The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 332 Walton! Walton! Walton!

Walton's injury disrupted the Trail Blazers' rhythm, prompting Jack Ramsey to call a timeout.

If one of the three big men is missing, it is no longer a three big men. If the only player in the paint is Mitchell Thompson, he absolutely cannot protect the rim.

Fortunately, the Trail Blazers still have veteran Jones on their bench, so it should be said that the Trail Blazers' summer acquisitions were quite correct and prescient.

If, like last season, they only have Gan Guoyang and Thompson in the paint, they might struggle to even make it to the Western Conference Finals.

However, Jones was a bit too thin, and his rim protection under the basket was far less effective than Walton's. Ramsey was hesitant about whether to stick with the three highs.

Or should we move Gan Guoyang back to the center position and give the small forward position to either Vandeweghe or Jerome Kossie?

However, Vandeweghe barely played tonight. His defensive weaknesses were too great, and with the intensity of the game at this level, he was no longer up to the task.

Cauchy can keep up in intensity, but he is young and inexperienced. It's hard to say whether he can withstand Bird's test.

After some hesitation, Gan Guoyang said, "Let Jones play. We can put the inside players on hold for now, but we absolutely cannot leave Larry Bird out. If there are problems on the defensive end, we'll try to make up for it on the offensive end."

Gan Guoyang's thinking was very clear. He knew that Bird was a player who absolutely could not be left unguarded. Once he was, Bird's offense would be unleashed, and it would be absolutely disastrous for the Trail Blazers' defense.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang must match up against Bird and defend him with all his might, even temporarily putting aside rim protection under the basket.

Ramsey agreed with Gan Guoyang's idea and substituted Jones for Bill Walton, continuing to use the three tall players in the lineup.

The game continued, and the Celtics seized the opportunity when Walton was off the court, launching a full-scale attack on the Trail Blazers' basket.

Kevin McHale hit two consecutive shots, and then he and Bird teamed up to surround Gan Guoyang on the defensive end.

The Celtics no longer cared about illegal defense; they used a zone double-teaming strategy to sneakily double-team Gan Guoyang in advance.

At this point, the referee usually turns a blind eye and will not call illegal defense unless it is too excessive.

The Celtics' triple-teaming defense prevented Gan Guoyang from getting the ball and shooting.

Without Walton's high post playmaking and ball distribution, the Trail Blazers' half-court offense immediately became disjointed.

At this point, the ball could only be passed to Drexler and Jim Paxson to handle – in order to attack and organize, Ramsey had to replace Porter and bring on Paxson.

Paxson does have off-the-ball movement and shooting ability, and he is more experienced, but his defense is also a problem. When the Trail Blazers missed their shot, Dennis Johnson backed down Paxson and drove to the basket for a shot.

The Celtics' defense was utterly inhuman, with three players crowding around Gan Guoyang. Jack Madden finally couldn't stand it anymore and called another illegal defense.

But the Celtics didn't care. After Gan Guoyang made the free throw, they continued to defend him the same way, only a little further away, and not so blatantly.

The defenders for Gan Guoyang became McHale and the two Johnsons, while Bird stepped aside to deal with Thompson, as he was capable of guarding Thompson.

Gan Guoyang received the ball and before he could even turn around, three people surrounded him and passed the ball to the outside. Paxson took the shot and made a long-range shot!
Finally, a ball was scored, and the Memorial Stadium, which had been quiet for a long time, became lively again, but anxiety still lingered among the fans.

By the end of the third quarter, the Celtics had been chasing the game, and the score was now 72-79, with the Celtics trailing by only 7 points.

After Walton left the game due to injury, the Trail Blazers only scored 11 points. Gan Guoyang scored only 3 points despite being surrounded by three players. He scored a total of 7 points in the third quarter.

By the standards of a typical star player, scoring 7 points in the third quarter is already quite good, and that's 28 points in the fourth quarter. But for Gan Guoyang, the king of the third quarter, 7 points is still too few.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang continued to lock down Bird on the defensive end. Bird went 0-for-4 in the third quarter and had no free throws, so he still didn't score a single point, and his total score remained unchanged at 8 points.

Before the start of the fourth quarter, Bird walked to the sidelines and said to Gan Guoyang, "You've made up your mind not to let me score in double digits, and you won't even care if the paint is wide open?"

Gan Guoyang said directly, "Yes, I'm going to target you tonight."

Bird laughed and said, "You've got me locked in, but I'm going to win the game."

"Let's see who has the last laugh. We're 38 to 8 now."

Gan Guoyang scored 38 points in three quarters, and his total score will definitely be over 40 points.

