The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 366 Welcome to the NBA
Gan Guoyang scored the first point of the game.

The Trail Blazers then adopted a relatively compact defensive formation.

They matched up Drexler against Magic Johnson and Porter against Byron Scott.

The player guarding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was not Gan Guoyang but Mitchell Thompson. If Gan Guoyang were to defend Abdul-Jabbar, he would be distracted by too much energy.

Vandeweghe at the small forward position needs Gan Guoyang's assistance, while the Lakers' starting power forward, AC Green, can be given some playing time.

After Rambis was traded, AC Green quickly earned Pat Riley's trust, becoming a valuable asset to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a key part of Show Time's fast break.

During Lakers practice, AC Green was able to catch Magic Johnson's passes, and he held on to his bet on virginity, winning money from Magic Johnson.

From that moment on, he earned the magician's respect. This shows that you can be different, but you must have your own principles to uphold. If you just put on an act and easily break the rules, you will only be looked down upon.

The referees were a bit strict at the start, and the Lakers still habitually started their offense from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the low post. Kareem drew a foul on Thompson while turning around and made both free throws.

Porter then missed a three-pointer, Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound and passed the ball to Drexler who was cutting in. Drexler was fouled on his layup attempt and made one of two free throws.

James Worthy then drew a foul on Vandeweghe on a low-post attack and went to the free-throw line.

The referee's whistles were so frequent they were giving me a headache; the constant whistling disrupted the start of the game.

During a break between free throws, Gan Guoyang asked the referee for the night, Jess Kossie, "Did you eat anything that would make you bloated tonight? The whistle kept going on and on uncontrollably."

Jessie Kossi said, "I just wanted to give you guys a little reminder: keep your moves low, don't get too worked up, and play a peaceful game."

A high-profile battle between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers is sure to be full of tension.

So when the referees met before the match started, they set the tone: to be stricter at the beginning and to encourage both sides to reduce the range of their movements.

Like when the Trail Blazers played the Pistons in Detroit, the referees were on high alert, blowing the whistles like crazy from the start.

Under the referee's guidance, both sides played quite restrainedly in the first quarter, with minimal physical contact and no high intensity.

Gan Guoyang did not blindly attack from the low post. He realized that Jabbar had increased his weight, and that it was not a good strategy to fight head-on at the start.

He hoped to wear down Jabbar's stamina through rounds, use speed to defeat Jabbar, and then deliver the decisive blow at the crucial moment.

He repeatedly set screens for Porter and Drexler, but neither Porter nor Clyde made their shots.

The Lakers didn't rush into fast breaks either. Compared to his previous reckless approach to pushing the fast break, Magic Johnson showed more control and finesse in organizing the offense.

Compared to his quick counterattacks, Magic Johnson was equally confident in his positional offense.

He passed the ball to James Worthy in the low post, who then backed down Vandeweghe, prompting Drexler to come over for help defense.

Worthy squeezed in a step and passed the ball to Johnson on the outside, but Johnson missed his shot.

But A.C. Green grabbed the rebound that had been pushed out of bounds and passed it to Johnson, who took another shot and made it accurately.

A few years ago, Johnson probably wouldn't have taken that shot; he wasn't that confident in his shooting ability.

This year, Johnson's mid-range and long-range shots have been very decisive, and his accuracy has been quite good.

His two-point shooting percentage has dropped to the lowest point of his career, as evidenced by this.

It's not that his shooting has gotten worse, but rather that his shooting has improved and he's taking more shots, so his accuracy is naturally lower than when he rarely took mid-range or long-range shots in the past.

This makes it much more difficult to defend him. In the past, when Dennis Johnson defended Magic Johnson, he would give him two steps to shoot, and if he made it, that was it.

That tactic definitely won't work now; he can keep scoring.

Vandeweghe reminded Drexler, "Don't double-team me, I can handle Worthy by myself."

Vandeweghe didn't want to be a liability on defense all the time, so he also worked on getting stronger this summer.

Gan Guoyang then attempted a strong attack on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the low post but missed. However, he grabbed the offensive rebound, and the Lakers immediately swarmed him.

