The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 118 Caring for You

The player who replaced Gan Guoyang was not an inside player, but Drexler.

Ramsey fielded a smaller lineup to further enhance the team's offensive firepower.

Ramsey is an offensive coach. When the game gets intense, he will kneel on one knee on the sidelines and shout "Run! Run! Run!"

"Don't be the last one, start running!"

He likes to make his players run, believing that scoring opportunities always come from running, and that only by constantly running can the team's offensive efficiency be improved.

As Gan Guoyang sat on the sidelines, he thought to himself, "No wonder Walton has so many injuries. This kind of running is the most damaging to the legs. It's actually less likely to get injured when you're battling in the paint. And if you do get injured, it's a minor injury that will heal quickly."

After Drexler entered the game, the Trail Blazers' small-ball offense became even more insane.

After finding his rhythm in the first quarter, Vandeweghe completely found his groove in the second quarter, unleashing a scoring streak.

This German-American forward, a UCLA graduate, possesses exceptional offensive skills. As a white player, he is meticulous in his offensive game, adept at using his body to create shooting space, and has an excellent shooting form.

At a time when many players used straight-arm shooting, Vandeweghe was one of the few in the league who represented the bent-arm shooting style, maintaining a stable hand shape after release, which was quite beautiful.

Straight-arm shooting is suitable for close to medium range and can effectively deal with blocking interference, but it is not suitable for long range.

A bent-arm shot can be made from a distance and is more stable, but it is easier to be blocked at close range.

In the era before the three-point line, scoring was easier the closer you were to the basket, so perimeter players often used straight-arm shots to resist the blocking and interference of opposing center forwards.

Vandeweghe can be considered a pioneer of the flex-arm long-range shot and is one of the players in the league who attempts the most three-pointers.

Gan Guoyang is one of the few players who can shoot with both straight and bent arms. He uses a straight arm in the paint and a bent arm for long-range shots. This is the result of a lot of shooting training combined with his shooting talent.

After Drexler entered the game, Vandeweghe scored consecutive catch-and-shoot baskets in half-court sets, and the Trail Blazers began to score quickly.

Drexler is exceptionally good at finding opportunities and passing the ball in fast-paced games.

Faced with Vandeweghe's hot streak, the Kansas City Kings didn't employ any specific defensive strategy. They simply attacked when he attacked, and if he scored more points, they would try to score even more.

The two teams traded baskets in the second quarter, with both sides racking up points.

Midway through the second quarter, both sides entered a substitution phase, with Gan Guoyang returning to the court to replace Mitchell Thompson.

At this point, he knew it was time to rank up.

At this point, the Kansas City Kings brought in newcomer Audis Thorpe to match up against Gan Guoyang.

"Audis, I'm going to score some points later, so please don't be too tight on my defense." Gan Guoyang always tries to say a few words to acquaintances he sees.

"Don't joke around, I can't stop you." Thorpe was quite self-aware, saying that he couldn't stop Gan Guoyang.

However, when Gan Guoyang was positioning himself in the low post, Thorpe didn't hold back at all.

The Kansas City Kings probably just like to recruit strong big men like Thorpe and Larsson.

But their strength paled in comparison to Gan Guoyang's.

Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post for the first time on offense, and then quickly turned inside to shoot a jump shot.

With a forward-leaning, aggressive straight-arm shot, Thorpe couldn't even jump to contest, and Gan Guoyang scored two points.

Gan Guoyang and Drexler high-fived; Drexler had fed them a very comfortable ball.

Thorpe sighed and went to the baseline to inbound the ball. The Kings' offense did not have the expected effect. Head coach Jack McKinney almost built a dynasty with the Lakers, but a serious bicycle accident ruined him, and his personal coaching performance was also far from what it used to be.

It was unrealistic to expect the Kings to replicate the Lakers' success; they lacked the Lakers' talent. McKinney resigned after coaching the Kings for 10 games with a record of 1 win and 9 losses, and never served as a head coach again.

With Gan Guoyang on the court, it becomes difficult for the Kings to score in the paint, as Gan Guoyang will direct his teammates on defense.

The Trail Blazers' perimeter defense has become much more focused.

Thorpe cut to the basket, received the ball, turned, and attempted a hook shot, but it was blocked by Gan Guoyang.

After a scramble for the ball under the basket, Eddie Johnson got the ball, but his shot was blocked by Gan Guoyang.

The Kings players could clearly feel that Gan Guoyang's presence on the court made the Trail Blazers' defense a completely different level compared to before.

Ramsey was quite satisfied with Gan Guoyang's rim protection ability. He was a bit shorter than Walton, but his wingspan was just as good, and he had better explosiveness and reaction speed. Moreover, after blocking shots, he could always control the ball. Isn't this just like Bill Russell back in the day?

