The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 437 Overall Runner-up

With the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers both eliminated in the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, the NBA has entered a new era.

The Portland Trail Blazers have made it to the NBA Finals for the second year in a row, striving for their first championship defense in 17 years.

After undergoing sweeping reforms, the Detroit Pistons unexpectedly made it to the NBA Finals in a season full of changes and unknowns.

Since 1980, the Eastern Conference has finally produced a third team, besides the Celtics and the 76ers, to reach the NBA Finals.

The Eastern Conference has been dominated by a "duo" for seven seasons, and the arrival of fresh faces has filled people with anticipation for this Finals.

The Detroit Pistons were undoubtedly ecstatic; they had overthrown the Bostonians' dominance and reached a height they had never achieved before.

It's no exaggeration to say that the Pistons have undergone a complete transformation this season. The trade for Adrian Dantley in the summer propelled them into the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Dantley filled the Pistons' offensive gaps and helped them slow down the pace of the game on the defensive end, injecting much-needed style into the team.

Before the trade deadline, they acquired James Donaldson, a trade considered a steal that significantly increased the Pistons' interior depth to a terrifying level.

The Pistons' acquisition of James Donaldson was clearly a move to prepare for Gan Guoyang, and incidentally, they also wore down Boston's frontcourt trio in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The lineup of tall players, including Melvin Turpin, Donaldson, and Laimbeer, reduced Kevin McHale's scoring average to 17 points per game in the series, who already had a foot injury.

Robert Parish became increasingly agitated after repeated collisions, pressure, and physical confrontations. After Laimbeer committed a vicious foul on Bird in Game 4, Parish returned to Boston in Game 5 and delivered a devastating blow to Laimbeer to vent his frustration.

However, the Detroit team took the victory in Boston, and from that moment on, the balance of the series tipped in their favor.

Although the Celtics fought back to tie the series in Game 6 at the Silver Top Center thanks to Larry Bird's key shot, forcing a Game 7.

However, the Celtics had exhausted their last bit of energy. The long regular season, the brutal playoffs, the short roster rotation, and numerous injuries had left them extremely tired.

The Pistons won Game 7 in Boston, and by a large margin. Afterward, the entire Pistons team left Boston on their private jet and returned to Detroit to prepare for their trip to Portland.

The Pistons were the first team in the league to own a private jet. In February of this year, owner Davidson spent $500,000 to buy a DC-9 aircraft to use as the team's private jet to transport players between different cities.

The experience of flying on a private jet is completely different from flying on a business jet. The private jet has 4 sofas and 25 large swivel chairs. The tall players no longer have to hunch over and squeeze into business class or even economy class, and they no longer have to get up early every day to catch the earliest flight to avoid being late for the game.

The private jet serves only them, can depart at any time, and provides quiet, high-quality service during the journey, free from harassment by insurance salespeople.

The coaching staff can discuss tactics and summarize game experience loudly and freely without worrying about disturbing the ordinary passengers on the plane.

Bill Laimbeer had a long table on his private plane, where he could relax, sit quietly, and read books or flip through newspapers.

Isaiah Thomas feels an urge to retire whenever he thinks about the nightmare of last season's West Coast tour; it was too exhausting and too torturous.

Now they have escaped the grueling away travel routes, can enjoy private jet services, and don't have to worry about miscellaneous matters, so they can focus on preparing for the game.

Other players in the league do not receive such treatment because most teams are short of funds, and maintaining daily expenses and player salaries is already a significant expenditure.

Not only does buying an airplane cost money, but using it is the biggest expense. There are costs such as space rental, fuel consumption, and crew salaries. Only wealthy bosses can afford such enormous expenses.

However, the Pistons set a precedent for the entire league, as there are more and more wealthy owners like Davidson, and NBA teams are earning more and more money. Teams will have ample funds to support the expense of a private jet to ensure that players can maintain good condition during the long season.