Gan Guoyang passed the ball to the outside, Drexler received the ball and passed it to Vandeweghe, who then made a three-pointer!
Besides building a strong physique, Vandeweghe did a lot of three-point shooting practice, and he listened to Gan Guoyang's advice.

This season, his three-point attempts and makes have both increased, with at least three attempts and one make per game.

Although the output and accuracy are far from sufficient, it already means that Vandeweghe is transitioning into a long-range artillery player.

The Lakers' defense was as tight as ever at the start of the game. In the 80s, the paint was always crowded with players. Even if the Trail Blazers cleared the strong side with the ball, the Lakers would quickly collapse to the paint to protect it.

The Lakers players have better physical qualities than other teams. Under Riley's guidance, they run, jump, and exert more intensity than the average team.

Gan Guoyang was prepared for this, so he tried to quickly process the ball after receiving it and pass it to an open player who could cut into the basket to attack the rim.

But both attempts failed. Porter drove to the basket but there was no space, so he made a passing error. Drexler drove to the basket for a layup but was interfered with and didn't even touch the rim.

This is an advantage for the Lakers on the defensive end. Apart from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the other four starters are all tall players with long arms and legs. Johnson, Worthy, and Cooper have an amazing defensive range.

Then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was well protected, staying close to the three-second zone without moving, which actually had elements of illegal defense, but the Lakers concealed it very well.

The Trail Blazers' offense failed, naturally giving the Lakers a chance to counterattack. The game's pace gradually picked up, with Worthy scoring a fast-break dunk and Cooper adding a fast-break layup. Ramsey stood up from his chair, ready to call a timeout, but Gan Guoyang gestured for it not to, saying he could score.

The Trail Blazers cleared the strong side completely for Gan Guoyang, who then faced off against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the low post.

This time, Gan Guoyang used a scimitar step to face the basket, took a probing step, and then used explosive power to drive to the baseline and forcefully attack the basket. After getting past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he slammed the ball in with one hand!
"Old man, I only need to use that little bit of explosiveness and speed when I'm hitting you," Gan Guoyang couldn't help but say to Jabeur after scoring.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scoffed at Gan Guoyang's arrogance, saying, "You seem to be getting a bit cocky lately. You can only play one-on-one, and you won't be able to beat us."

"Really? What if I get 100 points in a singles match?"

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave Gan Guoyang a look as if he were looking at a ghost, thinking to himself that this kid was getting more and more unpredictable.

"If you can get 100 points, I'll kneel down and kowtow to you after the game."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar swore an oath, but Gan Guoyang didn't say he would "keep his word," as getting 100 points was indeed a pipe dream.

But by saying that, he was actually putting some pressure on Jabbar, because Jabbar would genuinely wonder, "Is this guy going to get 100 points?"

After Gan Guoyang scored this goal, the defense suddenly intensified, launching a risky half-court press to double-team Scott who had the ball.

Scott made a passing error, which was stolen by Drexler. Gan Guoyang caught the ball on the counterattack and dunked it with one hand!

This is a change in the Trail Blazers' defense this season, brought about by Bobby Bellman.

They will suddenly intensify their defense, double-teaming and pressuring the ball handler to force turnovers and launch fast breaks.

This was once a defensive weapon for Gonzaga University, and the Trail Blazers already had a strong ability to steal the ball. Bellman amplified this advantage by adding defensive details.

Originally, it was the Trail Blazers who were supposed to call a timeout, but this time it was Riley who called a short timeout. The score was tied at 10:10, and the competition was getting more intense.

After the timeout, the Lakers failed to score and instead committed a turnover under the Trail Blazers' tight defense. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's ball was knocked away by Gan Guoyang, and when A.C. Green tried to save the ball, it rolled out of bounds.

Riley realized that the Lakers were changing, and the Trail Blazers were evolving as well. The Portland team was not, as the media claimed, simply relying on Gan Guoyang's ability to take on four superstars.

