The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 463 I'm not voting anymore
"Never mind where it came from, are you in or not? Next time we'll bet on dunks."

"I...I bet $20!"

Drexler never understood where the buckets Gan Guoyang always carried came from.

However, Drexler still generously pulled out $20 and joined the bet.

Money isn't important to the players; tens or hundreds of dollars are just a drop in the ocean, a small prize. What's important is adding some fun to the game.

Drexler also had his own ulterior motives, because participating in this kind of betting game was the only opportunity to "oppose" Gan Guoyang.

Under normal circumstances, no one on the Trail Blazers could oppose Forrest Gump; as history has long proven, opposing him has no good outcome.

Only in such a small bet can you stand on the opposite side of Forrest Gump. If Forrest Gump chooses big, you choose small; if Forrest Gump chooses small, you choose big.

This gave Drexler a psychological boost, as if he could challenge Gan Guoyang.

This psychological suggestion was very important to Drexler.

He is a very proud person, but now he finds that he is not only getting further and further away from Forrest Gump, but also from Jordan.

One of the stops on this trip to the East Coast was Chicago.

The media has already started hyping up the "Gan vs. Joe" matchup for the new season.

As for Drexler, he has been forgotten in a corner.

He was just a supporting player in the same position as Jordan, similar to Oakley alongside Jordan.

But Drexler is not Oakley; he has superstar potential.

With Gan Guoyang around, Drexler knew he would always be a supporting character.

He could only compete with Gan Guoyang in these kinds of betting games.

Gan Guoyang seemed to be able to sense Drexler's emotions.

For example, during the finals, Gan Guoyang asked Drexler, "Do you want to win the FMVP?" which startled Drexler.

Gan Guoyang put the bucket containing the money away and placed it in the locker.

He put his arm around Drexler and said, "Clyde, how about we bet on who scores more points next time?"

Drexler chuckled and said, "This is to give you money."

"How about we compare assists?"

"You have possession of the ball."

"Do you want some? I can share some with you."

Drexler said nothing more. He felt that Gan Guoyang had seen through his thoughts, a feeling that made him break out in a cold sweat.

However, since December, Gan Guoyang has indeed shared some ball possession with Drexler.

His scoring average has dropped from a peak of 38 points last season to 31 points per game.

Most of those 7 points went to Drexler, raising his average score to 24 points, along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists, placing him firmly in the ranks of the league's elite stars.

The team has gradually formed a dual-core driving model in terms of roster structure and tactical arrangements.

Their pick-and-roll combination is particularly effective.

But no one would think this is Agnes Drexler's team.

The Trail Blazers are just Gan Guoyang's team.

The game tonight is at 7 p.m., and the stadium is quite full.

For some teams in the Eastern Conference, Jordan and Forrest Gump are like money-making machines; if they come to play, ticket sales will definitely be high.

Gan Guoyang was in his fourth year in the league and witnessed the changes in the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers had been in disarray for a long time before Lenny Wilkens took over.

From 1980 to 1986, over a period of six seasons, the Cavaliers changed coaches eight times, with one coach even returning twice.

The arrival of Lenny Wilkens ended this chaos, and the Cavaliers gradually got back on track.

In the summer of 1986, the Cavaliers changed their management, and Wayne Embry was hired as the team's new general manager.

He previously played for the Cincinnati Royals, alongside Oscar Robertson.

He later served as Bill Russell's backup for the Celtics for two years, and was a very capable Black general manager (Russell's backups were all excellent at management and coaching). In the 1986 draft, Wayne Embiid used the number one pick to select Daugherty, and also selected a group of promising rookies such as Ron Harper, Mark Price, and Johnny Newman.

In 1985, they also selected the extremely talented forward John Williams, but he was suspended for a year due to a match-fixing scandal and officially returned to the game last year.

In the 87 NBA Draft, they selected Kevin Johnson.

This Cavaliers team is young, full of talent, and led by a determined and experienced coach, so their fighting power is naturally stronger than in the chaotic state of the past.

Currently, their record is 12 wins and 12 losses, a 50/50 winning percentage, which is enough to qualify them for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

Even without Forrest Gump and Michael Jordan's visits, Reyfield Stadium had a decent attendance and would no longer be known as "the world's largest graveyard."

Jack Ramsey recalls playing in Cleveland in the past and hearing the echo of the ball hitting the floor during games.

Of course, the gap in strength between them and the Portland Trail Blazers is obvious.

Before the game, Gan Guoyang set up a bet on blocks, actually to target the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The reason for bringing up blocks is that the Trail Blazers' defensive efficiency has declined significantly recently.

When a team is in decline, its defense will inevitably collapse faster than its offense.

A championship-caliber team often falls into the category of an average strong team when its defense starts to falter.

Last season, the Trail Blazers often held their opponents to around 100 points, or even below 100.

This season, it's easy for opponents to score over 100 points, and 110 points are becoming more common.

The Lakers scored over 140 points against them, indicating that their defensive intensity is waning.

This is an unsolvable problem because defense is very difficult and there's not much data to show; role players need data.

The season is so long, not every player can maintain the same unparalleled defensive passion as Gan Guoyang.

Even Gan Guoyang gets tired and loses focus in some matches, so he might skip one.

By the end of December, Gan Guoyang felt it was necessary to tighten up the team's defense and give it a boost.

Make a run of good results in December and January, then relax a bit before the All-Star Game, take a good rest before the All-Star Game, and gradually get into playoff mode after the All-Star Game.

After several years of playing, Gan Guoyang has gained experience.

During the long regular season, rhythm is very important. It's crucial to manage the different phases: push for the best record when necessary and adjust when needed to ensure you save your best form for the playoffs.

If you rush too hard at the beginning, you may run out of stamina later on. If you don't perform well at the beginning, you may have to catch up quickly and end up lacking energy reserves and losing your form in the playoffs.

Only by maintaining a balance between tension and relaxation can a team conserve its energy.

Christmas is over, now it's time to draw the bow and shoot the arrow.

The Cavaliers' starting lineup consisted of Daugherty, Price, John Williams, Tyronn Corbin, and Craigielo.

This lineup, like Lenny Wilkens' coaching style, is stable, conservative, and traditional.

A 7-foot center, a 6-foot-11 power forward, a 6-foot-6 small forward, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, plus a small white point guard.

Kevin Johnson came off the bench to replace Price.

When Dougherty stood at center circle and jumped for the ball with Gan Guoyang, Gan Guoyang said to Dougherty, "Brad, you need to shoot more shots tonight, you know?"

Doherty scratched his ear and asked, "Why?"

"I made a bet with someone tonight to get a lot of blocks, can you help me out?"

Doherty felt suffocated. "Brother, don't mess with me!"
In the summers of 86 and 87, Gan Guoyang and Doherty attended Newell's Big-man training camp together and had a personal relationship.

Doherty is a bit like Joe Barry Carroll; he's not that passionate about basketball, and he's definitely not a basketball fanatic like Gan Guoyang.

Barry Carroll is like that because of his personality, while Doherty is because his favorite sport is racing, not basketball.

He was born into a family that loves racing and dreamed of becoming a race car driver since he was a child.

But because he was too tall, he had to switch to basketball, and by chance, he became the number one draft pick in the NBA.

Doherty, who had trained with Gan Guoyang in the training camp, knew how terrifying Gan was—even more terrifying than Kermit Washington.

He said he'd put a block on your head, so you'd have to be extra careful with every shot you take today.

So Doherty made a decision: I won't shoot today, I'll pass the ball.

(End of this chapter)