The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 429 Away Advantage
The situation between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers was something no one expected.

The Lakers, the league's top team, with exceptional talent and formidable strength, have surprisingly lost two home games in a row, finding themselves in a desperate situation with a 0-2 deficit.

Gan Guoyang's outstanding performance in the Great Western Forum left Los Angeles fans feeling hopeless. With a 48-point game and a 51-point game, everyone in the basketball circle was talking about Gan Guoyang.

At the same time, the USS Stark, a frigate of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, was hit by two Exocet missiles fired by the Iraqi Air Force while on patrol in the Persian Gulf, suffering severe damage and losing 37 lives.

At this time, Iraq and Iran were engaged in indiscriminate attacks on ships, and the war had escalated to the point where there was no rationality and attacks were being carried out indiscriminately.

At that time, the Americans still supported Saddam Hussein, and Iraq and the United States were in a honeymoon period. This "collateral damage" was also resolved with an apology and compensation.

Los Angeles media used this analogy to describe the game between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers: "Portland's two flying fish hit Los Angeles, dealing a heavy blow to the Lakers."

This was indeed a devastating blow. Since 1980, the Lakers had never faced such a perilous situation in the Western Conference playoffs.

The last time they faced such a desperate situation in the West was in the 1977 Western Conference Finals, against the Trail Blazers, who were also their opponents.

That time, they were swept out of the playoffs by the Trail Blazers.

Now they face the same situation, with Portland's brooms waving in front of them.

The good news is that the Lakers have been performing well at Memorial Stadium.

In the 1985 playoffs, the Lakers won all three games at Memorial Arena, while the Trail Blazers did not win a single game at home.

For the Trail Blazers, playing against the Lakers is a clear away-court advantage, but they actually perform poorly at home.

Portland officials are also worried about this, and fans are concerned that the Trail Blazers might be under too much pressure playing at home.

The lack of enthusiastic support from the fans at the stadium dampened the Trail Blazers players' passion.

But even if the support isn't enthusiastic, it's still better than playing away, right?

Fans had a variety of opinions, and The Oregonian organized a poll asking people to choose why the Trail Blazers had a poor home record, especially against the Lakers.

After a unanimous vote, the reason that came in first place was: the Memorial Stadium was too small and not grand enough, and Forrest Gump would find it boring to play basketball there.

It is recommended to build a new, large stadium to replace the glass palace with only 12666 seats.

The reason for ranking second is that Portland fans are too civilized, not crazy enough in the stadium, and don't support the team enough.

Portland, with its large white middle-class population, is indeed more civilized than cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York.

Later, Steve Kelly, a reporter for The Oregonian, interviewed Gan Guoyang at a media open day and asked him why his performance in home games was not as strong.

Gan Guoyang answered honestly, saying, "Because I'm more focused when playing away, and sometimes I get distracted when playing at home. But it doesn't matter, we'll win the series and then win the championship."

Gan Guoyang is that confident. The 2-0 lead is no joke. Most importantly, the Trail Blazers have regained their confidence through their game against the Lakers.

Having confidence is very important in a series of matches. If you feel that you can beat your opponent, you can overcome your opponent, and you can unleash your energy and advantages.

Conversely, if you are psychologically inferior, even if you have 100 points of ability, you might only perform at 80 points in a fight, making it even more difficult to win.

The Lakers do have amazing talent and strength, but their aging frontcourt is an unavoidable weakness. No matter how strong Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is, he is still forty years old.

In the time before Gan Guoyang arrived, the Lakers' two major defeats in the West were both caused by young, superstar centers, and both were upsets by underdogs.

Once the young, dominant center fails to provide sustained strength, the team falls into disarray and collapses, and the Lakers will quickly establish a new era of dominance.

This is one of the reasons why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remained a mainstay – in the West, there were no real challengers, or the challengers fell early for various reasons.

The situation is different now. Gan Guoyang has risen to prominence, and he is more outstanding than any new super center. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who held off the Rockets' twin towers in the semifinals, appeared slow, aged, and outdated in the Western Conference Finals.

When he won the Finals MVP in 1985, his monotonous technical moves and uninteresting personality, accumulated over time, exuded a rich aroma, making him a legend among legends.

But two years later, under the onslaught of the Rockets' twin towers and Gan Guoyang, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar began to show signs of decay again, and people started discussing whether he should retire.

These discussions, coupled with Pat Riley kicking down the locker room door, put the Lakers on edge, and the whole team was very quiet on the way to Portland.

