The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 149 Rhythm
Paxson had no idea that Michael Jordan would be able to catch up and block the ball from behind.

In terms of speed and explosiveness, the two are simply not from the same world.

Paxson is no ordinary player; he was an All-Star last year. Players who make it to the All-Star game in the NBA are among the best basketball players in the world in terms of physical attributes and skills.

Just last season, Jim Paxson scored a career-high 41 points in a game against the Bulls.

The two teams played a long four-overtime game. Paxson played 49 minutes, the second most in the Trail Blazers' game. At that time, he still had a flowing mustache.

Unfortunately, the team lost the game 155-156. Paxson is a traditional old-school shooting guard. His points mainly come from layups after cutting to the basket, shots after screens, and a few fast break points and drives after receiving the ball.

One-on-one play is not in his basketball philosophy, nor does it fit Ramsey's tactical style.

However, their elimination in the first round of the playoffs after finishing second in the Western Conference last year seems to indicate that this old-school style of play is fading away.

That's why the Trail Blazers hesitated to offer Paxson a new contract in the summer, and finally finalized it just before the season was about to start.

Jordan's block on Paxson's layup just now clearly demonstrates the huge difference between old-school shooting guards and modern shooting guards.

The Trail Blazers still had possession of the ball. Vandeweghe inbounded the ball from the baseline to Thompson, who then passed it to Valentine. Valentine passed the ball to Paxson, who had cut out from the wing using a screen.

Paxson received the ball and made a mid-range jump shot, scoring two points and making up for his careless mistake of being blocked by Jordan.

Jordan chased the ball very aggressively, but Gan Guoyang's screen was very solid, completely blocking Jordan.

Jordan felt like he had bumped into an iron gate, completely unable to squeeze through, let alone break through.

Back then, most players were pretty straightforward; if they got bumped while setting a screen, they just let it go.

Unlike later generations who were all skilled actors, even a slight bump could cause them to fall over as if in a car accident.

"Shit, this guy's like a locomotive," Jordan complained inwardly, noting Gan Guoyang's astonishing strength.

Jordan made a silent resolution that he needed to increase his strength training; speed alone wouldn't be enough to deal with this monster.

The Trail Blazers took an early lead, and the Bulls quickly fell behind against the Trail Blazers' well-trained inside-outside game.

On the bench, Ramsey didn't kneel down to direct the team. Instead, he said to Drexler, who was sitting next to him, "Clyde, if you had a shot like Paxson, your partnership with Gan would be seamless."

Ramsey really hopes that Drexler can have the same shooting and off-ball abilities as Paxson; if he could, his combination with Gan Guoyang would be incredibly promising.

Drexler, however, said, "I won't get blocked from behind by Jordan; I'll dunk the ball in."

Ramsey rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that young people these days really don't know what's good for them, but he didn't say anything more.

He knew that Drexler had made great progress recently, no longer being late for training, and working much harder in shooting practice than before—although he was still not as hardworking as Gan.

Towards the end of the first quarter, the score was 22-15, with the Trail Blazers leading by 7 points. Ramsey made a substitution during a timeout, replacing Paxson with Drexler.

Drexler immediately jumped up from the bench. He had also been looking forward to a matchup with Jordan for a long time, but no one really thought much of him.

In the final two minutes of the first quarter, Drexler seized the opportunity to challenge Jordan on the perimeter.

When he tried to drive past Jordan one-on-one, Jordan stole the ball and launched a fast break down the coast!

Drexler gave chase and caught up, but collided with Jordan during the defense. Jordan dodged in mid-air and scored with a left-handed layup.

The referee blew his whistle, calling a foul on Drexler. Jordan scored two points and was awarded a free throw.

"madness…"

Ramsey muttered a curse under his breath on the sidelines. He substituted Drexler in the hopes of changing the team's offensive rhythm.

They were able to launch a fast-paced offensive during transition periods, further suppressing the Bulls' second unit.

This guy, he went straight in and wanted to go one-on-one with Jordan, but not only did he get the ball stolen from him, he also gave Jordan a 2+1 play.

