The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 548 - 50 60 Points

The morning after the second game, Gan Guoyang said goodbye to his wife as he prepared to catch a flight to Dallas for an away game.

Wang Fuxi had originally planned to accompany Gan Guoyang to Dallas, but considering she had just become pregnant and her body was still reacting and unstable, Gan Guoyang insisted that she stay home, arranging for someone to take care of her daily needs.

Before leaving, Wang Fuxi expressed her worries about her husband, as the second game’s defeat had dealt a significant blow to the team’s morale.

Gan Guoyang, who scored 53 points in the first game, was held to just 27 points and 15 rebounds by the Mavericks’ relentless defense.

For him, this score was far too low, and his shooting percentage was only 49%, which was also low for him.

What’s worse, through this game, the Mavericks and other teams glimpsed the Trail Blazers’ weakness: they were in fact more reliant on Guoyang than they had been in 1987.

Although Gan Guoyang dominated the league in 1987 with his one-on-one plays, aside from that, Vandeweghe’s three-pointers, Drexler’s penetration, Porter’s shooting, and the contributions of Walton and Thompson in the low post formed a potent frontcourt offensive system around Guoyang.

This year was different, as Vandeweghe was troubled by a back injury and his performance had plummeted.

Since being injured at the beginning of the season and replaced by Kossie in the starting lineup, Vandeweghe had not regained his former condition since returning after the All-Star Game.

He was relegated to the bench and his statistics suffered a steep decline.

As a shooter, Vandeweghe wasn’t a ’Microwave’ type of player.

He needed the more relaxed defensive conditions in the first quarter to find a good offensive rhythm.

When he came off the bench, he often needed to perform immediately, which was not the pace he was accustomed to.

At the same time, although the pain in his back had eased, it had not disappeared and would torment him from time to time.

Walton was no longer there, and Gilmore could only contribute defensively, and he needed to face Jabbar to unleash all his energy.

Thompson, living a blissful life with his beautiful wife, was going to be a father; his wife became pregnant last year, and she was due in June this year.

At present, much of Thompson’s attention was with his pregnant wife, and it was obvious how much of that concern remained on the court.

Therefore, the current Trail Blazers had shifted from a ’forward-heavy lineup complemented by guards’ to ’one superstar center + guard group’.

At that moment, the role of that one center became even more prominent, and at the same time, easier to target.

Once an injury is spotted on the Lion King, the pack of wolves will surely rush in for a frenzied attack.

Guoyang wasn’t too worried about this, he embraced Wang Fuxi, comforting her, "Just stay at home and watch the live broadcast on TV. I have never let anyone down, have I?"

Wang Fuxi nodded, "Victory and defeat are common in war, don’t get angry with your teammates because of a loss. Don’t forget, it’s your optimism and open-mindedness that are your best weapons. Don’t be swayed by strong emotions, understand?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Don’t worry, for the sake of our child, I won’t lash out at others, I have it under control."

Because it was still early in the pregnancy, Gan Guoyang had yet to tell anyone about it, including his father.

After boarding the plane that morning, Guoyang felt the cabin’s atmosphere was somewhat heavy; they had played poorly in the second game.

Seeing Gan Guoyang come in, everyone was even more reluctant to speak loudly, nobody wanted to touch a raw nerve.

But Guoyang wasn’t angry with the team; instead, he took the responsibility for the loss upon himself.

"I didn’t reach my average score, and my shooting percentage was only 49%. I didn’t fulfill my task. Next game, I will complete my task, and then you all do what you’re supposed to do, and we can take the victory."

Gan Guoyang’s calmness significantly relaxed the team’s atmosphere.

Gan Guoyang wasn’t Riley, he wasn’t Dick Motta; he didn’t need to force his players or push them to their limits.

He was part of a minority who could find a way to solve problems with self-motivation and reasonableness, and deliver their best performance.

Moreover, he trusted his teammates and himself, confident that they would bounce back.

Head coach Jack Ramsay was also proactive, quickly making lineup adjustments.

On May 15th, at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, for the third game of the series, Ramsay started Gilmore and moved Guoyang to the power forward position.

This was Ramsay’s most common move of the season: when in doubt, Ah Gan goes power forward.

Gan Guoyang was more versatile at the power forward spot than at center, more dynamic on both offense and defense.

The condition was that someone in the paint could hold their own in both offense and defense.

