The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 46 How are you feeling today?

"How do you feel today?"

Standing in the center circle, before the jump ball, Gan Guoyang asked Stephenson, who was standing opposite him.

Stephenson, with his round head and chubby face, looked at Gan Guoyang without saying a word. He had no idea what the kid was up to.

Gan Guoyang asked again, "I asked you how you are feeling today, why didn't you answer? That's very impolite of you."

Stephenson had no choice but to say in a firm voice, "I feel great, so what?"

Stephenson’s tone was unsurprisingly hostile; this was the San Francisco Conference championship game, and Washington High School was aiming for the title.

Their strength is not only among the top in the San Francisco League, but also among the best in the entire state of California. The San Francisco League championship is just a small goal for them.

"It's nothing, I was just asking. China is a land of etiquette, you guys are really impolite."

Stephenson was skeptical, but he was wary of Gan Guoyang.

This guy reportedly got into a heated argument with Al Payton's son during a game between Oakland and Fremont High School, leaving Payton speechless.

Al Payton is the coach of an amateur team in Oakland, known for his trash talk. Stephenson played with their team, and Al is like a crow that can never stop cawing.

His son was just like Al, but Gan Guoyang's criticism drove him to despair. How could Stephenson not be wary?

However, the referee reminded them to be quiet, as the game was about to begin, and they were to stand in the center circle for the jump ball.

Gan Guoyang was the first to pass the ball, and the attack started with the Shui Zhong team.

Chen Xing dribbled the ball quickly across half-court, and with his new glasses, his playing style was completely refreshed.

Compared to three months ago, his dribbling is much more stable, and he is more confident in his on-court command.

Franklin received a pass from Chen Xing, drove hard to the wing, stopped abruptly, and took a jump shot, but missed.

Stephenson used his body to firmly block Gan Guoyang, preventing him from rushing up to grab the offensive rebound.

His 20 offensive rebounds in the last game impressed Washington High School.

However, Gan Guoyang did not rush to intercept, but instead quickly retreated to defend, not giving Washington a chance to launch a quick counterattack.

The Waterbells retreated quickly into position, forcing Washington High School to abandon their counterattack and instead engage in positional warfare.

The mid-range shot missed, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound.

The game started rather dull, as it was the championship series and the players were playing very cautiously.

Everyone was highly focused, the defensive intensity was at its maximum, the rotations were clear, and no gaps were left.

After several rounds of back-and-forth running, neither side managed to score, and the score remained 0-0.

The audience was waiting to see who would be the first to break the deadlock.

The Water Bell team launched an unremarkable positional attack.

Gan Guoyang came out to support Chen Xing, relieving the defensive pressure he was under.

Receiving the ball high up, Chen Xing attempted to use Gan Guoyang's screen to get rid of the defense.

The defense was very tight, making it difficult to break free. The rest of the Waterbell team were moving around, creating opportunities for Franklin.

Just as Washington High School's attention was focused on Franklin, Gan Guoyang, who had just been looking for someone with the ball, suddenly passed it.

He drove straight through the middle to the basket, catching Stephenson off guard. Gan Guoyang swung his arm and slammed the ball in with a powerful dunk!
The basketball hoop trembled slightly, and applause and cheers finally erupted in the long-silent War Memorial Stadium.

Fans in the 80s were more reserved, applauding more than yelling.

Faced with the Waterbell's impenetrable zone defense, Washington High School couldn't find a way to break through and could only rely on outside shots.

The ball didn't go in, but Gan Guoyang didn't try to box out Stephenson under the basket. Instead, he watched as Stephenson grabbed the offensive rebound.

Stephenson tried to shake off Gan Guoyang with a series of fakes under the basket, but failed. He finally managed to get his hook shot blocked, and Gan Guoyang even managed to steal the ball...

Gan Guoyang isn't a behemoth like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Wilt Chamberlain, someone who makes opponents lose the desire to shoot when they encounter him under the basket.

He was only an inch taller than Stephenson, and his arms were slightly longer; the two looked to be in the same size class.

Many people who get the ball under the basket think they can challenge Forrest Gump, but they always end up losing miserably.

Gan Guoyang's timing for blocking shots was excellent; he rarely fell for feints and his reactions were extremely fast—he completed the game very quickly while playing Chen Xing's Nintendo game "Donkey Kong".

This quality is sometimes more important than height, wingspan, and jumping ability.

Also, he's very tough, so it's not easy to create space for a shot by colliding with him; you have to be very strong.

Stephenson was strong but not as strong as Forrest Gump, nor as fast, nor as decisive—he was dodging Gump's attacks, and the more he dodged, the easier it was for him to get blocked.

Gan Guoyang, who had just blocked the shot, made a fast break and received a bounce pass from Chen Xing, easily scoring a layup.

Gan Guoyang scored 4 points in a row and also delivered a block, making a great start to the game.

As he returned to defense, he asked Stephenson, "Hey, Stephenson, how are you feeling today?"

Stephenson remained silent with a dark expression. The small guard Bobinho broke through the middle, and Gan Guoyang did not go to help defend. Instead, he reached out and knocked the ball away from Bobinho's exposed position.

Washington High School still had possession of the ball. Gan Guoyang was in good defensive form tonight. Once the ball entered the vicinity of the three-second zone, it was difficult for it to go to the basket.

The Washington High School coach on the sidelines yelled, "Attack the basket! Don't back down!" Stephenson listened and then got blocked again.

Next, Stephenson and David Bonner double-teamed Gan Guoyang in the low post when he received the ball, a tactic that had worked well in the previous match between the two teams.

But this time, Gan Guoyang received the ball in a more outward position. He dribbled out and handed the ball to the accelerating Franklin.

