The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 224 Cockpit

Being able to play at home is certainly a good thing, especially in a city like Portland where the atmosphere is incredibly vibrant.

In 1977, the Trail Blazers completed a remarkable comeback from a 0-2 deficit at home, and this time they have secured home-court advantage.

After the players returned to Portland, Ramsey did not schedule any more training sessions, knowing that everyone was exhausted.

Although the six games against the Nuggets were not particularly intense, the players' continuous running made it feel like they had completed two marathons.

The Los Angeles Lakers can run just as fast as the Nuggets, and they are even more physically strong than the Nuggets, so proper rest and relaxation are very important at this time.

On May 14th, Portland experienced intermittent drizzle in the morning.

Unlike sunny Los Angeles, Portland is known for its frequent rain.

This is one of the cities with the highest suicide rates in the United States. The rainy weather exacerbates people's depression, which may be one of the reasons why the Trailblazers are so popular.

Under a gloomy sky, people need light and warmth to dispel the gloom.

For Gan Guoyang, the rain could not dampen his enthusiasm for training; while everyone else was resting, he still chose to go to the Portland University gymnasium to play.

Every basketball court in Portland is open to Forrest Gump; who wouldn't want to watch him play for free? Tickets to Memorial Stadium are hard to come by!

On the court in the stadium, Gan Guoyang spent most of his time thinking about how to deal with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and how to deal with the Lakers.

Judging from the second game, it was difficult for him to deal with the Lakers on his own. The playoffs are completely different from the regular season, and the first game he won had an element of luck.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is key. Once Abdul-Jabbar starts playing efficiently, Gan Guoyang will inevitably have to expend most of his energy dealing with the skyhook, and his attention will be reduced in defending other players and in attacking.

In the second game, Ramsey tried having Thompson guard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but Thompson was even more helpless against Abdul-Jabbar, and Gan Guoyang had to help defend, which made the team's defense collapse even more.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could only deal with Gan Guoyang, but the Lakers could have Rambis and others take turns guarding Gan Guoyang. Of course, most of the time Abdul-Jabbar would personally guard him. He no longer hid from young players like he did during the regular season, when he was like a timid child.

His 7-foot-2 height and long arms are a nightmare for any low-post offensive player. After tormenting himself both mentally and physically, Skyhook's passion for the game and defense has reached its peak. He no longer hates physical confrontations with Gan Guoyang. His body, which had been coasting all season, has long since recovered.

In his youth, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an angry young man, a fierce and unparalleled warrior. When he was activated, he was still the world's strongest center in terms of both offense and defense.

The reason Gan Guoyang scored less in the second game was because his efficiency under the basket was low. He increased his outside shooting, but unless he was on fire, the efficiency of outside shooting is definitely not as good as his inside scoring.

Gan Guoyang closed his eyes, stood near the three-second zone, and imagined how he should get rid of Jabbar's defense and score a goal, as Jabbar completely covered him.

He has to worry about double-teaming and steals from players like Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Byron Scott, and Johnson.

Kirk Rambis, that bastard, comes over to bother me every now and then, saying nice things but doing all sorts of dirty tricks with his hands.

He can attack on his own, but he must be fast. His fadeaway jump shot is too slow and has a poor accuracy.

The leaning jump shot works against players of similar height, but it's difficult against a 7-foot-2 player like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Ewing is the limit.

Using a hook shot to counter a skyhook? But moving a hook shot requires space, and the court is always very crowded when playing against the Lakers. They cleverly use early double-teaming and small-area zone defense to block their offensive space.

This is something you don't have to face when playing against the Mavericks and Nuggets; having no offensive space is fatal for a center.

Gan Guoyang is already very resistant to being fed the ball, but he is not Jordan, nor is he a guard.

Moses Malone was a master of creating space; he could always find a gap in a forest of tall players and shove the ball toward the basket.

Whether it goes in or not is another matter, but at least the shot is out, and if it misses, you can try to grab the rebound—but this is not 1981 and 1983. The Lakers' height makes their defensive rebounding even better, and Moses couldn't get the better of them when facing the Lakers in March.

Combining power with some turning footwork should be the most suitable way to attack, but there are two problems: first, there is still space, making him easy to be double-teamed; second, low footwork is Gan Guoyang's weakness.

