The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 342 Big man
Gan Guoyang has devoted a lot of energy to public activities, but such days will not last long.

The period immediately following his victory was when his fame was at its peak and the public's interest in him was at its highest.

If the time drags on a little longer, people's attention will be drawn to other things.

For example, in mid-to-late July 1986, three earthquakes of around magnitude 6 struck Southern California in succession, causing considerable tremors throughout the United States.

Then a Soviet general, Dmitry Polyakov, was arrested upon his retirement. He was found to be an American spy and was executed two years later.

By August, the NBA Finals and the World Cup had lost their luster, while the Cold War confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union had gained even more attention.

The U.S. Senate formally voted to pass Ronald Reagan's "Strategic Missile Defense Program," also known as the "Star Wars" program, which was proposed in 1983, marking a climax in the confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Gan Guoyang learned of this news through television news and called the team's vice president and general manager, Buckwalt, saying, "Your Sabonis won't be coming anytime soon. Think of a way to get Beal fully recovered and ready for the playoffs. As for me? You don't need to worry about me. I'll start training soon. Don't come looking for me with any of your ridiculous activities. I'm not in Portland."

The Trail Blazers made a good move by selecting Sabonis. Gan Guoyang knew he was a good player, and his arrival would be a great way to fill Walton's void.

After the Finals this year, Walton underwent another ankle surgery, and it's completely unknown how many games he will play in the new season and how well he will perform.

Both the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals proved that Gan Guoyang is incredibly powerful when paired with a big man who can facilitate from the high post. Sabonis is definitely a great partner.

However, given the political situation at the time, it would be difficult for Sabonis to come to the United States to play, as the gap between the US and the Soviet Union was widening.

Unlike Sabonis, Gan Guoyang's basketball career began in the United States, where relations between China and the United States were very good at the time, making Gan Guoyang a symbolic figure.

As for future changes in Sino-US relations, that's beyond Gan Guoyang's control. All he can do now is keep moving forward until one day no one can easily oppose him.

He has progressed to the point where many people rely on him for their livelihood, to the point where countless interest groups are connected to him, and to the point where he is deeply imprinted on the bible of basketball culture, an imprint that no one can erase.

After gradually reducing his social activities, Gan Guoyang engaged in simple training to maintain his fitness while also contacting Bernard King to seek his advice.

"I have nothing left to teach you! Stop trying to take advantage of me!"

Jin's first reaction upon receiving Gan Guoyang's message was that this guy was trying to take advantage of her.

Last summer, he had already passed on all his best skills to Gan Guoyang, and there was really nothing left for him to teach.

If I were to teach again, I would only be able to offer my humble knees.

"How could you think that, Bernard? I was just asking about your recovery, whether we can play together again?"

"No, I can only do some contact training now. My God, a whole season has passed, and the doctor said I need at least eight more months before I can get back on the court."

Bernard King sounded somewhat distraught; he had missed the entire 1985-1986 season.

However, even after the new season started, he was still unable to play in official matches until after March 1987.

A year and a half is an immense ordeal for a basketball player; the hardships they endure are unimaginable.

The two talked a lot on the phone. Bernard King told Gan Guoyang that he really had nothing more to teach him, as Gan Guoyang had already mastered all the tricks of small forwards.

As for more outside shooting skills, to be honest, Bernard King himself doesn't know them, such as three-pointers, some fadeaway shots in the mid-range, and the playmaking skills that Gan Guoyang most wants to learn—Bernard King is not a good passer or offensive organizer.

After confirming that Sabonis is unlikely to join the team next season, Gan Guoyang needs to hone his playmaking and support abilities.

The Finals proved that when Walton is off the court, the team's frontcourt offense suffers from poor flow.

Gan Guoyang cannot force an attack on every ball when facing multiple defenders, which is detrimental to the team's overall offense.

In the crucial sixth game of the finals, Gan Guoyang had a burst of inspiration, and with his teammates all in form, he delivered 15 assists in one go.

