The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 308 United
After the game, Hakeem Olajuwon sat on the bench, panting heavily, his mind blank.

The cheers from the fans in the stadium were deafening, but Hakeem Olajuwon paid no attention; all he could hear was the sound of his own heavy breathing.

He gave it his all tonight, scoring 32 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, blocking 6 shots, and making 4 steals, delivering another masterpiece performance.

Because of the referee's decisions, Forrest Gump only played 31 minutes tonight, spending a lot of time on the bench, which gave Hakeem Olajuwon room to perform.

They controlled the pace of the game for a time, leading all the way, and with two minutes left, they were leading by 7 points, making victory a certainty.

To everyone's surprise, Vandeweghe and Paxson both hit three-pointers. Vandeweghe made one, which was one thing, but Paxson actually managed to make another.

Those two three-pointers completely reversed the situation on the court, and the 24-second shot clock showed that the Rockets were in a panic, and in the end no one dared to take a shot.

But what Hakeem Olajuwon found most unforgettable was Forrest Gump's final game-winning shot. Olajuwon tried his best to block the shot, and he felt like his hand was about to touch the ball.

But before jumping, Forrest Gump took a step back, creating distance between himself and Hakeem Olajuwon – a Ki-Ki Step – and then hit the game-winning shot from mid-range.

Last season in the playoffs, Gan Guoyang used the same footwork and mid-range shot to deliver a game-winning shot against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, when he was facing Sam Bowie.

With an inside player using such forward-like footwork, it's incredibly difficult for defenders to interfere. The key point is that the Rockets players didn't expect Gan Guoyang to take such a bold shot.

Hakeem Olajuwon closes his eyes and can picture the game-winning shot in the 1984 NCAA final, almost exactly the same, watching helplessly as the ball is thrown out, unable to reach it.

Experiencing something painful a second time makes it twice as painful.

"Hey, Akim, Akim!"

Someone patted Hakeem Olajuwon on the shoulder; it was Ralph Sampson.

"Come on, Akim, the series isn't over yet, why are you so frustrated?"

Hakeem Olajuwon looked up at Sampson; everyone else had left, and only the two of them remained among the Rockets players.

Sampson played much better tonight than in the last game, scoring 20 points and his shooting returned to normal.

Of Gan Guoyang's five fouls, three were drawn by Sampson. Although this method was somewhat opportunistic, it was very effective.

As he spoke, Sampson reached out to Olajuwon and pulled him up from the bench.

At this moment, the entire Memorial Stadium was still immersed in the joyous atmosphere of the game-winning shot. Hakeem Olajuwon and Sampson walked side by side, with Sampson's arm around Olajuwon's shoulder, as they left through the players' tunnel and returned to the locker room.

At the post-game press conference, Hakeem Olajuwon only said one sentence: "See you in Houston."

There are no flights back to Houston tonight, so the Rockets players will have to stay another night at the hotel to catch their flight tomorrow morning.

Sampson knocked on Olajuwon's door, holding a beer he'd gotten from the front desk and a video camera and videotapes he'd gotten from the assistant coach.

The two didn't sleep all night, drinking and watching replays of the first two games, analyzing Gan Guoyang's playing style and details ball by ball.

Previously, due to psychological barriers, neither of them wanted to watch the game footage again. Now, they are using the images of their defeat to torment and motivate themselves.

At first, both of them felt very upset and depressed. After all, watching the game they lost again was bound to be painful.

But as they watched, they discovered many details in the video that they couldn't have noticed during the game.

Watching the game from God's perspective reveals just how clever and cunning Forrest Gump was as a player.

The two watched tonight's game first, focusing on the final game-winning shot.

Through slow-motion replay, Hakeem Olajuwon discovered that, in fact, before Forrest Gump shot, his eyes were looking towards the basket rather than the hoop.

If Sampson had come over to help defend, or if Olajuwon had defended him well, he probably would have passed the ball straight to Walton for an alley-oop.

"You were right not to come over and help defend; this guy will pass the ball."

"I was hesitant at the time, but now I see that this kid has a trick up his sleeve. No matter what I do, I'll be defeated."

"You should actually be the primary defender on this ball, not me. You would have an advantage if you blocked his shot, forcing him to drive instead of shoot. That way, I would be waiting for him under the basket."

"You're right. In the next game, I'll try my best to force him towards you. We need to surround him; his passing isn't that good." After watching tonight's game, and then looking back at the crushing defeat in the first game, there's even more to see.

