The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 189 You'd Better Shoot a Three-Pointer
At the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers still led the Celtics 89-86 by 3 points.

After the game faltered at the start of the third quarter and was tied, Ramsey decisively sent Gan Guoyang to guard Larry Bird, turning the tide of the game in one fell swoop.

Gan Guoyang is right, no one understands how to defend small forwards better than him.

However, the cost was that Gan Guoyang committed two fouls, and his offensive and defensive rhythm was completely disrupted.

Defending Bird one-on-one is no easy task. Bird is smart and cunning, with excellent shooting and passing skills, and he is also very imaginative.

Gan Guoyang had to concentrate on defense while also engaging in a verbal battle with Bird. As the game progressed, their tone became increasingly impolite, and their words became more and more simplistic and crude, to the point where they were almost cursing each other's families.

Bird wasn't having an easy time either. He almost took over the game in the third quarter, but the Trail Blazers surprisingly assigned Gan Guoyang to defend him instead of Kenny Carr.

Gan Guoyang had the advantage in height, speed, and strength, forcing Bird to rely on his experience and skills to deal with him, which increased his exhaustion and the chances of making mistakes.

He tried to bring the pace of the game to a high speed, so that his teammates could play more comfortably and score more easy points.

He could almost see the turning point coming, and he was ready to hit a three-pointer after the timeout to help the Celtics take the lead completely.

As a result, Gan Guoyang stuck to him like a giant piece of chewing gum, ruining his competition plan.

"Fuck, this guy's a wild boar, strong and fast, and fucking thick-skinned!"

On the bench, Bird threw down his towel and, unusually loudly, complained, describing Gan Guoyang as a wild boar.

You can't outrun him, and you can't push him. You talk trash to him, and for every sentence you say, he replies with ten, without any emotional fluctuation. He doesn't follow your train of thought or logic at all.

Jones calmed Bird down and rearranged the tactics for the fourth quarter, pointing out that the team must take advantage of the absence of Forrest Gump in the paint and have the others attack the paint aggressively.

Robert Parish scored 8 points in the third quarter, making him the Celtics' most reliable offensive weapon in the second half of the game.

Ramsey isn't stupid. At the start of the fourth quarter, he moved Gan Guoyang back to the center position. He was guarding Bird to gain the tempo, not to keep him on the defensive all the time.

After three quarters, the Celtics' offense remained inconsistent and underperforming. The Trail Blazers were slightly better than the Celtics, but their overall strength was inferior, and they committed too many turnovers tonight. The poor playing atmosphere at Boston Garden was suffocating.

The game had entered a fierce battle phase. On the Trail Blazers' first offensive possession of the fourth quarter, Vandeweghe, who had rested for most of the quarter, took the ball one-on-one against Bird and made a jump shot from the baseline!

91-86, the Trail Blazers lead by 5 points, a very important basket at the start of the fourth quarter.

Vandeweghe's role is to score, score, and score some more. Tonight, he played 21 minutes and scored 23 points efficiently, making him the Trail Blazers' most reliable scoring option.

Ramsey is finding the right way to use Vandeweghe and is able to better conceal his defensive weaknesses.

With a 5-point deficit, the Celtics are once again struggling to catch up. This kind of game will make the players very tired, and the fans will be very anxious watching it.

As if being held underwater and struggling desperately, the fans on the sidelines eagerly awaited the moment when the team could emerge from the water and breathe.

Without the defensive pressure from Gan Guoyang, Bird began to unleash his offensive imagination again when receiving the ball. In half-court offense, he faked a pass and shot, fooling the defender before taking a mid-range shot and hitting it. At this time, Bird was being guarded by Drexler, and Vandeweghe was assigned to guard Danny Ainge.

He received the ball at the high post, turned to face Drexler, turned and cut to the basket with his left hand, then made a delicate layup with his left hand—the ball went over Gan Guoyang's block, spun twice on the rim and fell into the net.

Bird's left and right hands were incredibly balanced, with absolutely no blind spots in his technique. Gan Guoyang admired this greatly, as he couldn't yet use his left hand with such proficiency, almost like a left-handed person.

At this moment, Drexler also began to unleash his offensive imagination. He turned and got past the defender during his breakthrough, and faced a low, no-look pass from Parish. Gan Guoyang received the ball and slammed it home with one hand!
Then, when Gan Guoyang was double-teamed and couldn't receive the ball—a play that was suspected of being an illegal defense but the referee didn't call it—Drexler, facing a dense defense, dribbled into the three-second zone and suddenly turned and faded off with a jump shot.

