The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 311 Team Players

In fact, Ramsey had already made many adjustments and adjustments for the pivotal Game 5. The inside-outside ball distribution system centered around Agam's offense is the result of Ramsey's reforms this season.

Gan Guoyang scored 40 points in the paint, while Thompson and Walton fulfilled their responsibilities of receiving passes, setting screens, and distributing the ball, relieving pressure on the Trail Blazers' backcourt and creating numerous opportunities on the perimeter.

But sometimes competitive games come down to luck. The Trail Blazers had the worst three-point shooting percentage of the series, and Gan Guoyang even hit a three-pointer with his foot on the line. Luck was on the Rockets' side.

Bill Fitch knew that when Lady Luck smiles upon you, you must seize the opportunity, otherwise the chance to win will easily slip away.

Game 6 was Fitch's best chance to crush the Trail Blazers with sheer morale and advance to the Finals, so he was being extremely cautious.

Seeing that the situation wasn't looking good at the start, Fitch called a timeout, reminding his players to keep the pressure on the backcourt and not give the Trail Blazers any chance.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Sampras sat side by side. They played quite well in these three games, forming a cohesive defensive unit and launching the most brutal siege against Gan Guoyang.

Even so, it only slightly reduced his shooting percentage. The price he paid was a rib contusion for Olajuwon and a minor hip strain for Sampson, both of whom played with injuries.

Therefore, they cannot play a decisive seventh game; if they do, their twin towers are very likely to be unable to hold on.

Fitch patted the two men on the shoulder and said, "Just like before, serve Mr. Forrest Gump well and do your best as a host."

Both players were full of confidence and were not afraid of confrontation. Every time they faced the Trail Blazers, it was a battle in the paint.

This kind of battle between men is exhilarating; true warriors dare to fight their way through the paint.

After the timeout ended and the game resumed, the Trail Blazers players huddled in a circle on the sidelines, seemingly discussing something.

They separated when the referee signaled for the game to continue, with Gan Guoyang still guarding Sampson on defense.

Sampson's scoring average dropped to 15 points per game in the series, and Olajuwon's dropped to 20 points. The two of them combined are roughly equivalent to Gan Guoyang's scoring average.

Sampson received the ball at the top of the arc on the throw-in. Fitch had basically given up on letting Sampson launch attacks from the low post, as that would only be a waste of time.

Sampson's role as a support player, providing high-post support and receiving the ball in mid-range shots, effectively drew away Gan Guoyang's defense, which proved quite effective.

If Gan Guoyang were to defend Olajuwon, the ball would be passed to Sampson, allowing Sampson to attack the basket.

This is also a way to avoid Gan Guoyang. I would rather lose one of my twin towers than give up Gan's strong defense.

The high-low post play was passed to Olajuwon in the low post. Facing Walton's defense, Olajuwon used his footwork to create distance. After his feint failed, he took a fadeaway jump shot.

Walton made a perfect block, but the ball had a high arc and ended up in the net. Goal!

5-8, Hakeem Olajuwon's offense felt good at the start.

Gan Guoyang fell into a low position during the attack, and as soon as he received the ball, Olajuwon immediately surrounded him.

However, Gan Guoyang's shot went to the baseline, and after squeezing past Sampson, he made a hook shot, rendering Olajuwon's double-team ineffective.

The goal was scored quite easily, showing that Gan Guoyang is getting more and more used to their double-teaming.

You can attack from both sides, I'll attack from the side, and I'm not afraid of you confronting me directly.

Fitch knew that the Twin Towers' grip on Forrest Gump was weakening, and they really needed to act quickly.

Reed's outside shot missed, and the Trail Blazers launched a counterattack, but they slowed down.

Porter used a screen to quickly dribble across half-court and passed the ball to Walton at the high post.

Gan Guoyang suddenly made a cut to the basket, Walton lobbed the ball to the inside, Gan Guoyang received the ball and faked out Sampson, then went up for a layup and drew a foul from Sampson.

