The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 157 Bucket

Stockton's appearance improved the Jazz's offense.

A slower pace allows players to calm down and adjust their form.

The meticulous command and precise passing made the players' runs, receiving the ball, and attacking more fluid.

In just five minutes, Stockton reorganized the Jazz's offense.

Instead of relentlessly charging forward, they made good use of pick-and-rolls and screens to break down the Trail Blazers' solid defense.

Stockton kept pressuring Gan Guoyang to make choices, which meant Gan Guoyang could no longer follow the proper procedures and had to use his brain.

When you start thinking and making choices, it's easy for loopholes to appear, and Gan Guoyang is no exception.

Stockton's passes always arrive in time whenever there are any gaps or shortcomings in the details.

Fortunately, with only 5 minutes left in the second quarter, the Jazz, led by Stockton, went on a 13-8 run to turn the game around.

At halftime, the score was 47-48, with the Jazz taking a one-point lead.

If the game had continued uninterrupted, the Jazz might have surpassed the leader by even more.

As the players left the field to rest in the locker room, the fans applauded Stockton.

They discovered that every time this diminutive guard came off the bench, he always brought a change to the team's offense.

His playing style is by no means as plain and boring as his appearance and attire suggest; this is a common misconception about Stockton.

In fact, his matches contain immense passion beneath a calm surface, but he doesn't easily unleash it.

Jazz head coach Frank Layden patted Stockton on the back, praising the changes he made for the team in the second quarter.

This portly old man is both the head coach and general manager of the Jazz, and it was his decision to draft Stockton.

Layden said he could see Stockton’s immense passion for basketball, which would be key to a basketball player’s long-term success.

Gan Guoyang also understood Stockton's passion, and during halftime he reflected on his own problems on both ends of the court.

After his offensive efforts were thwarted in the first half, he gave up on attacking the paint, which allowed Mark Eaton to have too much freedom inside.

He crouched in the paint and swatted away like flies, recording 7 blocks in the first half, making it difficult for the Trail Blazers to score inside.

On the defensive end, the team's defensive communication was problematic after Stockton came on. Communication must be smooth when facing offenses with multiple screens.

Because every screen is a moment when the defensive matchup changes, it is necessary to use good communication to complete the switch and return to normal defensive status.

Poor communication can create loopholes that give adversaries an opportunity to exploit.

In the mid-80s, pick-and-roll was not the mainstream offensive strategy; the mainstream approach was inside-outside passing and cutting centered around the low post.

But Stockton is a guard who is very good at using screens. He is good at using screens himself and also good at passing to his teammates after they have screened for him.

Gan Guoyang was aware of this but failed to respond properly, which he considered his own responsibility.

In the locker room, Ramsey tried to rouse everyone, saying, "Our attack has been so lifeless! Where has your passion gone? You guys aren't even as passionate as an old man like me!"

Hearing Ramsey say this, everyone silently agreed. Putting everything else aside, Ramsey has indeed been passionate about basketball and the game for decades.

When he was the general manager of the 76ers, Coach Hannum temporarily stepped down, and the team couldn't find a suitable head coach, so Ramsey took over as coach himself.

He initially planned to be a temporary coach for one season and leave once a new coach was found. However, he ended up sitting in the coaching position for more than a decade.

Without passion, it's impossible to sit in such a high-pressure position for so long—of course, many NBA coaches have some mental issues, and the mentally ill are never short of passion.

After giving the players a pep talk, Ramsey adjusted the strategy, having Vandeweghe and Paxson increase their attack from the edge of the box, leaving the flanks open.

Ramsey's intention was clear: to have Gan Guoyang increase his offensive presence on the wings, in order to further disrupt Mark Eaton and prevent him from comfortably camping under the basket.

As for Stockton? Ramsey didn't say much. He's just a substitute, and he was Gan Guoyang's former teammate. You'll have to figure out how to get rid of him yourself.

Near the end of halftime, Gan Guoyang found a bucket from somewhere, placed it at the locker room door, and took out $20 from his pocket.

He said, "I bet $20 whoever dunks on Mark Eaton first in the second half today will take the money out of this bucket."

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang threw $20 into the bucket, and Adelman followed suit by throwing in $20 as well.

Drexler, Cauchy, Thompson, Schaeffler, and Van der Werner all threw money in.

Even Valentine and Paxson threw it away, though they knew they definitely wouldn't earn the money.

But with such a lucky start, everyone's passion for attacking Eaton in the second half will definitely not be less.

At the start of the second half, Gan Guoyang, as the initiator, did not rush to get the ball and charge into the paint.

He executed a fake screen with Paxson at the top of the key, then immediately moved to the right 45-degree angle. Paxson passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, and Bailey came over to defend him.

Pele has enough height and wingspan, but his strength is far inferior to Gan Guoyang's.

Gan Guoyang took a step straight to the basket, dribbled the ball, and charged forward; Pele couldn't stop him at all.

Eaton came over to help defend, and Gan Guoyang lobbed a pass to Thompson, who dunked it on the alley!
Thompson was ecstatic after making the dunk, yelling to his teammates, "Is the money mine now? I dunked!"

Van der Werner, Paxson, and others shook their heads, saying the shot didn't count and that it wasn't a proper headbutt on Eaton.

