The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 613 - 15 The Flowers Have All Withered

"Let’s introduce the visiting team’s players: from the Timberwolves, the guard at 6 feet 2, from North Carolina State University, Sidney Lowe; the forward at 6 feet 7, from Ohio State University, Tony Campbell; the guard at 6 feet 6, from DePaul University, Tyrone Corbin..."

Before the start of the game between the Timberwolves and the Trail Blazers, the DJ announced the players from both teams.

When introducing the starting lineup of the visiting Timberwolves team, the local fans were somewhat perplexed.

Who are these people? Why does it seem like no one recognizes them at all? Is this really an NBA team?

Before the NBA expanded, among the 23 teams, even the weaker ones generally had a well-known star player.

Players like Wardell B. Free, Reggie-Seth, Eddie Johnson, and Bernard King were relatively famous stars from weaker teams, known for their scoring ability.

Their records might not be impressive, but their individual talent was strong, they could score in the regular season, and that left a deep impression on everyone.

However, with the expansion in ’88 and ’89, four new teams were added, and it was extremely difficult for these new teams to acquire star players.

Not to mention star players, even getting a regular starter was very tough.

Only the Miami Heat, by doing a lot of preparatory work and poaching, managed to get Drexler and rise suddenly to power.

The Timberwolves, Hornets, and Magic could only pick scraps from other teams to put together a team.

At this point, the most familiar player to the Trail Blazers fans in this Timberwolves team must be their core forward, Tony Campbell.

He entered the league in 1984, the same year as Gan Guoyang, selected in the first round at the 20th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons, but he was underutilized by Daley because of his defense and shot selection issues.

In the 1987 Finals, he was a member of the Pistons, but he did not get much playing time, and the Pistons were resoundingly defeated by the Trail Blazers 0:4.

In the ’88 and ’89 seasons, he came to the Lakers, recruited by Jerry West as an end-of-the-bench addition.

In 1988, Campbell did not play a significant role; he only played 13 games and performed mediocrely as the Lakers were eliminated by the Trail Blazers in the Western Finals.

In 1989, however, Campbell played the role of a spy in the Finals against the Pistons, leaking a lot of Pistons intel to the Lakers, making the fight drag on until Game 7.

In the end, the Lakers still lost the series due to massive exhaustion and various other factors.

Overall, Campbell did play a role; otherwise, the series probably would not have reached a Game 7.

In the ’89 expansion draft, Campbell was picked by the Timberwolves.

Arriving at the Timberwolves, this former strong team benchwarmer was suddenly startled to find himself the strongest in the team?

As the saying goes, "In a world without tigers, the monkey becomes king." The new team was like a new territory without tigers, giving those with some ability but underutilized a chance to shine.

When the players from both sides took to the court, Gan Guoyang glanced at the Timberwolves lineup and thought to himself that new teams sure have it tough, picking and choosing from the unwanted, the weak, the sick, the elderly from other squads just to put together a team and then begin the struggle of 82 regular-season games.

Of course, thinking about this, one couldn’t help but admire Pat Riley and the Miami Heat for their meticulous planning and poaching from Portland.

With this year’s draft pick Glen Rice, the Heat had become quite formidable.

For the Trail Blazers, playing a home game against the Timberwolves undoubtedly meant practicing primarily.

Trying different tactics and lineups to find their own game rhythm and style.

Beelman set a rotation schedule, timing substitutions at set intervals, regardless of what was happening on the court.

The goal was clear: to practice. Before the game, he had already communicated with the players, giving everyone a chance and asking them to seize it.

A competitive spirit quickly spread throughout the Trail Blazers team, the backcourt, the frontcourt, the paint – every position brimming with competitiveness.

Currently, besides Gan Guoyang, no player on the team could say they were irreplaceable or guaranteed to start every game.

Porter and Hornacek welcomed challenges from Petrović and Mike-Sanders, Kossie faced the threat from Cliff-Robinson, and Mitchell Thompson’s position in the paint was greatly coveted.

Despite this competition, everyone was eager and spirited.

The reason is simple: they lost the 1988-1989 season.

They had lost the crown, and those who lose it must face challenges.

If it were 1987, with newcomers like Petrović and Sabonis joining the Trail Blazers, challenging for a starting spot would be incredibly difficult.

Everyone was a veteran, having just won a championship; you wouldn’t even think about challenging me as a rookie.

Of course, this is not the most important reason. Some championship teams can rest on their laurels for three to five years, suppressing the rise of new players, even after losing a title.

The most important reason lies in their leader, Gan Guoyang, a strong-armed boss. Back then, when Drexler, the former number two, threw a tantrum, a simple shower was enough to have him quietly shut up and play well until his contract ended in the off-season, at which point he left to fly solo.

After Drexler left, besides Mitchell Thompson, no other player had more seniority than Gan Guoyang.

Since Mitchell Thompson was Guoyang’s closest partner in the paint, a staunch supporter, a shadow warrior, in the Trail Blazers team, Guoyang’s word was law.

At the same time, everyone knew that Bobby Beelman was Guoyang’s coach in high school and college and was the only person who dared scold Guoyang on the basketball court. Their relationship was ironclad.

Adding to that, the team owner Tang Jianguo was a die-hard Ah Gan fan, so the power structure in the Trail Blazers was incredibly stable. As long as no one was trying to establish a separate faction, everyone was focused on playing the game, not harboring other thoughts.

If you wanted to set up your own faction, that was fine too. Drexler was a case in point. Guoyang would not stop you; he would even bless you and make it easy for you to go, and then beat you on the court.

