The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 212 Exposed
As a basketball league with a strong entertainment aspect (it was originally established to sell tickets from unused arenas), the NBA has only allowed teams to use man-to-man defense since its inception in 1946, prohibiting zone defense.

However, just like traveling, a technical move that has been strictly prohibited since the birth of basketball, zone defense has never truly disappeared from the NBA court.

In 1946, 40 years ago, a time that sounds very distant, World War II had just ended, many countries were rebuilding from the ruins, while others were still at war. Americans were already thinking about how to make basketball games more interesting and more attractive to audiences.

At that time, basketball had been developing for more than 50 years, with college leagues, amateur competitions, and regional professional leagues scattered throughout the United States. The NBA was just an inconspicuous professional small league in the Northeast at that time.

But the NBA (originally called the BAA) had a clear business strategy: to attract viewers and survive. Their rule of prohibiting zone defense quickly won over more fans and defeated their first rival, the NBL, which was founded in 1937, in three years of competition.

The NBA acquired an NBL team and obtained their star player, George Mikan. Mikan's star power brought more viewers and fans to the NBA, laying the foundation for the league's survival.

Back then, when the league made promotional billboards for games, they would say "McKahn vs. [team name]", and many people watched the games specifically because of McCann.

But when Mikan was with the Lakers, he would often squat under the basket and not move to prevent smaller opponents from attacking the basket. This is actually a kind of zone defense. In order to sell tickets and attract fans, the NBA naturally turned a blind eye to it.

In the 60s and 70s, Mikan, who had made great contributions to the founding of the NBA, established the ABA to compete with the NBA. At this time, basketball rules and tactics had undergone tremendous changes. The three-second zone was expanded, the 24-second shot clock was introduced, and jump shots, pull-up jump shots, spin dribbling, and so on made basketball very different.

Some voices have begun to suggest that the NBA should allow zone defense instead of just man-to-man defense, since a team can score over 100 points in a game, and combining man-to-man and zone defense doesn't seem like a problem.

Moreover, for referees, distinguishing whether the defending team has used illegal defense in a fast-paced game has always been a difficult problem.

NBA legend Rich Boris once called an illegal defense by the Hawks in a game, but afterwards Boris said that the Hawks' defense should be allowed and was a good defense.

Two weeks later, Rich Boris informed the Hawks and Nets before the game that he would not call illegal defense in their games and that they could use zone defense and double-team as much as they wanted.

As a result, then-NBA Commissioner Larry O'Brien was furious and severely punished Boris for unilaterally changing the officiating rules, suspending him for many games—but not firing him, because there were too few referees with such experience in the league.

Although the league still prohibits it, with more and more college basketball coaches entering the NBA, more teams are beginning to walk the line of illegal defense, testing the limits of referees and the league in order to target the opponent's superstars in defense.

Otherwise, if only man-to-man marking is allowed, some weak teams that lack superstars or corresponding defenders will be completely unable to compete with strong teams that have superstars.

The referees usually turn a blind eye to this. As long as you don't go too far or too obviously, they generally won't keep calling it. And even if you are called for illegal defense, the first time you are called for illegal defense, you will only be penalized with a 24-second violation and lose possession of the ball. Only subsequent calls will result in free throws.

In the 1984-1985 season, a total of 1193 illegal defensive calls were made, but only 157 free throws were awarded, indicating that referees in each game often only made one or two symbolic calls to issue warnings.

Regarding these phenomena, the NBA officially maintains a firm stance on the no-go zone defense, as it is the very rule upon which they built their reputation.

In the more than 60 pages of the NBA's official rulebook, nine pages are dedicated to how to judge illegal defense. Over time, these rules have become increasingly complex, to the point that even some professional referees don't understand what exactly constitutes illegal defense.

In 1981, the NBA established a committee to guide coaches across the league on what constitutes illegal defense, because NBA executives suspected that some coaches in the league did not understand what illegal defense was at all (including Dick Motta).

Ironically, after the league gave the coaches some guidance, the coaches gained a deeper understanding of illegal defense and were clearer about how to skirt the line between legal and illegal.

Dick Motta's Dallas Mavericks are not a strong defensive team. It's not that Dick Motta can't defend, but that the Mavericks lack strong defensive players.

However, they can employ targeted defense in the playoffs. Tonight, they used clever defensive arrangements to make it very difficult for Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers in the first half.

Jack Ramsey knew what was going on. Although he protested verbally to the scorer, he knew in his heart that all teams in the league would use hidden zone defense in the playoffs, including Ramsey himself.

