The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 443 Enchanting Quiet

After the second game, something happened in the away locker room at Portland Memorial Stadium.

Two consecutive crushing defeats brought the Detroit Pistons to rock bottom; everyone was silent, immersed in the gloom of defeat.

Chuck Daly was unable to speak loudly due to pain in his nasal bone, and during the second game, he was unable to communicate normally with the players because the arena was too noisy.

He could only tell Versace what he wanted to say, and then Versace would relay it to the team members. This caused Daley to lose his passion in command, and a crushing defeat was inevitable.

Dennis Rodman was the last to enter the locker room. The 26-year-old rookie kicked the door, startling everyone.

Then, Rodman, as a rookie, showed no awareness of being a newcomer. He started yelling at everyone on the team, criticizing each of his teammates, and playing like a coward.

He criticized Lambiel for being all bark and no bite, saying he saw Forrest Gump like a mouse saw a cat, and that James Donaldson had been reduced from 7'2" to 2'7" by Forrest Gump.

Melvin Tppin became Rodman's "big idiot," saying he could do nothing but charge at people, while Adrian Dante used his eyes to defend instead of his legs and hands.

Even the team's star player, Isaiah Thomas, wasn't spared. Rodman berated him the most: "You've been scared out of your wits by Forrest Gump. Look at your performance on the court. When there's a conflict, you hide behind the crowd. Are you afraid of getting hit? What are you afraid of? So what if you get punched! Where were you when Dad got hit by him? Where were you all? That son of a bitch did it on purpose. Dad made up with him because he had no choice. And you guys? You acted like nothing happened. No defense, no intensity, you're all a pile of shit! I fucking don't want to play on this team. I don't want to be a part of this team!"

Rodman cursed and kicked the locker door repeatedly, throwing water bottles, towels, and slippers everywhere.

But no one stopped him, not even Chuck Daly. Everyone just listened quietly as Rodman kept talking and watching him go crazy.

He talked for five or six minutes straight. When he was done, he was tired and sat down on a bench, covering his head with a towel and crying.

Chuck Daly then stepped forward and said, "Dennis said what I wanted to say. We played terribly, and I played terribly. I thought my sacrifice would inspire you, but instead I got fear. See you at the Silver Arena next time. Victory will be the best consolation. We still have time, we still have a chance."

As he spoke, Daly patted Rodman on the shoulder, and everyone came over to pat him on the shoulder as well.

This maverick, eccentric kid, was fearless from the moment he entered the league.

Before the draft, many scouts couldn't understand what this kid was doing on the court.

He can't shoot, he can only steal the ball. His movements are exaggerated, and his running style is strange. His style on the court is completely different from others.

He was 25 years old when he entered the draft, and he had just turned 26 during the Eastern Conference Finals.

Daly was impressed by his energy and also conducted a background check on him, learning that he had a history of theft while working as a cleaner at Dallas Airport, where he had stolen several expensive watches.

However, instead of selling the watches for money, he gave them to a friend. Later, when he was arrested, he returned the watches and was exempted from prosecution.

This reminded Daly of his impoverished teenage years. Although Daly had never stolen anything, he understood that kind of hardship and felt he could handle this kind of young man, so he chose him.

Of course, another reason for choosing him is his "Rodman genes." He has two amazing older sisters, Deborah Rodman and Kim Rodman, who were the best rebounders at Louisiana Tech.

In that epic women's college basketball final in 1983, Rodman's sister, Reggie Miller's sister, JaVale McGee's mother and aunt, as well as Cynthia Cooper, Kim Mackey, and other of America's most talented female players, delivered one of the most classic games in women's college basketball history.

This NCAA women's championship game was comparable in influence to the 1979 Bird vs. Magic Johnson game and the 1984 Forrest Gump vs. Hakeem Olajuwon game.

Dennis Rodman undoubtedly inherited the basketball talent of the Rodman family. He had long limbs and amazing athleticism, and was like a tireless deer on the court.

Despite his eccentric temperament, Daly admired his fearless drive to win and the fact that he was perhaps the only player on the Pistons who wasn't afraid of Forrest Gump.

After a cathartic outburst, Rodman returned to Detroit with the team to prepare for Games 3 and 4.

Game 3 is extremely crucial for the Pistons. If they lose this game, the Finals will be over. No one can come back from 0-3 down.

Rodman's scathing rebuke served as a wake-up call for the entire Pistons team, who were genuinely ashamed of their performance in Game 2.

Their head coach was killed by the opponent, but instead of seeking revenge, they succumbed to Gan Guoyang's tyranny.

The only way to wash away this humiliation is to get revenge in Detroit.

However, when Rodman offered to primarily guard Gan Guoyang in Game 3, Daley refused.

He told Rodman, "Suicide is a cowardly act. We will find a way to beat our opponents, using our brains and skills, not just impulses. Your courage has inspired everyone, but courage alone is not enough. Let's go back and study the game together."

