The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 113 is not the worst class.

Ramsey divided the players into two teams: a rookie team and a starter team.

Gan Guoyang, along with Cort, Kersey, Bernard Thompson, and Schaeffler, formed the rookie team, with these five rookies representing exactly five positions.

The main team consists of Mitchell Thompson, Vandeweghe, Drexler, Daniel Valentine, and Kenny Carr.

If Jim Paxson were playing, the shooting guard position would go to Paxson, and Drexler would move to the small forward position.

With Paxson out, the starting lineup looks more balanced, with Vandeweghe at small forward and Kenny Carr at power forward.

The gap in strength between the two sides is obviously huge. It's not just about experience; just looking at talent, the rookie team only has Gan Guoyang, who was the second overall pick in the first round. The rest were second-round picks or even seventh-round picks.

The main team consists of Mitchell Thompson, the number one pick; Vandeweghe, the 11th pick in the first round; Drexler, the 14th pick in the first round; Valentine, the 16th pick in the first round; and Kenny Carr, the 6th pick in the first round.

The NBA draft order is similar to the imperial examination ranking in ancient China; your draft position determines your background, development, and status.

While future achievements are not absolutely linked to draft position—there are countless examples of high draft picks being duped and low draft picks rising to prominence—overall, a player's career development is highly correlated with their draft position.

Second-round picks like Kessy were instructed to carry Thompson's bag on their first day at training camp. Although they later learned it was just a joke, no one told him, and he carried it for several weeks in a row.

As for first-round picks like Gan Guoyang and Drexler, no one would ask them to carry bags. Given Gan Guoyang's personality, if you asked him to carry a bag, he would just throw it in the trash.

But such a gap was nothing in Gan Guoyang's eyes. Before the competition started, Gan Guoyang gathered the newcomers together and said, "Don't worry, I'm here. You're not the worst class I've ever coached. We can win."

During the new recruit training camp, Kexi, Cort, and others had witnessed Gan Guoyang's strength.

Players from Portland State University who trained with them at the time said that playing against Forrest Gump was a huge pain.

Portland State University and Gonzaga are both in the WCC West Coast Conference. They were thrashed by Forrest Gump in the 84 regular season, which was only a few months ago.

Gan Guoyang has been leading teams with less talent to victory for a long time, not just recently. He understands how to encourage and guide underdog teams to defeat stronger teams.

The game began with Adelman's whistle.

Gan Guoyang went all out in the jump ball and successfully overpowered Thompson to gain possession.

Cort got the ball past midfield, and Gan Guoyang quickly positioned himself in the low post.

Mitchell Thompson held off Gan Guoyang, only to find he couldn't hold him off—this guy's back was as strong as a rhinoceros's.

The rhinoceros received the ball, took a step inside, turned around, and dunked the ball into the basket with one hand, scoring the first point.

"Fuck...this kid is so strong..."

This is a sentiment echoed by almost every player who faces Gan Guoyang for the first time.

Gan Guoyang's 6-foot-10 height and Asian appearance easily lead his opponents to underestimate his strength, thinking he's all show and no substance.

Besides his immense strength, Gan Guoyang also possesses explosive power. Unlike white centers who, despite their great strength, are slow at dribbling and pushing, making it extremely difficult for them to score in the low post, he struggles to find the right angles and pushes the ball around.

Gan Guoyang is like a lion hunting a rabbit, knocking you out of your defensive position in an instant, and completing his attack in a flash, swift and decisive, leaving you no room to savor the moment.

Before Thompson could even process what was happening, Vandeweghe's outside shot missed, Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, and dribbled straight up the court with no one guarding him.

Thompson could only retreat to the three-second zone and stand still, hoping to draw an offensive foul. But Gan Guoyang took a big step and caught a hook shot, without even bumping into him, and scored two points.

In just one minute, Gan Guoyang scored 4 points in a row, leaving Thompson completely bewildered. Was this kid even playing basketball?

The months of training and matches with the Olympic team and NBA All-Star team have significantly improved Gan Guoyang's skills.

He played with more confidence than he did in Gonzaga, having competed against promising young talents from across the country and NBA stars, most of whom he considered mediocre.

Vandeweghe, Drexler, and Gan Guoyang were teammates with them. They were all excellent and very talented players, but they all had significant flaws.

