The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 122 The dunk
Wilkens had a glorious period with the SuperSonics, but by his fifth season in the 80s, the confidence he had built up had been almost completely depleted.

The team's veterans and key players retired or left, and the team changed owners in 1983. A new emperor brings a new court, and a change of owners often means the beginning of a major overhaul.

Last season, the SuperSonics barely made it to the playoffs, losing to the Dallas Mavericks in a five-game series.

They won their season opener against the Jazz, but suffered a crushing defeat to the Phoenix Suns in their second game.

A crushing defeat is definitely a bad sign, indicating problems with both the team's strength and morale.

Lenny Wilkens's previously prized secret to success was height. He once built a tall frontcourt lineup, using forwards like John Johnson as playmakers to create a dense defensive zone on the court and suffocate all opponents.

But since Magic Johnson joined the Lakers in 1980, speed has surpassed height.

Moreover, the current SuperSonics have lost their height. Apart from Hickma, Chambers in the paint and the other players on the perimeter are all of average build. The team has become mediocre in every aspect, from roster to tactics to talent.

After the timeout, Wilkens simply reminded the players to focus, slow down the pace of the game, and not to chase after the Trail Blazers.

He had Hickma try to score points for the team by taking on Gan Guoyang one-on-one in the paint.

After the timeout, Hickma received the ball in the low post. Hickma took a step to create space and was about to shoot, but Gan Guoyang suddenly closed in.

Gan Guoyang's close-quarters combat was fierce. He lowered his center of gravity and pressed his chest against his opponent, maintaining focus and not infringing on his opponent's cylinder, thus compressing his opponent's space as much as possible.

Such a defensive stance was rare in the NBA at the time. One-on-one defense by centers was often more civilized, like in the Cavaliers' matchups, and not so aggressive.

Hikma swayed the ball left and right, unable to find a shooting angle, and could only pass the ball to Chambers.

Chambers' strong attack on Thompson missed, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, allowing the Trail Blazers to launch a fast break.

Running, running, and running again—that's how the pioneers under Ramsey ran.

Until the most suitable system is found for these young people, it's always good to keep them running and give them the freedom to showcase their offensive talents.

Valentine passed the ball to Gan Guoyang with a bounce pass. Gan Guoyang cut into the middle, dribbled once to get past the defender, and made a light layup with his left hand.

"Look how fast this big man runs. He's really different from the average center." Bill Shawnley was extremely pleased as he watched Gan Guoyang score on the fast break. There's always a kind of beauty in the way big men charge down the court.

With a score of 31:24, the Trail Blazers took a 7-point lead in the first quarter, and the SuperSonics couldn't withstand the Trail Blazers' offensive onslaught.

Gan Guoyang sat on the sidelines, where he could see his father, Gan Youwei, and his younger brother, Gan Guohui, waving at him.

Knowing that it was Gan Guoyang's home debut and his family was there to watch, his teammates were very supportive and passed him the ball during fast breaks.

首节甘国阳就“吃饼”吃了11分，投篮6投5中，罚球1罚1中。

Even Vandeweghe, who always attacks as soon as he gets the ball and averages one or two assists per game this season, passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, allowing him to score a hook shot on the counterattack.

Gan Guoyang gradually came to understand why NBA professional basketball is said to be half game and half performance.

This situation doesn't occur in college games. To put it bluntly, in most cases, college basketball teams don't allow players to have their own ideas. Players are an extension of the coach's philosophy on the court and practitioners of the coach's basketball philosophy.

Someone once asked who was the best defender against Michael Jordan in 1983, and the answer was North Carolina coach Dean Smith. It was his tactical system that kept Jordan's scoring average at 20 points per game.

Although Gan Guoyang could "do whatever he wanted" in Gonzaga, most of the time his high scores were to take advantage of possession of the ball. There was never a case where he didn't play when others had the opportunity, just to let Gan Guoyang rack up points.

