The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 395 Charles Malone
Gan Guoyang paid the billiard hall owner back the money he had spent on the lights.

He didn't want to run away with Barkley and end up in the newspapers the next day with headlines like, "Forrest Gump and Barkley damage pool hall equipment and run away; NBA stars' behavior is so low."

Barkley exclaimed that it was boring. Of course, it wasn't that he didn't have the money; he just thought it was as fun as dining and dashing.

"Tomorrow's game will be really interesting. I'm going to shatter your attacking line."

"Stop joking, Sonny, we'll make it to the finals this year!"

Barkley was quite confident in the Bullets' abilities, and in the summer they traded for Moses Malone.

This was undoubtedly a very worthwhile trade. By sending away Jeff Luland, who was plagued by injuries, and acquiring superstar Moses Malone, the Bullets' interior strength was greatly enhanced.

Upon arriving in Washington, Malone found common ground with Charles Barkley. The two shared a very similar playing style, both being formidable inside players with an extraordinary desire for rebounds.

Although Barkley had a cold relationship with his biological father, he found a father figure in Moses Malone, who gave him a lot of guidance.

From basketball to everyday life, Moses Malone always communicated with Barkley in his slurred Virginia accent, giving Barkley the right guidance.

For example, he could sell his excess, unnecessary cars and shift his focus from entertainment and women to basketball and normal life, while maintaining his passion for basketball.

Barkley ousted head coach Gene Schoo last season, earning him considerable criticism.

Gene Shue had always been a big fan of Barkley and had been mentoring him, but their relationship deteriorated, and Gene Shue was eventually fired.

It gives the impression that Barkley is taking revenge, and local Washington media outlets have published articles mocking Barkley, saying, "Just because Gene Shu wouldn't let Barkley eat donuts, the Bullets need a pastry chef as their head coach."

In reality, the two were incompatible due to differences in personality and values, as well as Barkley's youth and impetuousness, which led him to disapprove of some of Gene Shue's words and actions.

Gene Schoo had a bad relationship with the players when he was with the 76ers. He was not good at handling relationships with players, which was also related to his personality.

This season, under the tutelage of Raheri, a coach known for his ability to utilize superstars, Charles Barkley has experienced a career breakout.

He averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds per game, earning a spot in the Eastern Conference All-Star team and leading the Washington Bullets to the playoffs.

Moses Malone acknowledges Barkley's central role and is willing to play a supporting role for Barkley. The 31-year-old Malone also delivered an All-Star caliber performance.

The competition in the East is becoming increasingly fierce. Everyone is trying their best to improve the strength and depth of their frontcourt, partly to counter the Boston Celtics' frontcourt trio, and partly to avoid facing the Forrest Gump team after they make it out of the East.

With Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, and Manute Bol, the Bullets have both height and power, and they won't be at a disadvantage against any strong interior team in the league.

No wonder Barkley was confident, saying they could make it to the Finals.

However, the following evening, before the game officially started, Barkley stood on the court, looking somewhat uneasy.

Gan Guoyang asked Barkley, "What's wrong? Your dad's watching your game, are you nervous?"

He saw right through Barkley's thoughts, and Barkley quickly explained, "No! I don't care at all. Stop talking nonsense and think about how you're going to die tonight!"

Gan Guoyang laughed. Barkley was indeed bursting with confidence tonight. It seemed that his cheap dad's arrival had an impact on him. He even dared to taunt him and tell him to die.

When the game actually started, Barkley realized who was really there to die.

Gan Guoyang displayed excellent form in the first quarter, scoring three baskets against Moses Malone in the paint at the start.

Malone is 31 years old and his physical condition is declining. Even in his prime, he couldn't stop rookie Gan Guoyang. Now the gap between the two has widened.

Without being double-teamed, Malone found himself unable to withstand Gan Guoyang, completely unable to withstand him; this guy's strength was truly terrifying.

Then, on defense, Gan Guoyang went all out to grab the defensive rebounds, dominating the Trail Blazers' defensive rebounds in the paint and denying Malone and Barkley any second-chance opportunities.

Offensive rebounds and second-chance points are a crucial part of the Bullets' offense. Moses Malone and Charles Barkley are both excellent offensive rebounders, and in some games, they can break down the opponent's defense by grabbing offensive rebounds.

The Blazers didn't have many offensive rebounding opportunities tonight, but Gan Guoyang and Mitchell Thompson protected the defensive rebounds very well. After securing the defensive rebounds, the Blazers didn't rush to launch fast breaks.

The Trail Blazers slowly wore down the Bullets with their half-court offense, bringing the game into their rhythm. Before they knew it, the first quarter was over, and the Trail Blazers were leading the Bullets by 5 points.

