The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 611 - 13 Sunrise_3

After Negro’s outside shot missed, Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Trail Blazers set up their offense.

Gan Guoyang moved down to the low post to receive the ball, backing down Sampson. As he pushed in with the ball, Sampson seemed to be on roller skates, easily shoved aside and losing his position.

Gan Guoyang effortlessly glided to the basket and finished with a relaxed right-handed slam, scoring his first points of the new season.

In his first offensive and defensive plays of the game, Guoyang sensed Sampson’s weakness; injuries had thoroughly destroyed this once-talented player.

His injury was to the knee, and though he was heavier and physically stronger, his ability to compete was actually diminished because his legs couldn’t generate power.

Five minutes into the game, the score quickly reached 6:16, with the Trail Blazers leading by 10 points. The Kings Team called for a timeout.

Sampson sat on the bench, gasping for air, his sweat pouring down. In those five minutes, he hadn’t scored at all, only managing to grab a single rebound.

Defending Guoyang, he let Guoyang easily score 8 points and dish out 2 assists. The only method he had to stop Guoyang was to foul him and send him to the free-throw line.

Over the summer, due to personal reasons, Sampson wasn’t too keen on reporting to the Kings Team, causing him to miss their preseason training camp.

He didn’t join the team until the season was about to start, only had one practice session with them, and then headed to Portland to play in the game, even starting. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Had he played against another team, he might have been able to score a few points, grab some rebounds, and somewhat display his former prowess.

But facing Ah Gan, he was utterly lost.

The good news was, Guoyang’s style of play wasn’t as violent as it had been in ’86 or ’87.

Turnaround jumpers and mid-range shots had become Guoyang’s main offensive moves. He wasn’t going to brawl in the three-second zone like he used to against the Rockets, almost coming to blows.

If he had played that way, Ah Gan would have really embarrassed Sampson.

The Kings Team really had no good strategy to defend Guoyang, so they sent him to the free-throw line multiple times in the first quarter.

Guoyang scored 11 points from free throws in the first quarter, which helped him find his shooting touch.

With the Trail Blazers leading by 12 points at the end of the first quarter, they brought on Petrović and Sabonis in the second.

The two European stars made their NBA debut to a surge of applause and cheering from the fans.

Although they were rookies, both were the same age as Guoyang at 25 and had played in Europe for many years, bringing plenty of experience to the game.

With the Kings Team not being strong, they quickly scored their first NBA points—Petrović on a sharp stop-and-pop jump shot after handling the ball.

Sabonis scored under the basket after grabbing an offensive rebound.

This game was simply too unfair for the Kings Team, because who did they have as the backup center when Ralph Sampson rested?

It was Randy-Allen, 6-foot-8, originally a small forward, who now had to play center against the 7-foot-3 Sabonis.

Aside from Allen, there weren’t any other legitimate big men to take the court on the bench for the Kings Team; their No.1 Pick had been injured without playing a single game.

There was a play where Allen defended Sabonis’ back, and upon receiving Curry’s pass, Sabonis made a post move. The Kings’ head coach, Jerry Reynolds, standing on the sideline, wondered why no one was defending Sabonis?

He shouted, "Who’s guarding Sabonis! Where’s his defender!"

Only when Sabonis turned for the hook shot under the basket did Reynolds realize that Allen had been behind Sabonis all along...

Allen was too short and too skinny compared to Sabonis, completely blocked from sight. He could hardly be seen.

Sabonis easily made the hook shot without Allen even being able to raise a hand to contest.

Sabonis completed his first NBA one-on-one score, nearly mistaken by the Kings’ head coach for an uncontested layup.

Like the bear-like Eastern European big man Sabonis, the Trail Blazers had another sitting on the bench.

Jerry Reynolds took a deep sigh. If we’re just talking about the starting lineup, although the Kings Team wasn’t that great, they could at least assemble a competent five-man group, with a legitimate player at each position.

But beyond the starters, the bench of the Kings Team was simply despairing.

Apart from Negro and Cole who showed some potential, the others were just deadwood that couldn’t find a job in the NBA outside of the Kings Team.

The Kings Team struggled to sign players and failed in drafting as well, which is why these players even had a chance.

