The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 610 - 13 Sunrise_2

The newly added laser projectors atop the ceiling cast the Portland Trail Blazers’ logo onto the center of the court floor.

The live DJ switched to a high-pitched voice, stretching the notes as he began to introduce the starting players for the Trail Blazers.

Everyone immediately realized this was the new pre-game ceremony for the home team players that the Trail Blazers had adopted for the new season.

It was the idea of the team owner, Tang Jianguo, who found the previous ceremony too plain, utterly lacking in dramatic effect.

Both home and away teams were the same, which was boring; he insisted that the entrance of the home team players be filled with a sense of mystery and ceremony.

So, the lights were dimmed, the music played, and lasers flashed chaotically, becoming the standard for the Trail Blazers’ new season entrances.

The background music was Richard Strauss’s symphonic masterpiece "Thus Spake Zarathustra," specifically the introduction piece, "Sunrise."

The solemn drumbeats, coupled with the shrill call of trumpets and violins, brought the atmosphere to a climax.

"From Gonzaga University, a 6 foot 10 center, Sunny~~~Gump!!"

When the DJ introduced the last player to enter, the music reached its climax, as if a fiery sun burst forth from the horizon.

Many fans who were experiencing this brand-new entrance ceremony for the first time were moved to tears; the atmosphere in the stadium reached its peak, and the morale of the Trail Blazers soared.

The Kings Team seemed even less spirited; the match hadn’t even started, and they already felt 10 points behind.

Gan Guoyang and Ralph Sampson stood at center court for the jump ball, two players of genius from ’83 and ’84 with vastly different fates within just a few years.

Sampson visibly gained some weight, his legs adorned with thick blue knee pads.

Judging by appearance alone, he still had the makings of a superstar center.

A towering height, an incredibly long wingspan, and he looked even stronger.

But those who had seen him play knew he would never return to his past glory.

Rick Adelman was most aware of this; playing in the NBA, especially in the paint, physical condition is decisive.

Slowed speed and diminished explosiveness strip you of competitiveness in clashes, turning a star into an ordinary player, or even an unwanted fringe player, and eventually lead to being cut from the team.

Knee injuries were fatal for Sampson; he could no longer play the high-flying game of his past.

At the jump ball against Gan Guoyang, even with his significant height advantage, the more explosive Gan Guoyang still tapped the ball first, and the Trail Blazers began their offense.

In the first offense of the season, Gan Guoyang called for the ball in the low post and immediately drew the defense of three Kings players.

Hornacek came out from the baseline, found an opportunity on the right side of the arc using a screen, and Gan Guoyang passed the ball to Hornacek very naturally.

Hornacek caught the ball, took the jump shot, and scored the first points of the game.

In the ’88-’89 season, due to Drexler’s departure, it afforded Hornacek and Curry more room to grow.

Their off-ball cutting and catch-and-shoot abilities improved significantly. Beelman designed many off-ball movement tactics around Gan Guoyang’s ability to draw the defense, for Hornacek and Curry.

These movement tactics were fundamental scoring methods for the Trail Blazers during regular games and were also key to stabilizing their performance last season.

In the absence of a second scoring option, Beelman distributed the scoring burden among these skilled guards.

Overall, the team strategy continued the "subtract two, add one" approach since the ’88 season, relying even more on set offenses after losing Drexler.

The Trail Blazers had the league’s top set offensive efficiency, the most three-point attempts, and a slower game tempo.

Speaking of shortcomings, without Drexler, the Trail Blazers’ perimeter height, physical condition, defensive intensity, and ability to make steals all dropped a level, and their fast-break ability also significantly decreased.

The Trail Blazers didn’t just lose Drexler; they also lost Vandeweghe, Jim Paxson, Kenny-Carl, and other tall, strong guards and forwards.

Their ability from ’86 and ’87 to instantly increase defensive intensity in waves had all but vanished.

The team’s steals dropped from being first in the league in ’86 and ’87 to just mid-league.

Their offensive rebound numbers also fell from the top of the league to the middle.

However, their number of three-point attempts and makes remained firmly at the top of the league.

The Trail Blazers transitioned from a sharp, ferocious cavalry team to a steady, efficiency-first infantry team.

So, the Trail Blazers’ games looked more measured and less fiery, with fewer aggressive dunks and more passing cuts and mid-to-long range shots from the perimeter.

The Kings started the game on offense without a clear plan, lacking a true strength, and initially tried to have Sampson go one-on-one against Gan Guoyang.

But if Sampson couldn’t handle Gan Guoyang in his prime, how could he be a match for him now?

With a push from behind and a firm hand on top, Gan Guoyang knew Sampson had declined horribly; he’d lost all speed and explosiveness.

Gan Guoyang swiftly swiped and knocked the ball from Sampson’s hands, stole it, and the Trail Blazers counter-attacked.

Without Drexler, the Trail Blazers’ counterattacks weren’t as swift, but Porter was still very decisive.

He brought the ball down, stopped abruptly, and nailed a three-pointer. He and Hornacek, these two perimeter shooters, were the Trail Blazers’ second and third scorers.

It seemed the Trail Blazers’ guards didn’t want to give Gan Guoyang face. You want to score 50 points? We’ll mess up the game before halftime and not give you the chance.