The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 408 I Want Three Thousand of Your Lives

In the first two minutes of the third quarter, Gan Guoyang scored using three different methods, bringing his total to 36 points.

Willis was completely unable to defend against it; he had no idea what offensive move Gan Guoyang would use next.

Moreover, those two outside shots are something that most centers can't produce. Willis swore that, apart from Gus Williams, no one on the Hawks could attack like Forrest Gump.

It seems the Trail Blazers, eager to see Gan Guoyang showcase his offensive skills, have lowered their defensive intensity, opting for standard one-on-one defense.

If you score, great. If you miss, we'll grab the rebound and pass it to Agan early to see what new tricks he can pull off.

Instead of setting a pick-and-roll with Porter at the high post, Gan Guoyang went to the baseline to the low post on both wings to block Willis. Porter passed the ball to Vandeweghe, who then passed it to Gan Guoyang.

The Hawks double-teamed him, but Gan Guoyang didn't pass the ball. Instead, he used his strength to knock Rivers aside, dribbled through the gap in the double team, cut into the three-second zone, squeezed into the basket, and slammed home a one-handed dunk!
The ball went in, and even the Hawks fans in the stadium started applauding and cheering for Gan Guoyang. It was a dunk full of power and resilience, proving that sometimes double-teaming doesn't work, and I can still break through if I want to.

Gan Guoyang scored 38 points quickly, which made Fratello very anxious.

But looking at the game, the Hawks are still leading by 1 point, so now it's all about offensive efficiency.

Wilkins stepped up decisively. He couldn't afford to lose to Forrest Gump this time, since he hadn't been able to beat Jordan in the last game.

After a desperate drive, Wilkins pulled up for a jump shot and made it off the backboard, initiating a scoring duel between him and Gan Guoyang.

However, Gan Guoyang's skills were clearly more diverse. He slid along the baseline to the wing, received the ball, and immediately made a quick turn to get past Willis.

He drove to the basket and made a reverse layup, escaping Rollins' block. 40 points. Willis felt like a complete idiot, wondering how he could not even defend the baseline.

The crowd began to cheer and applaud loudly. Doc Rivers broke through and passed the ball to Willis, who received the ball and drove hard.

His layup missed, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, dribbled the ball across half-court, and dodged Rivers' steal with a behind-the-back dribble.

He took a long stride straight to the basket, jumped from outside the three-second zone, soared high, and made a right-handed layup, the ball falling into the net with a strong spin.

Elegant, truly elegant. Such a big man dribbles the ball on a fast break, dodges the guard's attempt to steal the ball, and then performs a finger roll.

The Trail Blazers' bench was already buzzing with excitement, while the Hawks fans in the arena shook their heads and applauded, wishing they could see that kind of goal again.

The Trail Blazers have taken the lead.

Fratello called a timeout. He could sense that the team's defense was becoming increasingly lax, and worse, the players' mentality was changing.

Before the game, everyone was thinking that they couldn't let Forrest Gump score high again. If Jordan and Forrest Gump both scored high, where would their pride be?
But as the game progressed, the Hawks players realized they didn't have enough motivation to stop Gan Guoyang. The Trail Blazers weren't in the East, and they basically wouldn't have a chance to meet again this season, unless it was the Finals.

There was no animosity between the two teams, and in the third quarter, Gan Guoyang used his rich offensive skills to leave the Hawks players dumbfounded.

A question arose in their minds: Just how much more stuff is left in Forrest Gump's arsenal?
After the timeout, Rollins scored in the low post, passed the ball to the outside, and after the ball was moved, Willis made a back-cut to the basket, received the ball, and dunked it in.

The Hawks executed their off-ball movement and cuts very well tonight, but Ramsey on the sidelines thought that this style of play wouldn't work in the playoffs.

But it doesn't matter. The Hawks are in the East, so the Trail Blazers don't need to study the Hawks' playing style too much.

Returning our attention to the offensive end, Gan Guoyang missed a hook shot, marking his first missed shot of the second half.

Many fans at the scene were actually sighing.

The Hawks scored on a fast break, and Rivers drove straight to the basket for a layup.

The Hawks regained the lead.

Gan Guoyang returned to the low post, received the ball, quickly turned and walked to the baseline to avoid being double-teamed.

Willis followed closely, and Gan Guoyang suddenly gathered the ball and turned back as if he was going to jump shot. Willis's center of gravity was shifted, and Gan Guoyang then turned and walked to the baseline to avoid Willis.

After three consecutive spins, Willis was dizzy, while Gan Guoyang took a step, jumped with both feet, and easily made a layup.

"Stop messing with me, Sonny!" Willis couldn't take it anymore.

"You can use the big tree to protect me."

Rollins, the big tree, served from the baseline and said to Willis, "Don't even think about it."

Willis could only continue to endure Gan Guoyang's torment.

Midway through the third quarter, Gan Guoyang began to showcase various low-post footwork techniques.

This guy could have solved the problem with brute force, but he insisted on using tricks.

Step up and down, hook shot after sliding step, continuous spinning top, back turn at baseline, back turn at top line, turnaround jump shot after shoulder shake.

Gan Guoyang is like a basketball player with three thousand weapons at his disposal, using a variety of techniques in turn without repeating himself.

His score gradually rose from 40 to 50, during which he only missed 2 shots.

Willis was numb from being hit, completely disoriented and lacking any momentum. He panicked whenever he saw Gan Guoyang get the ball.