Gan Guoyang excels at protecting the backcourt rebounds and making informed offensive decisions; he can react quickly from different positions.

"His reaction speed is really fast, but have you noticed that there's a pattern to it? In each position, he only has one or two techniques. Look at this position, doesn't he often turn and shoot directly? And in this position, he probably shoots hook shots the most. As long as there's no outside interference here, he'll definitely shoot a hook shot or drive, it depends on whether you stick to him or not."

After repeatedly watching the video and recalling their previous experiences playing against Gan Guoyang, they gradually discovered some patterns.

Gan Guoyang does have contingency plans for different positions; those are the secrets that Bernard King taught him. Through repeated practice, Gan Guoyang's offense has become so swift that he hardly needs to think.

Whether you're attacking or defending, you have to make your opponent make choices, think, and hesitate in order to make them make a mistake.

Neither Hakeem Olajuwon nor Sampson intended for Gan Guoyang to make a mistake; they only thought that together they could handle Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Couldn't they handle Forrest Gump together?
Even Hakeem Olajuwon's idea of ​​taking care of Forrest Gump by himself was a good one, but reality was harsh; he couldn't do it alone, and even two people working together couldn't manage it.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be knocked around by them because the Skyhook is 39 years old, and he only has one trick up his sleeve; he doesn't play as cunningly as Gan Guoyang.

As they watched the video, their feelings shifted from depression and discomfort to opening up and chatting, and eventually, as they drank and made fun of themselves in front of the camera.

"Shit, we got blown out. Your positioning was perfect, Agan. He knew I was going to pass and then stole it. I really want to ask him if he watches video replays every day. I need to watch video replays every day too!"

"You know what? Forrest Gump told me in our first fight, 'If I don't beat you to a pulp, you'll think you're on the same level as me!' Fuck, I was speechless! I really want to punch this guy, but I don't dare! I don't dare!"

"Because you're a coward."

"You dare hit Forrest Gump?"

"Haha, I wouldn't dare either."

"But tell me, if you grab him by the neck and I go up and punch him, is there a chance?"

“I think it has potential, but I think it would be best if you strangled him. You're about his height, and I'll punch him! I have long arms!”

The two were slightly drunk; this was the first time they had drunk and talked together since becoming teammates.

The two young people had never had a good relationship before. They were both too arrogant. It's hard to be friends if both people are in a high position in a relationship.

The saying goes, "Kings don't meet." In NBA teams, the relationship between the number one and number two players is always very delicate, and it's rare for the number one and number two players to be best buddies.

There are often some conflicts between the two, either due to different personalities or mutual dislike. They may cooperate seamlessly on the field, but off the field they are just colleagues or ordinary friends.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Sampson weren't even ordinary friends. Their personalities were one factor, but on the court, neither of them would yield to the other, and they both thought they were the boss.

Now it's all settled, there's no need to argue anymore. It doesn't matter who's the boss, none of you can beat that Chinese guy. Let's join forces and take care of him first.

When faced with a formidable external enemy, internal unity often grows stronger. The Rockets' twin towers, who have suffered greatly at the hands of Gan Guoyang over the past two years, have finally realized that they must unite closely to fight this devil.

The two drank a lot of alcohol and dozed off for a while. The next day, they almost overslept and missed their flight. When they appeared on the bus looking exhausted, Fitch mocked, "Did you two stay up all night and secretly kill Forrest Gump? If so, that would be great. Otherwise, I would have advised you to get some rest and prepare for the next match."

Hakeem Olajuwon said, "We're figuring out how to take him down."

"Really? Then it looks like I should call the police, or should I just take you to the police station?"

"Coach, we mean it. We watched the video all night. We'll defend against him."

Sampson looked at Fitch very seriously, and Fitch's expression also turned serious.

He nodded and said, "This isn't just your job, it's the job of our whole team. We're not just going to take down Forrest Gump, we're going to take down the Portland Trail Blazers too! Our goal is the Finals, the championship! Being down 0-2 is nothing, it's not the end of the world, we still have a chance, the series is still long."

The plane took to the skies, flying from Portland to Houston, and the Trail Blazers followed suit, heading to Texas.

Gan Guoyang was full of confidence in himself and the team, but he knew in his heart that the series would not be that simple.

The Trail Blazers won the second game very narrowly, with luck playing a big part in the last three baskets. The Rockets are a formidable opponent.

However, the Summit Arena is not so easy to conquer; unknown situations await them.

(End of this chapter)