The NBA is different. Viewers come to watch the game and the performance. Exciting fast breaks, beautiful dunks, and their favorite players playing well are all things that fans want to see.

In his first game with a new team, Vandeweghe was given a chance to get back into form.

Gan Guoyang made his debut in Portland with his family in attendance, and everyone gave him a chance.

This performative aspect will only become more pronounced in the future, as David Stern became the league's commissioner.

After the start of the second quarter, Drexler came off the bench and stole the ball on defense, launching a fast break.

As soon as Drexler started his fast break, the fans in the stadium all stood up.

He dribbled the ball forward with his head down, then stepped into the three-second zone and took off on one foot.

A beautiful gliding motion in the air, followed by a one-handed dunk!
The memorial stadium erupted in cheers, and Gan Guoyang stood up to wave a towel for Drexler.

His dunks are truly spectacular; no wonder he's nicknamed "The Glider"—he seems to be flying with just a light leap.

"The glider's dunk! Everyone who got tickets to the Memorial Arena tonight is lucky. We're witnessing the rise of a new Trail Blazers!"

Shawnley has witnessed the Trail Blazers' ups and downs, and they desperately need to bounce back to live up to the passion of the Portland people.

However, despite the glider's beautiful dunk, Shawn Lee still didn't say "Rip City." Listeners who were used to his catchphrase were starting to wonder if Shawn Lee had forgotten the word. He even said that the person playing by play on the sidelines tonight was someone else.

The Supersonics played even worse in the second quarter than in the first. In the first quarter, although they couldn't defend, their offense was at least somewhat decent.

Tom Chambers and Al Wood used their individual skills to score points and keep the score close.

As a result, when the substitutes came on in the second quarter, they couldn't score at all, their play was disorganized, and they kept missing shots.

By the time Gan Guoyang was ready to return to the court, the score had become 45-31, with the Trail Blazers leading by 14 points.

Gan Guoyang stood on the sidelines with Vandeweghe, waiting for the dead ball to return to the court. He thought, "Are our Trail Blazers really that strong? Last season they were still vying for the number one draft pick, but this season they've already blown out two teams in the first half. Doesn't this make it seem like I, the second overall pick, am just benefiting from my teammates' success?"

Gan Guoyang may have forgotten that the Trail Blazers' second overall pick was acquired in a trade from another team, and their record last season was actually second in the Western Conference.

"Jack, could you let me sit a little longer? I'm so young, I need to get some exercise," Gan Guoyang said to Ramsey, who was standing to the side. He didn't want to sit on the bench for too long.

When they were in Gonzaga, Gan Guoyang was almost always on the bench, and the Bulldogs couldn't leave his defense for a moment, yet he didn't seem tired.

On the contrary, the longer he runs on the field, the more excited he becomes, and he feels most exhilarated when he works up a sweat during the game.

The closer he got to his physical limits, the more he felt the meaning of exercise, and the more focused his mind became. He liked that feeling.

With proper rotations and support from teammates, fast break dunks are easy and satisfying, but it just feels like something's missing.

Ramsey glanced at him sideways and said, "You're going to keep fighting until you're fifty, so I'll have to be careful with how I use you."

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "You old man, you really hold a grudge! I made a joke at you last time, and now you're using it against me."

At this moment, the ball went out of bounds and became dead. Gan Guoyang and Vandeweghe came on, replacing Thompson and Kenny Carr.

The Trail Blazers' two best outside shooters and two best interior defenders are on the court.

However, there was no sense of compatibility between Gan Guoyang and Vandeweghe.

Vandeweghe is a pure scorer, but otherwise mediocre.

Gan Guoyang is an all-around center, but while he is good at playmaking and passing, it is not his strong suit.

At least 20 years old, Gan Guoyang is far from being a playmaker, and neither Gonzaga nor Waterbell needs him to pass the ball much.

Therefore, the two didn't create much of a spark on offense, and Vandeweghe was a liability on defense.

