The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 369 We Must Not Let Our Guard Down
The Lakers' strength this year is undeniable.

Magic Johnson's maturity and progress were one of the hallmarks of the game. From the start of the game to the third quarter when he led the team on an offensive surge, Johnson's expression remained calm throughout.

Gone was the ecstatic joy of witnessing a game-winning shot during his rookie season, and gone were the tears that welled up after losing to the Celtics. Now, he was more reserved and expressionless.

Before the match, he shook hands, hugged, and exchanged pleasantries with Gan Guoyang. There was no longer the deliberate distance and indifference he showed in 86, nor the genuine enthusiasm and affection he showed in 85.

He had already regarded Gan Guoyang as a formidable opponent, and correspondingly, Johnson had also become a formidable opponent for Gan Guoyang.

On the Lakers' bench, Maurice Lucas was naturally ousted, Rambis left, Kubrick retired, McGee left, and Larry Spriggs went to Real Madrid in Spain.

The Lakers' bench has undergone a major overhaul.

They have the younger, stronger, and more energetic Duckworth and A.C. Green in the paint, while continuing to have the defensive anchor Michael Cooper on the perimeter, as well as another guard signed from the Spurs, Wes Matthews.

Matthews had an outstanding performance in last year's playoff series against the Trail Blazers, scoring a game-high 31 points, which caught the attention of Jerry West.

Matthews is a short guard who bounces around between multiple teams, a typical journeyman player. These types of players are characterized by strong abilities but bad tempers, making them potential locker room bombs and disliked by other players and team management.

However, such players are often exceptionally talented, like to trash talk, and are aggressive and fearless on the court. They are generally referred to as "bench thugs".

Matthews fits all these characteristics; his arrival brings a sense of madness to the Lakers' bench, an element that the Lakers have always lacked.

This guy might have ADHD or attention deficit disorder; in short, he can't stay still for long periods of time.

During team practice, Pat Riley would give a pep talk, but Wes Matthews couldn't sit still and listen.

Every 30 seconds, he would run to the side to dribble the ball for a while, then run back to continue listening to Riley's instructions.

Riley was stunned when he first met this kind of person. What's wrong with him? Do you have to refresh your own status every now and then?
He likes to eat McDonald's and Burger King, and he likes to stay out all night, going off to have fun somewhere, but that doesn't stop him from attending training on time the next day.

Jerry West believes that such an unstable factor can inject some toughness and fighting spirit into the Lakers, so as to resist the pressure from Gan Guoyang in the confrontation with the Trail Blazers.

In the latter part of the third quarter, when Magic Johnson went to the bench, Wesley Matthews came on and helped the Lakers extend their lead to 10 points for the first time with his sharp drives and a stunning fast break dunk.

Matthews is incredibly fast. He is only 6 feet 1 cm tall, and his actual height is probably around 180 cm. He has short legs and short arms, but he is extremely fast and has amazing jumping ability. He is very energetic on the court.

In the first round of last year's playoffs, the Trail Blazers' tall and strong backcourt was completely overwhelmed by this small guard, who scored 31 points in a single game.

It's clear that the Lakers came prepared with their roster changes, and Gan Guoyang's early wariness of the Lakers was absolutely justified.

Jack Ramsey called a timeout and brought in Dell Curry, instructing Curry to guard Wes Matthews and "stick with him at all costs."

Rookie guards like Curry are best suited for tenacious defense; they are energetic and have top-notch defensive intensity.

Although Curry is thin, he is 6 feet 4 inches tall and has a relatively fast footwork, which allows him to keep up with Matthews.

Gan Guoyang was substituted off the court for rest. In the third quarter, he was constantly cooperating with his teammates, and only managed to score a few low-post solo goals.

He scored once, then passed the ball to the outside, but missed the shot.

I drank some water to replenish my fluids. Playing against the Lakers is much more physically demanding than a regular game.

The confrontation is intense, with a high frequency of offensive and defensive transitions, and requires a high degree of concentration.

The Lakers had a very high quality of offense and defense tonight, with few turnovers and a high success rate.

Especially in the second half, the game fell into the Lakers' rhythm, and they did a great job with the details.

In offensive rebounding battles and defensive disruptions to one-on-one plays, the Lakers didn't just double-team Gan Guoyang; instead, they focused on disrupting the ball handlers, preventing them from feeding Gan Guoyang the ball properly.

