The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 289 Roar
"The NBA is a giant orphanage, and most of the people here are jerks, no matter how well the media packages them. So if someone makes you unhappy, you must fight back in time and make them feel pain. That way, they will appear to be a good person in your eyes, even if they are faking it."

"Do you know why I've maintained a long-lasting friendship with Charles Barkley? It's not because I'm nice to him—many people are nice to him, Gene Shue is nice to him too. The key is that I'll occasionally show him my fist, letting him know that turning against me won't end well."

—Excerpt from "Forrest Gump," a biography of Gan Guoyang written by Wu Zhixiong and published in 2025.

Barkley helped Paul up from the ground; it would be difficult for him to get up without anyone helping him.

Barkley patted Ball on the shoulder and said, "I told you Sonny is crazy, you'd better be prepared."

Boll didn't say anything and ran towards the frontcourt, while Gan Guoyang and his teammates asked, "Would I count as a successful dunk?"

Everyone shook their heads and said it didn't count, because he knocked Bol down before dunking, not dunking over Bol.

Everyone said so, so Gan Guoyang had no choice but to accept it, thinking to himself that he should have known better than to use so much force. Who knew that Boer was so fragile?

It's not that Ball is easily knocked down, but any player facing Gan Guoyang head-on for the first time will underestimate the strength and impact of this 6-foot-10 center, and thus lack mental preparation, resulting in being knocked around and feeling dizzy.

After a few confrontations and being mentally prepared, although you still can't withstand it, at least you won't be hit too badly.

When it came to the Bullets' offensive possession, Gus Williams controlled the ball on the perimeter, and Barkley and Ball both moved up to the baseline to set screens.

Instead of starting with a low post attack, the team completely opened up the baseline and then coordinated their play at the top, with Charles Barkley appearing in the high post.

Gus passed the ball to Barkley, who paused for a moment before charging in and driving to the basket.

But Barkley fell into the Trail Blazers' defensive trap on that play; the Trail Blazers' defense is typically loose on the outside but tight on the inside.

The defensive pressure from players like Vandeweghe, Paxson, and Drexler is not strong, which gives opponents space to break through.

However, once you penetrate to the basket, Gan Guoyang and Thompson's help defense and rotation speed will be very fast.

Gan Guoyang often intercepts shots halfway through a play, and this was no exception. He came from the side and blocked Barkley's shot.

Vandeweghe gets the ball and passes it to Drexler to launch a fast break. Paxson rushes to the frontcourt to receive the ball, pulls up for a jump shot, and scores.

Paxson still retains the traditional guard's style of play, which involves fast break shooting.

In almost every game this season, the Trail Blazers have been able to take an early lead.

Gan Guoyang's low-post offense at the start of the game and his quick counterattacks after defense are their magic weapons for scoring points.

Barkley, perhaps feeling indebted to someone who had fed him, or perhaps suffering from a stomachache, was probably upset.

He didn't start well, missing all three of his attempts to attack.

This included a pick-and-roll play with Manute Bol that was broken up by the Trail Blazers' focused defense.

The Trail Blazers quickly took a 3-10 lead, with the Bullets' only basket coming from a three-pointer by Jeff Malone.

Gan Guoyang scored 6 points over Manute Bol, including a dunk, a mid-range jumper after a Qiqi step, and a layup after a fake.

Paul discovered that this guy was more difficult to deal with than a lion. Most importantly, Paul didn't have a spear, only a half-crippled right hand.

He has a congenital disability in three fingers on his right hand, making it difficult for him to bend and straighten them, which makes shooting basketball very difficult for him.

Boll couldn't keep up with Gan Guoyang's pace at all. When Boll tried to get the ball on the outside, Gan Guoyang suddenly made a tight move and stole the ball.

He then dribbled the ball and launched a counterattack, easily dunking the ball. The Memorial Stadium was filled with cheering people for him; he was a true idol there.

