The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 269 Adjustments and Changes

On the evening of January 3rd, a heavy snowstorm raged at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee.

This is the smallest arena in the entire league in terms of building area and capacity, even smaller than the Portland Memorial Arena, with only 10783 seats.

However, like the Portland Memorial Arena, smaller arenas tend to have a more lively atmosphere, while super-large arenas like the Alamo Dome and Silver Dome Center often appear empty and deserted because they are not full.

The Bucks were an overlooked team throughout the 80s. This team from a small, cold city was always overshadowed by the powerhouses, the 76ers and the Celtics.

1980-1981赛季雄鹿从西部划分到了东部，之后连续三年季后赛死于费城76人之手，其中包括1981年的60胜赛季，7场遗憾败北。

In 1984, the Philadelphia 76ers crashed out in the first round, and they finally overcame the 76ers, only to fall to the rising Boston Celtics.

In the 1985 regular season, the Bucks won 59 games and defeated Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the first round, but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers for the fourth time in the semifinals, which was extremely discouraging.

This year marks Nelson's tenth year coaching the Bucks. Owner Fitzgerald couldn't take it anymore and left, selling the team to go to California to relax and rejuvenate.

Fitzgerald's career peaked in the 1983 playoffs when they swept the seemingly invincible Boston Celtics 4-0, marking the first time in Celtics history that they had been swept.

At that time, Fitzgerald lit a cigar in the stands of the MECCA stadium, the cigar sticking up high as if in defiance of Auerbach.

Auerbach was indeed furious at the time, but the Celtics came back strong the following year and defeated the Bucks to win the championship.

The Bucks remain one of the most competitive teams in the Eastern Conference, having surpassed the declining Philadelphia 76ers to become the Celtics' number one rival in the East.

But tonight, the Portlanders are coming for revenge.

The Bucks' starting lineup was the same as in the previous game: guards Moncrief and Paul Plessy, center Randy Brewer, and forwards Terry Cummins and Charles Davis.

The Bucks have been dominant in the Eastern Conference for many years, but their average age is actually not high. This is their sixth season in the East, and only reserve player Mike Glenn is 30 years old. The rest of the players are around 25 years old.

The Bucks place great emphasis on rebuilding and developing young talent, and they are never hesitant to trade star players like Marquese Johnson when the opportunity arises.

However, Johnson's move to the Celtics is definitely not good news for the Bucks.

The Bucks' youth gives them great energy on the court, especially on the defensive end, where their switching defense makes it very difficult for the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers' starting lineup remains a high-profile combination of Gan Guoyang, Thompson, Vandeweghe, Drexler, and Paxson.

Looking at the Trail Blazers' starting lineup, Don Nelson wondered if tonight would be another battle of speed and height.
Because the two games are so close together, it's like a playoff game, and Nelson is certain that Ramsey will definitely come up with a counter-strategy tonight.

Nelson obtained a lot of information about the Trail Blazers from Inman, including their training, tactics, and so on.

Although the Bucks, like the Bulls, won't face the Trail Blazers unless they reach the Finals, Don Nelson is very interested in the current Trail Blazers.

Back when he was still a player, Nelson hesitated when Bucks owner Fitzgerald recruited him to be a coach because he felt he wasn't qualified.

At the time, he wanted to find a team to work as an assistant coach to hone his skills for a while, and the team he most wanted to join was the Portland Trail Blazers. He wanted to work under Jack Ramsey and learn tactics and management.

Even before winning a championship in the 70s, Ramsey was already renowned for his tactical skills. He had a great memory and a deep understanding of basketball.

However, Fitzgerald repeatedly urged Nelson to become the Bucks' head coach. Nelson and his family discussed and made a decision at a maid cafe: whether to become the Bucks' head coach, go into car sales, or become an NBA referee.

After a vote by his family, Nelson decided to become the Bucks' head coach, a position he held for ten years.

In the ten years since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left, it can be said that Nelson revitalized the Bucks, but they always fell just short of the highest stage.

Tactically, Nelson also embarked on a completely different and unconventional path from Ramsey. He was obsessed with mismatches, with making forwards do the work of guards, and guards do the work of forwards. One day, he might even make centers do the work of both guards and forwards.

Nelson certainly thought so, especially after he met Gan Guoyang, during the 1984 Olympic team vs. All-Star team match.

