The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 353 Headbutt
For Jack Ramsey, in addition to the physical and mental challenges of being an NBA coach, another major challenge is the league's increasingly rapid changes in tactics and rules, which is obviously not an easy task for a 60-year-old man with little hair left.

In the relatively simple 60s, Jack Ramsey could juggle multiple roles. He was young, physically fit, quick-witted, and had an exceptional memory, allowing him to perform many tasks simultaneously and do them well.

Just like Reid Auerbach, he was the general manager, scout, coach, team leader, and cheerleader all at once.

In the 70s, he became the full-time head coach, and the team had a dedicated general manager, scouts, and assistant coaches to assist Ramsey.

By the 80s, the rules of the game had become increasingly complex. The introduction of the three-point line, the repeated revisions to the illegal defense rule, the minor adjustments to the timeout and substitution rules, and the introduction of video recording technology made it increasingly difficult to manage an NBA team.

Head coaches who used to handle all the work themselves are now starting to need more assistants. For example, the Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley has one assistant coach, one strength and conditioning coach, and two video editors.

The strength and conditioning coach and the video editor were both recent additions to the coaching staff, assisting Riley in his work.

Chuck Daly of the Detroit Pistons has also gained two new assistants this season, assistant coaches Dick Versace and Ron Rostan, so "Millionaire Daddy" no longer has to deal with so many complicated matters by himself.

Not only coaches, but also referees on the field are feeling the lack of manpower. Sometimes two referees are not enough to handle the increasingly fast pace of the game and the increasingly complex and stressful situations.

The league is considering adding an assistant referee, bringing the total number of referees to three.

The Trail Blazers now have three coaching staff members. Bellman has unique insights into the defense. He can see that the SuperSonics are making good use of edge defense, creating a numerical advantage in certain areas, and using quick rotations to counter the Trail Blazers' ball movement.

If Bill Walton were on the court, Ramsey would not hesitate to send his star player onto the field, using his penetrating passes to create opportunities for positional play, forming a high-low partnership with Gan Guoyang, replacing a single point with a line, which would leave the SuperSonics' encirclement helpless.

However, Walton won't be back until next year. If Thompson is paired with Gan Guoyang in the high post, firstly, Thompson's passing won't be as effective as Walton's, and secondly, Thompson's strength lies in the low post. When Gan Guoyang has the ball in the low post, he is most comfortable on the weak side and wing. If he is put in the high post, his main role will not be passing but receiving the ball for mid-range shots.

In the past two years, Thompson's role has become more and more functional and blue-collar, and he is happy to assist Gan Guoyang.

This top draft pick from the Bahamas has extraordinary talent. In high school, he was already unbeatable in his hometown, easily grabbing 60 rebounds in a single game.

After arriving in the United States, his talent remained top-notch, but his optimistic and cheerful nature, and his tendency to not take things too seriously, limited his ability to achieve greater success.

He is very similar to his junior teammate Kevin McHale in this respect, which explains why the two have a very good relationship in private and understand each other very well on the court.

Before Gan Guoyang joined the Trail Blazers, Ramsey and Thompson were not on good terms, because Ramsey was a winner-obsessed player, while Thompson did not care as much.

Sometimes when they lose a game, Ramsey will be so angry that he won't say a word all day, but Thompson will act as if nothing happened and go about his business as usual.

Moreover, Thompson was a bit of a goofball when he first entered the league, always doing some strange things, such as tying bells to his shoelaces, wearing a voodoo necklace, and bringing women onto the team bus.

All of this gave Ramsey a headache, and he felt that he was not suitable to be a team leader. It wasn't until Gan Guoyang arrived that Thompson no longer had to worry about being a leader, and he was absolutely qualified to be a supporting player.

During the timeout, Ramsey pointed to the clipboard and said to Thompson, "Mitchell, come to the high post, this is your spot, spread out the defense."

Thompson nodded and said, "Play high-low post combinations with Forrest Gump?"

Ramsey nodded and said, "Yes, you two need to link up and relieve the defensive pressure on Forrest Gump. The rest of you, our offense needs to move faster than our defense; we've already been caught up by the opponent!"

Although the high-low post coordination between Thompson and Gan Guoyang was not very effective, it was still better than Gan Guoyang being surrounded in the low post. It's always good to have someone spread out and provide support.

Furthermore, Gan Guoyang can switch positions with Thompson, with the two taking turns playing in the high and low positions. Gan Guoyang's passing and mid-range shooting are equally threatening.

