The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 393 Maturity
All-Star Weekend gives most players a chance to adjust and rest.

Gan Guoyang spent two days in Seattle. His body didn't get any rest, but his mind was greatly relaxed.

When he rejoined the team, he already carried the honors of being the league's three-point champion and dunk champion.

In the words of The Oregonian, Forrest Gump has won every individual honor a player should have in three seasons, and even some he shouldn't have.

Rookie of the Year, Regular Season MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star Game MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA Team, All-Defensive First Team, Player of the Week, Player of the Month, Slam Dunk Contest Champion, Three-Point Contest Champion.

Gan Guoyang's only two unclaimed awards are Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player, but these two awards were never really his forte.

He might have a chance to win the Sixth Man of the Year award when he gets older and follows Bill Walton's example of retiring to a less active role.

Forget about Most Improved Player; how much more can this guy improve? If he improves any further, he'll be leading the Trail Blazers to the moon.

Reactions to Gan Guoyang's performance at the All-Star Game were mixed.

Hornacek and Dell Curry are practicing their three-pointers even more diligently. If their leader, a center, has won the three-point title, what reason do they have not to practice harder?
Drexler and Jerome Cahill were sour, saying things like, "Forrest Gump, you even have to win the dunk contest, you're not leaving any room for anyone else."

Vandeweghe admires Gan Guoyang's mental fortitude. Back in the training hall, he can score 20 points with five shots, but his mentality is not so stable during the game.

Bill Walton became a staunch and die-hard fan of Gan Guoyang. From now until many years to come, as a broadcaster and commentator, he will remain a steadfast Gan enthusiast, telling people how amazing this player is.

Adelman is more concerned about Gan Guoyang's health; with the season entering its later stages, there can be no injuries.

During the first team practice after the All-Star break, Bobby Bellman discussed with Gan Guoyang about reducing his playing time after the All-Star break.

"If you reduce your playing time to around 37 minutes per game, you should adjust your form and prepare well for the playoffs."

Gan Guoyang disagreed with the arrangement to reduce playing time—he knew it was Ramsey's idea.

Gan Guoyang said, "Give me 40 minutes of playing time so I can maintain my form better. I don't need too much rest. Let Beal rest more; we will really need him in the playoffs."

The entire Trail Blazers team received the news that the Detroit Pistons had acquired James Donaldson through a trade, further strengthening their frontcourt.

Donaldson's decision not to go to the Lakers is a positive for the Trail Blazers; otherwise, if they met in the playoffs, Gan Guoyang would have faced immense pressure.

The Pistons are in the Eastern Conference, so if the two teams meet, they would need to reach the NBA Finals.

While it remains to be seen whether the Pistons can overcome the Celtics, the power dynamics in the Eastern Conference are shifting with the addition of Donaldson.

If the Trail Blazers' goal is the NBA Finals, they must be prepared for the Detroit Pistons to make it to the Finals.

After some discussion, the coaching staff decided to limit Gan Guoyang's playing time to 39 minutes, mainly to give him more rest in the first half.

Meanwhile, the coaching staff closely monitored Bill Walton's health and gradually increased his playing time in small increments, from 12 minutes per game to 15 minutes, and eventually kept it under 20 minutes.

Other veterans on the Trail Blazers have injuries of varying degrees, including Mitchell Thompson, Vandeweghe, and Jim Paxson. In order to prevent a recurrence of Kenny Karl's situation, the coaching staff has rescheduled their playing time.

Of course, while it's called coaching staff planning, it's actually Bobby Bellman who's doing all that.

When he coached Gonzaga, after the departure of Gan Guoyang and Stockton, Berman led the team to victory by virtue of his precise planning ability.

He uses various data calculations to plan players' playing time and order, ensuring that players maintain a good competitive state throughout the season.

This was a skill gap in the NBA at the time, because most coaches rotated their teams arbitrarily, improvising and adjusting their commands based on the game situation.

The kind of rotation planning that Bobby Bellman did, down to the minute and second, is widely used in college leagues and some lower-level games, but the conservative NBA coaching circle needs time to digest it.