Once the game against the Timberwolves started, the Trail Blazers quickly took the lead.

The Timberwolves struggled to organize an effective defense during their set offense, preventing the penetrating attacks of the Trail Blazers.

They faced the same predicament as the Kings – amongst their entire lineup, there was not a single true center who could defend.

After all, no team would leave a defensively outstanding center available for an expansion draft.

Defending Gan Guoyang was the 6-foot-11 white center Brad Lohaus, who had played for the Celtics and was picked up by the Timberwolves.

Gan Guoyang had never feared these big white centers since college.

As he entered the NBA, it was precisely the time of decline for these sorts of big white centers.

In the increasingly physical NBA, their height and modest skills were simply not enough.

Gan Guoyang started the game by continuously attacking the low post, drawing two fouls on Lohaus, who had no choice but to sit out and rest.

Timberwolves coach Bill Musselman couldn’t help but ask Lohaus as he was taken off, "Did you do that on purpose? Why did you foul so early?"

The coach thought Lohaus didn’t want to be dominated by Ah Gan and preferred to get off the court early with fouls.

Lohaus shrugged and said, "I didn’t want to, but I just couldn’t guard him."

Musselman had nothing to say and looked over at the bench, where there wasn’t even a 6-foot-9 player left.

In this situation, instead of putting a forward to top Gan Guoyang, Musselman put in the small guard Pooh Richardson.

Thus, the Timberwolves played a small lineup with three guards, with only Tod Murphy, a 6-foot-9 power forward, in the frontcourt.

It was a move of desperation for Musselman, but he wasn’t a coach who would just make wild guesses when he had no other options.

He had rich coaching experience in college, ABA, WBA, and CBA, achieving success in each league. He was a coach full of ideas and unconventional approaches.

He knew that no matter which big man he put on Gan Guoyang, it would be in vain, so he might as well put on a guard to strengthen the firepower.

In terms of tactical arrangements, Musselman fully followed the "Gump Law," utilizing speed, mobility, and ball movement to avoid the Trail Blazers’ formidable frontcourt, targeting their relatively weaker backcourt.

Compared to the inadequately prepared Kings of the summer camp, the Timberwolves had more comprehensive tactical preparation, with frequent and smooth passing.

This was quite an accomplishment for a team that had just been assembled and had only played one regular-season game.

The Timberwolves’ first game was against the Seattle SuperSonics, even leading at halftime.

They only lost the game in the last quarter when the SuperSonics rallied because they truly lacked manpower.

The game against the Trail Blazers was similar; they managed to keep the score close in the lower-intensity confrontations of the first and second quarters.

On the Trail Blazers’ side, Divac, Sabonis, Robinson, and Petrović all got over 5 minutes of playing time, allowing players to rotate in and out like a carousel.

Facing double teams, Gan Guoyang often passed the ball, creating offensive opportunities for his teammates.

Compared to the previous seasons, Gan Guoyang had made significant progress in passing and coordinating the offense.

His high-low post passes, wide-range ball movement, and hand-offs after pick-and-rolls had improved dramatically since his rookie season.

If Jack Ramsay were coaching the current Gan Guoyang, he probably wouldn’t get as easily heated.

By halftime, the score was 41:51, with the Trail Blazers leading by 10 points, and the Timberwolves had played well.

By the third quarter, the Trail Blazers began to press harder, increasing the pace of their offense and the intensity of their defense.

Musselman’s unorthodox strategies were no longer effective, and Gan Guoyang didn’t hold back either.

He launched continuous attacks from the low post, leading the Trail Blazers on an 11:0 run, securing the momentum for victory.

Ultimately, the final score was 83:103. The Trail Blazers won comfortably at home by 20 points, securing their second consecutive victory.

Gan Guoyang had a typically impressive game, scoring 26 points with 11 rebounds and 7 assists.

As Porter, Hornacek, Kossie, and others matured, Gan Guoyang started to delegate his scoring responsibilities in the regular season.

During the first three-peat, these guys were just brash youngsters in their early 20s, with unstable performances. Giving the ball to Ah Gan was the safest bet.

As the 90s approached, each of them was reaching their prime and could handle more.

Another significant reason was that with new teams joining, the implementation of the salary cap, and the improvement of labor agreements and draft rules, the concentration of stars in the League was being diluted.

Campbell scored 21 points for the Timberwolves, the highest on the team.

Such players would be at the end of the bench on 80s teams like the Lakers and Detroit.

Now, they could be the leading scorers for some teams, indicating the strength of those top-tier teams.

Super galactic battleships like the Lakers, Celtics, 76ers, and Pistons would become rarer and rarer.

Weaker teams like the Kings, Timberwolves, and Hornets would proliferate.

Previously, the Trail Blazers had to play the Lakers five times a year; starting this season, it was reduced to four.

In the short term, the intensity of competition in the NBA regular season was decreasing, allowing Gan Guoyang to conserve more energy and focus for key games and the playoffs.

However, in the Eastern Conference, Gan Guoyang’s good friend Michael Jordan had not stopped his mad scoring spree.

Jordan scored 54 points in the new season’s first game against the Knights, also marking the debut game for the new coach Phil Jackson, gifting the new coach a grand victory.

After that game, Jordan took the initiative to call Gan Guoyang, saying, "I scored as much in one game as you did in two!"

Gan Guoyang replied, "Call me when you make it to the finals once, Michael. We’re not in the same world anymore."

"This season, it’s going to be this season, Sonny. Just you wait," Jordan confidently said.

"I’ve been waiting for many years, Michael. Waiting so long the flowers are about to wilt."