Reliant on their starting five, they could inject passion into a playoff series or a short-term tournament to propel their performance.

Playing 82 games over half a year’s regular season, plus all those long trips, injuries and fatigue are inevitable; having sufficient substitutes is a must.

Even so, the Kings’ fighting spirit was still decent, and they hadn’t given up on the game by halftime.

Sabonis and Petrović scored some points, but their defensive flaws also emerged.

In FIBA games, zone defense is the main theme, and defense is a team effort with everyone helping each other out.

In the NBA, one-on-one man defense is emphasized. Things like pseudo-zone defense are mainly used in key games, especially in the playoffs.

In regular season games, most of the time, it is man-to-man, and coaches don’t have the leisure to devise defensive traps every day.

Hornacek’s one-on-one perimeter defense was already considered relatively weak, and Petrović was even worse than Hornacek.

In the second quarter, the Kings’ scoring began to rise as Negro, McGrady, and Kenny Smith all found ways to target Petrović.

Petrović underwent surgery in the summer and pushed himself too hard to keep up with Gan Guoyang’s training pace during the preseason camp, resulting in his physical condition not being fully restored.

After playing for a few minutes in the second quarter, although he scored, he was continuously exploited by the opponents on defense.

Sabonis, however, was a pillar in the paint; his ligaments and knees had received proper rest and treatment.

Sabonis’ problem was fouling; he had yet to grasp the officiating standards of the NBA, picking up two early fouls in the second quarter.

Bobby Berman subbed him out, and Gan Guoyang reentered the game. They high-fived, implying Sabonis had played well.

With 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block, Sabonis demonstrated his intimidation factor in the paint.

Petrović, too, had 4 points, but his defensive frailty was going to be a big problem.

After Gan Guoyang returned to the court, Beelman tried pairing him with Mike-Sanders.

Sanders, a defensive guard of the blue-collar variety, immediately plugged the defensive leaks on the perimeter.

Gan Guoyang hit three pull-up mid-range shots in succession, shooting crisply, with a high arc that didn’t even touch the rim, making a "swish" sound, stable as an old pine.

By halftime, Gan Guoyang easily scored 21 points, and the score was 39:58, with the Trail Blazers leading by 19 points.

By the third quarter, the game lost its suspense, and the lead quickly approached 30 points.

Gan Guoyang had declared before the game that he would score 50 points, but the Kings really weren’t strong enough; they had lost their will to resist early on.

Having scored 30 points, Gan Guoyang no longer had the motivation to pad his stats.

He scored high points when the game was intense and his teammates were off; that’s when he would step up and take over the scoring to win the game.

In a game where the opponent surrendered early and was completely out of form, Gan Guoyang wouldn’t monopolize shooting rights to pad his stats.

He would rather let his teammates get the stats and give rookies more playing time to develop.

Divac got some playing time in the latter half of the third quarter, replacing Gan Guoyang.

Cliff-Robinson also took to the floor and played a round; both performed well and scored quickly on the court.

It has to be said that the Kings were a good sparring partner; they had a long, long way to go to become a strong team.

By the fourth quarter, with the lead expanding to 30 points, the Trail Blazers put in a full bench lineup, just as Gan Guoyang said, allowing all 12 players on the big roster to get some court time.

Mason, because he wasn’t activated, didn’t get a chance to play.

Eventually, the score settled at 90:121, with the Trail Blazers winning by a 31-point margin in their opening game; 10 players on the team scored, 6 had double-digit points, and 12 players played to kick off the new season on the right foot.

Gan Guoyang’s stats were unremarkable: 30 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks, looking like he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

At the end of the game, Gan Guoyang went on the court and embraced Ralph Sampson, who only got 5 points and 4 rebounds that night.

Whether against Gan Guoyang or Sabonis, the once-prolific child prodigy looked helpless; he had officially fallen out of the ranks of NBA frontline stars.

Whether he can survive in the league much longer is a question; at 29, his career is already on the countdown.

The NBA is just that cruel. Sun rises and sets, people come and go; even the most glorious sun has its day of setting.

But this round, Gan Guoyang’s sun is still on the rise, not yet at its zenith.