The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 407 Do whatever you want

Gan Guoyang had long known that his basketball learning ability was much stronger than that of the average person.

He must have benefited from that all-around template; even though he's 6 feet 10 inches tall, he can learn many technical moves very quickly.

After all, many years later, the blurring of positions has allowed more and more big men to master the skills that were once the skills of perimeter players.

Gan Guoyang often "imitates" his opponents' classic techniques during matches, seemingly learning them on the spot, but in reality, he has been practicing them diligently for who knows how long.

Learning a set of technical moves is easy, but using them freely in a high-intensity competition is a completely different matter.

Many players can use any technique without physical contact, but in a game they still rely on the same three tricks, and in crucial moments they only have one trick up their sleeve.

He learns from his opponents during the game for two reasons: first, because the long regular season needs some fun, and second, it's a kind of psychological tactic.

Just like those students who don't study hard in school but get good grades in exams, they create confusion and invisible pressure for other students.

At home, he studied incredibly hard, and his combined effort and talent resulted in academic achievements that far surpassed those of others.

Gan Guoyang gets up very early every day not just to run, but because he's not a marathon runner; running is just a warm-up for him.

He has plenty of time to study and learn various technical movements, while constantly honing his physical skills; he is never satisfied with himself.

If there are people in this alliance whom he needs to surpass, he will naturally keep moving forward to surpass them; if not, then he will surpass himself.

Jordan's feeling was right; Gan Guoyang did indeed hold back during the regular season, and he didn't use many of the techniques he practiced in training during the game.

It's not that I look down on my opponents, nor that I lack skill; it's that I want to take care of my teammates.

This season, Gan Guoyang has had many opportunities to play one-on-one in the low post, and he can fully showcase his diverse offensive skills.

However, Gan Guoyang knew that the longer the one-on-one battle took, the longer his teammates would have to wait, their movement would stagnate, and everyone's enthusiasm for the game would be diminished.

The Trail Blazers appear to be playing one against four, but the four players don't actually spend much time on the court because Gan Guoyang's ball handling is extremely fast and concise.

He won't dribble endlessly, he won't back down and try to sneak in for ages, he won't use repeated fakes to fool both his opponents and teammates, and he certainly won't waste time making a final pass.

He always uses the most efficient methods to launch attacks. Against weaker opponents, he squeezes under the basket to lay the ball; against shorter opponents, he uses a hook shot or a turnaround jump shot; against taller opponents, he drives to the basket for a strong layup.

Gan Guoyang has set rules for himself: after receiving the ball, he should not spend more than three seconds handling it, and he should dribble the ball no more than three times. In a game, he should not use more than three offensive methods in the low post. This is his so-called "three-three system principle".

Throughout the long and tedious regular season, he adhered to this principle, ensuring that his individual plays did not negatively impact his teammates' motivation and prevent the team's offense from stalling.

For him, this efficient game mode allows him to maintain a stable performance and perform well even on nights when he is tired or in poor form.

This season, Gan Guoyang has never scored less than 20 points in a single game. Even Michael Jordan had three games with less than 20 points, which is a poor performance. Gan Guoyang has raised his consistency to a new level this season.

He's like a machine, but he's not a machine. No machine has his passion for basketball and finds enjoyment in every intense match.

In the final game of the regular season, he wanted to have some fun; scoring wasn't that important to him.

During halftime in the locker room, Gan Guoyang told his teammates directly: "In the second half, I'm going to show some offensive skills, so I might play a bit slower than usual. You guys need to rest more on the field. Also, remember to track back on defense. Don't get distracted and forget about defense, or I'll kick your butts."

Hearing Gan Guoyang say that, everyone sighed helplessly. This guy was going to show off again.

Trail Blazers players all know that Gan Guoyang has a lot of technical moves, such as Vandeweghe's step-back, which Gan Guoyang uses quite skillfully.

However, he rarely uses it during games. He only uses it in crucial moments, especially if he has a key mid-range shot, and he has actually made it before.

Gan Guoyang doesn't use Drexler's layup in games either; he uses hook shots or dunks more often. His height and strength don't require a layup.

Because it was the last game of the regular season, everyone was relaxed and joked around with Gan Guoyang.

"Sonny, can I request something? I want to see you dunk from the free-throw line."

"It's best to bring an umbrella!"

"I want to see you shoot a three-pointer from mid-range, Sonny, you know how to do that, right?"

How about a 1080-degree mid-air spin layup?

As the conversation got more and more outrageous, Ramsey interrupted them, saying, "Alright, alright, the regular season isn't a game. Don't go overboard. The Hawks' defense deserves everyone's attention!"

As halftime ended and it was time for him to go on the court, Ramsey pulled Gan Guoyang aside and said, "Gan, there seems to be some kind of windmill dunking game on the street court. It looks pretty good."

"Coach, I really don't know how to do this."

"It's okay, you can just pretend under the basket."

"..."

Everyone returned to the field with this relaxed mindset, and the second half of the game began.

The atmosphere on the Hawks' side was completely different. During halftime, Fratello made many defensive arrangements in the locker room, with the aim of locking down Gan Guoyang.

He knew that Gan Guoyang was always good at exerting his strength in the third quarter, so he asked Kevin Willis to guard Gan Guoyang from the start of the third quarter, starting from beyond the three-point line, not giving him any space to attack.