The Jazz players found it strange: "Do you guys gamble while playing basketball? Isn't that illegal?"

Ramsey watched Gan Guoyang attack with the ball at a 45-degree angle and felt satisfied. The kid finally understood his intentions.

The goal is not to have him shoot mid-range jumpers from the 45-degree wing, but to combine drives and shots to create a greater offensive threat in order to deal with a center like Eaton who sits in the box.

Gan Guoyang still needs to hone his skills in facing the basket when attacking. If he could have Vandeweghe's face-up technique, he would have more freedom at the 45-degree angle.

Ramsey felt like he was sculpting the most exquisite basketball machine in the world, and a thought even terrified him crossed his mind: when would he develop his three-point shot?

"This is horrible, horrible," Ramsey shook his head repeatedly, trying to get these filthy thoughts out of his mind. He felt that even lingering on them for a second was an insult to his 40-plus-year basketball career.

However, Gan Guoyang's power at the 45-degree angle is obviously not as strong as his power along the central axis from the basket to the top of the arc. Gan Guoyang's technique is more refined along the central axis, and he can also attack offensive rebounds.

Thompson's dunk opened up the Trail Blazers' offense in the third quarter, while the Jazz returned to their fast but chaotic offensive rhythm after Rich Green came on.

Gan Guoyang set up a defensive trap for the Jazz, leaving Eaton open under the basket. Green attempted a high lob pass to Eaton, but Gan Guoyang came from the side and jumped up to intercept the pass.

Gan Guoyang, who stole the ball, made a long pass to the frontcourt, where Vandeweghe received the ball, pulled up close, and made a jump shot off the backboard. This was the Trail Blazers' familiar offensive rhythm.

Then, Gan Guoyang left Eaton open again, and Ricky Green hesitated, should he pass or not? Was Gan Guoyang lurking on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity?
Without a pass, the Jazz fell into a positional offense, and Gan Guoyang helped Vandeweghe double-team Dantley who received the ball.

Dantley tried to force a shot, but his turnaround jumper was blocked by Gan Guoyang, and the Trail Blazers launched another counterattack.

Valentine delivered a low, bounce pass to Paxson, who easily made a layup!

The Trail Blazers started the third quarter with a 6-0 run, regaining the upper hand.

Coach Ryden stood up anxiously; he really wanted to bring Stockton on.

But not yet. Ricky Green is a veteran and a star player on the team. For the sake of harmony in the locker room, we still need to maintain order.

Leiden called a timeout and asked Green to slow down. Green was panting and wiping his sweat. He didn't like slowing down, but he had no choice this time.

No matter how fast he accelerates, the number 11 center can always keep up, always getting into the paint first and blocking the best offensive route.

Eaton is a shield in defense, but a burden on offense, with almost zero ability to create his own attacks. Gan Guoyang can leave him wide open.

Green intended to pass through Eaton to assist, but Gan Guoyang's lack of close marking of Eaton does not mean that his attention was not on Eaton.

Stockton was right at halftime; this guy can multitask defensively, even guarding two opponents at once. You have to make quick decisions and not give him any time to think.

Of course, what Stockton didn't say was that Gan Guoyang's ability was entirely honed by being trained by a defensively weak player like himself, Gonzaga.

After the timeout, Dantley's strong post-up move against Vandeweghe helped the Jazz regain their footing, while the Trail Blazers' offense was much more energetic than in the first half.

Valentine suddenly accelerated down the middle and drove to the basket, challenging Mark Eaton's layup. He missed, but the referee blew the whistle and called a foul on Eaton.

Gan Guoyang pulled Valentine up and said, "You bastard, do you also want to take the money in the bucket?"

Valentine said, "You have to have dreams... I think there's at least $200 in that bucket."

Valentine is a point guard with a very traditional, even old-fashioned, playing style. Although he entered the league in 81, his playing style is more like that of guards from the 60s and 70s.

Stable and solid, he prefers to shoot rather than lay up, and when he gets inside, he finishes with a shot, because traditionally, guards are more likely to get blocked when they try to lay up.

Some university and high school coaches don't even allow players to do layups or dunks during training; they can only shoot, and fast breaks also require shooting.

This gave Valentine a solid foundation in shooting fundamentals, and he was very accurate at free throws, but his long-range shooting was not good. He made both free throws to continue helping the team score.

In just a few minutes, the Trail Blazers regained the upper hand on the court. With the "temptation" of dollars in the bucket, they were more determined to attack Eaton.

When you become decisive, you are less likely to get blocked, and Gan Guoyang appeared more on the wing, which distracted Eaton's attention, allowing Vandeweghe and Paxson to drive into the basket and score.

Midway through the third quarter, the Trail Blazers led the Jazz 65-58 by 7 points.

The Jazz only managed a paltry 10 points in the second half. Gan Guoyang even ran to the Jazz's bench and shouted, "It's time to bring on John! If you don't bring him on, you're going to lose! Bring on John, and you'll still have a glimmer of hope!"

Stockton covered his face with a towel, thinking, "Forrest Gump, please don't do this..."

Coach Layden was quite humorous, saying to Stockton during a timeout, "Your friend misses you, why don't you go on the court and catch up with him?"

(End of this chapter)