The key was that the Hawks' teammates didn't double-team him, allowing Gan Guoyang to go one-on-one. There was even a play where Rivers was standing just two steps away from Gan Guoyang, watching him shake his shoulder, turn around, and shoot a fadeaway jumper that went in!
With that basket, Gan Guoyang had already scored 55 points. Willis was getting impatient and yelled at Rivers, "Why aren't you double-teaming me?"

Rivers asked, "What's the use?"

Willis was speechless; what use was it, really?

At first, Wilkins was able to respond, but gradually he couldn't keep up. His stamina couldn't keep up with the continuous play, and his shooting percentage dropped even further, allowing the Trail Blazers to take the lead.

Leading by 5 points, leading by 10 points, leading by 11 points.

The fans at the stadium started with sporadic cheers and applause, but by the second half of the third quarter, they were cheering loudly.

Every time Gan Guoyang received the ball, the fans in the stadium would get excited; every attack by this guy was an art form.

During the counterattack, Gan Guoyang received a pass from Porter, took a long stride into the paint, and used a slow three-step maneuver to evade the defense, scoring a layup while also drawing a foul.

He made the free throw, bringing his score to 58 points! This guy even knows how to execute fast break layups.

With the score nearing 60 points before the third quarter was over, people began to realize that this might be the night a new record would be set.

Some Hawks players were getting anxious. Wilkins attacked the basket with all his might and scored, then fouled Gan Guoyang on defense, trying to disrupt his offensive rhythm.

But this actually added points for Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang stepped up to the free throw line and made both free throws, bringing his score to 60 points!

Gan Guoyang has already scored 60 points.

It's not over yet. On the Trail Blazers' final possession of the third quarter, Gan Guoyang received the ball at a 45-degree angle.

He dribbled the ball forcefully past Willis, stood on one leg to the side, and leaned back slightly as he released the shot.

When Gan Guoyang threw the ball, he didn't aim at all; he relied entirely on his instincts.

The ball flew in a high arc, soared through the net, and hit the target accurately!
62 points! After three quarters, Gan Guoyang scored 62 points.

The Trail Blazers outscored the Hawks 42-30 in a single quarter, turning a deficit into a 9-point lead.

In other words, the Trail Blazers didn't defend well; otherwise, given Gan Guoyang's offensive prowess in the third quarter, he would have definitely crushed the Hawks in that quarter.

Gan Guoyang scored 32 points in a single quarter, just one point shy of George Gervin's record of 33 points in a single quarter.

Unlike Gervin, Gan Guoyang displayed almost all of his offensive skills.

Outside shots, low-post shots, commonly used shots, rarely used shots, including one or two street-street tricks.

Towards the end, the Hawks players were stunned. Now they're sitting on the bench wondering how Agan will play in the fourth quarter.

As for what the coach said? I can't listen to a word he said. Just watch the game and stop causing trouble!

At the start of the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang did not rest; even though he wanted to rest, Ramsey wouldn't let him.

"We're only leading by 9 points, it's not safe, let's keep going." Ramsey was very understanding.

During the break, Gan Guoyang didn't touch anything with his hands, but this time Dell Curry fed him water.

In the fourth quarter, as soon as he went for a layup, Gan Guoyang didn't hesitate and, while his hands were still warm, he launched a three-pointer from a step beyond the arc!
The ball swished through the net as if it had eyes, the sound of it swishing across the net was so beautiful.

This time, Gan Guoyang could say to Hugh Evans, "Evans, feel it, do you feel hot?"

Evans chuckled, biting his whistle, and said, "Not enough, not hot enough!"

The Hawks went from trailing by 9 points to trailing by 12 points, and their mentality is a bit shattered.

Gus Williams drove to the basket, and Gan Guoyang let the veteran into the three-second zone.

If it were the playoffs, he would have blocked the shot from behind.

However, in order to control the water temperature, respect the veteran, and prevent himself from getting injured, he did not jump to block the shot.

On offense, Gan Guoyang and Drexler executed a high pick-and-roll, with Drexler passing the ball back to Gan Guoyang at the top of the key.

Gan Guoyang received the ball, took a probing step, and then pulled up for a mid-range shot against Willis, making it! 67 points.

Willis was numb; he even threatened Gan Guoyang, "If you keep hitting me like this, I won't make you any more suits."

Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "Alright, how about I just shoot baskets from now on? I won't humiliate you with my skills."

Seemingly in an attempt to appease Willis, Gan Guoyang missed his next two shots.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Ramsey substituted Gan Guoyang for a short rest, and the fans in the arena began to worry that his score would be capped at 67 points.

At that moment, CBS commentator Tom Heinsohn received news from Boston that the Bulls and Celtics game had ended.

Michael Jordan scored 40 points, but the Bulls lost to the Celtics.

"Michael Jordan scored 40 points, which means Forrest Gump needs to score 70 points to win the scoring title. He's only 3 points away from that. Will Ramsey still let him play?"

"To be honest, I don't appreciate basketball where one person scores, like Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points. Not many people praised him back then. But if you've seen this game, and seen Forrest Gump's performance in the third quarter, you'll definitely have a different feeling."

"I hope he can still appear on stage, and I hope he can continue his performance."

Tom Heinsohn, a die-hard Celtics fan, was completely won over by Gan Guoyang's performance in this game.

(End of this chapter)