Sampson misjudged the play, thinking Gan Guoyang was going to the low post outside the three-second zone, but he suddenly turned and went into the basket, which Walton seized the opportunity.

At this point, the Rockets also faced a problem: Walton had the ball on the perimeter, and Olajuwon couldn't get back to the basket.

Although Walton lacks three-point shooting ability, according to the illegal defense rule, when your defender is above the free-throw line, you must also be above the free-throw line.

Hakeem Olajuwon was unable to retreat to the basket, giving Gan Guoyang a chance to make a reverse run, which led to Sampson committing a foul and making free throws.

This is a tactic often used by the old Trail Blazers, and Walton and the Trail Blazers' guards used it very skillfully.

Gan Guoyang made both free throws, and the Trail Blazers continued to keep the score close. The Trail Blazers' defense was just the most basic half-court man-to-man defense.

They didn't go all out with the intensity, as if they were fighting a desperate battle against the Rockets.

On the contrary, they seemed to be playing very relaxed, but Fitch and the Rockets players knew that this was just a facade of the Trail Blazers' relaxed exterior but tight interior.

Gan Guoyang moved to the basket, Walton went to the high post to guard Sampson, and Gan Guoyang began to guard Olajuwon.

Sampson took a shot himself, dribbling high up the court and driving to the basket, but his shot missed. It was a play that followed his strategy, but it was a bit hasty.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound in the backcourt, and the Rockets immediately counter-rebounded. Gan Guoyang threw the ball to Walton, who then passed it high to Drexler.

Drexler quickly crossed half-court, thwarting the Rockets' tight defense—in the previous round, the Rockets forced 92 turnovers from the Lakers in five games, averaging 18 per game. Walton continued to facilitate from the high post, and Gan Guoyang and Vandeweghe set a cross screen on the wing, after which Drexler slipped over from the baseline to draw the defense.

Gan Guoyang suddenly darted to the basket, spread his arms to block Sampson, Walton passed the ball, Gan Guoyang received the ball, turned around and pressed down on Sampson, and easily scored with a hook shot.

Although Sampson was much taller, Gan Guoyang had the advantage in strength and completely dominated Sampson. Moreover, he was extremely close to the basket and there was no way to defend him.

When Olajuwon came over to serve, Sampson and he exchanged glances, both realizing that Forrest Gump was different tonight, with several of his goals being very clever.

Tonight, they were mentally prepared to fight to the death, and even felt that they would not hesitate to be killed by Forrest Gump or slammed to the ground in a fight.

However, at the start of the game, the Trail Blazers' offense and defense made them feel like they were punching cotton. If you wanted to fight back, Gan Guoyang wouldn't give you that chance.

Once the Rockets' offense loses its fast breaks, immediate rebounds, and offensive rebounds, it becomes lackluster.

McGrady received the ball and raised his right hand to signal for a play. Gan Guoyang mocked, "Raise your right hand for Olajuwon to play one-on-one, raise your left hand for Sampson to play one-on-one, right?"

The Rockets players didn't say anything. Sampson had the ball at the high post and passed it to Olajuwon at the low post on the left. Olajuwon turned and took a fadeaway jump shot.

Hakeem Olajuwon missed a shot against Gan Guoyang's defense. Gan Guoyang then turned and grabbed the rebound. Instead of going to the low post, he continued to cross screen with Vandeweghe on the wing.

This time, Gan Guoyang didn't go to the basket. Instead, he suddenly ran to the left corner. Walton passed the ball to him again, and Gan Guoyang took a long two-point shot and made it!
The Trail Blazers have taken a 3-point lead at 11-8. The Rockets' problem isn't their offense; their half-court offense is just like that, nothing fancy.

The problem lay in defense; Gan Guoyang used several clever plays to evade the twin towers' attacks.

I've already moved to the flanks for cover. I'm cutting outwards. Your twin towers can't possibly run to the corner to surround me, can they?
Gan Guoyang and Shuangta fought fiercely for three rounds, and were exhausted. Suddenly, he realized that since they were avoiding his attacks, he might as well avoid them too.

