The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 169 Seven-Foot Man Syndrome

Gan Guoyang's playing style is full of rhythm, combining inside and outside play, prioritizing inside play over outside play. This is an experience he has summarized after watching the NBA for more than ten years and playing basketball himself in the United States.

If Gan Guoyang went to North Carolina and played under Dean Smith, he would definitely become the most outstanding disciple of the Chaple Mountain Pope, because he himself has grasped the meaning of the rhythm of basketball games and put it into practice on the court, which is remarkable.

A good rhythm not only puts you in control of the game, but also keeps your opponent running around like a bad trumpeter who can't keep up with the conductor and spends the whole concert trying to find the right pitch.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Samson both sensed something was wrong at the start, but they couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong with them. That's when the experienced Bill Fitch needed to correct things.

He could see Gan Guoyang's control over the game on both offense and defense, and he admired the kid for living up to his reputation. He had only heard about him and watched videos before, but in a real match, he could feel Gan Guoyang's understanding of the game and his opening arrangements.

Based on Fitch's understanding of Ramsey, he didn't believe the Trail Blazers' start was Dr. Jack's doing; his strategy wasn't like that.

Ramsey prefers to have tall players hold the ball at the top of the key at the start of the game, while forwards and guards make runs along the baseline to find opportunities to receive the ball and shoot at the 45-degree angle. After opening up the game, he uses speed and skillful teamwork to launch counter-attacks.

This was the winning formula he used to win the championship in 1977, a legacy left to him by Bill Walton, which Gan Guoyang has finally been able to turn around.

After entering the 80s, the talent of several NBA giants became increasingly terrifying. The 76ers, Celtics, and Lakers all had two or three superstars plus three or four near-All-Stars.

Ramsey's style of play was no longer effective in the 80s, especially in the playoffs. Even with a peak Walton returning, the Trail Blazers still couldn't beat the Lakers.

On the contrary, Gan Guoyang's fierce and extremely lethal playing style was proven in 1981 to be able to kill Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers.

Fitch witnessed this firsthand; he knew how terrifying Moses Malone was in the paint. The Celtics' victory in 81 was more a victory of roster talent.

"Moreover, this kid's defense is much better than Moses', his shooting is very accurate, and he has a better team spirit. He's a mature product..."

Fitch has a very high opinion of Gan Guoyang. This veteran coach is probably one of the most well-connected people in the league, with students and former subordinates all over the world. He is very good at judging people.

However, he also has a bad temper and is stubborn, making it difficult for him to maintain good relationships with players and management wherever he goes.

During the timeout, Fitch instructed Olajuwon not to try to defend Gan Guoyang one-on-one anymore, but to focus on help defense instead.

Set up Sampson to match up against Gan Guoyang on both offense and defense. Regardless of whether you have an advantage or a disadvantage, maintain the confrontation and the pressure. Don't be afraid of this kid.

“He’s just a rookie. You guys aren’t even afraid of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, so what’s so scary about this guy? Take him down,” Fitch encouraged Sampson.

Sampson said, "I'm not afraid of him, not at all."

Hakeem Olajuwon said, "I still want to defend him one-on-one; I have experience with that."

Fitch retorted angrily, "What experience? The experience of being beaten by him in the NCAA?"

Hakeem Olajuwon's face darkened, and he shut his mouth. This gave a clue as to why Fitch couldn't get along with everyone.

He also felt that the two giants were not mature enough. In fact, almost all giants who were 7 feet or taller, or around 7 feet tall, had some psychological problems.

Because they are so tall, many of them grow up under strange looks; some are called monsters, and some are burdened with enormous expectations for no reason.

Very few young giants can accept themselves and deal with their height issues properly; most of them need a long time to grow up before they realize that none of this matters.

Ralph Sampson is very concerned about his excessively tall stature. He often mentions his 7-foot-4 height while repeatedly emphasizing that he is just an ordinary person.

He once told a reporter, "I have two eyes, two ears, one nose, and one mouth. Like everyone else, I have normal feelings. My heart can also be hurt."

Normal people would be moved by these words, but Fitch disliked his tone and his display of weakness because there is no need for empathy on the basketball court. If your opponents see your vulnerability, they will only tear you apart.

As for Hakeem Olajuwon, Fitch's troubles with him came from another aspect. If Ralph Sampson was a typical patient of "seven-foot man syndrome"—overly sensitive and indecisive—then Akim was like an elephant on the African savanna eating a thorny branch, digesting it, and then leaving a pile of dung that was dried by the sun and hardened by the wind!
This guy isn't stupid, he's just stubborn. He's from Africa and has been in the US for many years, but he still retains many of his African habits.

Moreover, he was straightforward and often made mistakes. Once, when Fitch was giving instructions, Olajuwon suddenly started yawning.

The ever-sharp-tongued Fitch scoffed, "Is it you who can't sleep well, right?"

Without a second thought, the straightforward Hakeem Olajuwon replied, "Yes, that's right."

Fitch was so angry he didn't know what to say.

In the eyes of an experienced coach like Fitch, these young players were a bunch of stupid, stubborn, and naive fools who only stood in the center of the stage because they were tall and good at basketball.