Boarding the plane, taking the plane, getting off the plane, getting on the bus, going to the hotel, training—everyone talked much less than usual.

Everyone avoided eye contact with Riley; his gaze had been sharp as a knife for the past two days, making it difficult for anyone to withstand it. Just before Game 3, Riley gathered everyone together. His tone softened, he apologized to the players, and told them, "Victory won't wait for us there. We have to go out there and take it. 0-2 isn't the end of the world; we might play even better in Portland."

Riley is right, the Lakers played better in Portland.

The players were more focused, their minds filled with thoughts of revenge.

The team's general manager, Jerry West, met with Wes Matthews the night before Game 3.

Matthews was a key signing for West in the summer. West brought in this "madman" hoping that his madness would bring more fighting spirit to the Lakers, who were known for their lazy style.

The Lakers are full of talent, but because their core player is Johnson, they have always lacked a tough style, which was evident in comparisons with the Celtics in the past.

The Lakers need a boost of energy, motivation, and the stimulation of special events to win every game. In this respect, they are not as good as the Celtics, and even less so as the Trail Blazers.

In the first two games, Matthews was not given much playing time and had very little opportunity to play.

West suggested that Riley increase Matthews' playing time in Game 3, as he might be able to offer some help.

“We need you to bring some energy, especially during rotation time.”

"Use your energy to cause trouble for the Trail Blazers' interior defense and disrupt their plans."

"Just like when I played the Trail Blazers with the Spurs in 1986, I believe in your abilities."

West entrusted Matthews with a heavy responsibility; they needed to put pressure on the Trail Blazers during rotation time, when Gan Guoyang was not available.

West keenly observed that Jack Ramsey was controlling Gan Guoyang's playing time in the Western Conference Finals.

In the past, Gan Guoyang would play 45 minutes in a game, but this time he was only allowed to play about 40 minutes in the first two games.

This is a lesson learned from 1985. We must not let Gan Guoyang play until he is completely exhausted in the later stages of the series. Even an iron man is human and has his limits.

When Gan Guoyang is not playing, the Lakers can always gain some advantage, but it is not significant, and they are always closely followed by the Trail Blazers' bench players.

By the time Agan returned to the court, the Trail Blazers had stabilized. His offensive firepower was terrifyingly consistent, leaving you feeling hopeless.

If the Lakers want to win, they must establish an advantage during the rotation. They can't afford to be dominated in the early game and then have a close game during the bench time; otherwise, they're doomed.

Wes Matthews was worried about not having enough playing time. After joining the Lakers, he didn't get many opportunities to play in the regular season because the team was too strong.

He averaged 10 points per game with the Spurs, but dropped to 4 points with the Lakers, often playing garbage time. After all, the Lakers had Cooper and Scott in the backcourt, two players who were good at both offense and defense, so there was really no need for Matthews to play.

In the first two games against the Trail Blazers, Matthews only played for 4 minutes in the second game, scoring 2 points, and did not make any other contributions.

In reality, Matthews has strong offensive capabilities, but the Lakers have many talented players, and his height and defense are weaknesses. Riley will not play this card unless absolutely necessary.

On May 22, the third game between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers tipped off at Memorial Arena. The Lakers faced immense pressure; another loss in this game would be catastrophic, ending any chance of survival in the series.

The game was incredibly intense, going through three overtime periods. By the end, both teams were completely out of steam and their players were almost all fouled out.

Gan Guoyang, who was so careful to control his fouls, also fouled out in the third overtime due to six fouls. When he left the game, he had scored 33 points, 20 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

The Lakers aren't in much better shape either. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the paint and Cousins ​​on the perimeter have both been ejected, while James Worthy and Johnson both have five fouls each.

The Lakers, with their deeper bench, had the advantage in this situation. Although the Trail Blazers had Hornacek and Dell Curry on their bench, they were still rookies with a serious lack of playoff experience.

Walton is no longer able to play; his ankle gave out.

Wes Matthews, a seasoned veteran, thrives in these kinds of clutch situations, scoring 6 consecutive points in the third overtime and finishing with 13 points in total.

这致命的6分成为了湖人拿下胜利的关键，最终他们在客场127:125，2分的优势击败了开拓者，避免了0:3落后的绝境。

As always, the Trail Blazers lost at home, further solidifying their reputation for being worse at home than on the road.

The bad news is that the next match between the two teams will be held in Portland.

The good news is that the Trail Blazers have the advantage of playing on the road in this series.

(End of this chapter)