The ball's trajectory was very straight; it circled the rim once before finally falling into the net—a successful shot.

Drexler was ecstatic after scoring, jumping up and spinning in the air. His shooting has visibly improved over the past two months.

The Celtics called a timeout, and all the Trail Blazers teammates went over to give Drexler a high-five. Gan Guoyang patted Drexler on the back and said, "Even if we lose tonight, it'll be worth it! Clyde hit a fadeaway jumper!"

Drexler rolled his eyes at Gan Guoyang and said, "I've hit those shots in my previous matches too."

"Tonight is different; this is a crucial moment."

Drexler is growing rapidly, and his playing time increased significantly tonight, from over 20 minutes to 30 minutes.

With just a few minutes left in the game, the Trail Blazers maintained a 3-point lead at 103-100.

After the timeout, Bird attempted to tie the game with a three-pointer, but his shot was too hasty and missed.

Gan Guoyang secured the rebound and passed the ball to Drexler, who then began his sprint from the backcourt.

Dennis Johnson couldn't keep up with Drexler's pace and had to foul him to stop him.

Drexler made both free throws; his shooting has really improved, 105-100.

Ramsey saw all of this, which is why he kept increasing Ramsey's playing time.

Kevin McHale finally scored in the low post, but the Celtics were still down by 3 points, 105-102.

Gan Guoyang missed a mid-range shot, but then suddenly rushed out on defense to steal the ball from Bird and score.

Drexler launched another attack, but this time Dennis Johnson used his experience to defend against Drexler's fast break.

But Dennis Johnson's reckless shot from the top of the arc was blocked by Drexler and missed, and Parish grabbed the offensive rebound.

His mid-range shot after turning around was blocked by Gan Guoyang, and the two sides used high-intensity defense to keep the score deadlocked for two minutes.

The situation was in the Trail Blazers' favor, and Gan Guoyang, who had possession of the ball, did not rush into a fast break, but instead slowed down to play a half-court game.

Paxson dribbled the ball across half-court and passed it to Clyde. Drexler was exceptionally reliable in crucial moments tonight.

Gan Guoyang came out to provide cover for the glider, and Drexler, like a knife, slipped through the gaps in the Celtics' defensive line into the three-second zone.

Facing Robert Parish's defense, Drexler took off over the Chief and glided in for a dunk!

The Trail Blazers' bench erupted in cheers as his teammates jumped up. Drexler's dunk was absolutely stunning.

The Trail Blazers led 107-102, widening the gap to 5 points with less than a minute remaining. The Trail Blazers seemed to have the game in their grasp, but the young team became complacent. Instead of calling a timeout, the Celtics quickly inbounded the ball and launched a counterattack.

The counter-attack was extremely fast, with no dribbling and only passing. The ball moved around the court like a squash ball, and the Celtics players were like walls. In just a few thuds, the ball was in the frontcourt.

Larry Bird seized the opportunity on the left side, received a pass from Kevin McHale, and launched a three-pointer, hitting his second three-pointer of the night.

107-105, the Celtics narrowed the gap to 2 points in just 10 seconds, prompting Ramsey to call a timeout.

The Trail Blazers should still have two offensive opportunities left, and they still hold the advantage, but excessive excitement will undoubtedly cause them to lose that advantage unintentionally, turning a comedy into a tragedy.

Ramsey devised a tactic the team often uses in crucial moments: the forwards and guards run along the baseline to receive the ball and initiate the attack, with Gan Guoyang and Thompson providing high-post support, and then Gan Guoyang drives to the basket to contest the offensive rebound.

This tactic played a crucial role in several games. The Trail Blazers' outside shooting and offensive capabilities forced opponents to come out and defend, while Gan Guoyang's offensive rebounding ability provided a second layer of insurance. They used this move to defeat the Nuggets and Rockets.

However, KC Jones anticipated Ramsey's tactics and made arrangements in advance. Bird, like a hound, stuck to Gan Guoyang and prevented him from attacking the three-second zone. Drexler's fingertips layup missed, and Mitchell Thompson grabbed the offensive rebound. His layup attempt was blocked from behind by McHale, and the Celtics gained possession of the ball.

KC Jones called a timeout with 27 seconds left in the game and a two-point deficit. The cameras and the audience's attention were all focused on Larry Bird.

Bird always manages to make a difference in these crucial moments. When the timeout ended and he returned to the court, Gan Guoyang stood in front of Bird.

"It's you again. You think you can stop me?"

Bird felt his hands were hot and he was confident about the shot.

Gan Guoyang said, "You'd better shoot a three-pointer; two points won't do you any good. There will be time left, and I'll make a buzzer-beater to seal the victory."