He couldn't truly understand the young players, nor did he want to. He just wanted them to do things his way, and only a winning fanatic like Bird, a true basketball strategist, could understand Fitch. "Do as I say, do as I say! If you want to beat Forrest Gump's team tonight, follow my instructions!"

Fitch yelled at the two idiots, and they had no choice but to re-divide their tasks according to Fitch's ideas.

The game continued, and Sampson used his footwork to shake off Gan Guoyang's fronting from the right side, received the ball in the low post on the left, turned and hooked the ball to score two points.

Then, on defense, Sampson began to guard Gan Guoyang, while Olajuwon was lurking behind him, ready to come over and help block the shot at any time.

This actually increased the pressure on Gan Guoyang. When he had the ball in the low post, he had to be careful of Hakeem Olajuwon. Although Olajuwon was shorter than Sampson, he was better at blocking shots.

Although Sampson couldn't hold his own against Gan Guoyang, having a 7-foot-4 man behind you greatly affects your vision. When you know there's a black panther lurking behind the jungle, it's hard to concentrate on a one-on-one fight.

After observing the situation in the low post, Gan Guoyang abandoned his idea of ​​taking on Sampson one-on-one. Instead, he moved to the high post, giving up the 45-degree angle to Paxson and Vandeweghe, and started Ramsey's favorite positional tactics.

After adjustments, the Rockets indeed stabilized and began to gradually develop their strengths: height, offensive rebounding, strong players on both low posts, and ball movement between the strong and weak sides.

Bill Fitch has begun to focus on shifting possession between the strong and weak sides, indicating that in terms of tactical thinking, Fitch is moving away from the 70s, gradually moving from "linear" to "zonal" approaches, and from "cooperative routines" to "overall thinking."

The Rockets' two strong low-post players and tall interior players forced the opponent to concentrate their defensive resources, creating large spaces and areas on both sides of the court, giving teammates room to maneuver.

These two guys are just not mature enough yet, and they lack an understanding of how to make good use of these spaces. But given time, Fitch believes they can challenge the Lakers' dominance in the West.

But halfway through the first quarter, the Rockets were still firmly suppressed by the Trail Blazers, trailing 14-22, with the score difference still at 8 points.

Although the Rockets broke the deadlock and started scoring, they also successfully stopped Gan Guoyang's rampage in the low post on the defensive end.

But when Vandeweghe scored six points in a row on the fast break, Fitch's expression grew increasingly grim, and he yelled at the players on the court: "Stop going for offensive rebounds! Get back on defense, get back on defense!"

"Shit, damn it, how can he defend the basket all by himself? Doesn't he need anyone else's help at all..."

If Gan Guoyang had heard what Fei Qi said, he would definitely have told him, "What help can those Trail Blazers perimeter players be!"

Gan Guoyang's true strength lies in his defense, with solid rebounding and extremely intelligent defensive choices.

Facing Sampson and Olajuwon, two incredibly athletic beasts, Gan Guoyang avoided jumping if possible, fouled when necessary, and tackled the ball when required.

He learned a slippery defensive style from Paul Boulders, drawing fouls. You two like to charge, right? I'll just stand there and let you bump into me. If you bump into me, I'll fall down and draw a foul on you.

Gan Guoyang is not incapable of jumping, nor is he weak, but he knows that defense requires using one's brain first, then one's body. Against most teams, one can simply follow the rules, but against twin towers, one needs a strategy.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Sampson are 23 and 24 years old respectively, while Gan Guoyang is only 20 years old, but he plays like a 35-year-old veteran.

With the help of Mitchell Thompson, Gan Guoyang successfully contained the two players' disruption of the paint.

Especially his protection of the backcourt rebounds; his judgment of where the ball will land is inexplicably accurate, and coupled with his body being like a steel plate, his rebounding protection is watertight.

The more the twin towers tried to grab offensive rebounds and counter-rebound them, the more they missed opportunities to get back on defense, allowing the Trail Blazers to launch fast breaks.

Since Vandeweghe didn't have to play defense, he focused his energy on offense and was in excellent form, shooting from the outside and making fast break layups, scoring 10 points in the first quarter.

After Sampson committed his second foul during the attack, Fitch substituted him off the court for a rest. A frustrated Ralph kicked a chair as he left the field, a sign of his unease.

Just now, after Gan Guoyang drew a foul from Sampson, he said to him, "Merry Christmas, Ralph. How were you feeling today?"

As the first quarter was about to end, Hakeem Olajuwon finally grabbed his first offensive rebound of the game, facing the defense of Gan Guoyang.

Hakeem Olajuwon dribbled with his head down, turned around, created space and distance, and then released a fadeaway jump shot!
Gan Guoyang reached out to block the shot but missed the ball. The ball traced a straight arc and fell into the basket.

After scoring, Olajuwon clenched his fist tightly; this was his first goal from open play in the game!

At this moment, Gan Guoyang and Hakeem Olajuwon exchanged their first words of the game.

"Akim, you weren't this cowardly before. Why are you using a fadeaway jumper now?"

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang blew a bubble at Hakeem Olajuwon.

(End of this chapter)