The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 198 Child Labor in Video Recording
The Trail Blazers won five straight games after the All-Star break, but their subsequent Southwest Division tour was not smooth.

Jack Ramsey could sense the players' poor form the moment they boarded the plane to leave Portland.

Nobody wanted to leave Portland; the All-Star weekend break, plus five consecutive home games, was just too good to pass the time.

As another long-haul flight was about to begin, everyone was sullen, and the atmosphere in the cabin wasn't as lively as it used to be.

Even the usually energetic Gan Guoyang took a short nap on the plane to replenish his energy and prepare for the upcoming away game.

The players were exhausted after a grueling triple-overtime battle against the Bulls.

In Ramsey's view, sometimes it's better to lose early in these kinds of games during the regular season than to win.

Especially when a playoff spot is already secured, the players' form and health become even more important.

By February, the season is already more than halfway over.

"Most of the season" sounds good, but even though it's only halfway through, there are still 30 games.

It's like a triathlon where you've already completed swimming and cycling, and the final challenge is the most tiring and brutal long-distance run.

When Ramsey participated in the triathlon, he relied entirely on willpower to complete the final long run.

The reason running is placed last is probably because they're afraid you'll drown while swimming or fall to your death while cycling.

The NBA regular season has now entered a phase where you have to run on your own two feet; the water that carries you on the waves and the bicycle with two wheels are gone.

Ramsey has been going through this kind of season for over a decade. In the 60s, there were only 10 teams in the league, and those 10 teams played 82 games. Two teams would play each other eight or nine times a season.

Even between teams from the East and West, there are many games to play. For example, when Ramsey was with the Philadelphia 76ers, he played nine games against the Lakers in one season, five of which required him to fly to Los Angeles.

At the time, in order to increase the popularity of the games and open up markets in other cities, the NBA often held games in third-party cities.

For example, in Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Hotford, and other cities, some of these cities established NBA teams as the market expanded, such as Cleveland, Seattle, and Portland.

By the 80s, after merging with the ABA and expanding, the number of NBA teams increased to more than 20, and teams from the East and West only needed to play one home and one away game each.

Western Conference teams play six games within the same division, and four to five games between teams in different divisions, depending on the annual schedule.

The Trail Blazers and Lakers are both in the Pacific Division, so six games a season is inevitable.

Even teams from the neighboring Midwestern division, like the Rockets and Jazz, would play each other for four or five games, eventually becoming very familiar with each other.

The Trail Blazers' first stop on their Southwest China road trip is Texas, where they will experience the future famous Texas triangle – Rockets, Mavericks, and Spurs.

All three teams are very strong, each with its own strengths, and are all strong teams capable of making the playoffs. They have had mixed results against the Trail Blazers in previous games.

In their first game against the Rockets in Houston, the Rockets' twin towers, who had been repeatedly outplayed and defeated by Gan Guoyang, were determined to fight the Trail Blazers to the death.

The Rockets have been in excellent form since the All-Star break, winning four straight games, and they are well-prepared for their home game against the Trail Blazers.

Tonight, Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Sampson strictly followed head coach Bill Fitch's instructions, with Sampson primarily defending Gan Guoyang and Olajuwon providing help defense.

The two number one draft picks guarded Gan Guoyang tightly throughout the game, especially Olajuwon, who was very angry.

He and Gan Guoyang weren't done with the fadeaway jump shot. Even though Olajuwon treated Gan Guoyang and Drexler to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Houston the night before the game, once on the court, they still settled their score. He wanted to find out from Gan Guoyang whether the fadeaway jump shot was any good or not.

For the Trail Blazers, Vandeweghe remains sidelined due to injury. He did not travel to Portland for this road trip and stayed there to recover.

Without Vandeweghe, a key outside scorer, fast break threat, and rebounder, Gan Guoyang was really struggling.

The glider's fast break and organization are impressive, but his poor shooting and inability to create space, plus this guy is stealing rebounds from Gan Guoyang.

Throughout the game, the Trail Blazers were firmly suppressed by the Rockets. In the third quarter, Gan Guoyang was about to pull off another miracle, hitting two three-pointers in a row and scoring 8 points, which gave Fitch a cold sweat.

The Rockets then relied on their tireless rebounding and double-teaming Gan Guoyang on the defensive end to win 110-115, ending the Trail Blazers' five-game winning streak while securing their own five-game winning streak.

Despite facing a combined attack from two former number one draft picks, Sampson and Olajuwon, Gan Guoyang still managed to score 21 points, grab 17 rebounds, and block 4 shots, but he was isolated from the team's overall composition by the opposing team.

These are two basic principles that other teams have followed when facing the Trail Blazers since Riley came up with the "Forrest Gump Rules": 1. Don't provoke Forrest Gump, 2. Separate Forrest Gump from his teammates.

When playing against the Lakers or the Celtics, you can't separate Magic Johnson from his teammates, or Bird from his teammates. This is because they have outstanding playmaking abilities, and their teammates are very strong. If you try to separate them, you'll just get blown out by your teammates.

