The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 382 Brilliant Tactics
The Trail Blazers got off to a good start; their excellent offensive rhythm and mental momentum allowed them to quickly take the lead.

However, the Celtics quickly adjusted, with Kevin McHale repeatedly attacking in the low post, scoring over Mitchell Thompson using his footwork and shooting.

After the loss in the 1986 Finals, where he was contained by his seniors, McHale learned from his mistakes and worked hard to improve his ability to compete in the paint.

He knew that no matter how much he practiced, his skills could only go so far; he had reached his limit. Many of his offensive habits had been ingrained since childhood, and now they were even less likely to change. Thompson would definitely see through them.

Therefore, instead of fixing the software, it's better to directly improve the hardware and use better countermeasures to gain offensive space, simply and brutally taking down Thompson.

At the same time, McHale overcame his psychological disadvantage. He was no longer afraid of Thompson and did not say a word to him before the game, allowing himself to quickly get into the competitive state.

After losing in the Finals for two consecutive years, KC Jones realized the team's weakness in half-court offense, as they had previously relied too much on fast breaks on offense.

Once the game is dragged into a prolonged half-court battle, the Celtics' offensive efficiency will drop significantly, and they will then fall into inefficient perimeter shooting, unable to find a good way to break through the opponent's defense.

This season, the Celtics have made tactical changes, slowing down the pace and increasing McHale's role on offense. He is no longer a low-post supplement, but the core of the team's low-post offense.

Dennis Johnson's role on offense has been reduced, with KC Jones instructing him to cut his perimeter shots and save his game for crucial moments.

At the same time, Bird's three-point shooting attempts reached a career high.

Therefore, although the Celtics' core lineup has not changed, their tactical structure has changed.

They evolved from the previous frontcourt Big Three plus the backcourt duo of Ainge and Johnson to the inside-outside dual core of McHale and Bird, plus the inside-outside support of Parish, Ainge, and Dennis Johnson.

The establishment of a dual-core system made the Celtics' half-court offense more rhythmic. They slowed down their offensive pace, and their average field goal attempts dropped to the lowest level since the 1981 season: 86.

Their defense became more resilient, especially as McHale gradually became the core of the team's offense and defense in the paint, freeing Bird up to some extent from the power forward position.

Last season, Bird's average rebounds per game fell below 10 for the first time in his career, and this season his rebounding has declined further.

KC Jones didn't want Bird's fragile back to be subjected to further impacts in the paint, so Bird moved entirely towards the small forward position.

His once fluffy, shining blond hair began to thin and dull. In the summer, Bird trimmed and thinned his hair to make himself look more energetic.

The Celtics, playing at home, quickly closed the gap, responding with a 9-2 run after the timeout to make it 16-15, a difference of only one point.

Bird hit a three-pointer during a half-court offense, bringing the atmosphere at Boston Garden to a small climax.

Jack Ramsey stood up, glanced at the court, and Gan Guoyang gestured that they could continue playing without a timeout.

So Ramsey sat down again and continued watching the players' performance.

Whether Ramsey pauses or not now depends on Gan Guoyang's whims.

Gan Guoyang often catches his opponents off guard when a timeout is needed.

When the opponent goes on a scoring run, they often think, "You should call a timeout," and their mentality becomes a little relaxed.

Gan Guoyang would seize this opportunity to steal one from the other party.

Sure enough, Gan Guoyang suddenly rose to a high position, and Parish followed him out.

After receiving the ball, Gan Guoyang made a through pass to Drexler inside.

Drexler received the ball and easily made a layup, drawing a foul from Dennis Johnson in the process.

Johnson looked at the referee helplessly, amidst a chorus of boos from the crowd, but the foul was still called.

Drexler made the free throw, widening the gap back to 4 points and negating Bird's three-pointer.

Gan Guoyang has another reason for not calling a timeout: he prefers the game to drag on for a long time rather than being cut into segments by timeouts.

This will help to wear down the opponent's stamina more. Four quarters is still quite a long game, especially for a team like the Celtics with a short rotation.

The Trail Blazers gritted their teeth and didn't call a timeout, nor did the Celtics. Their offense was going well, and KC Jones wanted to conserve his timeouts. Back then, the NBA didn't have official timeouts specifically for commercial breaks, so the two teams just toughed it out until the end of the first quarter.