Contrary to popular belief, most people assume that the NBA, as the world's highest-level league, should have the most advanced concepts, cutting-edge tactics, and the most progressive management methods. In reality, from the 60s to the 80s, the NBA coaching circle was one of the most conservative and feudal corners of North American sports. In the words of Walton's good friend, the sports activist Scott, professional sports was a remnant of militarism in a free society, and the NBA was particularly so.

This conservative circle has always rejected change and new things, preferring to indulge in past glories. It constantly emphasizes "teamwork, discipline, order, dedication, and sacrifice," but ignores the individual development of players, the innovation of tactics and techniques, and the decisive role played by individual talent.

By the mid-to-late 80s, this stubborn and conservative circle was constantly being challenged and was showing signs of breaking down and rebuilding, with more and more new-style coaches like Bellman emerging.

Ramsey was once a member of the conservatives, but he has now broken free and is no longer the Dr. Jack who shouted "run, run, run" all the time.

Actually, he wasn't that receptive to new things, but he figured it out and was happy to delegate authority, handing over many of the leading roles to Adelman and Bellman.

His task has become training execution, on-site command, and final decision-making, which makes him more relaxed than before. He went from being in poor spirits at the beginning of the season to being in better and better form now.

The "one against four" strategy, which was not favored at the beginning of the season, became more and more proficient by the end of the season. Everyone had a clear understanding of their role in the team, and they had a good grasp of the game rhythm.

After Berman devised a new rotation schedule, the players' playing time was distributed more evenly.

Jerome Kossie's role has been further expanded, making him an even more important sixth man in the attacking third than Walton.

After some reorganization and planning, the Trail Blazers set sail in February, heading towards the playoffs in good form.

They first traveled to Dallas to face the Mavericks in an extremely intense game that went down to the final stages of the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks, who battled the Trail Blazers for the entire game, suddenly lost their rhythm in the final moments, allowing the Trail Blazers to go on a 7-0 run and secure the victory.

Back at home, the Trail Blazers faced the formidable Boston Celtics in another closely contested match.

Kevin McHale was unstoppable under the basket, scoring 35 points on 17-of-19 shooting, a terrifyingly high field goal percentage.

However, in the final stages of the game, the Trail Blazers took the lead with a 7-2 run and won 119-124 at home.

The Celtics played to their absolute best in this game, but they couldn't win in the final moments and were swept away by the Trail Blazers in one go.

After losing the game, Bird said at the press conference: "The Portland Trail Blazers are the strongest team in the league this year, the strongest."

As someone who experienced the game firsthand, Bird could feel the strength of the Trail Blazers. They played casually throughout the game, keeping the score close and never falling behind by a large margin.

Then, in the final moments of the fourth quarter, the core lineup stepped up and carried the team to victory in one fell swoop. It was simple, effortless, and exciting, while also allowing the opponent to lose with dignity. It was a win-win situation.

Gan Guoyang's unstoppable one-on-one play clearly played a crucial role. Whenever a score was needed, Gan Guoyang would step up and score in the low post with ease. With such a reliable player on the team, the Trail Blazers were able to remain so composed.

Of course, the Trail Blazers' increasingly tough defense also played a crucial role. In the final stages, their defense suddenly intensified, and the Celtics couldn't handle it.

Thanks to the readjusted rotation and the rest of the team where one player could take on four opponents, the players were in good physical condition. So, in the final moments of the fourth quarter, when the opponents were starting to catch their breath, the Trail Blazers were still able to maintain their intensity.

The Trail Blazers' double victory over the Celtics makes them look increasingly like championship contenders, and they are maturing.

The Trail Blazers then embarked on a long road trip.

In the second half of each season, Gan Guoyang would visit his good friend Charles Barkley in Washington.

As usual, Barkley drove to the airport to pick up Gan Guoyang. This time, he didn't drive his white Porsche 911, but instead drove a huge Dodge Ram that suited his size.

Gan Guoyang patted the car and said, "You've finally found a car that suits you. You've matured, Charles."

Barkley said, "I love this car, so I bought three! Exactly the same! I drive them in rotation."

(End of this chapter)