The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 321 The Funeral
In 1982, CBS's sports advertising department was struggling, with advertising slots for all NBA games remaining unfilled. Sometimes, as Sunday games approached, Friday afternoons would see "clearance sales" of those advertising slots, selling them off at extremely low prices.

A 30-second ad slot can be had for as low as $5000, and that's on CBS, the largest television network in the US, during a live broadcast across the country.

In 1986, during the first game of the NBA Finals between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Boston Celtics, Sonny Gan dunked on the rim of the Garden during the second quarter, causing the game to be interrupted for nearly 20 minutes.

This 20-minute period became an unplanned advertising slot. CBS's advertising department was inundated with calls, with people wanting to book the slot immediately. The advertising department was incredibly busy, and advertising prices kept rising.

Later, CBS even wanted the replacement of the basketball hoop to last as long as possible, because the bidding price for a 30-second commercial had reached $50.

It's worth noting that during the 1987 Super Bowl broadcast by CBS, a 30-second advertising slot cost $60, a level that advertising slots during the NBA Finals never reached in the 80s.

According to Nielsen, after the Finals, television ratings soared after Forrest Gump dunked and broke the rim that night. Many people switched to CBS Sports to watch the live rim replacement at Boston Garden and the replay of the broken rim that was shown on television.

Around this time, Forrest Gump gradually became a cultural phenomenon in the United States, rather than just a foreigner playing basketball in America. His identity, nationality, and skin color were no longer of concern, and he began to evolve into a symbol.

After the Cold War ended and the world order changed, the United States ushered in a new political and cultural wave. There will never be another Forrest Gump, just as there will never be another Michael Jackson.

Of course, 1986 was just the beginning.

—Excerpt from David Halberstam’s “Playing for Keeps: Sunny Gump and The World He Made”, published in 2000.

Gan Guoyang had no idea that breaking the rim with his dunk caused a surge in CBS ratings. People all over the world love to watch a spectacle; watching basketball is just a hobby, but watching a spectacle is instinctive.

The players from both teams were forced to sit on the sidelines to rest, and the rhythm of the game was completely disrupted. They had already been playing well, but after this interruption, no one knew what would happen when the game resumed.

The players, all dressed in warm sports jackets, sat on the sidelines drinking water and discussing tactics. The fans at the Garden Arena had nothing to do, as there were no performances other than basketball.

There were no cheerleaders to warm up the crowd, no lucky draws, and no mascots to liven up the atmosphere. The only thing everyone could watch was the staff repairing the basketball hoops.

The logistics department urgently dispatched a new backboard from the warehouse because the passageways of the Garden Arena were too narrow for large machinery to enter, so it had to be carried and hoisted manually.

Workers carried the new backboard to the court, installed pulleys and ropes, and painstakingly installed the new backboard onto the basket frame. They then installed the timer wiring and repaired or replaced any damaged parts.

After 20 minutes, the basketball hoop was finally repaired, and the game could continue.

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, and CBS reluctantly ended its prime-time advertising slot.

The players from both sides returned to the court, their sweat dried. The intense competition was interrupted, and the two teams seemed to have returned to the first quarter.

Larry Bird attempted a long-range shot from beyond the arc but missed, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound.

Vandeweghe's one-on-one jump shot from the wing also missed.

The players' shooting touch cooled off immediately, and they frequently missed shots on offense.

"Sonny has wiped out the momentum of both sides. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

On the bench, Adelman spoke to Jack Ramsey with some concern.

Ramsey remained expressionless and said, "I'll assume for now that everything he does is planned. Besides, the third quarter is about to begin."

The second quarter ended quickly, with both sides playing terribly in the latter part of the game, missing numerous outside shots and even failing to score inside.

The Trail Blazers were originally down by 8 points to the Celtics, but they used this opportunity to narrow the gap to 4 points, 46-50, and the two teams went into halftime.

In the Trail Blazers' locker room, Jack Ramsey criticized the Blazers players for their carelessness during the game, saying that many scoring opportunities were wasted.

The Trail Blazers haven't shaken off their playing habits from the Rockets; the seven-game series left a deep imprint on the Trail Blazers.

Ramsey also offered self-criticism, saying, "My rotation had some issues. Bill came on too early. You should rest in the third quarter and come back in the fourth."

Dr. Jack was also affected by the game against the Rockets and didn't get into the new habits of using Walton, which he needs to correct.

The first match was largely a test of each other's abilities, but later both sides made significant changes in tactics and rotations.

Gan Guoyang scored 13 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and blocked 7 shots in the first half, almost single-handedly holding the Trail Blazers' paint.

50 points is the Celtics' lowest halftime score in the playoffs, and their rhythm in the first half was disrupted by Gan Guoyang.

In the Celtics' locker room, Bird yelled at his teammates, believing they hadn't performed well in the first half.

Kevin McHale was almost completely neutralized by Mitchell Thompson, and they failed to capitalize on their speed advantage.

A large number of missed shots and second-chance opportunities dragged the Trail Blazers into a quagmire.

KC Jones agreed with Bird's assessment, but added, "After all, we're still ahead, and our defense is doing a great job."

"Attack! We need to attack, we need speed! That's our life, you know KC."

Bird was very perceptive about the team's rhythm, and the pace of the game in the first half had already slipped out of the Celtics' control.

The lead is only temporary. Once the team's defense collapses at some point in the third quarter, or the Trail Blazers find their offensive rhythm, the 5-point advantage will vanish in an instant.

