The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 296 got started

Cotton Fitzsimmons had to call a timeout just over three minutes into the game.

He could clearly sense that the two teams were on completely different levels.

The Trail Blazers were ablaze with crimson flames, ready to burn their opponents to death, while the Spurs were like cowboys on the Texas plains, lazily riding their horses with a blade of grass in their mouths, unwilling to poke the horses' bellies with their spurs, for fear of disturbing the horses' grazing.

There was nothing that could be done; the Spurs' performance in the second half of the season was terrible, and the whole team couldn't find their rhythm.

The regular season is like a long-distance race. If you run fast at the beginning but can't keep up later, your results won't be good.

Those who start slowly and then make a strong sprint at the end often achieve a good ranking.

This year's regular season was a process of shattering some of Fitzsimmons' dreams, or rather, fantasies.

When I first took over as coach of the Spurs last year, Gervin and Gilmore were getting old, but apart from these two core players, the other players were still young and in their prime.

Fitzsimmons dreams of integrating the team's resources so that "George Gervin can score over Robert Parish with a finger roll and reach for the Larry O'Brien Trophy."

Having dreams is a good thing, but dreaming too much is just wishful thinking. Fitzsimmons and Gervin don't get along well, and Gilmore's spirits are greatly dampened after being tackled by Gan Guoyang.

In the summer of 85, Gervin had a falling out with the Spurs, refused to participate in training, and played poorly in the preseason.

The Spurs decided not to keep their former superstar scorer and top player, and traded him to Chicago in exchange for Greenwood.

Greenwood is a good player who once supported the Chicago Bulls' roster alongside Reggie Therth, and he would be a good fit to partner with Gilmore.

Train is 36 years old, but he still has a fairly stable performance this year. The Spurs played well in the first half of the season, with a winning percentage of over 60% at one point, and they made it to the top half of the Western Conference.

In a game against the Knicks, Gilmore scored 7 points in the final moments against Ewing, combining free throws and dunks to defeat Ewing and the Knicks, showcasing the veteran center's prowess.

He was successfully selected for the All-Star team this year, marking his first All-Star selection in three years since 1982, and together with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he once again demonstrated the enduring spirit of an aging veteran.

Along with Gilmore, Gan Guoyang's fellow rookie Alvin Robertson was also selected for the All-Star team. His 17 points and 3.7 steals led people to believe that he would be the next superstar guard.

Fitzsimmons is dreaming again, believing the Spurs have a chance to go further in the playoffs and silence the boos from San Antonio.

Spurs fans believe that the discord between Fitzsimmons and Gervin led to Gervin's trade. When Gervin returned to San Antonio wearing a red jersey, the entire arena stood up and cheered for him.

The city's heroes are always the players; in the conflict between coaches and players, the coach is usually the one who gets hurt.

However, after the All-Star Game, starting in mid-February, the Spurs' record suddenly collapsed. After February 20, they experienced a seven-game losing streak, followed by a win, and then another six-game losing streak.

Throughout late February and into March and April, the Spurs had a dismal record of 5 wins and 21 losses, a winning percentage that would have been a direct drop in their chances of winning the top draft pick. Fortunately, they had accumulated a strong foundation beforehand, which was enough for them to squander, and they still made it into the playoffs.

One major reason for the Spurs' collapse was that their point guard, Johnny Moore, contracted meningitis. Before he fell ill, he averaged 13 points and 9 assists per game and was the team's offensive brain.

His season-ending illness created a major weakness in the Spurs' strength, causing the team to collapse as they played, and they barely made it into the playoffs.

The team is currently in a slump, lacking the motivation and morale to fight for victory, as evidenced by the start of the season.

Fitzsimmons' timeout had little effect; the Trail Blazers' defense was simple but targeted—they simply allowed Alvin Robertson to shoot from the perimeter.

This guy is a first-rate stealer, has a great drive, and can change direction without slowing down. He's a guard, but plays like a forward, similar to Drexler.

However, Drexler has been practicing his shooting relentlessly for the past two years, and his level has improved considerably; at least his shooting form has become more consistent.

Robertson's shooting form is somewhat strange, as if he is pushing a shot put forward. This shooting method results in a low shooting percentage, and he rarely stops to shoot.

When he has an open shot on the perimeter, Robertson will not choose to shoot after receiving the ball. Instead, he will dribble and drive to the basket, finishing the attack with a layup off the backboard.

This style of play really makes it difficult for Gan Guoyang to play. Paxson and Vandeweghe know that Robertson is not going to shoot, so they either let him shoot or lure him into the basket.