Franklin drove to the basket, drew a foul on his layup, and made both free throws. Northbridge High School went on a 6-0 run, forcing Washington High School to call a timeout.

During the timeout, Stephenson had a bad feeling while sitting on the bench.

He felt like prey, being targeted by a hunter.

He was targeted from the very beginning of the match.

This may be the human instinct to sense danger; once you have this feeling, you should run away.

But you can't run in a basketball game, Stephenson thought, no problem, I have help.

After the timeout, Washington High School, having recovered from their initial chaos, scored with a mid-range shot from the outside.

When defending, Stephenson and Bonner began to stick to Gan Guoyang closely, one sticking to him and the other wandering around nearby.

As for Wu Zhixiong, the number 9 power forward from Beiqiao Middle School, let him be; he doesn't have much offensive power.

Beiqiao didn't focus their attention on Wu Zhixiong either, and continued to pass the ball to Gan Guoyang, who then double-teamed him.

Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball out again, passed it to Franklin, and looked for another opportunity.

There is ample time for the attack to proceed, enough to organize another offensive.

Gan Guoyang changed direction and went to the other side, where he suddenly blocked the way.

Franklin received the pass immediately, Gan Guoyang dribbled past Stephenson, turned and forced a layup, drawing a foul from Stephenson.

Made both free throws.

Gan Guoyang played much smarter than in the last match, avoiding getting himself surrounded easily, and seizing any opportunity that came his way.

Stephenson felt the pressure on his shoulders suddenly increase, and Gan Guoyang's flexible handling forced the two inside players to better allocate their work.

The score quickly reached 15-10, with Beiqiao Middle School leading by 5 points. Washington High School's inside offense was basically ineffective, and they could only rely on the outside.

During one offensive possession, Gan Guoyang grabbed an offensive rebound. Stephenson and Bonner immediately surrounded him. Instead of forcing his way in, Gan Guoyang made an inside pass to the onrushing Bear.

Wu Zhixiong was too slow and not tall enough. When Bonner turned around to defend, Wu Zhixiong wasted this easy layup opportunity.

But Wu Zhixiong was quick-witted; he didn't think about forcing his way in. When Bonner came back to help defend, he immediately passed the ball back to Gan Guoyang.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang took a step forward and rushed up, caught the ball and slammed it over Stephenson with a one-handed dunk!

The round-headed Stephenson was knocked out of bounds like a doll, but he was also called for a blocking foul and had to take the free throw!
Gan Guoyang, who had just dunked, looked down at Stephenson from above and shouted after coming down, "I asked you, how were you today? Why didn't you answer me!"

"You're so rude and impolite," Gan Guoyang said, and then delivered the additional penalty.

Stephenson took a nasty fall, his chest aching from the impact, and was even called rude. He had no idea where to turn for justice.

Both sides entered the substitution phase. Stephenson went off to rest, and Gan Guoyang also went off to rest, which is unusual for him.

With Gan Guoyang absent, Washington High School had a chance to catch up, and the score quickly rose to 21:18, with Beiqiao Middle School only leading by three points.

Gan Guoyang immediately returned to the court and made a jump shot from the outside, helping the team stabilize the situation.

Stephenson was still sitting on the sidelines, and he even thought, "I'll just stay sitting here; I don't want to go up there and get beaten up."

With the first half nearing its end, Stephenson hadn't scored yet, had been blocked three times, and had only grabbed a few rebounds.

But the coach tapped Stephenson, signaling him to get ready to go on the court.

Stephenson, feeling somewhat aggrieved, told the coach, "I feel terrible today."

The coach comforted him, saying, "If you win the game, everything will be alright."

"I feel like I'm not getting any support."

In the last match, he and Bonner ganged up on Gan Guoyang. Although Gan Guoyang scored high points, the whole process was very intense. Gan Guoyang fought against the two of them but still lost the game.

But in this game, he felt like he was the only one being beaten, while Bonner was completely unharmed. He even scored 6 points, and Gan Guoyang didn't even help defend him under the basket, allowing Bonner to beat Wu Zhixiong one-on-one.

"That's their strategy. Gan played smarter today, so you need to be more alert and tenacious. Go for it, Stephenson!"

The coach is right. Players need to adjust to different strategies in a timely manner, and they must fight tenaciously regardless of whether the situation is favorable or unfavorable.

But as a high school player, his emotions were easily affected and fluctuated. Gan Guoyang exerted both physical and mental pressure on Stephenson from the start, making the guy somewhat hesitant to fight.

Even if they lose this match and get the runner-up title, they can still enter the CIF All-State Championship, and even Division 1. This is determined by their strength and performance.

Once players approach the game with this mindset, especially in the paint, Washington High School's three-second zone defense quickly crumbled.

With little time remaining in the first half, Gan Guoyang made consecutive turnaround jump shots within two minutes.

His turnaround jump shot is not yet proficient and lacks variety. However, with careful study and persistent counter-attacks, it can be controlled.

But Stephenson wasn't. He was intimidated by Gan Guoyang's hot scoring momentum. By halftime, Gan Guoyang had scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting.

The whistle blew, and Gan Guoyang, holding the ball, stared at Stephenson, still unwilling to let him go.

Stephenson quickly said, "I'm not feeling well today, okay? I'm not feeling well."

Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "If you had said that earlier, I would have been able to treat you better, wouldn't I, Bonner?"

Stephenson's eyes widened, and he said, "I am Stephenson, I am not Bonner!"

Gan Guoyang exclaimed in surprise, "You're Stephenson? Sorry, I didn't pay attention to the name. Our pre-match tactics were designed to target Bonner."

(End of this chapter)