Manute-Boe imagined himself getting off the plane in Portland, sitting in a Volkswagen van driving on the Portland highway, looking out at the city streets. The sky was a bit gloomy, and suddenly a huge highway billboard appeared in the distance, with an advertisement for Avia on it. Gan Guoyang was enshrined in the huge portrait like a god.

Gan Guoyang's gaze was fixed on the entire city, on every car passing by on the highway, from a very high place.

Manute Bol was certainly not convinced; he was a very proud person, especially after defeating the Trail Blazers once.

Forrest Gump was also a foreigner; he came from China, a mysterious and ancient place. Pol was inevitably compared to Forrest Gump.

No one thought he could reach Gan Guoyang's level except himself; he was confident he could.

He doesn't like anyone being taller than him, looking down at him from a higher place.

"Manute Bol, he could dunk the ball without even jumping, but his layup was blocked by Forrest! Whoo! It was a foul, but still a beautiful shot. Bol is too skinny, and he got knocked to the ground by Forrest again."

Bill Seanley's voice carried a hint of pity.

Bol got a chance to drive to the basket and score through a pick-and-roll, and he attempted a dunk.

Dunking is too easy for him; he doesn't even need to jump. He can simply take the ball and leap lightly to dunk it into the basket.

However, he was too slow and needed preparation time. Moreover, he couldn't grab the ball with one hand; he had to use both hands, which further reduced his speed.

Gan Guoyang blocked his shot, and the referee blew the whistle for a foul. This was the second time Ball had fallen to the ground tonight.

Barkley pulled him up again, and Bol made one of two free throws, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound.

Barkley's attempt to grab an offensive rebound failed, and the game gradually shifted into the Trail Blazers' rhythm.

Soon after, Bol was knocked down for the third time. Gan Guoyang then set a screen and received a pass from Cort, knocking Bol down before launching a floater that went in. The referee blew the whistle again.

Two points, plus a penalty.

"Stop doing that, Sonny, you're going to break him to pieces."

During the free throw, Barkley came over and spoke to Gan Guoyang.

"Should I run you over?" Gan Guoyang asked.

"Oh, never mind, I'm not a center."

Gan Guoyang made the free throw, bringing his total to 9 points in half a quarter, all of which were scored against Boll.

However, Bol also demonstrated the power of being the tallest man. Drexler tried to drive to the basket and dunk over Bol, but he underestimated Bol's height and his shot was blocked.

The Bullets launched a counterattack, with Gus Williams scoring two points with a pull-up jumper.

Immediately, Vandeweghe received the ball on the wing, drove along the left baseline, and dunked it in!

However, Boll didn't have time to provide cover.

"Does this shot count?" Vandeweghe asked the crowd.

Everyone shook their heads and said it didn't count. "Even Boll couldn't defend against it." "You slammed it too fast. He should have slammed it slower."

"Hold on or I'll get blocked!"

Boll is indeed very intimidating; he's really too tall.

You must either use speed to avoid him or use force to knock him away.

It is indeed very difficult to dunk over someone in a direct head-on confrontation.

Moreover, halfway through the first quarter, Gene Schoo replaced Ball with Rick Mahorn.

The Trail Blazers players' dunking challenge has come to an end.

Gan Guoyang felt sorry to see Ma Hong wiggling his hips as he entered the stage.

"Who the hell gave you permission to sleep with him?"

"Hmm? Of course, it's our coach!"

Ma Hong was very surprised. Could it be that I wanted to go on it myself?

The Trail Blazers took an 8-point lead in the first quarter, and their offense became increasingly coordinated and skillful.

The Blazers tried to build a defensive system around Bol, but Gene Shue didn't expect the Blazers to attack Bol so fiercely, and Bol couldn't withstand it.

Meanwhile, at the power forward position, Charles Barkley provided too little defensive support to Ball.

On the offensive end, Barkley was completely neutralized by Gan Guoyang. Gene Shue tried to put him in the high post and make some plays using shooting and pick-and-rolls, but Barkley was not satisfied with Gene Shue's arrangement.