Although the Trail Blazers finished second in the Western Conference last season, the team was actually quite weak; otherwise, they wouldn't have been eliminated by the Suns in the first round.

They have significant deficiencies in crucial hardware aspects such as height, toughness, and defense. They can win games with speed and smooth teamwork, but they struggle in tough matches and perform poorly in the playoffs.

Gan Guoyang single-handedly filled all these hardware conditions, which is great, but here's the problem: if you separate Agan, these hardware conditions cannot be provided by others.

For example, when it comes to scoring in crucial moments, Gan Guoyang can take the shot, and the opponent will double-team him, leaving no one else with clutch ability. Many times, the Trail Blazers had crucial plays when others couldn't score, but Gan Guoyang would rush in, grab the offensive rebound, and then either score himself or assist a teammate.

After a while, the opponents will know how to handle it and will assign two or three players to guard you, preventing you from receiving the ball and attacking the offensive rebound. That will put the Trail Blazers in trouble.

Drexler is demonstrating his ability to handle the ball and solve problems in crucial moments, especially in the game against the Celtics, where he showed signs of superstar potential.

However, he still needs more experience and growth. His organizational and assault capabilities will completely change the predicament where the opponent is helpless as long as they surround and kill Gan Guoyang.

One or two games are definitely not enough for this kind of experience, and forget about it this season. Drexler will learn a big lesson in the next game against the Mavericks.

He was completely outmaneuvered on the defensive end by Rolando Blackman, who scored 36 points on 15-of-22 shooting with a field goal percentage of over 60%, while Drexler only managed 11 points.

Gan Guoyang scored 28 points, but Bao Wei caused him a lot of trouble tonight. This guy's physical condition is indeed outstanding, with excellent height and wingspan. When he calms down and focuses on battling under the basket, and gives up taking random shots from the outside, he can do a lot.

Moreover, in the very first minute of the match, Bao Wei launched a psychological offensive against Gan Guoyang.

"Forrest Gump, your dunk in the All-Star Game was really beautiful."

"That was a great hook shot; I couldn't defend it at all."

"I've watched the Rock the Baby dunk countless times. It's probably one of the best dunks in history."

"Beautiful block, I never try to score in front of you."

"you shut up!"

"Okay, Forrest Gump."

"..."

"That was a great shot!"

While praising Forrest Gump, Bowie also grabbed 14 rebounds and made 3 blocks, effectively protecting the paint.

Dick Motta has been on good terms with Aguirre lately, and he won't make the mistake of letting the team's strongest attack go head-to-head against the opponent's strongest defense again.

The Trail Blazers only have Gan Guoyang as a strong shield. If they had two shields, one inside and one outside, it would be difficult for opponents to avoid them.

If you only have one side, it's easy; you can easily avoid this monster in the three-second zone by making a slight movement of the ball.

102-107, another 5-point loss. This kind of defeat is frustrating, indicating that it's not a matter of poor form, but rather that the opponent tactically suppressed the team.

Although the Trail Blazers won their next game against the Spurs in San Antonio, avoiding a three-game losing streak, the victory was mainly due to the Spurs' poor performance, which led to an "ugly duckling night," rather than the Trail Blazers playing exceptionally well.

The constant targeting from their opponents left Gan Guoyang feeling powerless. On the plane to Washington, D.C., Gan Guoyang and Adelman discussed countermeasures.

Adelman told Gan Guoyang, "The coaching staff will find a solution, but it may not be used in the regular season. Letting opponents exploit this weakness isn't necessarily a bad thing. We'll solve the problem in the playoffs, and that's when the real battles begin."

Gan Guoyang asked, "You didn't find it at all, did you? Are you trying to fool me?"

"No, no, I've been trying to watch videos lately."

"Don't lie to me, Rick, are you watching a game replay?"

"..."

Even the coaching staff can slack off at times.

The Trail Blazers only have one assistant coach, Adelman, who has to manage many things.

It's unrealistic to expect him to spend every day sitting in front of a computer editing and splicing videos, studying all the strategies in detail.

Some issues need to be resolved during the offseason.

“I’m not lying to you, Forrest Gump, really. Although the team doesn’t have a video editor, and I’m not very good at those things, I don’t really know how to use them. But President Spoelstra’s son is going to college this year, and he loves basketball and is very good at these things. I’ve asked him to help edit and organize the video. We’ll definitely study it carefully then, so don’t worry, Forrest Gump.”

"President Spoelstra's son? That little Filipino boy?"

"Yes, that's him. He's a huge fan of yours. He wore number 11 on his high school basketball team."

"Fuck, how can you be so stingy? You can't even afford to hire a video editor, and you're using the president's son as a child laborer."

"He did it voluntarily, and his skills are better than some professional editors; he's extremely skilled. You have to trust him."

(End of this chapter)