Bobby Berman, listening to Ramsey's instructions, sighed inwardly, thinking, "This old man, you still don't use my strategy. Why did you ask me just now? It's still the same old high-low combination, with everyone else revolving around the frontcourt players. Even if that works, it's definitely not as good as my method."

Ramsey just asked Bellman about defensive strategies, and Bellman gave his insights and answers.

Ramsey simply nodded, but during the pause, he used the same old approach and didn't adopt Bellman's suggestion. This is understandable; Bellman had only recently taken office and hadn't fully gained Ramsey's trust yet, so how could Ramsey possibly listen to Bellman's advice right away?

Moreover, Berman's ideas are quite different from Ramsey's basketball philosophy. Even though Ramsey has been improving and revising his tactical strategies over the past two seasons, his overall direction has not changed, and some core elements still exist.

Bellman had a completely different idea, and Ramsey remained noncommittal after hearing it.

After the timeout, both teams returned to the court, and the Trail Blazers' strategic changes proved effective.

Thompson's move to the high post reshaped the team's formation, making it difficult for the SuperSonics to close in.

Thompson received consecutive passes from Gan Guoyang at the top of the arc and made a mid-range jump shot.

Meanwhile, the two players switched positions on defense, and Gan Guoyang began to increase the pressure on the Supersonics' forwards.

McDaniel and Dale Ellis were both harassed by Gan Guoyang after he switched onto their defense, forcing them to make defensive passes and preventing them from creating effective offense.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Trail Blazers responded with an 8-0 run against the SuperSonics, bringing the two teams back to a level playing field.

The two sides then engaged in a back-and-forth battle. While the high-low post combination of Gan Guoyang and Thompson was very effective, it did not break down the SuperSonics' defense.

The SuperSonics consistently used a two- or three-man encirclement of Gan Guoyang. As soon as Gan Guoyang got the ball, the forwards would pounce on him like hungry tigers.

Thompson can take the mid-range shot freely. Drexler is not playing well tonight, so drive to the basket as much as you want. As long as you control Agan, the SuperSonics and Trail Blazers will have a good chance.

McDaniel remains the vanguard in double-teaming Gan Guoyang. He is not only fast at double-teaming, but also makes big hand movements. Even after being called for a foul by the referee, he continues to do as he pleases.

In his first game of the new season, Gan Guoyang didn't want to stoop to the level of this bald guy. The two only had a verbal conflict. After the third quarter, the score was 89-91, with the Trail Blazers leading by 2 points.

After the start of the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang suddenly exerted his strength under the basket, relying purely on his individual ability to grab offensive rebounds and score. When faced with a triple team, he no longer backed down, turned around and went to the baseline to attack the basket, scoring a 10-2 run for the SuperSonics, instantly widening the gap to 10 points.

Watching Gan Guoyang's performance from the sidelines, Bellman thought to himself, "If we had used my strategy, we might have pulled ahead in the third quarter."

At this point, the SuperSonics became a bit anxious, and their defensive actions became increasingly aggressive. When Gan Guoyang grabbed another offensive rebound under the basket, McDaniel committed a vicious foul from behind, pulling Gan Guoyang down.

Gan Guoyang was furious. Today is the opening game of the new season, a great day for us to celebrate winning the championship ring, and you have to take advantage of me?
However, Gan Guoyang didn't make a move. He didn't want to be wrestled and ejected in the first game of the new season. He restrained himself and turned to glare at McDaniel: "I'm fucking warning you, if you touch me again, I'll smear some Vaseline on your bald head and shove it up your ass!"

McDaniel was not about to back down; he had been waiting for this moment all game.

He sprayed the water back at Gan Guoyang, tilting his head back, pressing close to him, glaring angrily, determined to challenge this NBA champion.

He knew that Gan Guoyang was good at wrestling, so he secretly lowered his center of gravity, ready for Gan Guoyang to make his move. Once Gan Guoyang made his move, he would throw a punch at his opponent.

McDaniel was excited, his hormones were raging, and he couldn't wait for Gan Guoyang to throw him. He wanted to prove to the whole league that while everyone else was afraid of Forrest Gump, he wasn't!
Just as McDaniel was preparing to fall, he suddenly felt Forrest Gump's face getting bigger and bigger, then a sharp pain came and everything went black.

Instead of throwing McDaniel, Gan Guoyang suddenly delivered a rocket headbutt when McDaniel closed in to trash talk, knocking him unconscious.

"That bald guy, Gan Linliang... Referee, referee! Come over here and call a foul. Karp! My forehead is bleeding!"

Gan Guoyang's Sakuragi Hanamichi-style headbutt cracked his brow bone.

Of course, Sakuragi Hanamichi didn't even exist in 1986.

(End of this chapter)