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in Detroit the day before their third game.

As usual, Gan Guoyang only brought three days' worth of clothes, making his intentions clear: to sweep the Pistons in Detroit and win the championship.

"If Game 5 is in Portland, I might consider bringing the series back to Portland so the fans can have a proper celebration of the championship."

Because of the 2-3-2 format of the Finals, with the middle three games played in Detroit, if the series were to return to Portland, the score would definitely be 3-2. Gan Guoyang couldn't allow the series to go that far; ideally, the series should be decided in four out of five games.

Bobby Bellman warned Gan Guoyang: "The Pistons are not easy to deal with. They will definitely launch a fierce counterattack in Game 3."

Berman's advice is based on experience; generally, the third game after the home and away teams switch is the most difficult, toughest, and ugliest.

Especially when a team is down 0-2 and returns to their home ground, they will do everything in their power to secure a victory.

The Pistons suffered a humiliating defeat in Portland; their coach was assaulted, and the team suffered a crushing loss. They were helpless in Portland.

Now that they're back in Detroit, they'll definitely fight tooth and nail for victory, even resorting to any means necessary. With the referees involved, the outcome is unpredictable.

Gan Guoyang knew that what Berman said made sense. He quietly told Berman, "I told my wife that if we lose the third game, she should bring some clothes to Detroit and give them to me."

Bellman shook his head. "You're really a cunning little rabbit with three burrows. You're just bragging about whether you win or not."

If your boast turns out to be false, just pretend nothing happened, right?
However, so far, Gan Guoyang hasn't really made any boastful claims.

Gan Guoyang's boasts are all based on actual facts; he doesn't exaggerate.

For example, in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, when he was up 2-0 on the road, he never said he would sweep the Lakers.

Because he knew the Lakers' strength and that a sweep would be very difficult.

Taking a 2-0 lead gives us an advantage. If we lose the third game, we'll let our teammates play in the fourth game. It would be best if they win, but if they lose, we can conserve our energy to fight for the decisive victory.

That's how series play is. When the teams are evenly matched, it's hard to win every game. The key is to control the pace of the series and be flexible in your approach.

The Pistons are different. After the first two games, Gan Guoyang already had a good grasp of the Pistons' strength.

Although their frontcourt is strong, they are somewhat overweight overall, with too many young players.

Gan Guoyang is already young enough; Rodman, Salihamidzic, and Dumars, the core players, have even less experience than him.

Nearly half of the players in this lineup have had little to no time to gel or have only been in the lineup for one season.

Their ability to reach the finals was partly due to luck.

The preparations for the first game were indeed meticulous, but once an unexpected incident occurred, everyone was immediately stunned.

This indicates that the team still lacks sufficient experience, and the players are not calm and resolute enough in dealing with unexpected events.

With such an opponent, Gan Guoyang should think it over carefully. If he seizes the opportunity in the third match and delivers a fatal blow, he can completely crush them.

In warfare, it is said that one should not pursue a defeated enemy too far. However, in a series of matches, especially the finals, one must relentlessly pursue and attack an opponent with weaknesses.

If the third game is lost, the fourth game cannot be lost, and the fifth game will also be held in Detroit, where there is a risk that the momentum of the series will be reversed.

This is determined by the characteristics of the 2-3-2 format, with the three away games in the middle being too long, a whole week, during which anything can happen.

On June 7th, the third game of the finals was held at the Silver Dome Center, a place familiar to Gan Guoyang. Tonight, as many as 39188 spectators attended, nearly 6 people.

Although a new arena is under construction and will soon replace the Silver Dome Center, the Silver Dome Center, being such a large stadium, still has a great feel for hosting large-scale competitions.

Fans sitting at the highest vantage point need binoculars to watch the game, and the atmosphere and noise level are a level above that of the Glass Palace.

After all, the number of spectators here is more than three times that of Portland. The Detroit Pistons have made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in history, so the fans are naturally going crazy for the team.

Gan Guoyang, a long-time friend of Detroit fans, was met with enthusiastic boos during his entrance ceremony. The fans chanted "Fuck Gan" in unison, creating a spectacular scene.

The enthusiasm and hospitality of the Detroit fans made Gan Guoyang feel excited and thrilled.

He likes playing in this kind of venue; he likes the noise and bustle of the moment.

Because the noisier it is now, the more charming it is when it is quiet.

Regarding Rodman's sister Deborah, I'm not sure if she's the older or younger sister. Chinese sources say she's the younger sister, but most English sources say "sister," with a few referring to her as an older sister or Rodman as a little brother, though these aren't definitive. Since most players in the 1983 NCAA Finals were born in 64 or 63, and Rodman was born in 61, it's unlikely Deborah was born before 61 if she had participated. Therefore, she's probably the younger sister. Anyway, they're definitely sisters; I'll look into whether she's the older or younger sister when I have time.



(End of this chapter)