The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 398 Taking Victory
Hornacek's words successfully enraged Jordan. He looked grim and remained silent from the third quarter onwards, attacking whenever he got the ball.

Jordan's offense can be summed up in one word: fast.

In the 80s, when color television broadcasting had just become widespread, the clarity of the television signal was not good enough, and the aspect ratio of the television picture was somewhat distorted.

Therefore, when viewers watch the game on TV, they often can't tell which player is which, especially since Black players tend to look similar from a distance.

They were all black blobs, and their figures were quite similar. Without close-up shots, it might take a while to tell who was who.

But there are two people who are very easy to distinguish on TV. One is Gan Guoyang, who is the only Asian in the entire league. His black hair makes him stand out among the players.

Another one is Jordan. Although he was of average appearance and build, the audience could quickly recognize him during a game because he was too fast. His speed of movement was two levels faster than everyone else's. No one could play like him. He was like a black panther, unstoppable.

When he wasn't exerting his full strength, Jordan had a unique lightness to him. His hands were very large, and he often caught the ball with one hand when attacking, giving him a sense of ease in manipulating the ball.

He grabs the ball, takes a step inside, pulls up for a jump shot, and makes it—this is his usual way of scoring.

Once he enters a berserk state, his lightness disappears, and his speed and explosiveness increase to another level.

His first step is incredibly fast, almost impossible for anyone to react to, and for him, one-on-one defense is equivalent to no one defending him.

Jordan began to frequently attack the Trail Blazers' interior, and Hornacek was completely unable to stop him. He would blow past him in one step, and even turning around, he couldn't catch up.

Gan Guoyang had to come over to help defend, but ended up committing two fouls in the third quarter, sending Jordan to the free-throw line where he made both shots.

Gan Guoyang had already committed three fouls, so he dared not commit any more fouls and could only watch Jordan score inside while defending.

Jordan's form is getting better and better, and it's becoming somewhat unstoppable. Not only is he breaking through defenses, but his shooting touch has also been improved by free throws, and he can pull up from the outside whenever he wants.

The Bulls are now just one point behind the Trail Blazers, and with Jordan leading the charge, their morale is soaring.

Gan Guoyang called a timeout, which he rarely does, clearly indicating that he sensed something was wrong.

On the bench, Gan Guoyang asked Hornacek, "Jeff, what the hell did you say to Michael?"

Hornacek touched his face and said, "I said... I said I was guarding you to practice, anyway you guys can't win, we have Forrest Gump."

Gan Guoyang was so angry at Hornacek that he laughed. Don't be fooled by the guy's honest and even somewhat miserable appearance; he actually has a very stubborn temper.

However, Gan Guoyang didn't know what to say, he just said, "Next time you want to mess with Michael, tell me in advance so I can be prepared. Also, thank you for thinking so highly of me."

Hornacek said, "It's alright, I believe you."

Ramsey made some lineup changes; Hornacek should rest now.

Drexler and Paxson entered the game, while Gan Guoyang and Bill Walton were used in the frontcourt, and Jerome Kersey was brought on at the forward position.

This is a high-caliber lineup. Gan Guoyang was moved to the power forward position, where he had to be positioned further out to deal with Jordan and prevent him from getting going easily.

Once Jordan gets going, it becomes very difficult to defend him in the paint, often at a considerable cost.

The Bulls responded in kind, and Collins saw a glimmer of hope for a comeback, deciding to double-team Gan Guoyang.

After the timeout, Gan Guoyang called for the ball in a shallow position. After being double-teamed, he passed the ball twice: once to Paxson who was cutting, and once to Walton who connected with two tall players for a dunk.

Collins had to abandon double-teaming; the Trail Blazers had far more offensive resources than the Bulls, while the Bulls only had Jordan to rely on.

However, Jordan continued to do his best to help the team on both ends of the court, especially on the defensive end. In the third and fourth quarters, the Bulls started a full-court press.

From the moment the Trail Blazers inbounded the ball from their backcourt, Jordan immediately went up to steal it, disrupting the Trail Blazers' ball-handling and organization, making their half-court offense even more sluggish.

The rest of the Bulls team worked together to support Jordan, desperately grabbing rebounds and defending to create offensive opportunities for him.

With less than a minute left in the third quarter, the Trail Blazers inbounded the ball from their backcourt, Drexler was stripped by Jordan, and Jordan passed the ball to Oakley on the wing.

Oakley's layup was blocked by Gan Guoyang from the side. Caulzin grabbed the ball and passed it to Jordan in the middle. Jordan sprang up to dunk, but Gan Guoyang blocked it again.

Gan Guoyang reacted quickly, closing in on Jordan before he even received the ball, denying him any space to accelerate, and intercepting the pass mid-air.

But Oakley regained possession and finally scored with a reverse layup, just as the third quarter ended, tying the game at 86-86.

During the break, Gan Guoyang was very dissatisfied with his teammates' performance: "Where is your fighting spirit? In the last play, you just watched me jump around in the paint and you were all just spectators? Fuck! Cheer up in the fourth quarter. If you don't want to give it your all on the court, I suggest you go back to the locker room and take a shower."

Gan Guoyang also couldn't stand his teammates not giving their all on the court, and in the third quarter, the Trail Blazers were clearly outmatched by the Bulls in terms of morale and focus.