Bird couldn't even come close; the "38:8" score once again stung Bird's heart.

As expected, boomerangs really do hurt when they hit you. Bird clenched his fists and endured it.

Although Bird really wanted to rush up and fight Gan Guoyang, so that both of them would be ejected, which would definitely benefit the Celtics.

The Trail Blazers can still play without Walton, but they've completely collapsed without Gan Guoyang. And Bird... tonight Bird felt like the third option.

But Bird's pride and dignity wouldn't allow him to do that.

If we really did that, firstly, the victory would be unfair;
Secondly, he would be gossiped about as "a lower-grade horse being traded for a higher-grade horse," and he would become that 8-point lower-grade horse, which he couldn't bear to lose face.
Thirdly, he was afraid that if he fought Gan Guoyang in the finals, he would be left partially paralyzed. His old back and damaged back couldn't withstand such a beating.

Bird already felt a dull ache in his back; he hadn't rested for a single minute all night.

Gan Guoyang was not allowed to leave the court, and KC Jones was also not allowed to leave the court, just to keep Gan Guoyang occupied.

Bird has great stamina, but his body parts are starting to wear out.

At this stage of the series, both teams are gradually reaching their mental and physical limits.

Just as the Trail Blazers inbounded the ball to begin the fourth quarter, a cheer erupted from the player tunnel.

A giant emerged slowly from the shadows; Bill Walton appeared on the sidelines.

The seated fans all stood up and looked in this direction.

Someone started it all, shouting "Walton! Walton!"

Gradually, the heartfelt cries echoed throughout the arena: "Walton! Walton! Walton!"

Bill Walton jogged to the bench and said to Jack Ramsey, "Coach, I'll be coming on later."

Ramsey looked at Walton in surprise and asked, "Are you alright? Your ankle isn't hurt, is it?"

Walton said, "No, I had a pain-relieving injection, I'm going to play."

Ramsey's expression changed as painful memories of 1978 flooded back. He said, "No, no, Bill, you can't do this. Who told you to get the injection! We've already made a mistake once. Who, who gave you the injection!"

Walton said, "I asked Culp to give me the painkiller injection, he did nothing wrong, I'm going to play."

Ramsey looked utterly helpless and said, "Why are you doing this? You've already suffered so much, why do you still want to do this?"

Walton looked up and around. The shouts of "Walton!" continued, growing louder and louder until they echoed through the sky.

In the plaza outside Memorial Stadium, fans who had heard the news of Walton's return to the stadium via television and radio also began chanting Walton's name loudly.

All of Portland, all of Oregon, were chanting his name.

“That’s why, Jack, I have to play,” Walton said, tears welling in his eyes.

Ramsey was stunned. He knew he could no longer stop Walton from returning to the field, as Walton had indeed suffered a great deal over the years.

Eight years, dozens of surgeries, falling down and getting up again and again, surgery, recovery, falling down again and getting up again—most people would have collapsed after one or two of those.

Walton never gave up hope of returning to the court. His love for basketball had transcended the physical pain and spiritual torment; he simply wanted to stand on that court.

Ramsey recalls that when Walton returned, the team doctor gave him a physical examination and suggested that he could directly apply for a disability certificate, but Ramsey pulled him out of the medical room and insisted that Walton could play, overruling everyone's objections.

Throughout the season, Ramsey meticulously allocated Walton's playing time, and Culp did his best to take care of his body after the game. Walton played his healthiest season ever. Wasn't everything he did just for this final moment?
On the court, the Trail Blazers players were also inspired by Walton. Gan Guoyang did not back down when facing a triple-team from the Celtics. Instead, he used his strength to squeeze to the basket and slammed the ball in with both hands!
The reinforced Memorial Arena basket wobbled, and McHale was knocked out of bounds. Jack Madden called a defensive foul on the Celtics, and Gan Guoyang scored, earning him a free throw!
The Memorial Arena reached its climax of the evening as Walton took off his sports jacket, straightened his jersey, and re-entered the court!

"Walton! Walton! Walton!"

The calls for action have not stopped.

Many veteran fans who came to watch the game were moved to tears.

Many of them had hated Walton, speaking ill of him and believing that he had betrayed Portland.

After all, Portlanders really, really love Walton, but the deeper the love, the deeper the hate.

At this moment, all the hatred of the past was transformed into love, bursting forth in the memorial stadium.

Bill Shawnley shouted, "Bill Walton, our former king, is back on the Finals court! Walton!"

I wrote one update this morning, but I spent the whole day accompanying my family to the hospital for checkups, so I didn't have time to write. I'll still post two updates tonight, but the 10 PM update will be a little late, please forgive me.

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(End of this chapter)