The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 544 - 46: The Title Defense Journey

The new labor agreement was officially signed in April 1988.

At this time, the NBA regular season was drawing to a close, the situation in the Eastern and Western Conferences was gradually becoming clear, and the brutal playoffs were about to begin.

The 1987-1988 season was a turbulent one, and there had been some changes in the landscape of both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

The Celtics’ rule over the East was already faltering.

But relying on the formidable frontcourt trio plus An Ji and Dennis Johnson, the Celtics still managed to achieve a record of 57 wins and 25 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference.

Close on their heels were the Detroit Pistons with 56 wins and 26 losses, one more win than the previous season.

Having fallen in the finals last season, the Pistons were full of fighting spirit this year, determined to make another run for the championship.

Compared to the previous season, the Pistons played even more aggressively and brutally, and the moniker "Bad Boys" started to spread throughout the league.

Ranking third in the East were the Washington Bullets with 53 wins and 29 losses.

After acquiring Moncrief in a trade, the Bullets finally filled the last gap in their team.

This oddball team of old, weak, sick, fat and thin showed tremendous fighting spirit in the latter half of the season, defeating strong opponents one after another and taking their defense to the limit.

They also became a force that could not be overlooked on the playoff battlefield.

From fourth to eighth place were the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks respectively.

The Bulls, led by Jordan, achieved a record of 50 wins and 32 losses.

This was Jordan’s best record and highest standing in the regular season since joining the Bulls.

While Gan Guoyang was aiming for a third consecutive championship, Jordan was still struggling to make it to the division finals.

This year, their opponent was once again the Atlanta Hawks.

A showdown between dunk masters Dominique Wilkins and Jordan was about to begin again.

In the West, the Lakers achieved a league-first record of 62 wins and 20 losses.

This marked the fourth consecutive season the Lakers had reached 60 wins, setting an NBA regular-season record for consecutive 60-win seasons.

This achievement showcased the Lakers’ talent and their dominance in the regular season.

However, the Portland Trail Blazers were close behind with 60 wins and 22 losses; they also reached 60 wins for the third consecutive season, and were a major concern for the Lakers.

Gan Guoyang finished the season having played all 82 games, averaging 31.8 points, 14.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 4.3 blocks, and 2.1 steals, completing his fourth professional season.

His assists, blocks, and steals per game all set new career highs.

The 14.7 rebounds per game were the lowest in Gan Guoyang’s career but were still top in the league, earning him the title of rebounding king.

The decrease in rebounds was partly due to the rise of Drexler and Kossie, who took away some of the rebounding stats.

Another factor was the overall slower pace of offense and defense in the league, with the number of possessions and shot attempts decreasing, and naturally, there were fewer rebounds as well.

His individual performance was still impeccable; after the All-Star Game, Gan Guoyang frequently stepped up, leading his team to win streaks of 10 and 8 games, reaching 60 wins for the third time in four years.

Of course, many of the games were won by the skin of their teeth, down to the final moments, when victory was secured through Gan Guoyang’s individual ability, defense, and clutch plays.

The Trail Blazers lacked the composure of 1986, the invincibility of 1987’s one-on-ones, and the team’s progress was tough but steadfast.

Due to conference ranking rules, the Trail Blazers with 60 wins were once again placed at third in the Western Conference.

The Dallas Mavericks ranked second in the West with a record of 54 wins and 28 losses.

In the first round, they once again faced off against the seventh-ranked Seattle SuperSonics in the West.

It’s true that old adversaries are bound to meet; last season, the Mavericks were shockingly defeated in a first-round upset by the SuperSonics, and this year they had the opportunity for revenge.

Ranking fourth and fifth were the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz, who would meet in the first round.

Ranked sixth in the West, the Houston Rockets were set to face the Trail Blazers in the first round.

In just two seasons, the former Western Conference finalists had fallen to the lower half of the standings.

Ranked eighth were the San Antonio Spurs, who were without David Robinson.

Last year, they were vying for the top draft pick, and without their top pick, the Spurs had made it back to the playoffs.

However, it’s clear the Spurs were not content with just being eighth in the West since facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round would likely make them cannon fodder.

This summer, the Spurs would welcome the true leader they needed and quietly await the arrival of David Robinson.