His voice was as confident as Bird's. For a moment, Bird felt wavering, wondering if he should abandon the coach's tactics and shoot a three-pointer.

But Bird shook off that idea. He found an opening in the left corner by running and received a pass from Dennis Johnson. He then hit a fadeaway jumper over Gan Guoyang's defense and scored two points, tying the game at 107-107!

Boston Garden erupted in cheers, but Bird remained calm, as if nothing had happened, and returned to the bench, prompting the Trail Blazers to call a timeout.

He knew the game wasn't over yet—he glanced at the score, it was just a tie, and there was a real possibility of being defeated at the last minute. Bird started to worry.

The Trail Blazers had 15 seconds left, enough for them to complete an offensive play. Ramsey demanded that the game clock be used up and that the Celtics not be given even a second.

Although Drexler missed his crucial layup, Ramsey still gave Drexler possession of the ball, asking him to coordinate with Forrest Gump.

There was only one sentence for Gan Guoyang Ramsey: "Adapt to circumstances, Gan."

Gan Guoyang nodded. In that crucial attack, his mind and body became even clearer.

Having stuck to the strategy throughout the game and built up a tempo advantage, we cannot let victory slip away in the final moments.

The serve went smoothly, and Drexler caught the ball steadily, dribbling while watching the clock tick away the time.

At this time, the Boston Garden is as crazy and noisy as hell, and only those with strong willpower can win here.

Drexler was unaffected by the roaring fans on the sidelines. He kept track of the time and exchanged glances with Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang came up to set a screen for Drexler, and Drexler was about to start his drive. Dennis Johnson and McHale were both focused on Drexler.

Just then, Gan Guoyang suddenly turned and cut inside. He wasn't there to set a screen at all. Drexler delivered a high lob pass to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang jumped to receive the ball, and McHale and Bird immediately surrounded him. If he were to shoot, he would definitely be interfered with, and there would be time left.

Gan Guoyang turned and dribbled towards the wing, avoiding Danny Ainge's attempt to steal the ball. He dribbled to the baseline, took a long stride, and launched a hook shot!
It was completely dark in the apartment in Fox Hill, Los Angeles. In this upscale community of Green Valley, there was no light pollution, and you could see the bright starry sky over the Pacific Ocean.

Riley fiddled with the satellite dish on the roof for a while, but it still didn't receive a signal. Judging from the time, the final quarter of the game should be over. I wonder what the result will be.

He pulled a pack of Marlboro cigarettes from his inner pocket and started smoking alone on the rooftop. The flickering glow of the cigarette butt resembled a star in the sky.

Riley is a little-known chain smoker. He never smokes in public, in front of players, reporters, or fans, so there are no photos of him smoking. He doesn't want cigarettes to ruin his image.

Smoking is considered cool in the arts and culture world, but in the sports world, it's questioned as unhealthy and associated with banned substances.

Of course, those close to him knew that he was a heavy smoker, because every time he came back from the toilet or the rooftop, he was always covered in the smell of smoke.

He needs cigarettes, he needs nicotine to relieve immense stress, he needs to calm himself down when he's close to madness, especially this year.

A sudden burst of wild cheers from downstairs startled Riley, causing him to shake off his cigarette ash and land on his velvet suit. He quickly stubbed out the cigarette and dusted the ash off his clothes.

The screaming from the room downstairs continued. Magic Johnson ran out of the room, saw Riley, and hugged him tightly, shouting, "Woh! Game breaker! Game breaker!"

Riley frowned, thinking to himself that this guy was still acting like an idiot, and asked, "Who made the game-winning shot? Larry made the game-winning shot?"

Johnson said, "What are you talking about? A game-winning shot! He hit the Celtics in the final seconds, just like Kareem hit them in 1974, from the same spot! With a hook shot!"

Riley paused for two seconds, then asked, "Then what are you happy about?"

Johnson said, "Of course I'm happy, someone beat the Celtics!"

The Lakers players clearly see themselves as part of the Trail Blazers team; whoever is an enemy of the Celtics is a friend of the Lakers.

Back then, there was real sports rivalry between NBA teams and between cities, especially between Boston and Los Angeles.

Riley said coldly, "Don't forget, if we make it to the playoffs, we'll face the Trail Blazers first, and then we can go to the Finals to face the Celtics."

This time, Johnson was stunned for two seconds, but he immediately went back to his room happily to celebrate with everyone.

"Who cares, the Celtics lost anyway!"

Riley shook his head, feeling a little happy but also somewhat worried.

"Give me the game recording; I need to study it tonight!"

(End of this chapter)