In the first quarter, Gan Guoyang executed this tactical combination several times in a row. He already had the skills of a small forward, and his screens were excellent. His stamina was off the charts. He kept circling around the half-court, making the twin towers dizzy and disoriented. All the tacit understanding between them in the previous double-teaming and encirclement was gone.

Meanwhile, Terry Porter performed his ball-handling duties very well, with no turnovers in the first quarter. Although some plays were quite dangerous, his strong physique and point guard qualities prevented him from losing possession.

He also made two shots, one a three-pointer and the other a two-pointer. His screen-and-coordinated play with Gan Guoyang on the wing was quite effective.

The Rockets' offense seemed to have lost its spinal cord, completely lacking the explosiveness and passion of the third and fourth games.

Unfortunately, their morale desperately needed a strong defensive boost, but their pressing, encirclement, and risky steals all failed in the first quarter.

Besides Porter's performance, Walton's starting role also played a crucial role, as did Drexler. Once he had the support of his teammates and didn't have to bear the pressure alone, his performance improved significantly.

At the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers led the Rockets 28-17, an 11-point advantage.

28 points may not seem like much, but that's because the Trail Blazers play slowly with few possessions, and almost every offensive possession is completed in about 20 seconds.

Patient passing and various screens neutralized the Rockets' toughness and aggression.

After the start of the second quarter, Hakeem Olajuwon tried to trash talk Gan Guoyang on the court, hoping to provoke him.

"You've been running and running, what, you don't have the guts to fight us?"

Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "Akim, you want to learn how to talk trash? Forget it, you're just trash standing here, you don't need to say anything."

Hakeem Olajuwon wasn't good at trash talk to begin with, and when he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, he was scolded by Gan Guoyang, and the composure and ease on his face disappeared.

Gan Guoyang continues to skillfully integrate into the Trail Blazers' old-school passing and cutting system centered around Walton. This system has not been forgotten; in fact, it is frequently practiced during training.

He reduced the number of fixed positions, knowing that for every fixed position the Twin Towers would have a countermeasure; they had studied the video.

So he abandoned those fixed positions and started receiving the ball and shooting from further out, as well as cutting directly to the basket to attack the rim.

It is very difficult for a team to suddenly change its playing style during a series. Fortunately, this is how the Trail Blazers have always played, but this season they have been gradually led in a different direction by Gan Guoyang.

This does not mean that everything in the past should be completely discarded. On the contrary, looking back, we will find that there are many good things in it. If we can combine them, they can make up for each other's shortcomings and exert their greatest power.

In the second quarter, Gan Guoyang continued to score. He was in excellent form tonight, having shaken off the physical contact and entanglement. Walton's passing and distribution were so comfortable that he made several catch-and-shoot shots at two 45-degree angles.

When Sampson tried to help defend Gan Guoyang, Walton suddenly erupted from the high post, broke through to the basket, and slammed the ball in with one hand!

At 42:25, with only one and a half quarters left, the Trail Blazers had extended their lead to 17 points. Fitch called a long timeout, crossed his arms, and his face clearly showed his frustration.

Gan Guoyang patted Hakeem Olajuwon on the butt and said, "Let me tell you, I'm a team player, and I play very rationally."

This team player has already scored 16 points in one and a half quarters, with an exceptionally high shooting percentage of 7 out of 9, plus two free throws.

Most of his shots were catch-and-shoot, opportunistic shots, or easy baskets after a cut to the basket; he only had one low-post one-on-one opportunity.

Tonight, some of the key plays and crucial possessions were given to Porter and Drexler, which made it easier for Forrest to get the ball, and he felt great about it.

Ramsey gradually figured out the tricks of using the new type of backcourt player, and he also began to use Gan Guoyang to draw away the defense, allowing others to avoid Olajuwon and Sampson.

The old man is too old to learn slowly, and the assistant coach is Adelman, otherwise the fourth game would have been played like this.

(End of this chapter)