Gan Guoyang often cleverly lurks under the basket for extended periods, using seemingly "switching" moves to achieve zone defense and prevent opponents from attacking the rim.

The solution is quite simple: it's about whether you can make some mid- to long-range shots.

Mid-range and long-range shots are the biggest weakness of zone defense, but the inconsistency of mid-range and long-range shots means that the purpose of zone defense is often to force you to shoot, betting that you won't be able to shoot high tonight.

Given the intensity of the playoffs, the odds of winning this gamble are very high.

During halftime, Ramsey gave a series of instructions in the locker room, and finally asked Gan Guoyang, "Gan, how was your shooting touch tonight?"

Gan Guoyang shook his head and said, "Not very good."

In the first half, Gan Guoyang tried shooting from mid-range and long range, but his touch was off.

"Can't you think of a way?"

"can."

Their basketball-related exchanges were always so brief, requiring no further explanation.

As the second half approached, Rick Adelman pulled Gan Guoyang aside and said, "Gan, Kiki and Paxson will be firing on all cylinders in the second half. Leave the defense to Thompson, grab the offensive rebounds, and try to get free throws."

Gan Guoyang nodded. He understood that this was Ramsey's idea; he needed Gan Guoyang to find his shooting rhythm through free throws.

Fighting for offensive rebounds over the Mavericks is no easy task. Despite the Mavericks' relatively short stature (one big man and four small men), they are the team that loses the fewest offensive rebounds in the entire league.

The players' active protection of the rebounds is one aspect, and the Mavericks' small-ball lineup has a very sharp fast break, making opponents hesitant to attack the offensive rebounds. If they fail to get the rebounds, they will suffer greatly from the fast break.

In the last few games, Gan Guoyang has basically not been going for offensive rebounds; he has been retreating to defense immediately to prevent the Mavericks from launching fast breaks.

The reason why Moses Malone was able to grab rebounds so freely with the 76ers in 1983 without affecting the defense was because the 76ers had two excellent forwards and guards, Kyrie Irving and Maurice Cheeks, as well as perfect role players like Marc Jaffaroni and Bobby Jones supporting him.

Gan Guoyang dares to charge forward against twin-tower teams like the Rockets, and he does the same against the Lakers. It's not that the Lakers can't play fast breaks, but sometimes retreating on defense is useless against the Lakers' fast breaks, so it's better to go for it.

Ramsey has now devised a new strategy: the team will go all out in the third quarter, and if they fail, Aguirre and Blackman will go on a run and widen the gap even further.

But Gan Guoyang remained calm, walked to the baseline to serve, and quickly ran across the half-court to the vicinity of the three-second zone in the frontcourt.

Sam Bowie maintained a certain distance from Gan Guoyang, and just like in the first half, he devoted half of his attention to the three-second zone.

Meanwhile, Aguirre and Vincent were secretly watching Gan Guoyang, ready to double-team him if he showed any sign of receiving the ball.

In theory, if the Trail Blazers' remaining four players all stand outside the three-point line, Gan Guoyang can create opportunities for one-on-one plays.

However, NBA coaches in 1985 had not yet come up with such an insane one-on-four tactic, or perhaps someone had thought of it but it was not effective at the time, not to mention that Ramsey had always disliked one-on-one play.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang was just a feint. On the outside, Vandeweghe got the ball through a simple screen, took a step back, and made a long-range two-pointer almost on the three-point line.

This was a difficult shot. When the ball was halfway down, Gan Guoyang anticipated that it would go in and turned around to defend.

The ball went in precisely, and Vandeweghe scored the first point of the third quarter, bringing the Trail Blazers within nine points at 52-61. However, Aguirre immediately received the ball on the baseline, broke free of Vandeweghe's defense, and drove to the basket. Facing Gan Guoyang's defense, he delivered a beautiful pass to Sam Bowie, who slammed home a two-handed dunk!
52: 63.

Bowie played exceptionally well tonight, remaining calm and rational, without taking a single careless shot (he used to love taking shots from the top of the key too much). All his points came from easy baskets, second-chance opportunities, and free throws.

He kept in mind Dick Motta's words: "Forrest Gump is an eagle, I am a duck, but ducks have their own way of surviving."

Vandeweghe took another step-back long-range shot, another difficult attempt, but missed.

Bowie held his position firmly under the basket, but it was a long-range shot, and the ball went very far. Gan Guoyang found the landing point and grabbed the rebound over Vincent and Aguirre.