In the second quarter, the Bullets tried to catch up, with Manute Bol entering the game and hitting a three-pointer. However, the Trail Blazers continued to slow the pace, not rushing to go all out against the Bullets. Gan Guoyang was guarding Barkley one-on-one on defense, while Moses Malone passed the ball to Mitchell Thompson, which made things very difficult for Barkley, as he couldn't beat Gan Guoyang one-on-one.

This year, various one-on-four tactics have become popular among teams, and among those who have benefited the most, besides Gan Guoyang and Jordan, the third is Charles Barkley.

This guy's ass is getting bigger and bigger, and his body is getting stronger and stronger. Whenever he gets the ball in the low post, he arches his backside inwards, and almost no one can stop him.

Despite being only 6 feet 6 inches tall, Barkley's unstoppable backhand post-up move allowed him to dominate, averaging 23 points per game with a near 60% field goal percentage.

Unfortunately, this tactic works well for other players in the league, but it's completely useless against Gan Guoyang. Barkley can't handle Gan Guoyang!
In the second quarter, he tried to take on Gan Guoyang one-on-one twice, but failed both times. After that, he stopped using the one-on-one tactic.

Without one-on-one play, when it comes to grabbing offensive rebounds, Gan Guoyang is the only opponent in the league who is physically outmatched by Barkley and completely outmatched.

Without his low-post backhand and offensive rebounds, Barkley's offense was largely rendered useless. His low-post offense lacked skill and relied too much on brute force. He couldn't create opportunities using footwork and fakes like Olajuwon, and was essentially locked down by Gan Guoyang.

Near the end of the first half, Barkley had only scored 4 points, making 1 of 7 field goal attempts and including free throws.

Barkley got impatient and started shoving Gan Guoyang under the basket in an attempt to grab a rebound, resulting in an offensive foul being called.

He was very frustrated and kept glancing toward the sidelines, where Frank Barkley was watching him from some corner.

The situation did not improve in the second half, and Barkley truly felt the gap between himself and Gan Guoyang.

Barkley's 23 points per game is already pretty good, but Gan Guoyang is a beast who averages 38 points per game.

This guy's strength was so great that even Moses Malone couldn't handle it. In the third quarter, he even dunked over Manute Bol, giving the African prince a severe humiliation.

That petty guy must still remember how rude Pol was at dinner last year.

In the third quarter, Gan Guoyang led the Blazers to a 10-point lead over the Bullets.

After taking the lead, the Trail Blazers seemed to enter a sluggish state, and the Bullets, led by Jeff Malone's individual offensive performance, once narrowed the score to 3 points.

But in the crucial moments of the fourth quarter, the Bullets and Washington fans realized that it was all an illusion; the Trail Blazers were just grinding them out for the first 44 minutes, and the real test would come in the last 4.

Ramsey brought on Walton in the final moments, forming a three-big lineup with Gan Guoyang and Thompson—the first time the Trail Blazers have used a three-big lineup this season, it feels like a long time has passed.

Gan Guoyang scored 8 consecutive points through one-on-one plays, cuts to the basket for points, offensive rebounds for second-chance points, and drawing fouls to get to the free-throw line, leading the Trail Blazers on a 10-1 run that instantly secured the victory.

The Bullets only managed one point from Malone's free throws, and after battling it out until the final moments of the fourth quarter, they were too exhausted to face the Trail Blazers' high-intensity defense.

The Trail Blazers easily secured a victory in Washington with a score of 112-100. Gan Guoyang led the way with 41 points and 22 rebounds, demonstrating to Barkley and Washington fans what true dominance looks like.

Charles Barkley, however, was heavily guarded by Gan Guoyang throughout the game, and his unstable mentality resulted in only 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 turnovers, making for a very poor performance.

Back in the locker room, Barkley was quite frustrated. He refused to attend the post-game press conference or any interviews with reporters, even though doing so would result in a fine from the league.

At that moment, a staff member came over and told Barkley that a man named Frank wanted to come into the locker room to see him, and that he claimed to be Charles Barkley's father.

Barkley hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't have a dad. This isn't my dad."

A while later, Moses Malone, who had finished showering and giving an interview, entered the locker room and saw Barkley still sitting there looking very upset.

Malone, speaking with his slurred accent, said to Barkley, "Charles, want to practice for a bit?"

Barkley looked up at Malone, who continued, "I'll teach you how to steal a rebound when you can't box out."

Despite Gan Guoyang's outstanding rebounding tonight, Moses Malone still managed to grab 4 offensive rebounds, relying not on positioning but on anticipation.

Although he got blocked 3 times and it didn't have a significant impact on the game, Malone's offensive rebounding ability was still impressive.

Barkley stood up and followed Moses Malone out of the locker room and back to the court.

The two did not speak to each other along the way; Barkley simply followed Moses, and he felt a little better.

(End of this chapter)