At this moment, Drexler is on the court. This guard, whose shooting skills are not great, but who unexpectedly has a beautiful passing ability, may be a bridge connecting Gan Guoyang, Thompson, and Vandeweghe.

In his rookie season, Drexler averaged only 1.7 assists per game. Ramsey treated him as a pure offensive guard whose main task was to drive to the basket and score.

Jim Paxson missed the preseason training camp in the summer due to contract issues, which allowed Drexler to start in several preseason games.

In the first three preseason games, Drexler showcased his playmaking talent, averaging 8 assists and 7 rebounds per game, a significant improvement over his rookie season.

At that time, Vandeweghe approached Ramsey and said that the future Trail Blazers would definitely be a team led by Gan and Drexler.

Ramsey was somewhat skeptical, thinking that Vandeweghe was being too modest. He had just been traded for such a large sum of money, yet he claimed to be at most the third-best player, while the team's stars were the two rookies.

However, as training camp progressed and the season deepened, Ramsey began to agree with Vandeweghe's assessment.

Drexler has incredibly flexible and powerful fingers. With the ball in his hands, he can do everything from shooting—finger-roll, one-handed through balls, one-handed layups—all exceptionally well.

After he came on as a substitute, the attacking end entrusted him with organizing the offense. His wide vision and accurate through balls could easily tear apart the Supersonics' defense.

Vandeweghe and Gan Guoyang both scored layups after receiving passes from Drexler.

The point difference between the two sides is steadily widening, and it's clear that this will be another big win for the Trail Blazers.

Just ten minutes into the second quarter, Gan Guoyang suddenly broke out on defense, teaming up with Drexler to surround Al Wood.

Gan Guoyang's double-teaming is very fierce - in college he rarely went out to defend, he always stayed in the three-second zone, but the NBA provides more defensive possibilities.

The two players intercepted the ball, and Gan Guoyang picked it up and threw it to Drexler, who then dribbled away again with his head down.

Gan Guoyang followed closely behind. Supersonic Chambers and Henderson ran back to defend, while Drexler charged in from the side. He never looked up, but he had already noticed Gan Guoyang's advance.

A subtle bounce pass was delivered to Gan Guoyang, who was cutting into the middle, and Chambers' attempt to turn around to defend seemed to be too late.

It looked like Gan Guoyang was about to end the attack with another powerful dunk, and the fans in the arena all stood up again.

Gan Guoyang received the ball, squatted down, jumped with both feet, and then the fans at the scene saw Gan Guoyang actually spin 360 degrees in the air.

Like a ballet dancer, he spun in mid-air, deflecting Chambers' attempt to block him, and slammed the ball into the basket with both hands.

The crowd at the Memorial Stadium erupted in what was perhaps the loudest cheers of the night. Many fans who attended the game later said that their hearing had been damaged that night, and that this goal was largely to blame.

Bill Shawnley yelled into the microphone: "Sonny Gan's 360-degree dunk over Tom Chambers! Wow! What a play! Rip City! Alright!"

After holding back for half the game, Shawnley finally shouted "Rip City" smoothly. He felt great, the listeners in front of the radio felt great, and the audience in the stadium felt great.

Gan Guoyang remained calm after the dunk, and high-fived Drexler, who was equally composed. Both of them are the kind of people who would simply run past after a dunk.

Tom Chambers stood under the basket for a second or two, then retrieved the ball, inbounded it, and continued the game, while the fans' cheers did not stop.

My brain went blank for a moment. I ran to the baseline to inbound the ball; the crowd was in complete chaos. Only one thing was on my mind: how did that guy do that? A center doing a 360-degree spin dunk, almost flying over my head! I wanted to say, "Can you do it again? I didn't see it clearly." Years later, when I completed that dunk, I thought to myself, "I did it too, I did it like Forrest Gump."

—An excerpt from Tom Chambers's remarks about "The Dunk" during an interview.

(End of this chapter)