During the break, Barkley told Gene Shue that he wanted to go to the low post, to the basket, and to fight for offensive rebounds.

“That would be bad for you, Charles. You should do something behind the scenes; you have the ability to do that.”

"I won the last game against the Trail Blazers by dominating the paint!"

"The situation is different now."

"I can't see any difference!"

Gene Schoo wanted to tell Barkley that with Luland in the last game, his three-pointers and perimeter offense created space.

Bol doesn't have that ability yet; developing a three-point shot is a matter for the future.

Gene Shu highly values ​​Barkley and has been working hard to develop the big man since last season.

To be honest, the two weren't a good match in terms of personality; Barkley didn't like Gene Shue's personality.

Furthermore, he wasn't fond of Gene Shu's unconventional tactics. Shu often sent him to the perimeter or the high post, but Barkley preferred to go to the low post and fight for rebounds in the paint.

If the game goes smoothly and they win, that's fine. But if things don't go well, the two often have arguments.

In the second quarter, Barkley and Bol came on at the same time. Ignoring the coach's instructions, Barkley told Bol to take over the inside play and started charging in.

But Gan Guoyang was in great form tonight, and Barkley got two big blocks under the basket, unable to get past Gan Guoyang.

The score gap between the two sides gradually widened. Gan Guoyang received the ball on the counterattack and hit a three-pointer from the left 45-degree angle facing Boll!

Bol was surprised that this guy could shoot a three-pointer. He looked up at the scoreboard and saw that the Trail Blazers were already leading by 15 points.

It was truly terrifying. A sense of fear finally welled up within Paul, the kind of fear he felt when facing a lion at night.

He hadn't felt this way before; in the pre-race press conference, he even said, "I can handle Forrest Gump."

Pol receives a lot of attention wherever he goes, and the locker room is packed with reporters before every away game.

Mark Pree, the Bullets' public relations director, had to travel with the team to arrange media interviews.

Boll remembers that when he said that before the match, Mark Pree's expression changed, and he signaled to Boll to say less.

Bol couldn't understand it; they had beaten the Trail Blazers before, and if they could win once, they could win again.

Mark Pree is sitting on the sidelines right now, next to the assistant coach on the bench.

Barkley missed his three-point shot, and Drexler grabbed the rebound.

Barkley had a terrible night, and Drexler tried to attack Bol again.

He dribbled past Jeff Malone on the outside, then drove straight towards Ball!

Bohr went to meet him, Drexler jumped, and then found himself unable to cross the African mountain.

He had to switch from a dunk to a layup to avoid Bol's block, but the ball bounced twice on the rim and then came out.

Bol was trying to grab the rebound when he heard Barkley's voice, "Watch out!"

Bohr felt a chill run down his spine. Watch out, watch out for what? Is it a lion?

Then a tremendous force, like Mount Tai pressing down, came crashing down from above, and Gan Guoyang, pressing down on Boll, dunked the ball into the basket!
Boll was too high. Gan Guoyang jumped very high in an attempt to overtake him, but he still managed to land and fall to the ground, sliding out of bounds.

"Forrest Gump's putback dunk! Riding Manute Bol! Rip-city!"

Seanley's voice was passionate and energetic, and the entire memorial stadium erupted in cheers.

The Trail Blazers' bench erupted in cheers, with all the players jumping up and rushing over to pull Gan Guoyang up from the ground.

Gan Guoyang raised his right hand and asked, "Does this count? Does this count?"

This time, no one could deny it anymore; Gan Guoyang succeeded. He dunked on the head of the tallest man.

Bol stood with his hands on his hips under the basket, thinking about the nights he faced the lion, when he had mostly run away.

As for killing the lion, did he really kill it? Many people have asked him this, and he has answered it many times, but each time it seems to be slightly different.

That happened when he was 15. The lion was sleeping, and he couldn't remember some of the details. But this one was different; it was roaring.

When Ball was substituted by Gene Schoo, he said to Mark Pree, "Sorry, my bad."

(End of this chapter)