Gan Guoyang's blocks and rebounds have declined this season. Some of his rebounds have been taken by Drexler, while his shot-blocking and rim protection have been reduced because Walton has taken on many of the tasks.

However, Gan Guoyang's ability to protect the rim under the basket has not been lost; on the contrary, it has improved. His anticipation ability is better, and his foul control is stronger.

In the first quarter, Robertson repeatedly fell into Gan Guoyang's net in the paint under the Trail Blazers' trap defense, getting three blocks in a row.

Gan Guoyang contributed 4 blocks in the first quarter, completely overwhelming the Spurs. On the offensive end, Gilmore and Greenwood were completely unable to contain Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang's offensive options remain as flexible and varied as ever, and his passing has improved compared to last season.

Once double-teamed, the ball is quickly passed out, and Vandeweghe and Paxson shoot as soon as they receive the ball.

In the first quarter, the Trail Blazers led the Spurs by a whopping 15 points, 16-31.

After losing by 15 points in a single quarter, Fitzsimmons was at a loss for what to do.

Greenwood was even more uneasy because of Gan Guoyang. The old man was not targeting Gilmore, but instead staring at Greenwood.

Three mismatches resulted in three strong drives to the basket, two of which went in, and two were free throws. After the first quarter, Greenwood thought, "Maybe I should just surrender this game and save my energy for the next one."

But the first quarter had only just begun when the Trail Blazers entered a better phase in the second quarter, with Drexler becoming the dominant force in the game.

He controlled the ball extensively and launched fast breaks, using magician-like passing and layups to dismantle the Spurs' already fragile defense in counterattacks.

The Spurs' offense and defense completely collapsed in just one and a half quarters. Unprepared, they were powerless against the Trail Blazers' fierce offense.

The Trail Blazers started scoring consistently and launching counterattacks. To everyone's surprise, their offense was almost identical to that of the last game of the regular season.

However, the Spurs could not match their performance in the final game because the Trail Blazers' defense did not allow it. Gan Guoyang, Walton, and Thompson firmly guarded the paint.

Only Wesley Matthews stepped up for the Spurs, scoring and assisting, salvaging some pride for the team.

This unremarkable point guard in the regular season became the Spurs' only bright spot in tonight's game.

He was also traded from the Bulls to the Spurs in the Gervin trade. The reason he was able to score was that the Trail Blazers' outside shooting was unrestricted.

He scored 20 points and 7 assists in the game, and many years later his son, who shares the same name, also entered the NBA and became a good guard.

The Trail Blazers gradually went into a frenzy in the second and third quarters, with the cheers throughout the Memorial Arena never stopping as their offense surged like a tidal wave.

The Spurs grew increasingly less confident, while the Trail Blazers put on a fast-break show, with Drexler, Vandeweghe, Paxson, and Jerome Cahill taking turns bombarding the Spurs' basket.

They scored 31 points in the first quarter, 35 points in the second quarter, 44 points in the third quarter, and another 30 points after coming off the bench in the fourth quarter.

The Trail Blazers scored 140 points in the game, including 110 points in the first three quarters, in a complete massacre.

From start to finish, the Spurs couldn't solve their offensive problems; they had no answer to the Trail Blazers' defensive formation.

There were neither sharpshooters on the perimeter to punish the Trail Blazers' collapsing formation, nor a sharp blade to pry open the Trail Blazers' tight three-second zone.

The gap in strength between the two sides may not be as large as the score of 90:140 suggests; a 50-point difference is terrifying.

The main problem was that the Spurs' offense and defense collapsed completely due to insufficient preparation.

Gan Guoyang showed no mercy in the game, delivering 7 blocks and grabbing 17 rebounds, providing ammunition for fast breaks, and scoring 31 points himself.

He participated in many fast break dunks, layups, and putbacks. He should take these easy "dumb" points, since there's no need for a high-scoring game tonight.

This guy holds a grudge. Last year, because of a fight with Gilmore, the crowd boos him every time he plays in San Antonio.

He also recalled that after a fight, he went to Texas and was booed by Spurs fans for the entire game. His team lost to the Spurs 131-142.

Gan Guoyang still remembers it to this day: You guys can get 140 points, why don't you get it again today?
If they had scored 142 points this time, they would have won; instead, they only managed 90 points.

Gan Guoyang, who usually doesn't rack up points, made a desperate hook shot at the end, scoring 31 points before leaving the court to rest.

The feud between him and the Spurs grew deeper and deeper, until many years later it became too numerous to recount.

Tonight is just the beginning.

(End of this chapter)