The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 421 Absolute Power

After the match, a hospital examination revealed that Bavita was not seriously injured, but suffered a mild concussion and needed to rest for a period of time.

Because of this collision, Baveta will be unable to officiate the next three matches and will need to rest and recover.

Last time, the Clippers owner was knocked unconscious by those two guys, Gan Guoyang and Teping, and spent two weeks in the hospital.

Baveta only spent three days in the hospital this time, which shows that his physical condition is still quite good, better than the team owner who is not physically active.

The league has launched an investigation to determine liability for the incident in which a player clashed with a referee.

Through video review and questioning of on-site technical staff and referee Hugh Evans, the investigation team concluded that it was an accident, not something Gan Guoyang did intentionally.

Hugh Evans stated that although Baveta and Gan Guoyang had some disagreements during the match, they were not serious and were just ordinary arguments between players and referees.

Investigators repeatedly reviewed the video footage, which showed that Gan Guoyang raised his elbow normally while running, without deliberately raising it. Bavita, being short, bumped his chin into Gan Guoyang's elbow.

Therefore, the investigation team quickly concluded that it was an accident.

Gan Guoyang was ordered to apologize to Bavita and bear the relevant medical expenses.

Gan Guoyang was very straightforward; he quickly issued a public apology and paid the money, but did not visit the person in question.

Bavita was resentful, convinced that this was Gan Guoyang's retaliation.

But there was no evidence, and the authorities didn't support him. Plus, how could a referee like him compete with a superstar?

At the time, Stern and the coalition office were preoccupied with the Sun drug case.

Stern did not want any further negative events to affect the NBA playoffs.

Therefore, the matter of Gan Guoyang knocking out the referee was handled lightly, since no one was killed and it was over and done with.

Baveta suffered this in silence, knowing he would have to be more cautious when facing the Trail Blazers in the future.

After a day of rest, the second match will continue at the Memorial Stadium.

The SuperSonics made adjustments to their defense in this game, no longer pursuing the high-pressure defense of SOS.

It wasn't because the defense was bad, but because Bickerstaff realized that the system was still immature.

An immature system, when facing a very strong opponent, may not only fail to function effectively but could also harm the team.

For example, the SuperSonics' offense was hampered in the last game; they put a lot of effort into defense but didn't see any results.

Meanwhile, the offensive output was insufficient; McDaniel, who averaged more than 20 points per game in the previous round, only scored 9 points in the entire game.

He expended a lot of his energy on double-teaming and interfering with Gan Guoyang, but Gan Guoyang still managed to score more than 40 points.

In the post-game analysis, Bickerstaff believed that they should learn from the experience of the Denver Nuggets, unleash their offensive potential, and utilize a comprehensive offense to dilute Gan Guoyang's role.

In this way, if Gan Guoyang scores another 40 points, the damage won't be as severe as in the first game. This would allow both sides to engage in an offensive battle, which would also benefit the SuperSonics' three-point shooting advantage.

But the Portland Trail Blazers of 1987 were not the same as the Blazers of 1985. The SuperSonics switched to a standard defensive strategy, and as a result, the Blazers' all-out attack overwhelmed them.

Gan Guoyang didn't score 40 points, he only got 23, but Drexler, Porter, Vandeweghe, and Thompson all had explosive performances, each scoring more than 15 points.

开拓者主场113:134，21分的优势大胜超音速，大比分变成了2:0。

The SuperSonics' only hope of winning is to return to Seattle.

After the second game, McDaniel approached head coach Bickerstaff and said he wanted to guard Forrest Gump one-on-one in the third game.

Although Gan Guoyang only scored 23 points in the second game, he didn't take many shots and focused his energy on the defensive end, while also providing 6 assists.

His presence revitalized the Trail Blazers' offense and drew away the most defensive resources from the SuperSonics. McDaniel believed that the team was investing too many resources in defending Forrest Gump, so it would be better to have him primarily guard him.

“I can stop Forrest Gump, trust me, Coach,” McDaniel promised Bickerstaff.

Bickerstaff knew that it would be very difficult to beat the Trail Blazers in this series, as the gap in strength between the two teams was too large.

The SuperSonics' ability to upset the Mavericks in the first round is already a successful achievement. If the players can grow through this series, then even a loss wouldn't be unacceptable.

Therefore, Bickerstaff agreed to McDaniel's proposal to have McDaniel primarily defend Gan Guoyang starting from the third game.

This seems like a suicidal strategy; McDaniel is strong, but he's still just a small forward.

Moreover, McDaniel is said to be 6'8", but he is actually only about 6'6", which is not much different from Jordan.

Small, power players have virtually no chance of defending Gan Guoyang, because you can't outmuscle him, and he also has an accurate shot.

McDaniel was confident after studying the game footage. He carefully analyzed Gan Guoyang's offensive habits and summarized several defensive strategies.

For example, cutting the ball around the three-quarters of the way will interfere with Gan Guoyang's receiving of the ball. Also, Gan Guoyang likes to go to the baseline in the low post. Forcing him to the top line and calling for help defense are good methods, etc.

Back in Seattle, he went to bed early before the third game to ensure he got enough sleep and was in top physical condition.

After getting up in the morning, I drank two glasses of milk, ate a few servings of potato salad and a steak. At noon, I went to the training center to do some strength training.

He needed a little stimulation to raise his hormones and prepare for the game that night.

In the afternoon, the whole team went to the Seattle Arena to warm up.

Assistant coach Croppenburg informed everyone that McDaniel would be primarily guarding Forrest Gump tonight, with others assisting in the defense.

Everyone was looking at McDaniel like he was crazy, just like when he would walk around naked in the locker room, brandishing a baton. What was wrong with this guy now?

McDaniel said, "I'm confident I can control him. We're going to win this game and refuse to be swept."

McDaniel possesses leadership qualities and a strong desire to lead, but he has not yet gained the full approval of his teammates.

In any case, neither Tom Chambers nor Dale Ellis considered McDaniel to be the team's leader.

This is also a hidden danger within the supersonics: none of the three monsters are willing to submit to the others, and there is no true leader.

The team roster has just been formed and is showing its initial power. Everyone gets along very well, and no conflicts have yet surfaced.

No one objected to McDaniel's confident assertion; they just wanted to see how he would handle things once the match actually started.

At 7 p.m. Pacific Time, Game 3 of the semifinals officially kicked off at Seattle Arena, with both teams starting lineups unchanged from the previous game.

However, when Gan Guoyang started his first matchup, he discovered that McDaniel was the one guarding him.

Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn't let go of such a mismatch opportunity that was offered to him. After receiving the ball in the low post, he used a quick turn and lean forward to shoot, making three consecutive shots and establishing an advantage from the start.

When the third goal was scored, Gan Guoyang exclaimed in surprise to McDaniel, "Did you offend Bickerstaff? Why would he treat you like this, sending you here to die?"

McDaniel only realized when he actually confronted Gan Guoyang that in the face of absolute power, all skills and strategies were just paper tigers, all fake.

In this game, Gan Guoyang devoured McDaniel like a tiger, easily scoring 39 points, and the Trail Blazers won another game in Seattle.

The series is now 3-0. According to NBA history, no team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win the series. Not a single one.

Basketball is about who can intimidate whom... Nobody can intimidate Forrest Gump. — Xavier McDaniel, "X-Man"

(End of this chapter)