Notably, Rick Adelman’s first season coaching the Warriors was not considered successful.

He led the team to only 23 victories, and the Warriors slid from being a playoff team the previous season to the bottom of the league, vying for lottery picks.

Many things Adelman learned in Portland just didn’t work in Oakland.

Moreover, working with Ah Gan for a long time made Adelman subconsciously believe that all centers should be like that.

As it turned out, Joe Barry Carroll, both in ability and attitude, fell far short of Gan Guoyang.

Eventually, Carroll was traded, and the acquired Sampson did not meet the Warriors’ expectations—his injuries were catastrophic.

During team practices, Adelman realized that Sampson could never play like he used to.

Let alone becoming a superstar center like Ah Gan, who could dominate the team’s interior presence.

The Rockets, who received Carroll, were equally disappointed; this talented big man lost all his fighting spirit after arriving in Houston.

His scoring and rebounds both plummeted to career lows; he devolved from a 20+8 seven-foot star center to a 12+6 blue-collar big man.

The once highly anticipated Houston Twin Towers officially collapsed.

Relying on their foundation from the regular season to secure the sixth seed in the Western Conference, the Rockets were soundly defeated by the Trail Blazers in the first round.

Olajuwon managed to score 31 points with 14 rebounds and 3 blocks in one game, but Gan Guoyang’s opening performance of 40 points, 20 rebounds, and 6 blocks led his team to a resounding victory at home, starting their championship defense journey.

In the second game, the Trail Blazers didn’t give the Rockets any chances at home, winning 105-98, a seven-point advantage, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

That game, Olajuwon scored 40 points at the Memorial Coliseum.

His individual offensive power grew stronger, but it was in vain, as a 40-point performance couldn’t bridge the gap between the teams’ strengths.

In the third game, back in Houston, Olajuwon and Lloyd burst forth, combining for 70 points to finally knock the Trail Blazers off their horse and secure a victory.

In past years’ playoffs, Gan Guoyang and his teams would sweep their opponents in the first round, giving no chances at all.

This year, the Trail Blazers’ dominance wasn’t as terrifying.

They lacked their former sharpness on defense, unable to tighten up as they wished.

Their variable defense that choked opponents last season also wasn’t as effective.

The reason for all this was the team’s declining focus.

All season, the locker room was filled with arguments, reconciliations, more arguments, and more reconciliations.

The Trail Blazers seemed like a rebellious top student who would perform well when prodded by teachers and parents, but any relaxation could lead to a slip.

During the long six months, they would collapse and be prodded back into focus repeatedly, and with a superstar as a safety net, they struggled into the playoffs.

After this game, Gan Guoyang erupted in anger in the locker room once more, demanding that in the next game they must not allow the Rockets to score over a hundred points.

This season, Gan Guoyang’s outbursts exceeded the total of the previous three seasons.

There was no choice; at this point, it was like rushing ducks onto a perch, gritting their teeth and pushing forward to get into form.

In the fourth game at the Summit Arena in Houston, Gan Guoyang and Drexler combined for 81 points, paying homage to Gan himself.

Gan Guoyang kept Olajuwon to 24 points, leading his team to a 121-95 away rout of the Rockets and advancing to the semifinals with a 3-1 series lead.

Olajuwon ended the 1987-1988 season with profound disappointment.

In 1986, he nearly overturned the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan, but now he could only be soundly defeated in the first round.

He felt the gap between himself and Ah Gan growing wider.

After this playoff series, Bill Fitch was fired by the Rockets’ management.

That summer, Olajuwon dedicated his time to the gym and the mosque, deciding to convert to Islam in search of inner peace.

[In 1988, after the fourth game of the first round, we were thoroughly defeated by the Trail Blazers, which ended our season. I didn’t go home after leaving the arena; I drove to a mosque I had passed before. Once when I was drunk, Ah Gan and Drexler took me there, and I was surprised that there was a temple near the arena. I believed there was some link between it and me, it was destined to be there, for me to find it, not too early or too late, just when I was most lost. I went there that night and stayed until morning, and then I spent the whole summer there, calming the waves of my heart.]

——Excerpt from Hakeem Olajuwon’s autobiography "Living The Dream," published in 1996.