In previous games, whether in the regular season or the playoffs, he rarely had more than 5 assists, usually only 2 or 3 per game, all of which were quick and spontaneous passes.

Assists are just a simple statistic that reflects organizational and playmaking skills. Many passes that are beneficial to the team's offense cannot be measured by assist data.

For example, a clever and timely pass to the wing player, who receives the ball, faces a defender rushing in, fakes out the defender, and drives to the basket for a layup. This play wouldn't be considered an assist by the passer. However, if the passer is even a step too slow, or the pass is inaccurate, giving the opponent time to recover, then the attack will fail.

There are also some first and second passes that can mobilize the opponent's defense, especially offensive first passes, which are very important for attacking the set.

If a player can only make defensive passing passes, it's disastrous for offense because your passes lack any offensive or playmaking qualities; they're just passing for the sake of passing and pose no threat to the defense.

As a scoring finisher, Gan Guoyang can occasionally deliver some very beautiful assists, but his weakness lies in positional passes that are disruptive to the formation, like Walton's.

Bernard King suggested to him: "Why don't you go to Coach Pete Newell's Big Man Camp? You can learn comprehensively there and supplement your knowledge as an inside player. Although you are already very, very strong, if you want to become even stronger, you should go there for further training."

Gan Guoyang knew Pete Newell; he was Bob Knight's top assistant during the Olympic selection training camp.

Later, at the UCLA Coaches' Conference, he was also a very prestigious member—though he and John Wooden didn't get along very well.

During the training camp, he did give Gan Guoyang a lot of helpful advice.

However, there were too many people in the training camp at the time, and Gan Guoyang was just a sparring partner and not a member of the US Olympic team, so he did not receive systematic training.

Considering that his physical condition would gradually decline in the future, Gan Guoyang felt it was necessary to thoroughly review all the techniques and tactics used in the paint.

This kind of analysis allows for a deeper understanding of the offense on the field, which is beneficial for him to direct and integrate into the offense on the field, as well as for him to further strengthen his defensive capabilities.

When you are an offensive master, you will often become a defensive master as well—but the reverse is not true.

"Is it too late for me to register now? I have Newell's contact information."

“I’ll get in touch with him for you. I have a spot available. I suggested to Ewing a while ago that he go to Newell’s to hone his skills, but he refused and insisted on going back to Georgetown to train. What kind of talent can you develop in Georgetown?”

Bernard King suggested that Ewing practice his offensive footwork with Newell, but Ewing refused due to geographical reasons.

Because Newell belongs to the West Coast basketball scene, whose home base is in California, while Ewing came from the East Coast basketball scene.

At the time, there was mutual animosity between the East and West coasts, and differences in some training philosophies, so Ewing returned to Georgetown.

Bernard King previously played for the Warriors, and he trained with Newell in the summer, knowing that his training greatly improves offensive footwork.

Unfortunately, due to prejudice and barriers between these things, Yu Yin gave up a good opportunity to improve herself.

Of course, another reason might be that Ewing didn't consider Bernard King the team's leader.

Although Bernard King will return next year, the New York Knicks will be Ewing's team, not King's.

Gan Guoyang doesn't have this problem; every summer he's eager to learn new things to improve himself.

Bernard King's secret shooting strategy is indeed impressive. Its advantage is that once mastered, the shot is extremely fast and requires no thought.

The downside is that opponents can easily figure out his patterns and target him. In the Western Conference Finals, Gan Guoyang was targeted by the Rockets' twin towers.

Gan Guoyang needs better skills and tactics, and a deeper understanding of basketball.

Through Bernard King, Gan Guoyang traveled to Pete Newell's "Big Man" training camp in Los Angeles in mid-August.

On the first day of the training camp, Gan Guoyang saw a familiar face early in the morning.

"Hey! Akim! You're here too!"

Hakeem Olajuwon even participated in this training camp.

When Hakeem Olajuwon saw Gan Guoyang, he had only one expression on his face: bad luck.

(End of this chapter)