One has absolutely no defense, and the other's shooting is too amateurish. If the two of them could combine their skills, they could be one of the best in the league.

Moreover, the Trail Blazers' starting lineup is shorter than the rookie team, so they will definitely play a fast game. Gan Guoyang has a lot of experience dealing with fast-paced teams:
When defending, I just need to firmly guard the three-second zone under the basket. You can shoot from the outside all you want, no matter how accurate your shot is.

When dealing with a fast-paced offense, the biggest fear is not being able to get back on defense in time, leaving the paint vulnerable and allowing the opponent to keep attacking.

It doesn't matter if they lose some balls on the perimeter, they're bound to concede points eventually. If they don't shoot a lot of three-pointers, their shooting efficiency is much lower than their layup efficiency.

Having grasped this principle, Gan Guoyang and Schaeffler teamed up to firmly control the three-second zone, and they didn't care what others did.

Although Scheffler is a "rookie," he was actually drafted by the Pacers in 1977, but his draft position was too low to enter the NBA, and he played in Europe instead.

So this is a big man with a lot of experience in the game, standing at 6 feet 11 inches tall. If you let him single-handedly control the paint, he definitely can't do it.

But with Gan Guoyang around, all he had to do was support, follow instructions, protect the rebounds, provide screens on offense, and get back on defense in time.

After the rookie team took an early 4-0 lead, the starters gradually began to exert their strength, with Vandeweghe hitting consecutive shots on the counterattack to tie the score.

Thompson and Kenny Carr teamed up to double-team Gan Guoyang, while Colter, Korsey, and Bernard Thompson struggled to find their offensive rhythm.

Valentine, an experienced point guard, organized excellent half-court offense, executing two or three plays in a row, and finding shooting opportunities on the perimeter to score.

After about 5 minutes, the main team led 16-8, an 8-point advantage. Gan Guoyang raised his hand to Adelman and called a timeout to let everyone adjust.

The pace of NBA games is much faster than that of NCAA games. In the NCAA, it's considered quite high if the two teams score more than 10 points combined in the first 5 minutes.

In the NBA, ranking up is quick, and it's even faster in intra-team scrimmages. After Gan Guoyang's initial shock, Thompson and others thought that this kid was probably just like that.

As a center, you're still vulnerable to double teams, and you'll still be at a disadvantage in fast-paced games.

On the sidelines, Ramsey had already silently noted down some of Gan Guoyang's "shortcomings" in his notebook, preparing to play a "spot the difference" game with Gan Guoyang after the match.

Inman and Weinberg sat on the sidelines, satisfied with Gan Guoyang's performance at the start of the game, and said that the rookie team's lag was expected and perfectly normal.

If they could dominate the main team, wouldn't that be like turning the tables and creating chaos?

Only Adelman, who was acting as a referee on the court, sensed that Gan Guoyang's performance was not as simple as it seemed. "Their defense was very solid, and Gan focused most of his energy on teaching his teammates how to defend and helping them find their rhythm on offense. He didn't exert himself at all."

Adelman had close contact with the players from both teams, giving him a more direct understanding of the game's progress.

After the timeout, Gan Guoyang once again positioned himself in the low post, and Kenny Carr came over to double-team him after he received the ball.

However, before the double team could form, Gan Guoyang had already faked a move, turned around, and scored with a turnaround jump shot.

Gan Guoyang received the ball deep in the box, and Thompson was unable to head it out far enough.

It's incredibly difficult to stop him from that kind of turnaround jump shot.

Although Mitchell Thompson is not tall, he is physically strong, has an excellent wingspan, and is a good defender.

Thompson is particularly adept at defending against low-post skilled players, and he can easily steal the ball from them if you're not careful.

As an inside player, he averages one steal per game, most of which are steals during low-post defense.

This is his seventh year in the league. He is 30 years old and is at the peak of his defensive experience.

But when facing Gan Guoyang, he felt helpless because Gan Guoyang was too fast.

Thompson actually had a good impression of Gan Guoyang because his resistance to the Trail Blazers' medical system resonated with the players.

But after those few shots, Thompson had only one thought in his mind: he was really getting old, and those damn injuries had ruined him.

He was also fast, strong, and explosive when he played at the University of Minnesota, but he suffered a fibula fracture in 79 and missed a whole year.