"We definitely need to pick up the pace, reduce passing, increase our attacks on the basket, and play more aggressively!" Jones demanded.

They passed the ball too much in the first half and played too cautiously, which caused them to miss some opportunities.

This is typical Celtics team basketball, but the Trail Blazers handled it well tonight, and the Celtics had a tough time.

Gan Guoyang's defense in the paint, in particular, repeatedly prevented the Celtics from scoring on fast breaks and easy shots under the basket, costing them at least 8 points. Those 8 points would have made a very different difference in the game.

"Larry, Kevin, Robert, we have the best frontcourt in the entire NBA, and we're being shut down by a second-year, 6-foot-10 guy! I'm paying you guys such high salaries, it's a complete waste! You guys are all overrated!"

The speaker was Auerbach, who had come to the locker room from midfield. He lashed out at the players, and the Celtic locker room fell silent.

Since retiring from coaching, he has rarely interfered in coaching and locker room affairs. KC Jones is his old subordinate, and Auerbach trusts him.

But tonight it was clear that Auerbach was a bit anxious; even though they were leading, the team didn't play to their usual standard.

“I’ll tell you, not a single penny of the salary you paid in the contract was wasted. In fact, you got a great deal.”

Just before going on the court, Bird and Auerbach said something to each other, then jogged back to the court through the tunnel, and the third quarter began.

The third quarter is always the crucial period that determines the outcome of the game. The probing in the first half is over, and the decisive battle in the fourth quarter has not yet begun.

The third quarter, which serves as a bridge between the first and second half, often summarizes and resolves the problems encountered in the first half, and lays the groundwork for the final stage of the fourth quarter.

A well-prepared summary can set the tone for the game and establish a winning advantage; otherwise, a complete collapse will make it too late to catch up in the fourth quarter.

Bird was a player who was very good at exerting his strength in the third quarter. In the third quarter, his scoring, assists and focus would all be at a higher level.

According to statistics, Gan Guoyang ranked first in the league in third-quarter scoring during the regular season, and was also the player with the largest gap in scoring.

More than half of his 33 points per game come in the third quarter, making him the undisputed king of the third quarter.

The battle between the two officially began in the third quarter.

Bird's approach to dealing with Gan Guoyang was not simply to take the ball and attack, challenging the paint.

He started by focusing on defense, appearing frequently in the paint and at the top of the key to double-team Gan Guoyang.

On offense, Bird backed down the ball, overpowered Vandeweghe one-on-one, and launched a series of turnaround jump shots and turnaround floaters.

Bird scored 6 consecutive points, while the Trail Blazers, facing the Celtics' double-team on Gan Guoyang, missed their three-point shot after passing the ball.

In just 3 minutes, the point difference between the two sides increased from 4 points to 10 points, putting the Trail Blazers in a difficult position.

Ramsey quickly called a timeout to make personnel adjustments, replacing the defensively mediocre and poorly shooting Vandeweghe with the bold move of rookie Jerome Cahill.

This was a crucial substitution. Ramsey didn't use veteran Kenny Carr because he knew Carr couldn't defend Bird either.

Kossy's strengths are his excellent physical attributes, abundant energy, and high vitality. He always manages to cause Bird some trouble when he's on the court.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang broke through the Celtics' double-team defense, turned around, received a lob pass from Drexler, and made a high-arc shot with his arm across the defense of McHale.

Kossie relentlessly harassed Bird on defense, Dennis Johnson missed a tough three-pointer, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound and launched a counterattack.

During the counter-attack, Gan Guoyang moved into the attacking position, received a pass from Drexler, and scored with a clever hook shot with his right hand.

Bird made a three-pointer, and Gan Guoyang immediately responded with one of his own.

Bird passed the ball to Parish, who made a high-arcing close-range shot.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound, pushed past Parish, and scored with a left-handed hook shot.

Bird's layup was blocked by Kexi. On the counterattack, Gan Guoyang drove to the basket from the middle, received the ball, and made a layup with ease.

He didn't want to break the hoop again.

Bird facilitated the play in the middle, making a clever pass to Danny Ainge, who caught the ball and scored a layup.

Gan Guoyang's performance was even more impressive in the third quarter, but Bird did a better job of leading the team.

The Celtics maintained a lead of more than 5 points throughout the game.

With four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Trail Blazers made a substitution.

When Jones came on, Gan Guoyang wondered if he was going to be replaced to rest, or if Thompson would be replaced instead.
Gan Guoyang usually doesn't play with Jones, as Jones, as the fourth center, doesn't get much playing time.

So, it should be my turn to go down and rest for a while. What was the old man thinking? The third quarter wasn't even over yet.

As a result, Jones pointed to Jerome Kossie after entering the game, indicating that he should be substituted.

Gan Guoyang remained on the court. Jones said to Gan Guoyang, "Jack will let you go one-on-one with Bird. I'll handle the inside game, and you can handle Larry."

"Damn, the old man wasn't so kind after all. It's a good thing that Bird is in my hands."

The Trail Blazers employed their three tall players, with Gan Guoyang moving to the small forward position. This was the Trail Blazers' trump card against the Celtics.

Use my best, tallest and strongest defender to deal with your key player.

Bird had anticipated this, and said to Gan Guoyang, who had come up to him, "Did Jack send you here to die?"

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "No, I'm here to send you off to your funeral."

(End of this chapter)