The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 566 - 66: The Avenger

Gan Guoyang rarely played basketball in a state of anger.

His angry state was even more terrifying than his calm one.

At that moment, his nerves’ ability to marshal and his adrenaline reached a peak.

He was like a tank rampaging across the court, crushing anyone in his path.

The Washington Bullets could be considered a team of tanks, with two tanks in the paint that had been roaming the league unchecked.

Now, the T-34 and Sherman had come up against the Type 55, completely outclassed in both frontal and side armor as well as firepower.

Fueled with rage, Gan Guoyang wreaked havoc on the Capital Gymnasium’s hoop.

In the paint, whenever Gan Guoyang stormed into the three-second zone, he would dunk if possible, never opting for a hook shot or a layup.

He pushed his strength and explosive power to the limit.

Moses Malone and Charles Barkley, known for their strength, winced from the collisions with Gan Guoyang.

On one play, Gan Guoyang mismatched against Barkley, bulldozed through like a bulldozer and scored inside, drawing a foul from Barkley in the process.

This was Charles Barkley after all, only 6-foot-6 in height but weighing over 270 pounds, heavier than most centers in the League.

In the entire League, Gan Guoyang was the only one who could push Barkley into the three-second zone, score, and draw a foul all in one move.

Barkley was somewhat overwhelmed and said, "Ah Gan, what are you going crazy for? Go play American football! What are you even doing playing basketball!"

Gan Guoyang didn’t pay any attention to Barkley’s barking, stood at the free-throw line and made the additional point, bringing the score to 79:72, with the Trail Blazers leading by seven points.

The Bullets were giving it their all on offense to keep the score close, with Bernard King and Moncrief taking turns on isolation plays, and Barkley and Malone desperately fighting for rebounds inside.

Dick Motta was yelling from the sidelines; they contested every shot, and the situation on the court had reached a fever pitch.

But the Bullets just couldn’t catch up because they couldn’t stop Gan Guoyang, even with three people hanging on him.

In the most difficult third championship, one step away from the finish line, Gan Guoyang turned all his resentment, helplessness, exhaustion, and anxiety from the season into anger and into an endless driving force in the game, launching fierce attacks on his opponents.

His exceptional physical fitness and robust willpower were on full display in this game.

Once in the zone, he kept attacking, the opponents kept adjusting, kept blocking, and he kept on attacking.

He used simple, efficient offensive methods, hammering away at the Bullets’ proud dense defense like a battering ram.

Gan Guoyang originally played with mid-range shots, avoiding the Bullets’ concentrated defense.

Now he wasn’t dodging, "I am going to crush your defense head-on, break down your mix of height and size."

The Bullets switched players in and out, in addition to Malone and Barkley, Lagos, Bol, and Rick Mahorn took turns, always forming a wall in front of Ah Gan to block him.

But it was no use, Gan Guoyang didn’t resort to flashy plays, he just kept bulldozing straight through.

He didn’t rely on speed or explosive first steps, he simply used sheer strength to muscle his way in.

Usually, a center might play such balls twice or thrice in a game.

Gan Guoyang attacked with at least ten such plays in the second half alone, each time with dividends.

Either he got to the basket for a hook shot or drew a foul from the opponent, sending himself to the free-throw line.

On several plays, even as Mahorn and Barkley both reached out to hold Gan Guoyang, it was futile.

He still scored, and you still fouled, plus he got the additional free throw.

This kind of devastating playing style not only crushed the Bullets’ physical defense line but also progressively broke down their spiritual defense line, which had been the pride of their playoff run.

Gan Guoyang aimed not only to disperse the Washington Bullets but also to scatter anyone who thought of scheming from behind.

In the fourth quarter, as he scored while hanging onto Rick Mahorn during a fast break, he showed off his blazing biceps to the entire arena.

He wanted to tell everyone, "If you want to defeat me, come face me on the court. I, Gan, fear no one."

Any sneaky tricks behind the scenes were pointless and only added to their ridicule.

With the free throw made, Gan Guoyang scored 50 points!

