The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 322 You can’t kill me

"Larry's only weakness—and I think he hides it—is that he struggles against strong players in the low post, especially when they are taller than him. But most of the time, Larry avoids that very well. He's too smart; he anticipates everything throughout the game. He's a half-inch master, always half an inch taller and faster than his opponents."

This is what CBS commentator Tom Heinsohn said about Larry Bird in an interview many years later.

Heinsohn, a die-hard Celtics fan, served as the Celtics' coach during the 1977-1978 season, a year before Bird joined the team.

He knows Bird very well and can pinpoint Bird's weaknesses.

Many people believe that Bird was not fast enough, did not jump high enough, lacked explosiveness, and was not good at one-on-one defense, etc.

These are all problems, but every player has problems, and the problems and weaknesses are different for each player.

Weakness is the problem among problems, the most difficult to solve and the one that needs to be hidden the most. It is the weakest link of a player when all the problems are combined.

The Trail Blazers were still trailing in the latter part of the third quarter, but Gan Guoyang had been waiting for most of the game, and he had finally seen the Celtics and Bird expose their biggest weaknesses:

The Celtics will be at their weakest when the game is dragged into one-on-one duels between their key players.

Bird was an outstanding individual, known as Mr. Clutch, with a deadly shot and a big heart.

But putting aside those highlight moments, purely from a data analysis perspective, when the game becomes close and the Celtics' tactics have to rely on Bird to play one-on-one, his efficiency is not high.

Especially when facing Agan, Gan Guoyang's defense has a terrifying dominance over small forwards. His strength, height, speed, explosiveness, and defensive skills can lock down any small forward in the league.

The only ones who gave Gan Guoyang a real headache were James Worthy, who was too fast, and Dantley, who was too good at drawing fouls.

Gan Guoyang is not afraid of forwards like Larry Bird, who rely on shooting and are inferior in strength, height, and speed, but rely on skills and brains.

Although Gan Guoyang's own offensive and defensive rhythm is disrupted every time he defends Larry Bird, he can effectively contain Bird's offense.

Bird was well aware of his disadvantage against Forrest Gump, but there was nothing he could do. He could avoid the regular season, but he had to face the challenge head-on in the Finals.

The game has been dragged into a quagmire by the Trail Blazers. Instead of just passing the ball to Dennis Johnson or McHale, it's better to take the ball and attack.

Basketball games are like war. After tactics, logistics, and strategies are all done, in the end it all comes down to the bravery of the soldiers and whether they can fight on despite the casualties.

Without the determination and ability to fight tough battles, all strategies are just empty talk, because no matter what, you have to put that damn ball in the basket.

Bird held the ball at a 45-degree angle facing Forrest Gump, and the pressure from the defense was overwhelming. He chose to pass the ball to Dennis Johnson as a transition player.

Then cut around the middle, receive the ball, dribble one step, stop abruptly, and then shoot backwards!

"Shit..."

Before the ball even left his hand, Bird knew he was in trouble; the shot was going to be blocked!

Bird immediately changed his posture and passed the ball to Dennis Johnson.

But the ball was taken too hastily and Drexler intercepted it, allowing the Trail Blazers to launch a counterattack!
At this point, the Trail Blazers stopped dragging out the pace and instead sped up the game.

Gan Guoyang made a fast break, received a pass from Drexler, and dunked it with one hand!

For the second shot, Dennis Johnson opted for an outside shot, but missed.

Jones grabbed the rebound in the backcourt, but Ainge successfully stole it back and turned to lay up, only to have his shot blocked by Gan Guoyang who came over to help defend!

This guy's defensive cover was too fast.

Gan Guoyang did not win the Best Defensive Player award this season.

Because he relaxed his defense during the regular season and didn't go all out on defense, he gave up a lot of possessions.

The Finals are different; this is Gan Guoyang's 9th block tonight.

In the 80s, when space was limited and there was no three-second rule, his highly mobile defensive big man was a nightmare for all backcourt players.

Apart from him, no other center played like that at the time, because all centers were taught from a young age to stay in the paint and not go out.

The ball came back to Drexler, who headed down and accelerated, forcing Dennis Johnson to pull him back, resulting in a foul.

Another weakness of the Celtics: their overall physical attributes are relatively mediocre, and they lack high-flying, athletic players.

Dennis Johns, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish were all players with below-average physical attributes.

Dennis is strong, but speed and explosiveness are not his strengths, not to mention the three white men.

Parish is tall and thin, with average speed and explosiveness, and he has no advantage in strength against Gan Guoyang.

The only Celtics player with exceptional physical attributes who ranks among the top in the league is Marquez Johnson.

After the foul, KC Jones immediately substituted Marquez into the game, replacing Dennis Johnson.

When serving from the sideline, Gan Guoyang didn't stay still and wait for the ball, but started running.

After receiving the ball on the wing, he dribbled towards the baseline, raised his hand, and made a move hook shot, scoring two points.

Bird called for the ball in the low post, but couldn't box out because he couldn't. He tried to use a spin move to get past Gan Guoyang.

It was no use; he was completely shut down. He could only pass the ball to Marquez Johnson, who drove hard to the basket but missed his floater. The Celtics' offense had hit a bottleneck. They lacked fluidity, and their perimeter game was worn down by the slow pace and intense physical play.

The Trail Blazers, however, grew stronger with each game. Gan Guoyang received the ball on a fast break and unleashed another move hook shot, leaving Parish speechless. How was he supposed to defend against that?

Gan Guoyang didn't give the Celtics players a chance to stand still and double-team him. He received the ball and immediately moved to the baseline or top line, then hooked the ball out.