This year's NBA playoffs were almost unaffected by the Suns' drug scandal, and the viewership and media attention across the United States were very high, with more and more people watching NBA games.

While many fans were disappointed that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird wouldn't meet in the Finals again, the thought of the Trail Blazers facing the Pistons and Gan Guoyang going on a scoring spree at the Silver Top Center excited them and the media. June arrived, and the Trail Blazers waited in Portland for the Detroit Pistons.

The Detroit Pistons are making their first appearance in the NBA Finals, and they are full of confidence and energy.

Before the game, Oregon media hyped up the story of Gan Guoyang slamming and punching Laimbeer, putting pressure on the Detroit Pistons.

However, judging from media interviews, Lambiel, this stubborn guy, doesn't care at all, and nothing that happened before has had a negative impact on his mentality.

Getting hit, being thrown, or losing 50 points are all part of the basketball game for Laimbeer. As long as he can reach the championship one day, none of that matters.

He is neither Rambis nor Pat Riley. He climbed his way up from the bottom of the NBA, relying on his thick skin and excellent mental fortitude to get to where he is today.

If he had even a shred of moral responsibility on the court, he wouldn't have been able to help the Pistons reach the Finals, let alone become universally disliked throughout the league, yet he still seems to be enjoying himself.

Lambiel was incredibly excited about facing Forrest Gump. During pre-match training, he seemed energized, boasting that he would teach Forrest a lesson in the finals.

Isaiah Thomas said, "Give him a taste of his own medicine? You want to headbutt Forrest Gump's elbow and draw some blood to show him?"

Laimbeer threw up a three-pointer and said, "Of course not! I'll torture him, lock him down, get him into foul trouble, make him complain to the referees in pain, and finally see him leave the home court dejected, with the whole of Portland falling silent~ Wow! Just thinking about it makes me happy."

Bobby Bellman was right; Lambiel and Gan Guoyang were essentially the same kind of people who derived pleasure from tormenting their opponents and causing them pain.

Winning itself doesn't make them particularly happy; it's seeing their opponents lose and suffer that gives them the greatest satisfaction.

Thomas said, "Don't overthink it, take it one game at a time. You're getting a little too excited, Bill."

Lambiel said, "Of course I want to, while the game hasn't started yet, it's a time for carefree daydreaming!"

Laimbeer has this great mentality; he knows that the outside world doesn't have high hopes for the Pistons, and the Trail Blazers' dominance in the Western Conference Finals is so amazing.

In past head-to-head records, Gan Guoyang has had a dominant performance against the Pistons' interior players, leaving Laimbeer both getting beaten and scored on, with no way to stop him.

But precisely because of this, Lambiel was optimistic. Before the race, he imagined the joy of winning, because the worst that could happen was that he would be beaten up by Forrest Gump, and it wasn't like he hadn't been beaten up before.

At 6 p.m. Pacific Time on June 2, the 1987 Grand Finals kicked off at Memorial Stadium.

Needless to say, the Paramount Theatre next to the stadium was packed to capacity. There was no concert tonight, but the theatre set up a large screen and connected to CBS's live broadcast signal, allowing more than 2000 fans who couldn't get stadium tickets to gather together to watch the Finals.

The Detroit Pistons players, wearing blue jerseys, stood in the center of the court. Bill Laimbeer, who had been excited and happy before the game, now had a serious face, even with a hint of caution.

Because he was facing Gan Guoyang, who swept his cold gaze over every player in the Pistons' starting lineup—Thomas, Dumars, Laimbeer, James Donaldson, and Dantley.

"Are you guys ready to celebrate winning the overall runner-up title?" Gan Guoyang said. "Runner-up is an honor too, guys, cheer up."

No one on the Pistons was happy; their faces were ashen, and not a single one dared to say a word.

Thomas glanced at Lambiel and thought to himself, "You were so cocky before the game, buddy, why the hell are you saying anything?"

The Pistons were at a disadvantage in terms of momentum from the very beginning.

(End of this chapter)