on-one.

The most delightful thing for Old Nelson this season was finally having a superstar center like Jabbar.

In the past without a superstar center, Old Nelson had to rack his brains out for offense.

Whether it was a point forward, a mismatch offense, or a three-guard lineup, at the end of the day, it was all about getting the ball into the basket.

The advantage of a superstar center is that when you encounter problems—whether the offense is not smooth, the defense is disadvantaged, or the rhythm is off, the situation is unstable, the morale is down, or any other series of issues—you can rely on one method to solve it: Give the ball to the superstar center and let him score a couple.

If the ball goes in, many problems get solved on the fly.

Basketball becomes simpler, the margin for error increases, and teammates get to catch their breath.

A superstar center is like aspirin on the basketball court; no matter the problem, one dose is sure to do the trick.

Jabbar was once the one with the most potent effect, even at 40, he was still very effective in certain moments.

But this time, when the timeout ended and both sides returned to the court, Nelson found that the Trail Blazers had put Gilmore in the game.

Nelson thought, "Is Dr. Jack making substitutions so early? Or does he want Gilmore at center and Ah Gan at the power forward position to solve the defensive issues? Old Train can’t run anymore; he’s going to be run ragged."

Thinking this, Nelson instructed Magic Johnson to further accelerate the pace, aiming to wear out Gilmore.

Johnson nodded in understanding.

The Lakers are one of the few teams in the League that turn basketball games into track meets.

During the peak of Showtime, many teams were simply run into the ground by the Lakers.

They could keep up at first, but as the game went on, their physical fitness declined, their concentration waned, and they just couldn’t defend anymore.

The Lakers, on the other hand, were as lively as ever, seemingly tireless like marathon runners.

The Trail Blazers were one of the few teams that could keep up with the Lakers’ pace; their training was equally grueling, and they had a center who couldn’t be run to death.

The first offensive play coming back from the timeout saw Gilmore defending Jabbar.

The two old timers had been adversaries for more than a decade, with Gilmore always living in the shadow of the Sky Hook.

They were of the same height, similar build, but Jabbar had higher talent, and his achievements were incomparable.

But in that moment, Gilmore had only one belief in his heart: I will take down Jabbar! 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Karim is in the low post against Gilmore, dribbling, turning around for the hook shot!"

"Oh my, Gilmore has blocked Jabbar’s hook shot! A solid, emphatic block!"

The commentary by Chick Hearn rose in excitement once again.