This is indeed a very good defensive strategy, especially after Michael Cooper came on. He was very effective at disrupting passing lanes, at least twice preventing Gan Guoyang from getting a smooth pass.

This disrupted the Trail Blazers' offensive rhythm, the balance between isolation plays and team plays. So when the rotation began, the Trail Blazers suddenly couldn't hold on, failing to score in two possessions and getting caught on fast breaks, which widened the gap quickly.

Gan Guoyang, known as the "King of the Third Quarter," only scored 7 points and had 3 assists in the third quarter, focusing most of his energy on defense and setting screens for his teammates. Without his strong and consistent scoring, the Trail Blazers struggled to keep up with the Lakers.

Especially during transitional periods, when Gan Guoyang is not on the court, the Trail Blazers, lacking their interior defense and most effective offensive weapon, seem to struggle to play.

"Our bench players are an advantage against other teams, but against the Lakers, they are at a disadvantage, especially with Beal unable to play," Bobby Bellman expressed his concern.

Near the Trail Blazers' bench, Lakers star fan Jack Nicholson yelled at Gan Guoyang, "King of the Third Quarter! You played terribly in the third quarter!"

Gan Guoyang turned around and glared at Nicholson. His sharp gaze instilled a sense of fear in Nicholson, who immediately shut his mouth and stopped nagging.

At the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers and Lakers were tied at 87-96, with the Trail Blazers trailing the Lakers by 9 points.

Both teams scored highly in the third quarter, with the Trail Blazers scoring 30 points and the Lakers even more with 37, establishing a decisive advantage.

During the break, Pat Riley repeatedly reminded the players: "Watch out for Forrest Gump, watch out for Forrest Gump! I don't want to see us get blown up by his three-pointers again!"

Clearly, Gan Guoyang's amazing performance of turning the game around with six three-pointers has left a considerable shadow on Pat Riley. Now, the Lakers are guarding Gan Guoyang as if he were on the perimeter of the three-point line.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang returned to the court. His rest in the latter half of the third quarter was basically his last rest time of the entire game, as he was to play the entire fourth quarter.

When he was substituted, he let out a long sigh of relief, shook his hand, gave Jones a high-five, and returned to the field.

Magic Johnson was still sitting on the bench. In the three quarters, he contributed 24 points, 10 assists, and 2 steals, with a very high shooting percentage.

The Trail Blazers launched an attack. Dell Curry dribbled the ball across half-court, and all four players were positioned far to the outside. Curry passed the ball to Thompson at a 45-degree angle, and then ran to the left corner to crouch down.

Gan Guoyang has trapped Duckworth in a very deep position, firmly holding it in place, making it impossible for Duckworth to move or squeeze out.

Gan Guoyang received the ball, turned inside and made a left-handed layup, drawing a foul from Duckworth and making the free throw.

"Fuck, how come I can't push him at all?" Duckworth wiped his sweat. Gan Guoyang's low-post positioning was too fierce.

They weren't this aggressive in the first three quarters, so why were they so unyielding in the fourth quarter, like a rock?

Standing at the free-throw line, Gan Guoyang made the free throw, making it 90-96, and the Trail Blazers narrowed the gap a bit.

Wes Matthews attempted to use his speed to break through from the middle. He drove in, but his floater was interfered with by Gan Guoyang and missed.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound but didn't launch a fast break. Instead, he passed the ball to Curry and said, "Take it slow, no rush."

Curry understood and slowly dribbled the ball across half-court.

As Gan Guoyang crossed halfway, he shouted to Pat Riley, who was standing on the sidelines, "Pat, get ready to call a timeout!"

Then he positioned himself on the left side to receive the ball, again in a very deep position, and Duckworth couldn't get him out of the three-second zone.

It was another pass from Thompson. With that much open space and that depth of positioning, there was simply no way to double-team him.

Thompson made a precise pass to Gan Guoyang, who received the ball, turned around, faked out Duckworth, and then made a layup, scoring and drawing a foul from Duckworth!

Duckworth committed two consecutive fouls, giving Gan Guoyang two opportunities to score 2+1.

Riley closed his eyes and sighed on the sidelines, thinking to himself, "I'm not going to call a timeout!"

But after Gan Guoyang made the free throw, Riley still dutifully called a timeout.

In just two rounds, the score difference narrowed to 3 points, 93-96, and Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were about to return to the court.

Riley thought to himself, "We really can't let our guard down around Forrest Gump."

(End of this chapter)