His low-post footwork is far from as refined and fluid as Kevin McHale's. Gan Guoyang's high scores rely on his hot shooting touch, as well as his clever and resourceful mind and advanced and varied offensive techniques.

His solid, hard-hitting low-post footwork still has a lot of room for improvement. At the highest level of competition, there's rarely room for trickery. His overwhelming power caused Gan Guoyang to neglect footwork training somewhat during the season, but there was no way around it; the busy schedule meant there was little time to refine his technique.

Perhaps he should pass the ball to assist his teammates while also expanding his own offensive space.

With Clyde in the middle, he'll definitely drive to the basket when he receives the ball, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will help defend. Kareem is very clever and always manages to occupy the middle position, making it difficult for the penetrator to penetrate. At the same time, the Lakers' rotation is very good, making it difficult for them to receive the ball and attack or have a second chance.

The ball was passed to Qiqi on the wing. Qiqi played very well in the semifinals because it was his former team, the Nuggets, and he was used to that rhythm. However, he seemed too weak against the Lakers. Once the ball was in his hands, it was difficult for him to get it out. Moreover, he had more problems on defense. However, he is already the most reliable scorer next to Gan Guoyang.

Paxson and Valentine are similar; they're like guards from the 60s and 70s. They play like college students against the Lakers' big men. Valentine was almost destroyed by Magic Johnson in the first two games, and Paxson was also in poor form.

Colter was a miracle, but a miracle is a miracle because it doesn't happen all the time. In the second game, Colter completely went silent; his magical offensive touch disappeared.

Veteran Kenny Carr became especially important in the playoffs; it would have been great if he were just two inches taller.

Thompson is Gan Guoyang's most reliable inside helper. With him around, Gan Guoyang can focus on many other things. He greatly reduces the pressure on Gan Guoyang in both offense and defense.

But against the Lakers, even if he doesn't guard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he still has to face James Worthy, which is a formidable challenge, as Worthy is lightning fast.

Thompson can handle some ball possession and execute tactical plays, but he can't score a lot of points or work with Gan Guoyang to break down the Lakers' defense...

Gan Guoyang stood on the field, holding the ball without moving, quietly simulating and thinking for a while before finally moving.

Dribble with your left hand, use your explosiveness and power to drive hard through the middle, and then push aside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's left hand for a layup or lob.

The ball slid into the basket, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn't actually pushed aside. Even if he had, he would have had to face Abdul-Jabbar's long arms, which would have been troublesome.

Gan Guoyang glanced at the clock on the wall. It was time. He had arranged to have lunch with Wang Fuxi.

After packing up and leaving the stadium, Gan Guoyang, holding a large umbrella, ran all the way to the Portland University library as the rain intensified around noon.

Wang Fuxi and her two roommates were waiting at the door. When they saw Gan Guoyang arrive, Wang Fuxi rushed under the umbrella despite the rain.

She grabbed Gan Guoyang and said, "Gan, look, who's that?"

Gan Guoyang looked in the direction Wang Fuxi was pointing and saw a tall figure under the rain curtain of the library eaves.

It was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, holding a book in his hand, waiting in the middle of a line.

"Jabbar? He... what's he doing here?"

"He was waiting for a taxi. He came to the library to read books in the morning."

Gan Guoyang walked up to Jabar and greeted him. Jabar raised his hand and moved it slightly, but did not say anything.

"It's hard to get a taxi here. How about we have lunch together, and I'll take you back to your hotel later."

“No, thank you,” Jabbar refused.

It wasn't because the two teams were playing and he didn't want to have off-court contact with the Portland players; it was just that he was that kind of person and didn't like to associate with anyone.

But the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and there were very few taxis passing by the library. This wasn't a bar or a movie theater, so it was lunchtime and everyone was probably very hungry.

Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi stood next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as if admiring a sculpture in the rain, while more and more people gathered around to look. The two of them were currently the most famous people in Portland.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Okay, let's eat together if your girlfriend doesn't mind. I didn't expect it to rain so hard, otherwise I shouldn't have come."

Wang Fuxi said, "I don't mind at all, Forrest Gump. My classmates, friends, and people in Portland all admire you. You're amazing."

Jabbar's usually indifferent face showed a hint of emotion. The three of them went to a campus restaurant called "Cockpit," sat down to eat something, and waited for the rain to subside.

(End of this chapter)