The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 306 Gap
Although Gan Guoyang suppressed Olajuwon tonight, judging from the statistics and performance on the field, Olajuwon's performance was not bad.

He scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in three quarters, along with an amazing 5 blocks and 2 steals. Apart from Forrest Gump, everyone else was at a disadvantage against Hakeem Olajuwon.

In this respect, the Trail Blazers are not like the Lakers. In addition to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers also have James Worthy on the wing who can punish Hakeem Olajuwon. Worthy is too fast.

However, the Rockets were down by nearly 20 points after three quarters, and unless a miracle occurred in the fourth quarter, the Rockets' first game was over.

The reason for such a large gap is that Gan Guoyang completely shut down Ralph Sampson, not just in a normal way, but completely.

After three quarters, he only scored 2 points, made only one shot, and didn't attempt a single free throw. On the defensive end, he contributed one block, and that was all.

Just as Gan Guoyang, the "twin towers nemesis," predicted, for the Rockets' twin towers to win, both towers must perform at their best; neither can be missing.

Since both players are inside players, they occupy a lot of the team's ball possession and space resources. If one of them is rendered useless, it means that half of the team's valuable inside resources are wasted.

Against a weak team like the Kings, you can rely on your third and fourth options. But against a top team in the West like the Trail Blazers, it's hard to win if your second option doesn't come into play.

The reason why Gan Guoyang is the "nemesis of the twin towers" is that your core resources are all inside the paint, within my attack range, so I can take you out at the same time.

If the Rockets have a star player on both the inside and outside, Gan Guoyang will inevitably be unable to defend one of them. If he has to help defend the outside, the inside will be lost; if he focuses on defending the inside, he will not be able to cover the outside.

Just as other teams couldn't handle Michael Jordan with two guards, the Rockets couldn't handle Gan Guoyang with two towers; instead, they would be outmaneuvered.

Bill Fitch began to realize this, and in the fourth quarter he benched Sampson and substituted him with Jim Peterson.

This is a white center with mid-range shooting ability. He can play a supporting role alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, and he can complete catch-and-shoot jump shots and a few post-up plays.

When he was on the court, Gan Guoyang shifted his defensive focus to Hakeem Olajuwon, and the Rockets' offensive strategy changed from a twin-tower-centric approach to a combination of inside and outside play.

This combination proved effective at the start of the fourth quarter, with Peterson hitting consecutive jump shots, and Olajuwon acting as the pivot, allowing the Rockets to move the ball quickly and hit consecutive jump shots from the outside.

But immediately, Vandeweghe and Gan Guoyang made shots on offense to stabilize the situation.

Gan Guoyang constantly attacked Olajuwon in the low post. When double-teamed, he would pass the ball to Olajuwon. The Trail Blazers moved the ball very quickly on the perimeter.

Vandeweghe and Paxson were both able to hit accurate jump shots, and the score difference after the first three quarters was too large, leaving the Rockets with no way to turn the tide.

In the latter part of the fourth quarter, Fitch substituted Sampson back into the game, but he still couldn't make his shots against Walton's defense.

In tonight's game, Sampson made only 1 of 12 shots, had no free throws, and scored a paltry 2 points.

而防守他的甘国阳以65%的命中率拿下了31分19个篮板球6次封盖3次抢断和5次助攻。

Five assists set a playoff assist record for Gan Guoyang—he is not a center who is good at passing because he did not have reliable teammates in the past.

Since the beginning of this season, under Walton's guidance and Ramsey's tactical innovations, Gan Guoyang's assists have gradually increased.

The Trail Blazers withstood the Rockets' final comeback attempt, defeating them 95-108 at home, a 13-point advantage, to secure their first victory in the Western Conference Finals.

When the final whistle blew, the entire Memorial Stadium erupted in cheers, and no one left the stadium after the game was over.

The Paramount Theatre next door was filled with applause. The concert, which was originally scheduled for an hour and a half, lasted for almost three hours. For the last hour or so, everyone listened to a live basketball game in the concert hall.

While it's far too early to celebrate, winning the first game is certainly a good sign. Tonight, countless Portland fans will be cheering, happy, and sleepless over the team's victory.

The Rockets players, dejected after the loss, also couldn't sleep. Sampson left the court with his head down, and as he left the bench, he kicked over a chair—kicking chairs was his main way of venting his emotions.

His performance tonight was absolutely terrible. "I've never played this badly in my entire basketball career, and I promise it won't happen again next game," Sampson told reporters in a post-game interview.

But do they really have the confidence to say that?
Hard to say.

Sampson didn't play well tonight, mainly because he was tightly marked by Gan Guoyang, in addition to his poor form.