In the finals, scoring 50 points, the Trail Blazers had now pulled ahead of the Bullets by as much as 13 points, 95:82.

The Bullets simply couldn’t keep up anymore; their defense line collapsed, and their offense was weak.

Dick Motta wanted to motivate his players to push forward, but when the words reached his lips, he was speechless.

Facing such a performance, what more could you say? Motta knew, they had been defeated, the series had already been lost.

He had not been without the despair of a 1:3 situation before, he had even managed to turn the tables in 1979.

But Motta knew, this Trail Blazers team was not the Spurs, and Ah Gan was certainly not George Gervin.

Indeed, the fat lady had not yet sung, but Motta had already seen her waiting in the wings, ready for her cue.

103:90, the Trail Blazers finally defeated the Washington Bullets on the road with a 13-point advantage, securing a critical fourth game victory.

Leading the series 3:1, they were just one game away from the great three-peat championship.

Gan Guoyang racked up 53 points, 22 rebounds, and 6 blocks for the game.

He dominated on both ends of the court, turning the 1988 Finals into his own personal stage.

Charles Barkley was excellent, but he was far from Ah Gan’s level in overall ability.

In the crucial fourth game, he scored only 18 points, completely failing to match Gan Guoyang’s explosive performance.

After the game, Jerome Kossie still went to meet his father, but he quickly returned.

He told Ah Gan, "I felt like he was a stranger, and I’m confused, why come now? He almost ruined my Finals."

Gan Guoyang said, "I also want to know why he has come now. But the only one who can ruin the Finals is yourself, not someone else. Don’t get distracted by these things."

Kossie nodded, no doubt needing time to process this turn of events.

Gan Guoyang asked Kossie, "Jerome, did your father tell you how he got in touch with the team, through whom?"

Kossie thought for a moment, then replied, "He said it was Mr. Spoelstra."

"Spoelstra?"

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, that guy went to Miami, along with Yin Man, and...

-----------------

June 19, the Trail Blazers and the Bullets faced off in Game 5.

The prices of the tickets had plummeted because tonight, win or lose, the Bullets would not be able to change the course of the series.

Winning this game, Games 6 and 7 would go to Portland, where it was highly probable that they would witness the Trail Blazers clinch the championship at home and complete a three-peat.

If they lost, there wasn’t much to say; they would go home to watch the Trail Blazers take the crown, so tickets to this game were much easier to come by.

As expected, the Trail Blazers did not go all out in this game but instead brought the level of focus usually reserved for regular season battles against the Bullets.

Gan Guoyang, instead of acting like a tank as in Game 4, became a tricycle, lightening up and starting to joke around with Charles Barkley and Bernard King on the court.

The Trail Blazers’ intent was clear; they were casually playing the game, if they won it would be fine, but not winning would be better, setting up Game 6 back in Portland.

Not having a single home-court championship victory out of three titles was a bit hard to justify.

On the Bullets’ side, their spirits were broken by Gan Guoyang in Game 4.

Knowing the Trail Blazers were playing it easy to take the championship home, they lacked the courage to show a "dare to do that and we dare to overturn the series" attitude.

After all, to win two consecutive away games would require a killer to take down Ah Gan.

It was a clear throwaway battle, with the Trail Blazers ending up losing by 10 points, 90:100 to the Bullets.

Even the CBS television commentators noticed, "The Trail Blazers want to go back home, to let the entire Portland celebrate their three-peat."

At the end of the game, the Trail Blazers players appeared relaxed, filled with confidence about winning the championship back home.

As Gan Guoyang was leaving the Capital Gymnasium with his teammates, he spotted a few familiar figures in the parking lot.

It was Stu Yin Man, Spoelstra, and Pat Riley.

They were talking to Jack Ramsay and Buckwalter.

Riley seemed to notice Gan Guoyang’s gaze, looked toward the team bus, and exchanged a look with him. He smiled at Gan Guoyang, waved, and flashed three fingers, as if to congratulate him on the impending third consecutive championship.

And then it dawned on Gan Guoyang, what was happening, and his rage dissipated.

"Goddamn. Just an interesting fellow."