This is also a flaw in relying on statistics during the regular season. While the statistics are indeed very accurate, if the rhythm is well controlled, it can lead to victory like a machine.

But humans are not machines. A basketball game is not a contest between ten robots, but between ten living, breathing people.

Humans are susceptible to emotional influences, and their performance fluctuates depending on whether morale is boosted or weakened. It wasn't that the Trail Blazers players weren't giving their all; rather, their control-oriented style of play prevented them from entering a do-or-die state.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang remained on the court and asked Hornacek to come on and continue facing Jordan.

"You have to guard Jordan one-on-one, and then score one-on-one against him on offense. I'll set screens for you, but you have to make the shot, or you'll be sitting on the bench."

Jordan didn't leave the court to rest. Collins knew that Jordan absolutely couldn't leave the court when Gan Guoyang was there, otherwise they might be wiped out in one fell swoop.

Seeing Hornacek back on the court, Jordan became even angrier and said, "Hasn't Dr. Jack learned his lesson yet?"

Hornacek said, "No, he felt the third quarter wasn't effective enough, and he wanted to add more time in the fourth quarter."

Jordan was furious inside, but he smiled and said, "Then you'd better open your eyes wide and watch how I play, and learn from me."

But Hornacek remained unfazed. At the start of the fourth quarter, he received the ball and, with a screen from Gan Guoyang, made a mid-range jump shot.

Later in the defensive play, when Jordan was about to drive to the basket, Hornacek pulled him down with a single blow.

Jordan got angry and started yelling at Hornacek, the two of them arguing near the free-throw line.

Players from both sides rushed over to separate the two men. Gan Guoyang rushed over and said, "Don't fight! Whoever wants to fight, hit me first, then I'll fight you!"

The Bulls players looked at Gan Guoyang as if he were a ghost, thinking to themselves, "Who the hell dares to play against you?"

Even Oakley, who usually acts as Jordan's bodyguard and is always at the forefront, only offered gentle reassurances to both sides this time.

Gan Guoyang can now be called the peacemaker of the NBA. When he is in a game, any on-court conflict is resolved peacefully.

The season is almost over, and Gan Guoyang hasn't gotten into a single fight. It seems that peace is indeed achieved through fighting.

After calming down, Gan Guoyang still praised Hornacek's toughness. Soon after, when Hornacek committed his second foul on Jordan, Jack Ramsey substituted him out.

As a rookie, it was already a commendable quality that he was not intimidated when facing Jordan; expecting him to contain Jordan was an impossible task.

Continuing to provoke Jordan will only make the game increasingly out of control.

In the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang began to help defend Jordan, controlling Jordan's inside drives and forcing him to take outside jump shots.

This worked, and the Trail Blazers spread out their offense to give Gan Guoyang opportunities to post up in the low post.

Calzin, Oakley, and Brad Silas took turns on the court, only to be picked off one by one by Gan Guoyang. They either watched as Gan Guoyang scored under the basket or fouled him, sending him to the free-throw line.

Among them, Bulls rookie Silas, like Hornacek, was required to defend Gan Guoyang extensively in the fourth quarter, which made Silas very uncomfortable in the low post.

Although he is 7 feet tall, he only weighs 210 pounds. He is no different from paper in front of Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang can easily get into position and then successfully attack the basket without much effort.

During the timeout, Silas asked Jordan for help, hoping that Jordan could double-team Gan Guoyang on the defensive end, or use steals to disrupt the Trail Blazers' passing lanes and prevent Gan Guoyang from receiving the ball so easily.

Jordan ignored Silas's request and told him to solve the problem himself, saying, "If you can't solve the problem, solve yourself."

Silas seemed a bit frustrated, and Collins continued to keep him on the court. Clearly, Silas wasn't tough enough, which annoyed Jordan.

In the crucial fourth quarter, Jordan, who had already scored 50 points, saw his efficiency decline under the Blazers' tight defense, missing three shots on offense.

Gan Guoyang, who had been building up his strength throughout the game, became unstoppable. He didn't just use brute force in the low post, but showcased his brilliant turning footwork before quickly making his move.

He can lean forward to shoot, he can do a one-handed hook shot, and he can do a jab step followed by a quick stop and shot.

No other center in the entire league plays like him; most others are somewhat clumsy, but Gan Guoyang is as swift as the wind.

Gan Guoyang has thoroughly mastered Bernard King's simple and fast offensive routines under the basket, and he is using them more and more freely.

He could launch an attack from anywhere near the three-second zone. When he dodged Jordan's block during a fast break and made a layup with his left hand and foot in the same direction, drawing a foul from Jordan, the suspense of the game was over.

The Trail Blazers lead 120-112 with 30 seconds left in the game.

The Chicago stadium, which had been bustling with cheers, fell silent after Gan Guoyang scored 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Jordan's ball hit Gan Guoyang in the head. Gan Guoyang was not angry. He said to Jordan, "You hit people just because you lost the game. You can't accept losing to Michael."

Jordan, who had been tense all game, finally couldn't hold back anymore. He sighed, cursed at Gan Guoyang, patted Gan Guoyang's butt, and was substituted by Collins.

Gan Guoyang made his free throw, scoring 47 points, while Jordan scored 50 points.

Jordan won the statistics, but Gan Guoyang took the victory away.

(End of this chapter)