It's fair to say he had absolutely no chance. All his scoring methods, such as alley-oops, catch-and-shoot jumpers, and hook shots, were completely shut down. The difference in strength and height couldn't be overcome, and his skills were also insufficient. Many of Sampson's scoring techniques were enough in the regular season, but they were completely inadequate against this level of one-on-one defense in the playoffs.

This once-renowned center, who was highly anticipated by many fans and experts, has completely lost his way under the shadow of the King of Portland.

Like Patrick Ewing and Sam Bowie, he wasted too much time in college, playing too many low-quality games and failing to hone his one-on-one skills.

In fact, two to three years of college is enough. Sampson had not made much progress by his junior year and could have easily made it to the NBA, but he played for four years instead.

Having dominated the NCAA for too long in a league filled with zone defenses and short, physically weak centers, he was already 23 when he entered the NBA, and many of his skills had already been developed.

He remains an excellent inside player, a star center, but when facing truly top-tier talents, his offense appears so thin and clumsy.

Moreover, the Rockets and Bill Fitch may not be the best fit for him or the coach who understands him best. Fitch's tactical system is designed around Hakeem Olajuwon.

Simple, brutal, and completely Moses Malone's approach. Perhaps Bill Fitch developed "Moses Malone PTSD" in 1981, or perhaps he felt that Malone's approach was concise and efficient. In any case, he was using Olajuwon as a better version of Malone.

As for Sampson, he was a great helper to Olajuwon, a 0.8 version of Olajuwon, and the two did almost the same things.

However, Sampson is not a violent or rough player. He can dribble on the perimeter, he likes to shoot from mid-range, and he has a beautiful hook shot.

He plays with a "light" touch, a kind of ease and elegance as if he were walking on clouds. He should have become the second Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but the team's underlying style is that of Abdul-Jabbar's arch-rival, Moses Malone.

He did well, but that wasn't his absolute best. Against the Lakers, Sampson's performance wasn't as good as Olajuwon's, even though he delivered a golden game-winning shot.

When they reached the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, he began to feel that this was not the rhythm of the game he wanted at all, and that he was out of sync with the rest of the Rockets, especially with Hakeem Olajuwon.

But what can he say, what can he do? Can he possibly change Bill Fitch's mind and force him to change his tactics and strategies for the entire season once he gets to the Western Conference Finals?

Clearly, he couldn't do it. He could only take a shower, sit dejectedly on the bench, and listen to Bill Fitch's long-winded explanation of how badly they had performed that night and what they should do next.

Sampson wouldn't listen; he only had one thing on his mind: how should he play against Forrest Gump's defense in the next game?
He should trust his shooting touch and it won't be as bad in the second game, but can he keep shooting and kill the Trail Blazers?

If he doesn't go to the basket, Fitch will constantly criticize him, saying he takes too many shots and lacks physicality and competitiveness.

But Sampson wanted to say that Forrest Gump also frequently shot from the outside, he even shot three-pointers, and he would dribble and launch fast breaks himself.

Sampson can do all of these things. He can shoot from long range, dribble the ball across half-court, and even drive the length of the court to the basket. These were all signature moves of his during his college years.

He would do that occasionally with the Rockets, but most of the time he couldn't. He had to attack the basket like Hakeem Olajuwon, fight his way in, and dunk the ball.

This kind of play is indeed exhilarating and very effective against an aging Lakers interior. But Forrest Gump is not old; he is the most ferocious beast in the entire league.

Even by the next day's training session, Sampson's mind was still reeling. He refused to watch the video of the first game, as it felt like torture to him.

During the war council meeting, Fitch made minor adjustments to the tactics, requiring that for the second game, Ralph Sampson would be the primary defender against Gan Guoyang, and Olajuwon would be the secondary defender.

This is just like playing against the Lakers, one player guards the ball up, and the other blocks it from behind. Fitch doesn't believe that Forrest Gump can score 30 points with a 60% shooting percentage with this kind of defense.

Sampson couldn't help but ask, "Is he really worth the two of us guarding? The Trail Blazers have more than just him. It's a waste for us all to guard him."

Fitch glanced at Sampson and said, "You want him to score 60 points? Then I can consider having you guard him one-on-one. Are you confident you can do that?"

Sampson wanted to say yes, but he swallowed the words back. Two seasons had passed, didn't Forrest have any idea what level he was at?
Seeing that Sampson remained silent, Fitch continued his meeting, sighing inwardly, wondering when these two guys could truly work together, put aside their personal obsessions, and join forces to defeat Forrest Gump.

Fitch knew that talking about it wouldn't do any good; growth required personal experience and understanding.

Forrest Gump was destined to be a huge chasm on their path to growth, and it would be difficult for either of them to cross it on their own; only by working together could they have a chance.

However, Fitch felt that the two of them were still very young, and he looked forward to that day coming as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)