Against the Celtics' tight but average-intensity defense, which lacks superhuman physical attributes, the moving hook shot is a very effective weapon—but it doesn't work well against the Rockets.

When the ball went in, the Trail Blazers had already taken the lead, 75-73. They had quietly and effortlessly reversed the situation.

However, Bird finally hit a long-range jump shot after catching the ball, tying the score again.

In the final possession of the third quarter, Drexler had the ball on the perimeter, and Gan Guoyang came over to set a screen for Drexler.

The glider made a powerful breakthrough into the three-second zone, and passed the ball back to Gan Guoyang at the top of the arc. Gan Guoyang then hit a three-pointer!
The Trail Blazers led by three points at the end of the third quarter, 78-75.

In the final four minutes, Bird only scored 2 points, finishing the quarter with 8 points and 3 assists.

而甘国阳最后四分钟4投4中砍下了9分，单节拿下了16分，全场已经拿下29分。

During the break, Gan Guoyang said to Bird, "You're very well-rounded, but I know why you're so well-rounded—because you don't have anything that can really kill. You can't kill me, Larry."

Bird didn't speak. He glared at Gan Guoyang. At this moment, he finally understood why Dr. J, Owen, had punched him. Only when he was in the same situation could he deeply sympathize with others.

But Gan Guoyang is right. Bird was known for his versatility. He had all kinds of offensive skills, including basic shooting, hook shots, and layups. He could also shoot with both hands, or use some unbelievable, high-difficulty (but ugly) moves to put the ball into the basket.

Why? Because he doesn't have a single signature move or a special skill. Due to his physical limitations, sudden stops and breakthroughs are not his strengths.

Lacking speed and explosiveness, he couldn't break through defenses and drive to the basket for a layup or pull up for a shot like Michael Jordan or Wilkins.

His shots are mostly direct shots after receiving the ball, or turnaround shots after backing down the basket, which is why he struggles against tall, skilled low-post players.

When a player relies primarily on mid-range and long-range shots to finish key offensive plays, being able to shoot like Bird is already exceptional, but it is still inefficient in the highest level of competition.

During the break, Bird sat on the bench, furious. He threw his towel down twice, almost wanting to tell his teammates: "Give me the ball from now on, I'm going to beat Forrest Gump to death."

Bird might have said that to any other defender, but he couldn't do it against Forrest Gump in the Finals; he couldn't bring himself to make that claim.

Of course, the game is not over yet, and the Celtics are only down by three points. It is still uncertain who will win.

However, for Ramsey, if the Trail Blazers could hold on until the score was tied or even lead by the end of the third quarter, they already had an advantage.

Ramsey finally brought on Bill Walton, who had been resting for a long time, and the three tall players of Gan Guoyang, Walton and Thompson took to the court.

The Trail Blazers' offensive fluidity reached a new level. Gan Guoyang returned to his preferred low post, received the ball, turned, and overpowered Parish before shooting and making the basket!

At 80:75, Gan Guoyang's shooting touch was completely on point, and Parish couldn't stop him at all.

The Celtics shifted their offensive focus, with Bird passing the ball to Kevin McHale, who turned and made the shot.

McHale only scored 10 points tonight against Thompson's defense, far below his playoff average.

Furthermore, he couldn't use his footwork at all; Thompson was completely unaffected by his feints, and McHale could only rely on brute force to beat Thompson.

The Celtics, playing at home, are very resilient. Although they have the upper hand, the Trail Blazers cannot afford to be careless.

The reversal and subversion of the situation often happens in an instant, in just one or two rounds.

Therefore, when Terry Porter and Drexler made consecutive mistakes, Gan Guoyang took the initiative to call a timeout.

The Celtics narrowed the score to 88-86, leaving the Trail Blazers with only a two-point lead.

Before Ramsey could even speak on the bench, Gan Guoyang berated the two of them, saying they were too reckless.

"I'm telling you all right now, after this timeout, every single ball must pass through my hands, every single ball! I'll decide how the game goes! Nobody can concede this victory, understand?"

Gan Guoyang isn't a ball hog, but at such a crucial moment, he has to act like one, instead of leaving the key ball to his teammates to handle; he doesn't trust them to do so.

During the timeout, Ramsey devised a clever tactic: Gan Guoyang received the ball on the strong side to draw the defense, while Walton appeared to be receiving the ball at the high post, but actually cut into the paint to attack the basket.

The Trail Blazers executed this offense very well. Gan Guoyang drew the defense and then made a clever no-look pass to Walton, who received the ball under the basket and easily made a layup!

The situation stabilized again, and Bird still faced Gan Guoyang's high-contact defense, leaving Dennis Johnson to handle the crucial plays.

Dennis Johnson was really daring to shoot, but he just couldn't make the shot. Walton grabbed a crucial rebound and then immediately passed the ball to Gan Guoyang to dribble.

In the 1977 NBA Finals, the Trail Blazers pressed the ball all court, and the 76ers allowed Jones to dribble across half-court, leaving the Trail Blazers bewildered and Walton nearly falling flat on his face.

This time it was Walton's turn to pass the ball to Gan Guoyang. Facing the Celtics' full-court press, Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball himself. Although he stumbled a bit, he actually drove all the way to the basket, drawing a foul from Parish.

Parish stood with his hands on his hips, his usually resolute face filled with bewilderment. He had played terribly tonight, getting completely overwhelmed by Gan Guoyang on both offense and defense, becoming a mere background figure.

He felt extremely tired, both physically and mentally. He had barely rested and was no longer able to defend against Gan Guoyang's dribbling breakthrough.

Standing at the free-throw line, Gan Guoyang made both free throws, making it 92-86. With one minute left in the game, the Trail Blazers were about to secure the victory.

(End of this chapter)