He was about to turn and shoot when Bowie immediately tried to block him, but the moment he jumped, he knew he'd been tricked—it was a fake!
A thought flashed through Bao Wei's mind: "Oh no!" Gan Guoyang had already faked him out, but instead of heading straight for the basket, he closed in and the two collided in mid-air. At the same time, Gan Guoyang attempted a hook shot, but missed.

The referee blew the whistle, Bao Wei committed a defensive foul, and Gan Guoyang stepped up to the free throw line.

He relaxed his shoulders, took a deep breath, and took his first free throw. The ball bounced off the rim and into the net.

Gan Guoyang adjusted his shooting power for the second shot, and made the free throw steadily, his accuracy slowly returning.

54: 63.

In half-court offense, the Mavericks couldn't find a weakness in the Trail Blazers' defense, and Aguirre once again broke through Vandeweghe's defense.

The Trail Blazers did a great job with their rotation this time. Gan Guoyang left only one pass for Aguirre, and Thompson blocked Bowie.

Aguirre attempted a comeback, but his difficult turnaround jump shot missed, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound.

"Damn it," Aguirre cursed under his breath.

Aguirre hates facing Gan Guoyang's defense. His technical details and tricks are completely useless against someone who is taller, faster, and stronger than him. In the end, he can only rely on brute force and touch, which is the least efficient way.

Jim Paxson hit a jump shot on the fast break, and the Trail Blazers' outside shooting touch is returning.

56: 63.

The Trail Blazers closed the gap to 4 points, prompting Dick Motta to immediately call a timeout.

They executed a beautiful baseline drive, and Aguirre shook off his defender, received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the left side, faked a drive inside, and then pulled up for a jump shot that went in off the backboard.

56: 65.

On the Trail Blazers' perimeter, Vandeweghe dribbled the ball on the left side and faced off against Aguirre one-on-one, shooting directly and making the basket.

58: 65.

Blackman's drive was blocked by Gan Guoyang, and the Trail Blazers launched a fast break. Paxson deliberately slowed down and waited for the ball to fall back.

This is very rare for Ramsey's team; they didn't even capitalize on fast break opportunities.

Paxson's long-range shot missed, and the ball went far away, allowing Gan Guoyang to grab the offensive rebound again!

He jumped repeatedly in front of three Mavericks players to tip the ball up and then grabbed the rebound.

He drove hard to the basket, drawing a foul from Vincent, and was going to the free-throw line again.

Gan Guoyang didn't make many adjustments this time, making both free throws with a swift and decisive move.

60: 65.

Bowie stood with his hands on his hips, a bad feeling creeping over him.

In the third quarter, the Trail Blazers' offense was actually quite monotonous, consisting mainly of mid-range and long-range shots from the outside. If it weren't for Gan Guoyang's two offensive rebounds, the Mavericks would probably have been able to extend their lead to 15 points by now.

But two offensive rebounds and four free throws changed everything.

Vincent's subsequent floater missed, and Bowie tried to grab the offensive rebound, but was blocked by Gan Guoyang and failed.

The Trail Blazers launched a counterattack, but Valentine calmly set a screen with Gan Guoyang at the high post, passed the ball back, and Gan Guoyang took a long-range shot from the top of the arc.

A high, deadly arc, and it goes in perfectly! A three-pointer!

Many Mavericks fans at the stadium covered their heads, sensing that something was wrong.

The score difference between the two sides narrowed to only 2 points in just a few minutes, from 63 to 65.

Dick Motta didn't call a timeout, even though he had just called one, he's still stubbornly holding on.

But the Mavericks' morale has been thrown into disarray, especially on the defensive end, where their focus is waning.

Aguirre attempted a strong drive to the basket, but Thompson disrupted his shot, and Gan Guoyang secured the rebound.

On the counter-attack, in the same position, Valentine and Gan Guoyang cooperated with a screen, and Gan Guoyang received the ball.

This time, Bao Wei defended out, but Gan Guoyang broke through and rushed into the three-second zone, shooting a hook shot!

The ball seemed to float, as if it had no weight, and landed right in the center of the basket, barely grazing the net and not even touching the edge of the rim.

A perfect hook shot, impossible to defend.

The score is tied at 65-65.

Dick Motta finally called a timeout.

Sam Bowie returned to the bench, panting, thinking, "The ducks have been spotted in the grass."

(End of this chapter)