Thompson could still make an impact offensively this year, but his defensive presence was greatly reduced.

Moreover, his personal defensive skills were strong, but his help defense was average; with a light bodyweight, he could not handle the task of protecting the rim for extended periods.

When Ramsay brought Gilmore into the starting lineup, it was to liberate Gan Guoyang from the three-second zone.

Indeed, this move was effective. Learning from the lessons of the second game, the Trail Blazers started the third game with full defensive force.

On the defensive end, Gan Guoyang spread his net wide, tirelessly rotating, helping, reaching in, and disrupting the Mavericks’ offensive flow.

On offense, he continually caught the ball further out, drawing double teams and passing it inside to Gilmore, the cutting Drexler, and the cutting Porter, allowing them to attack the basket efficiently.

This was a common attack pattern in the "center-guard" system, and the Trail Blazers were steadily pressing down on the Mavericks in the half-court offense.

The game fell into the Trail Blazers’ rhythm: slow, fewer passes, more threes.

Porter brought the ball over the half-court line, which could take up to 5 seconds.

Gan Guoyang came out to receive the pass, no longer launching an attack immediately upon receiving the ball as he used to.

Instead, he observed the main plays, everyone moving around, chewing up some time.

After about 10 seconds, a pass, cooperation, usually three to four passes, and then it was time to shoot.

There was no endless dribbling on the court and no ineffective passing – just shoot at the slightest opportunity.

As a result, the Mavericks could hardly capture any errors and had no chance for counterattacks; they could only battle the Trail Blazers for position.

What Mark Aguirre feared the most was Gan Guoyang’s defense. When Gan Guoyang came to the power forward position, Aguirre frequently encountered Ah Gan in mismatches.

Like Barkley, all he could do was pass, and the Mavericks had to reorganize the offense, back and forth, losing their offensive rhythm.

Gan Guoyang dished out 12 assists in just three quarters, setting a new personal playoff record for assists in three quarters.

He took his defensive drawing power to the limit, and when the fourth quarter came and it was time to settle the game, he stepped up, successively scoring under the basket, helping the Trail Blazers to secure the victory at 105:95, leading the series 2:1.

With an all-around performance of 30 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 blocks, and 4 steals, Gan Guoyang clinched the win, and the initiative in the series returned to the Trail Blazers.

Although in the fourth game, the Dallas Mavericks adjusted, relying on an eruption of three-pointers and Sam Bowie’s sudden accuracy from outside – scoring 6 out of 8 midrange attempts for 21 points – to claw back one game, levelling the series at 2:2.

By that time, the two teams knew each other inside out, and other players on the Trail Blazers were finding their game rhythm.

Porter and Hornacek’s shooting became more precise, and their cutting into the lane sharper.

Double-teaming Gan Guoyang became meaningless and could even damage the team’s defense.

The fifth battle, the critical game, was back in Portland and would decide the direction of the series.

105:107, the Trail Blazers edged out a victory at home with a 2-point advantage.

In the final moments, Gan Guoyang consecutively blocked the Mavericks’ surefire layups under the basket, securing the crucial victory.

Having reached match point, the Trail Blazers would not miss their chance to win the series.

The sixth game was in Dallas, where the Mavericks put up a very tenacious resistance.

The two teams battled through three overtimes, fighting until they were spent, with five players from each side fouled out.

In the pivotal third overtime, Mark Aguirre did not play due to finger pain.

While Gan Guoyang was in full force, scoring 8 points at a time when everyone else was out of energy.

The Trail Blazers ultimately emerged victorious with a 135:131 win at Reunion Arena after a grueling battle lasting three and a half hours, defeating the Mavericks 4:2 in the series.

Gan Guoyang played through all three overtimes, racking up a staggering 60 points and 21 rebounds, his jersey completely soaked with sweat.

In the overtimes, he accounted for 18 of the Trail Blazers’ 20 points.

After the game, Gan Guoyang addressed the reporters, calling out to Bowie, "Your defense wasn’t very good tonight, allowing me to score 60 points."

Gan Guoyang became the first and only player in NBA history to score 60 points twice in the playoffs.

His extraordinary stamina played a key role in this brutal game; sometimes, towards the end, it all comes down to physical endurance.

Following the Denver Nuggets, the Dallas Mavericks became the second victim.

From then on, in playoff games against the Trail Blazers, no one dared mention "60 points" anymore, never again.