The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 291 MVP
Ramsey and Gene Shu almost got into a fight, but it certainly wasn't over the money in the bucket.

The two already had a tense relationship, with different styles and schools of thought. They had been opponents in the Finals, had a fight last season, and had another fight on the sidelines in Washington this season.

Ramsey was nervous about the upcoming playoffs, especially about the players' health. He saw Rick Mahon make some overly aggressive moves after entering the game and thought Gene Schoo was doing it on purpose.

He was on the sidelines reminding Gene Scheu to tell his players to tone it down and not play too dirty.

Gene Shu was already in a bad mood, and his relationship with Charles Barkley had been strained all season.

This troubled Gene Shu, who was determined to develop Barkley, and they had a relatively pleasant working relationship during their rookie season.

But Barkley, unlike Gan Guoyang, didn't know how to "manage upwards" while being individualistic. Under the adoration of Washington, the fat man became increasingly unrestrained.

The Bullets lacked a veteran who could keep the big man in check, and the rift between Gene Shu and Barkley, caused by their personality differences, grew wider and wider.

Before the game even started, Gene Shu had already considered resigning, even though the Bullets were still playoff contenders.

Gene Shue felt increasingly unable to control the team, unable to reach a rapport with the players, and that the owner was beginning to distrust him.

This year, the Bullets brought in former Bulls head coach Raheem Lauhri as the team's assistant coach, clearly as a backup option.

Gene Shu sensed danger, and coupled with his constant clashes with Barkley, his temper was on the verge of exploding.

So when he heard Ramsey remind him, Gene Schoo immediately retorted, "Your Forrest Gump has already beaten the entire Pistons team, and you're telling us not to be too dirty? You really have a double standard!"

Gene Schumacher was right; Gan Guoyang did indeed single-handedly defeat an entire Pistons team.

The two had an argument last year because Gan Guoyang bumped into Barkley, but Barkley wasn't injured; he just defecated.

Ramsey defended Gan Guoyang again: "My players are never dirty! We don't do anything underhanded, the Pistons deserved to be beaten."

"Oh really? Serves you right, you Portlanders are really pure and innocent!"

"Of course, we play serious basketball."

"Are we playing frivolously? I think you're the real scoundrel!"

As they talked, they started swearing; both of them had quite a temper.

Ramsey served in the army when he was young, while Gene Shue grew up in a poor family and both had tough personalities.

Finally, the insults escalated into a physical fight, with Ramsey charging towards Gene Shue and the two about to start grappling.

Fortunately, Adelman had already noticed the argument between the two and quickly rushed over to pull Ramsey away.

Then the referee realized something was wrong and started blowing his whistle frantically. Players from both sides rushed forward and snatched their coach back.

Gan Guoyang, with his immense strength, lifted Ramsey up and carried him back to the bench. Judging from the old man's expression, he was furious.

Gan Guoyang tried to persuade him, saying that the prize money in the bucket was gone, but Ramsey got even angrier, because he wasn't after the prize money at all.

He had long forgotten Wharton's joke. He glared at Gan Guoyang and said, "I'm not doing this for the money, but for your health!"

Gan Guoyang said, "You should think more about your own health. I'm afraid you might not be able to hold on and fall over. Relax, Jack, relax."

The players gathered around and comforted the old man for a while. Ramsey finally calmed down, then shooed the players away, saying, "Finish the game, and then get back to the locker room!"

With just a few seconds left, the first half ended. After consulting with the referee and the technical staff, the referee sent both coaches off the field.

So when the second half started, assistant coaches Raheri and Adelman directed the game from the sidelines, while the head coach went back to the locker room to rest.

Without Gene Shu, the Bullets under Raohri's command have changed. Raohri is known for his ability to coax star players and get them to perform at their best.

In the ABA, he had Dr. J, Kyrie Irving; in the NBA, with the Bulls, he had Michael Jordan. Jordan liked Raheem, but the new general manager, Krause, didn't.

Klaus, the new official, wanted to demonstrate his authority, so Rauchry became a victim. However, capable people don't have to worry about food, and he found a job in Bullet.