The Hawks defended well in the first quarter, but their defense gradually became lax in the second quarter. In addition, Gan Guoyang's outside shooting suddenly caught fire, which allowed the Hawks to exploit the openings.

Now, Fratello wants Kevin Willis to close this loophole. Both being drafted in 1984, Willis and Gan Guoyang have a good personal relationship.

He is from California and went to Michigan State University, where he studied fashion design.

For many players, going to college is just a formality, a stepping stone to becoming a professional player.

Willis is a real learner; his side job is making custom suits for tall NBA centers.

Gan Guoyang's suits for some large events were custom-made by Willis.

When the Hawks went to Portland for a game last time, Willis and Gan Guoyang said that he was planning to start a clothing company that would make plus-size suits and formal wear for basketball players.

Gan Guoyang felt that this business was very promising. After already venturing into the construction and funeral industries, Gan Guoyang planned to invest in the clothing industry, which are ancient industries that have accompanied the development of human society to this day.

At the start of the second half, Willis and Gan Guoyang became inseparable.

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "Kevin, do you have a grudge against your coach? Why did he make you mark me the main defender in the second half?"

Willis said helplessly, "I can't help it, please go easy on me."

The Hawks took the first possession, Wilkins missed his shot, but Willis grabbed the offensive rebound.

He passed the ball to the outside, Rivers received it, drove to the basket, and made a floater, giving the Hawks their first point.

When it was the Trail Blazers' turn to attack, despite their good personal relationship, Willis still did his best to disrupt Gan Guoyang and prevent him from receiving the ball.

Gan Guoyang didn't go to the low post to establish position. Instead, he set a screen for Porter on the perimeter and then moved out to the three-point line to receive the ball.

Gan Guoyang pretended to shoot a three-pointer, and Willis rushed over. Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball with his left hand and walked inside, with Willis following closely behind.

Gan Guoyang suddenly moved to a 45-degree angle, seemingly about to shoot again. Willis noticed that Gan Guoyang seemed to have caught the ball and immediately jumped to block it.

Little did he know it was just a feint. He changed direction and drove to the basket, dodging Rollins' block, and scored with a left-handed layup!
The fans in the stadium were all making the double dribble gesture, and Willis was yelling at the referee on the sidelines, "He's got the ball!"

Referee Evans, who was nearby, shook his head and said, "He didn't, that was a feint."

Then Evans reminded Gan Guoyang, "I can call a traveling violation on you, but don't do that move again next time."

Gan Guoyang shrugged and said, "It's a normal action."

"You're dribbling the ball too much; you're walking a tightrope. But it's really beautiful; no center can play like you."

Evans still praised Gan Guoyang, saying that at that time in the league, let alone centers, even guards rarely made such a smooth and realistic series of feints.

Gan Guoyang first came into contact with basketball on the streets, where the rules against traveling were not strictly enforced, and there were many fancy moves.

In the past two years, the NBA has loosened its rules on dribbling, ball handling, and traveling, allowing dribbling to the side. Otherwise, being able to dribble straight up and down would be too unwatchable and too difficult.

After scoring, the Trail Blazers' teammates were slightly agitated; they knew Forrest Gump's show had begun.

The Hawks players, however, hadn't realized this yet, and they continued to play their set offense methodically.

Willis attempted a strong drive against Thompson in the low post but missed, but then grabbed the offensive rebound and put the ball in.

Willis had a clear advantage against Thompson, and the Hawks maintained their three-point lead.

The Trail Blazers are on offense. In the same position, Gan Guoyang and Porter set a screen and then Gan Guoyang received the ball facing Willis.

This time, Gan Guoyang took a step back, suddenly accelerated while dribbling, still using his left hand.

Willis naturally moved aside and followed closely, but Gan Guoyang suddenly stopped abruptly, dribbled between his legs, and switched to his right hand.

Because it's difficult for someone tall to lower their center of gravity, he simply passes the ball forward, like a nutmeg in soccer, where the ball is passed out and the player chases after it.

He took a step to the three-second zone, grabbed the ball and jumped up, facing Rollins with a skillful floater, and it went in!
The Trail Blazers' bench started to stir, and Porter on the court was shaking his head, unable to do that move.

Dribbling, quick pull-ups, crossovers—while not as fluid as those of smaller players, his moves were characterized by large, expansive swings that left the fans in the arena stunned.

Forrest Gump can play like that? What kind of move is that? It looks really cool. Usually, it seems like only guards would play like that, right?

The Hawks seemed to realize something was wrong, and Wilkins tried to get some attention with a dunk.

Gan Guoyang didn't bother to defend desperately. He let Porter dunk if he wanted, and after dunking, he served the ball. Porter dribbled the ball across half-court.

This time, when Gan Guoyang received the ball after another pick-and-roll, the Hawks started to double-team him, preventing him from making any moves.

Gan Guoyang passed the ball back to Porter, then moved inside, squeezing past Willis to receive the ball at a 45-degree angle.

Hickma quickly turned to face the basket and suddenly took a mid-range shot, which went in at a 45-degree angle!

This is very rare for Gan Guoyang, because he usually never backboards when shooting.

When he started hitting the clapperboard, everyone knew that this guy was starting to do whatever he wanted.

(End of this chapter)