Jordan made the free throw, scoring 3 points and bringing the Bulls closer to victory.

After scoring, Jordan didn't even glance at Drexler; his eyes were only on Gan Guoyang.

In the recent half-court game, Jordan made several mistakes, but Gan Guoyang's help defense and rim protection were quite effective.

Jordan tried to challenge Gan Guoyang directly in the air, but it was useless; he couldn't move him at all.

He could only hope the referee would blow the whistle to help him, but Gan Guoyang controlled his fouls very well tonight.

Jordan could sense: "This guy has improved since the Olympic trials."

Gan Guoyang has an exceptionally strong learning ability; his progress in basketball is much faster than that of many talented players.

After entering the NBA, he lamented that his progress had slowed down because he played too many games and had too little time to seriously study his skills and meditate.

In the final possession of the first quarter, Drexler obediently passed the ball to Gan Guoyang in the low post.

The Bulls have substituted Jones with the stronger Dave Korzin to guard Gan Guoyang.

But this kind of white center is the hardest to defend against. After receiving the ball, Gan Guoyang turned to face the basket with a step-back, broke through with the ball in his right hand, and suddenly made a move hook shot in the middle, easily scoring two points.

Cauldin couldn't keep up with Gan Guoyang's lateral movement and didn't even have time to interfere. The other Bulls players didn't come to help defend either, and Gan Guoyang took advantage of the large gap in the middle, easily scoring with a hook shot.

Jordan, unusually angry with his teammates, yelled, "We should have gone over there and blocked his middle! Don't let him get going and easily get a hook shot!"

The most distinctive feature of a move hook is that it suddenly transforms into a hook shot during a breakthrough, without any warning.

Once you treat him as a penetrator and defend him closely, you won't even have time to jump and block him.

The best way to counter this tactic is through coordinated defense, with someone blocking the path of advance or interfering from the side.

Magic Johnson is the player in the league who uses similar moves the most. He is very good at finishing with a hook shot while running at high speed, catching his opponents off guard.

However, Gan Guoyang's Move Hook is more versatile, often initiated from the basket, making his breakthrough or hook shot confusing and is Gan Guoyang's unique skill.

However, Gan Guoyang did not overuse this tactic. He tried to enrich his arsenal to prevent his opponents from thoroughly studying him and developing targeted defensive strategies.

With this basket, the Trail Blazers led the Bulls by a whopping 10 points, 31-21, at the end of the first quarter.

Although there was a lot of hype surrounding the Jordan vs. Gan Guoyang matchup before the game, the two teams were indeed not on the same level.

During the break, Jordan was very dissatisfied with his teammates' performance, and he unusually criticized them from the bench.

As a rookie, Jordan rarely had opinions about his teammates, and even if he did, he would make up for it with his performance rather than criticizing them verbally.

But tonight's game was of great significance to him; he didn't want to lose, especially not to suffer a crushing defeat to the Trail Blazers at the Chicago Arena.

Bulls head coach Rauli noticed Jordan's anxiety, so he substituted him out for a rest and comforted him on the bench: "You have to trust your teammates. Tonight isn't just your game, it's the Chicago Bulls' game too."

Jordan nodded, gradually calming down. While keeping an eye on the situation on the court, he was thinking about how to break through Gan Guoyang's defense.

Jordan knew he was fast enough, and the reason Gan Guoyang was always able to intercept his breakthroughs was twofold: first, Gan Guoyang was also fast—he really was fast—and second, his judgment was very accurate.

“He saw through my intentions several times. He was deliberately directing his teammates to lead me to a certain place where he had already set a trap. Is that right, Gan?”

After sitting on the bench for a while and thinking, Jordan realized the problem: Gan Guoyang was setting a trap for him.

In fact, Jordan had already sensed it during the Olympic All-Star Game: Gan Guoyang's defense was a rare "proactive defense."