The Celtics didn't even have a good opportunity to make a substitution. Both sides played smoothly with few turnovers. The score at the end of the first quarter was 27-24, with the Trail Blazers leading by 3 points.

In the second quarter, taking advantage of Gan Guoyang's absence, the Celtics launched a counterattack. With Bird out, Ainge took over, taking consecutive shots from the outside.

He hit a three-pointer to tie the game, then drove to the basket and made a floater to give the Celtics the lead.

Ainge has always been a rebellious guy; he's never been the obedient player he appears to be.

He knew it was Bird's team, but he was never intimidated by Bird. Instead, he always took the opportunity to show himself, proving that he was also a player with leadership qualities.

Despite a decrease in the team's overall shot attempts this season, Ainge has achieved a career-high average number of shot attempts and a career-high average points per game.

With the team's bench stretched thin, Ainge's offensive role has been boosted. The 27-year-old is entering the peak of his career and is in excellent form.

The Trail Blazers' backcourt, including Terry Porter, Curry, and Hornacek, couldn't contain Ainge in terms of skill and experience—Jim Paxson was absent due to injury.

In the second quarter, Ainge led the Celtics to a comeback victory. Ramsey called a timeout, pulled Curry, Hornacek, and Porter to his side, took out his clipboard, and patiently explained to them how to deal with a veteran like Ainge.

Gan Guoyang listened from the side, then took off his sportswear and prepared to go on stage.

One major difference between the regular season and the playoffs is that the regular season has a strong training and development aspect.

When a coach sees a young player not playing well, he will point out your mistakes and teach you the correct way to do it.

If it's the playoffs, and you make a mistake on the court, the coach will immediately bench you, and you can forget about playing in that game again.

"Dr. Jack didn't seem to have this much patience before," Gan Guoyang asked Adelman.

“No, he’s been very patient with the newcomers this year,” Adelman replied quietly.

In the past, Ramsey was a very competitive person, and he would often give a severe scolding if a player made a mistake during a match.

After two and a half years of reform, Ramsey has become increasingly patient. Originally, he was only patient with Gan Guoyang, but now Porter, Curry, and others are also enjoying the benefits.

It's quite rare to see Dr. Jack giving pointers to young players on how to play and how to correct their mistakes during a high-stakes match.

The timeout ended and the game resumed. Gan Guoyang entered the game, while Porter went off to rest. The backcourt duo on the court were Hornacek and Drexler.

As a "nepotism hire," everyone initially thought Hornacek wouldn't make it through the tryouts, but he survived and landed a one-year contract with the Trail Blazers.

After he received a one-year contract, everyone thought that after playing for a year, he would probably be unemployed from the NBA and would have to go to Europe to play professional games.

As a result, after half a season, Hornacek established himself in the team. Although he was only at the level of a ninth or tenth man, he was able to consistently get 15 minutes of playing time per game, just like Dell Curry.

Given that the Trail Blazers already have Porter, Drexler, and Jim Paxson, it's quite an achievement to earn those 15 minutes, which shows that Ramsey recognizes their performance and sees their potential for development.

Compared to Dell Curry's defensive and three-point shooting attributes, Hornacek is more well-rounded. His off-ball movement is like Paxson's, his ball-handling attack is like Porter's, and his passing is like Drexler's—albeit a weaker version of each.

It could be said that Hornacek, this seemingly unremarkable white guard who looks like an honest farmer, is actually a combination of the Trail Blazers' three rotation guards. However, after the combination, all the stats were averaged out and lowered.

Gan Guoyang also enjoys playing with Hornacek because the guy is very smart, makes few mistakes, feeds the ball in a timely manner, and runs in position without needing instructions; he will obediently go to the designated spot and wait.

Playing with such a smart player reminded Gan Guoyang of the time he played alongside Stockton in college.

Hornacek's main role in the second quarter was to feed the ball to Gan Guoyang, ensuring a solid and steady pass to him.

Gan Guoyang pulled away in the low post and scored 6 consecutive points, allowing the Trail Blazers to regain the lead without much effort.

Giving the ball to the best player on the team is indeed a brilliant tactic.

(End of this chapter)