Both are superstar teams, but Jordan's Bulls won in terms of statistics but lost in games, while Gan Guoyang's Trail Blazers were able to both score high numbers and win games. A key factor in this was their defense.

Last season, the Trail Blazers' defense was already very well-structured. Under Ramsey's direction, it was loose on the outside but tight on the inside, with traps everywhere in the paint.

With Walton sidelined for an extended period this season, the interior rotation has become shorter, forcing Gan Guoyang to expend a lot of energy on offense, and the Trail Blazers' defensive layering has diminished.

However, their defensive intensity has clearly improved, and the details have become better. Their ability to defend one-on-one and double-team has become stronger. Although their tight defense on the outside and loose defense on the inside makes it easy to miss rebounds (AC Green grabbed three offensive rebounds in the first quarter), this kind of defense is undoubtedly better at targeting the backcourt.

"The Portlanders are well-prepared this year. That Bobby Bellman guy, he was Forrest Gump's high school and college coach, right..."

Riley had heard of Bobby Bellman; it was said that he was the one who came up with the Trail Blazers' one-on-four strategy. He was a nobody from Notre Dame.

The Trail Blazers gained possession of the ball, and in a possession where they could establish an advantage, they naturally spread out the ball completely for Gan Guoyang to play one-on-one.

Gan Guoyang called for the ball in a relatively shallow position, and the Lakers quickly double-teamed him. Gan Guoyang suddenly made a behind-the-back pass to Porter, who cut past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the basket.

Porter received the ball and easily made a layup! The Trail Blazers took a 12-10 lead.

This brilliant behind-the-back pass stunned the Lakers fans in the arena and made the Lakers players realize that Gan Guoyang was not just a one-on-one player.

Magic Johnson then started to push his way inside, and AC Green came over to screen. He used the screen to suddenly accelerate and drive into the paint through the middle. Facing Gan Guoyang's defense, he made a hook shot and scored, tying the game at 12-12.

Subsequently, Gan Guoyang once again received the ball in the low post, and facing a double team, he passed the ball to Vandeweghe at the top of the arc. Vandeweghe made a mid-range shot, making it 14-12, and taking the lead.

Byron Scott received a pass from Magic Johnson, took the shot, and made it, tying the game.

Both teams played better and better in the first quarter, with the score alternating, going from a tie at 14 to a tie at 24-24.

In the final moments of the first quarter, Gan Guoyang remained on the court, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had to leave to rest.

He can't be as hardworking as Gan Guoyang. Time waits for no one, and being able to last 10 minutes is already his limit.

Replacing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was center Kevin Duckworth, whom the Lakers acquired from the Spurs in a trade.

This rookie, selected by the Spurs in the second round, was unremarkable in college, attending the small Eastern Illinois University, where he was the school's star player because there was really no one else like him.

Because of his lack of exposure in NCAA tournaments, he fell to the second round of the draft. In fact, he is a very good center. Shortly after West acquired him in a trade, he knew that he had made a very good decision.

Pat Riley was also pleased to have such a young and promising big man. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is really getting old and the Lakers need a young 7-foot center.

Duckworth is tall and strong, capable of holding his own against most of the powerful centers in the Western Conference, including the Rockets' twin towers. He came on at the end of the first quarter eager to give the legendary Forrest Gump a good match.

In the Trail Blazers' final offensive possession, Drexler and Gan Guoyang executed a pick-and-roll. Drexler drove into the middle, and Gan Guoyang followed up from the wing after the pick-and-roll. Gan Guoyang received the ball, dribbled with his left hand, and drove hard to the basket, charging past the seemingly tall and strong Duckworth, and dunked over him!
Duckworth was knocked out of bounds and landed hard on his backside. He felt like he had lost his breath from the impact and his chest ached.

Looking up again, he could see Gan Guoyang, who had just dunked, hanging on the rim looking down at him with a calm expression.

After landing, Gan Guoyang said to Duckworth, "Welcome to the NBA, welcome to the world of competition, duck."

The referee blew his whistle, calling a blocking foul on Duckworth and awarding him an additional penalty.

(End of this chapter)