In basketball, the defense is often on the defensive. No matter how well you defend, the offense will still have the advantage and will still score. The defense can only try to respond by lowering the opponent's shooting percentage. If you can get 6 out of 10 shots to 4, that's already a great success.

But Forrest Gump can reduce your success rate to only 2 attempts. He can often put pressure on you from a great distance on the defensive end. His positioning is perfect.

Once he reveals a weakness, it's very likely he did it on purpose, to lure you into a trap, ruin your chances of attacking, and force you to end things in the least efficient way.

Gan Guoyang was very particular about defensive command and positioning. Jordan calmed down and tried to review the details of Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers' defense in the first quarter.

In the 80s, NBA defense was not as sophisticated. Without zone defense, coaches mainly improved defense in three ways: first, by motivating players and increasing defensive intensity; second, by correcting players' bad defensive habits and establishing good individual defensive principles during daily training; and third, by trading for or signing players with better defensive talent.

In terms of overall defensive strategy planning and detailed coaching, it was still a virgin territory that was being cultivated. At that time, teams generally did not have dedicated defensive coaches.

In this situation, Gan Guoyang is practically a defensive coach. He has had great insight into defense since high school and can see what is happening on the court.

He does have more advanced basketball concepts in his mind, even if they are not professional enough, he is aware of them and he is constantly learning.

He can roughly predict the opponent's attack. Basketball offenses are all pretty much the same, so as an offensive expert, he can certainly judge the opponent's choices—provided that you have enough focus and reaction speed.

Finally, there's the matter of communication skills. Gan Guoyang's dominance on the defensive end can be quite unsettling, but if you clear your mind and listen to his instructions, the defense becomes much easier.

Jordan didn't know these details, but through repeated encounters, he gradually sketched out the image of this powerful opponent in his mind, and he began to think about how to deal with him.

Jordan's three years playing at the University of North Carolina were not wasted. He learned a lot from Dean Smith and proved that he was not just a reckless player who relied solely on speed and explosiveness.

Coach Smith studied mathematics, not sports, in college, so he can see the game from a unique mathematical perspective, breaking it down into rounds and segments.

He doesn't care about the success or failure of a single possession, but rather about connecting all possessions together, pursuing a sense of rhythm, and striving for players to play with a mathematically precise and coordinated pace. When a game is over, if your scoring efficiency is higher than your opponent's after all possessions are combined, you can win the game.

The key to influencing this rhythm lies in the duration of possession. When, where, and how to launch an attack are crucial to the rhythm of the players and the team throughout the entire match.

Therefore, the players carefully trained by Dean Smith have a calm and unhurried feel when playing on the court. They don't rush and attack recklessly, nor do they drag their feet. Instead, they are full of a coordinated rhythm.

Many people were deeply attracted to Jordan after watching him play once, not only because of his speed, high jump, and explosiveness, but also because of the beautiful rhythm of his playing, which was a result of Dean Smith's teaching.

Some players may be stronger and faster, but their technique and rhythm of the game feel out of place and make people frown.

When Jordan returned to the court in the second quarter, he calmed down and began to control the ball and adjust the team's rhythm. At this time, Jordan often played the point guard position.

He adjusted his breakthroughs and shot timing, slowing down slightly in positional attacks so his teammates could keep up.

On defense, he actively bit Drexler, and Drexler, eager to compete with Jordan, lost the ball again.

Jordan was intercepted for the second time in the game. Instead of launching a fast break himself, he coordinated with his teammates for a three-on-two situation, and Daly received the ball and made a layup.

The Bulls went on a 9-2 run, narrowing the gap to 3 points and forcing Ramsey to call a timeout.

Ramsey replaced the underperforming and confused Drexler, bringing Paxson back in.

When setting up the defense, Ramsey didn't say much except to emphasize some habitual issues—Ramsey is not a defensive mastermind.

As a veteran coach who has worked in the coaching position for decades, his advantage is his rich experience, but his disadvantage is that he is really outdated in some aspects and can't learn new things.

Fortunately, Ramsey has learned one thing this season: listen to the players' opinions more and let them take more control of the game.