At the time, Bob Knight wanted to say hello to Nelson and ask him to go easy on Forrest Gump, but how could Nelson possibly listen to him?
He finally found such a good test subject: 6 feet 10 inches tall, with perfect athleticism and coordination, all-around skills, and the ability to do anything on the field.

Nelson coached Gan Guoyang for only one game, and they successfully defeated the Olympic team. Later in the draft, Nelson tried every means to trade for the Trail Blazers' No. 2 pick.

The Bucks simply didn't have any assets, and Stu Inman wasn't even the Bucks' HR manager at the time, so they couldn't let go of the opportunity to acquire Forrest Gump. This regret was only partially remedied by Nelson many years later with a young German player.

Nelson watched as Gan Guoyang went to the Trail Blazers. At the time, he thought it was a waste for Gan Guoyang to go to the Trail Blazers, and that Dr. Jack would definitely train him to become the second Bill Walton.

Who would have thought that after just one season, Forrest Gump would turn Dr. Jack into Don Nelson!

Nelson was greatly impressed when he heard from Inman about the changes Ramsey had made since Gan Guoyang joined the Trail Blazers, as well as the various tactical changes the Trail Blazers had made.

This year, the Portland Trail Blazers have the momentum to sweep the league, especially their three big men, who are almost unstoppable and have even crushed the Celtics' proud frontcourt.

Nelson, however, refused to believe it and taught the three big men a lesson in Portland with his signature mismatch switching.

The Bucks are one of the few teams in the league that switches a lot on defense. Basically, whenever the opponent has a pick-and-roll or screen, the Bucks will execute a switching strategy.

Furthermore, Nelson would have forwards guard the center and guards defend the forwards, disrupting the opponent's rhythm through this mismatch defense.

Furthermore, Nelson, himself a former guard, has unique insights into the use of backcourt players.

He believes that guards should be freed from a lot of ball handling and playmaking, allowing them to focus entirely on attacking the basket and guarding the defense.

So although Sidney Moncrief is the team's point guard, the playmaking task is mainly left to Paul Plessy (who plays small forward when organizing the offense). Moncrief and Ricky Pierce then form a backcourt duo, quickly swarming the defense and launching rapid attacks on offense.

Even Michael Jordan couldn't handle such a backcourt combination. In the first round of last year's playoffs, although Jordan averaged 29 points per game, his shooting percentage was only 43%, much lower than the 51% in the regular season.

The constant switching on defense, the fierce double-teaming and drives from the backcourt, made the Trail Blazers, whose backcourt was already relatively weak, very uncomfortable.

Furthermore, the frequent switching on defense effectively counters the passing and cutting tactics of a three-tall lineup. Your screens and runs cannot create open spaces, and there will always be someone around you after a switch.

The strategy of prioritizing playmaking and secondary offense at the small forward position significantly reduced Gan Guoyang's defensive value when playing the small forward position, successfully avoiding this defensive strength.

Nelson is eager to see what changes Ramsey will make today.

After reading the reports about the last game against the Bulls, Nelson noted that Ramsey had allowed Forrest Gump to score 60 points.

This is the second time this season that Gan Guoyang has scored more than 50 points in a single game, and his season average has reached 33 points per game.

It's incredible to think about; in the past, very few players on Ramsey's teams averaged more than 25 points per game.

He is an academic coach who believes that star players should serve the team's victory, not the statistics.

Those who serve the data are businessmen, accountants, and stockbrokers, not basketball players.

Nelson thought a lot before the game, and he also knew that the Trail Blazers hadn't slept well last night for some reason.

So the Trail Blazers players all looked a bit tired, except for Forrest Gump, who stood energetically in the center circle ready for the jump ball.

Amidst the deafening roar of the MECCA stadium, the referee tossed the ball into the air, and the game began.

Gan Guoyang won the ball first, and the Trail Blazers launched their first attack.

Three minutes later, Nelson called the first timeout of the game.

In just three minutes, the Bucks were down 8-0 by the Trail Blazers—or rather, by Gan Guoyang.

Scoring method: Hard drive from the low post.

Number of shots taken: 4.

Number of hits: 4.

Score: 8.

Nelson thought to himself, "So this is the adjustment and change you've made, Dr. Jack!"
(End of this chapter)