The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 39 Ordinary Genius
The Warriors players who were warming up on the other side of the court all stopped what they were doing.

Their eyes were all on the other half of the court, where Gan Guoyang blocked Bernard King's turnaround jump shot with a clean block.

After turning around on the right, Jin attempted to use his strength to knock Gan Guoyang away, causing the defender to lose his balance, and then successfully took the shot.

Generally speaking, even if the defender is a large, strong inside player, it is difficult for them to remain completely still when being passively bumped head-on.

Unless it's a very large giant, like Paul Moxki, a 7-foot-250-pound white fat guy, King would choose to use speed to deal with him.

But to Jin's surprise, when Jin rammed into him, Gan Guoyang did not use his chest to block the impact head-on, but instead turned to the side and used his left arm and shoulder to block Jin's impact.

By using his shoulder to brace himself, Gan Guoyang gained a much more stable center of gravity. He then jumped up and placed his hand on the ball before Bernard King could even release it, blocking his shot.

Al-Artes watched Gan Guoyang's offense and defense from the sidelines with a serious expression. He said to Thurmond next to him, "Nate, I'm not kidding. Maybe we can really sign this guy next year."

Thurmond said, "Don't even think about Al. He's still a work in progress. Moses was a lesson learned. This kid won't do that. He's smart and rational. You can see that in this defense, right?"

"He's really clever, managing to withstand Jin's turn and counterattack. His method was ingenious. And it seems Larry couldn't move him either. Is this guy really an Eastern bio-engineered warrior?"

"How can you believe such nonsense? He's just an ordinary basketball prodigy."

"An ordinary basketball prodigy? How ordinary?"

"I think he's about as ordinary as Wilt."

"That's fucking ordinary."

Al-Altes was not tall, only about 6 feet, and he looked like a dwarf standing next to the tall Thurmond.

The two men, one tall and one short, watched with great interest as Gan Guoyang, Bernard King, and Larry Smith practiced under the basket, and the other Warriors players gradually gathered around.

Flynn and Carroll started a bet on whether Gan Guoyang could get another hat-trick, with the wager being who would treat everyone to supper after the game.

The presence of onlookers put pressure on Kim and Larry Smith, making them take the lesson more seriously.

Jin was no longer blocked by Gan Guoyang. Having spent many years in the professional league, he knew a lot about offensive techniques and details.

His turning steps were not flashy, but swift and practical.

Even so, he still felt pressure when facing Gan Guoyang's long arms.

Gan Guoyang's strength and physical toughness exceeded Bernard King's expectations, forcing him to incorporate more techniques to evade blockades and even use feints during the confrontation.

"Shit, Gan, you're using too much force! The referee will call a foul on you!" Jin complained after missing two shots in a row.

Larry Smith, who was standing nearby, said, "That wasn't a foul at all. Your technique is lacking, Bernard. Your footwork is too rough."

"You're talking nonsense, Larry. There's no forward in the entire league with better offensive skills than me. My ability to attack the basket is top-notch."

Bernard King, a small forward, averaged 21.6 points per game last season with a 58% field goal percentage, which is higher than many centers.

Kim often faces defenders who are taller than him, and such scoring and shooting percentages obviously require skill.

The competitive spirit of professional players was ignited, and Jin began to focus intently on offense and defense against Gan Guoyang, giving him detailed instructions after each attack.

"Many people turn using the balls of their feet, but I'll teach you a secret: I use my heels. This will make your turn faster and allow you to get closer to your opponent, which is advantageous for your defense. This requires practice; you need to master your balance, otherwise you'll fall."

"When I shoot, I always aim for the basket, not the backboard. A lot of people like to backboard, and backboarding can be useful sometimes, but there's a problem: it makes you hesitate, forcing you to choose between two options. In that instant, once you hesitate, your shot will be affected. So some people end up with the ball bouncing between the backboard and the rim, which is a huge mistake. I choose to completely eliminate the backboarding option, never backboard, just shoot directly at the basket, so I don't have to hesitate."

"I also have four offensive options for different defenses, I'll teach you when I have the chance. If you need it, I think you want to play center or power forward in the future?"