Ramsey was inwardly praising Gan Guoyang when the Trail Blazers launched a counterattack.

The Kansas Kings retreated quickly on defense, and the Trail Blazers launched a fast break and switched to a half-court offense. Drexler slowed down and controlled the pace.

The ball was passed back to Gan Guoyang at the top of the arc, with the idea being for the center forward to receive it and pass the ball around.

Gan Guoyang received the ball and saw Thorpe running towards the basket. "Aren't you going to leave me here?"
With no one two meters in front of him, Gan Guoyang raised his hand and launched a three-pointer!
The players on the field, the spectators off the field, and the radio commentators in the sidelines were all astonished.

"Sonny Gan received the ball at the top of the key, and... he chose to shoot a three-pointer... and it went in! It went in!"

The commentators on the local Kansas radio station suddenly became excited, probably startling the listeners who were listening to the game play-by-play.

Back then, very few players shot three-pointers; they usually only did it out of desperation, and the success rate was very low.

Once he scores, the stadium crowd will cheer enthusiastically, just like celebrating the Lunar New Year, especially since Gan Guoyang is a center.

When it comes to centers shooting three-pointers, people only remember that white center from Detroit who would occasionally attempt one, usually only once every two or three games, and making one every four or five games.

Seeing Gan Guoyang score three points made many spectators feel that the ticket price was well worth it.

As Drexler returned to defense, he grinned from ear to ear and shouted at Gan Guoyang, "Gan, good shot! But you're going to get yelled at later!"

"Bullshit, I'm not going to get yelled at. You should practice your shooting. If you can make a three-pointer, I'll buy you a pair of Avia sneakers!"

Last season, Drexler made four three-pointers, one of which he just happened to make, and he was happy for a whole year.

At this moment, Jack Ramsey on the sidelines got a little carried away again. When Gan Guoyang chose to shoot a three-pointer, he felt his cerebellum shrink for a moment, and his recently calmed mentality almost exploded again.

But as the ball swished through the net, he held his breath and couldn't breathe again.

Ramsey, who had been standing on the sidelines with his hands on his hips, sat back down on the bench to catch his breath.

Adelman, standing nearby, said, "Never mind, they're all in, easy."

Ramsey raised an eyebrow, but ultimately said nothing.

At halftime, Gan Guoyang had scored 11 points, making 4 of 5 field goals, including a three-pointer, and 2 of 2 free throws.

The Trail Blazers led 66-55, an 11-point advantage.

To be honest, this challenge between him and Jordan was not very fair to Jordan. The Kings are known in the league for their lack of defense, and with the season just beginning and a change of coach, their fighting power was very low.

The Washington Bullets are a playoff contender, on the same level as the Bulls or even slightly better.

The Trail Blazers' roster is also much stronger than the Bulls'. Drexler, Vandeweghe, Paxson, and Thompson are all All-Stars or near-All-Stars, so Gan Guoyang will have much less pressure when he's on offense.

The team also has a Hall of Fame coach like Jack Ramsey to mentor them, so in terms of development environment, Gan Guoyang is better off than many others.

However, during halftime, Ramsey still lost his temper with Gan Guoyang in the locker room.

"Why do you run so much on the field? It's bad for your legs! Sometimes you need to slow down a bit and learn to protect yourself, you know?"

Gan Guoyang didn't react for a moment and said, "Uh... Dr. Jack, today is my first battle in my career, I'll be fine running around."

"Injuries accumulate over time! The moment you step onto the court, pain begins to plague you. Remember Forrest Gump. Don't run around like crazy in the second half, get some rest. Also, pay attention to your shot selection."

Ramsey only mentioned the choice of which shot to take at the very end, so it seems that everything before was just foreshadowing.

Faced with Ramsey's concerned questioning, Gan Guoyang could not refute it and could only nod in agreement.

When the second half of the game started, everyone wondered if Dr. Jack was sick, and what had happened to him.

However, when the Kansas City Kings went on a 7-0 run in the second half to close the gap, Ramsey called a timeout and started yelling at people with a red face. Everyone knew that Dr. Jack wasn't sick; he just treated Forrest Gump differently.

Forrest Gump has an ability to make everyone treat him specially and look at him differently, including Dr. Jack. Dr. Jack is unusually concerned about Forrest, which is quite surprising. However, I think Jack isn't always genuinely concerned; he's just being sarcastic and taking the opportunity to mock Forrest. Anyway, their way of communicating is unique in the crew, so don't try to imitate it and think Jack will treat you the same way—you're doomed.

—Excerpt from Clyde Drexler's autobiography, *Clyde The Glide*, published in 2004.

I'm adding an extra chapter and asking for more monthly votes. Although I don't really know what monthly votes are for, everyone asks for them, so I'll ask too.

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(End of this chapter)