With Gene Schweinsteiger out, Rauchri can now set up the game as he sees fit, and he's decided to let Barkley play the way he likes. He likes to post up and fight in the paint, so let him do that.

Barkley played even better in the third quarter, reversing his first-half slump and frequently scoring under the basket.

The Trail Blazers' offense suddenly went cold, with Gan Guoyang, Vandeweghe, and Paxson all missing their shots.

The Bullets launched a counterattack, tying the score midway through the third quarter, while Adelman seemed stunned and didn't call a timeout.

Gan Guoyang finally couldn't hold back and called a timeout. Back on the bench, he criticized Adelman, "Richard, you saw the situation was not right, didn't you know to call a timeout? You're the head coach now!"

Adelman scratched his head and said, "Sorry, I haven't gotten used to my role yet, sorry..."

Although he was a beat slow to react, Adelman still found the problem and immediately asked Gan Guoyang to take charge of guarding Barkley.

He replaced Jim Paxson with Terry Porter on the perimeter. When the outside shooting is off, changing players can sometimes turn the tide.

Sure enough, after the timeout, Terry Porter returned to the court and set a screen with Gan Guoyang on the perimeter, and the outside shot went in decisively.

A clean and decisive shot can help stabilize morale.

Porter's playing style is characterized by clean, simple movements, without any unnecessary actions.

If he hadn't had to leave the training camp early due to chickenpox, Bob Knight would have hesitated a lot about whether or not to take Porter with him.

When Barkley saw Gan Guoyang coming over to defend him, he shoved him and said, "Sonny, you're a center. Is it appropriate for you to come over and defend me like this?"

Gan Guoyang said, "The coach told me to do this. Do you think I wanted to defend against you?"

He said that, but when Gan Guoyang started one-on-one with Barkley, Barkley had almost no chance.

He couldn't get offensive rebounds, and he couldn't force his way past the basket one-on-one. Barkley could only pass the ball and try to steal the ball.

Barkley has made great progress in his skills this year compared to his rookie season. His face-up footwork, turnaround jump shot, and finishing ability under the basket are all quite excellent.

However, his rebounding skills, which he had always been proud of, had not improved much. He could gain some advantages with his brute force and big butt, but when he encountered a rebounding king like Gan Guoyang, he had no way to deal with him.

The Washington Bullets wanted to mold him into a super-tanky player like Wes Unseld, who could facilitate, defend, and box out, but Barkley himself wasn't interested; he didn't want to play like Unseld.

Jeff Malone missed his shot, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound from Barkley. The Trail Blazers launched a fast break, and Gan Guoyang made a clever cut to receive a pass from Terry Porter. He shook off Ball at the edge of the three-second zone and pulled up for a jump shot, scoring two points.

This is a typical Bernard King style of play. Like Terry Porter, Gan Guoyang's technical movements are also simple and straightforward, without any unnecessary small movements. This is the result of his repeated practice.

Boll tried to block the shot, but he was a step too slow, and the ball easily went into the basket. Gan Guoyang has already scored 35 points tonight.

Once he regained his form, Gan Guoyang scored in a series of attacks. Unlike in the first half, Gan Guoyang started to use his skills against Boll in the second half.

With his clever feints, swift turns, and elegant move hooks, Gan Guoyang's footwork and distance control were excellent. Boll thought he could block the shot, but he always fell just short.

After each goal, Gan Guoyang would shake his head at Boll and say, "You need to be faster, just a little faster."

When Gan Guoyang faked out Bol at the three-point line and drove to the basket, Bol chased after him to try and block. Gan Guoyang stopped abruptly, turned around, and shot. Bol rose again, but it was still a fake!
This time, Bol's foot was already off the ground and he couldn't keep up. Gan Guoyang stepped in and easily scored with a one-handed layup.

Boll was completely disoriented. In the first half, he used his strength to subdue Boll, and in the second half, he used his footwork to make Boll dizzy.

This play was a huge blow to Bol. After losing the ball, he stood motionless under the basket. Seeing this, Rauli immediately called a timeout and substituted Bol.

The entire memorial stadium erupted in cheers as fans applauded Gan Guoyang's amazing performance, chanting "MVP!"

It rose higher and higher with each passing moment.

There's more to come.

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(End of this chapter)