Kim taught very meticulously, and he was not stingy with these techniques, because many of them were open secrets. The key was that if you wanted to use them well, you needed to put in tons of hard work.

After receiving instruction from Jin, Gan Guoyang practiced facing Larry Smith's defense again.

Smith tried his best to block Gan Guoyang's shot, but apart from making Gan Guoyang miss a few shots, he did not succeed.

Gan Guoyang is very good at physical contact, and with his height advantage, it is very difficult for Smith to block him.

For Gan Guoyang, the real challenge lies in his footwork. How to be as fast as Jin, how to quickly establish his pivot foot, and how to turn with his heel are all details that require careful consideration.

After more than half an hour, all three were covered in sweat, which showed how intense the competition was. Seeing Gan Guoyang's performance in offense and defense, Flynn encouraged Carroll to go up and have a few rounds of one-on-one with Gan Guoyang.

Carroll shook his head and said he didn't want to bully children.

Flynn mocked him, asking if he was afraid of falling behind and getting blocked like King, which would be embarrassing.

Al-Artes interrupted the three's practice, saying, "Warm-up is over. You have a match tonight. If you keep playing, you'll exhaust your energy for today. Do you want to sit on the bench all night?"

It was only then that Kim and Smith realized their training clothes were soaked.

I originally thought it was just a casual game, a few pointers, and a lesson for the younger generation.

Who knew they would take it so seriously, turning it into a real, hard-fought battle of offense and defense.

Bernard King shook hands with Gan Guoyang and said, "You've impressed me. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have in the future."

Having emerged from alcoholism and various troubles, Jin became very friendly, and he genuinely appreciated Gan Guoyang.

This 6-foot-9 giant possesses exceptional agility and an excellent shooting touch.

His tough, fast-paced playing style is right up my alley; I don't like those tall but slow, dumb guys.

Gan Guoyang had a fruitful experience. He sincerely thanked Bernard King and Larry Smith and invited them to his family's restaurant for a free meal sometime.

At 7:30 p.m., the Warriors' new season home opener began. Gan Guoyang was sitting in a very close-up seat, and could see the empty seats above the Oakland Arena when he looked up.

The Warriors' opponent tonight is the Utah Jazz, no wonder the opening game wasn't very popular; a team like the Jazz just doesn't generate much interest among Bay Area fans.

Their star player is Adrian Dantley, whose ugly playing style makes him hard for fans to like.

There were no cheerleaders or mascots before the competition, and the competition process was very rigid and lacked entertainment.

Gan Guoyang did not notice any cameras on the sidelines, so he asked Thurmond if the match was not being broadcast on television.

Thurmond told Gan Guoyang that CBS and NBC's broadcast contracts with the NBA expired this summer, and the two sides have not yet reached an agreement on a new broadcast contract.

Before a new broadcasting contract is signed, there won't be any live broadcasts, let alone recorded broadcasts.

Fans who want to know how the game is going can only listen to the play-by-play commentary on the radio.

The game proceeded smoothly, with the Warriors taking a 17-point lead in the first half.

In the days before three-pointers were common, the space on the court was small and the players were very competitive.

Because zone defense is not allowed and the offensive time is 24 seconds, the pace of offense and defense on the court is very fast.

Perimeter players are very cautious when dribbling, and are used to protecting the ball with their backs to the basket or their sides.

The forwards all have a good post-up game and close-range attacking skills.

Long-range shots were very rare; the Jazz attempted six three-pointers throughout the game but missed all of them.

They clearly don't have a three-point shooting strategy; they just throw one up randomly when they have no other choice.

The Warriors did manage to hit two three-pointers, but those were during garbage time.

After three quarters, the Warriors led the Jazz by 20 points, making the outcome of the fourth quarter a foregone conclusion.

Ultimately, the Warriors easily defeated the Jazz 106-91 in the opening game, securing a winning start at home.

The pre-game warm-up against Gan Guoyang did not affect Jin's performance; he easily scored 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting.

In a post-game interview in the player tunnel, Kim said, "I was in good form today. Unlike the last game, I warmed up very well before the game, which made me feel hot."

From then on, Gan Guoyang became a regular at the Warriors training camp.

(End of this chapter)