"Gan, hold the inside line, the Bulls' offense is recovering."

“I know Michael played very well, he disrupted me, I’ll figure something out.”

Gan Guoyang could sense that Jordan had taken control of the game, and he began to become passive.

Jordan clearly saw through his defensive trap. Instead of blindly charging in, he thought and made choices on offense, constantly connecting with his teammates, making him unpredictable.

This is the last thing the defender wants to see: the fish won't bite, the mouse won't go into the cage, and the difficulty of catching them is increasing dramatically.

When he returned to the court, Gan Guoyang told Thompson, "I'll go to the high post more often. On defense, I'll leave the basket to you, and I'll go to a more outward position."

Thompson nodded. On the defensive end, everyone listened to Gan Guoyang. Anyway, Dr. Jack's defensive tactics were always the same: either pressure or push harder.

Gan Guoyang's first playmaking move from the high post broke through the Bulls' defense with a pass, and Thompson received the ball and scored a layup. The Bulls couldn't predict how Gan Guoyang would play.

Of course, the Trail Blazers also faced the same situation. Jordan's offensive choices became unpredictable, and Gan Guoyang began to hunt down Jordan from a more outside position.

Like Vandeweghe, Paxson was actively involved in defense, and when their attitude was right, their defense wasn't that bad.

But Jordan still managed to hit a mid-range jump shot, scoring 16 points in the first half, tying with Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang didn't care about the individual scoring battle; he continued to move to the high post to create space for his teammates to cut in the three-second zone.

Paxson cut to the basket, and Gan Guoyang seemed about to pass the ball, but instead he drove to the basket and made a move hook shot.

Jordan immediately countered, and after a series of smooth passes, Daly received the pass and hit a mid-range shot.

Jordan may not have any statistics, but he put the Bulls' offense into a very comfortable rhythm.

Everyone knows that after passing the ball a few times, it's time to shoot; they know whether to shoot or drive when they get the ball.

The time shouldn't be too early, as that would be too rushed, nor too late, as that would be too tedious.

Of course, they would never let a fast break opportunity slip by; Jordan and Ulrich were the sharpest duo.

Both teams began to score consecutively, with the score fluctuating, and the Bulls slowly closing the gap.

When the score reached 62-56, with the Bulls trailing by only 6 points, the previously well-coordinated offensive rhythm between the two sides was suddenly broken.

During the defense, Gan Guoyang suddenly teamed up with Paxson and Valentine to double-team Jordan.

Jordan was caught off guard, jumped up to pass the ball, but Kenny Carr stole it.

Gan Guoyang immediately made a fast break, and Karl made a long pass to Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang rushed into the basket and dunked with one hand.

Under Gan Guoyang's command, the Trail Blazers suddenly increased their defensive intensity towards the end of the first half.

The Bulls' smooth operation was disrupted, and Jordan had to drive to the basket, only to be surrounded by three players again.

The ball was passed to Daly, who was open on the outside. It was a great scoring opportunity, but Daly missed the shot.

"Damn it!" Jordan cursed under his breath. He knew that with the rhythm disrupted, even an open shot might go down.

It was the Trail Blazers' sharp counterattack again. Gan Guoyang charged into the basket like a bulldozer, received a pass from Thompson, and slammed the ball in with both hands!
The Bulls' defense also lacked discipline, allowing their opponents to easily drive to the basket and score.

With the score at 66:56, the gap had widened to 10 points, and Jordan's efforts for most of the quarter had been in vain.

During halftime, Jordan's anger flared up again; there was indeed a gap between the two teams' teammates.

But what annoyed Jordan even more was that his strategy had most likely been figured out by that guy Gan.

He must come up with a new countermeasure in the second half; Jordan cares a lot about the outcome of this game.

It's hard for the average person to imagine that two NBA rookies had already gone to such lengths to outwit and outmaneuver each other in their very first matchup.

In fact, their achievements in their rookie season are already a height that many star players can never reach in their entire lives.

(End of this chapter)