After his comeback, he no longer possessed the speed and explosiveness of his youth. Now, at thirty years old, he can rely on his experience to do well in the league.

However, Gan Guoyang scored several isolation goals in a row, which made Thompson very angry. On the offensive end, he asked Drexler for the ball, wanting to back down Gan Guoyang.

Receives the ball, fakes an inside spin move, receives an outside spin move and attempts a hook shot, gets blocked...

Thompson couldn't understand how his skillful fake move followed by a spin hook shot could get blocked.
When playing against the Lakers, he could even beat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with this move. Gan Guoyang is the same height as him, but with a slightly longer wingspan, and this shot...

Before Thompson could figure it out, Gan Guoyang received a pass from Cort during a fast break, drove into the paint, and easily dunked.

They scored 4 points in a row, so it seems that the timeout was quite effective.

Thompson asked Gan Guoyang as they crossed half-court, "How did you block my hook shot?"

Gan Guoyang said, "You're too slow, and I block shots with my left hand."

Thompson realized that one reason was his slowness, which meant his feints were ineffective.

Secondly, Gan Guoyang uses his left hand to block shots. If he is defending a right-handed player, his left hand will be closer to the ball, making it easier to block.

Thompson called for the ball in the low post again, and the perimeter player kindly passed the ball to Thompson. This time, he used his skills to spin repeatedly, trying to get rid of Gan Guoyang's one-on-one defense.

Gan Guoyang is like a piece of chewing gum; no matter how you turn around, I'll stick to you, and I stick to you perfectly.

The experienced Thompson found an opening and seized the opportunity to go up for a layup, drawing a defensive foul from Gan Guoyang.

After all, Thompson's years in the NBA weren't for nothing; he made both free throws, which helped him regain some ground.

But it was from this point that the situation on the court began to reverse, and the score went from 18-12 to 18-18.

The starters' outside shooting went cold, while the rookies played with great discipline, with Kossie and Cort scoring in quick succession.

Next, Gan Guoyang closely guarded Drexler's layup, grabbed the rebound, and made a long pass to the frontcourt.

Jerome Kossie was already on the fast break when he received the ball and easily dunked, giving the rookie team the lead.

Ramsey was so angry that he called a timeout for the main team, letting them reflect on where the problem lay.

The rookie team was overjoyed. Although they hadn't won yet, it was really great to be able to come back and win once in a 20-minute scrimmage.

"Gan, you were absolutely right, they really did go silent."

On the sidelines, Ke Xi was very excited. He scored the crucial go-ahead point, and besides Gan Guoyang, he had the most points on the rookie team.

He was constantly worried that he wouldn't be able to establish himself with the Trail Blazers and would be cut after training camp.

Cauchy graduated from a school that was virtually unknown.

At least Gan Guoyang's Gonzaga is an NCAA-Division 1 school, while the Longwood College basketball team, from which Kosh graduated, only plays in the NAIA league.

Although the NAIA has a long history and was founded by Dr. Naismith, its level and influence are far inferior to those of the NCAA and NIT.

Furthermore, Longwood College was an all-girls school until 1976, and only recently began admitting male students, thus achieving co-education.

Because of this, Kossie was often ridiculed by the Trail Blazers after he joined them, with people saying that he was an outstanding graduate of a women's college and had excellent housekeeping skills.

Therefore, Kossie cherished every opportunity to perform. He was born in a poor rural area of ​​Virginia, and had seven children. He grew up with his grandparents.

Although he went to university, he didn't get his diploma because he hadn't taken two courses. Basketball was his only way out.

Ramsey once suggested that he play in Europe for two years and then come back, which was the choice of many players who lacked talent at the time: to gain experience and make money first, and then return to the United States to become a qualified cog in the machine.

But Kossie didn't accept the suggestion; he was very stubborn and wanted to stay and play in the NBA.

Gan Guoyang told Kexi to calm down and not act like a corgi. He said, "Stabilize your defense. When you let Vandeweghe into the paint, I'll be waiting for him."

Ke Xi nodded vigorously. He completely admired Gan Guoyang, because during the first timeout, Gan Guoyang had said:
"I'll lead you on a counterattack later. The opponent's attack will most likely be silenced. We must seize this opportunity and not make any mistakes. Remember, do not make any mistakes."

(End of this chapter)