The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 467 California Bald Guy
October 5, 1995, Thursday, Anapolis, Indianapolis.

When did I start missing and needing Forrest Gump?

I think it was in my ninth season in the league, which was also my ninth year with the Pacers.

The league is without Forrest Gump; there's no one for you to look up to.

Over the years, some sad things have happened to him, about death, about accidents, about separation.

He needs to leave, and so do we.

I've always thought he shouldn't have opened a funeral home; it brought him closer to death. But he doesn't seem to care much, since he keeps sending us off to our funerals, putting the whole league under immense pressure.

I never backed down against him, but I never won either. I lost to him in high school. When I entered the league in 1987, I played my first home game against the Trail Blazers. The night before the game, I kept thinking about "giving him a piece of my mind."

Yes, color, that's the Chinese way of saying it, which Forrest Gump taught me later.

It means "Give somebody a piece of my mind".

Later I showed it to him; it was red.

—Excerpt from Reggie Miller's biography "I Love Being the Enemy," published in 1996.

With back-to-back away games, the head coach doesn't make demands on the team's performance.

Jack Ramsey's expectation for the players is to avoid injuries as much as possible.

With both Vandeweghe and Paxson plagued by injuries, the Trail Blazers cannot afford to lose any more veterans.

Gilmore will be on the bench tonight, while Jim Paxson is resting in Portland, where his leg injury shows signs of recurrence.

Nowadays, both the Trail Blazers' management and coaching staff practice a strict medical management system, treating minor injuries as major health issues.

Of course, due to limitations in medical technology, some injuries and illnesses are still unavoidable.

However, apart from Kenny Carr's herniated disc, none of the other players suffered any serious injuries that affected their careers over the past three seasons, and the team's championship aspirations were also unaffected by injuries.

For this reason, the Trail Blazers are paying more and more attention to medical care and support the coaching staff in giving players appropriate rest, expanding the rotation, and letting some games go by.

But the Trail Blazers were probably inspired by Gan Guoyang's $10 per block, and the team played very hard on the defensive end tonight.

Money isn't important; what matters is the feeling of getting paid after the game while looking at the stats and hearing everyone cheer and applaud.

Recently, the atmosphere in the Trail Blazers' locker room has gradually improved.

The relationship between Drexler and Porter, and between Van der Werner and Koch, has improved somewhat.

With Forrest Gump as a pillar of strength, everyone's confidence and form will gradually build with victories throughout the season.

The Trail Blazers, playing back-to-back games, outscored the Pacers 34-15 in the first quarter, leaving the Pacers completely disoriented.

Gan Guoyang contributed four blocks in a single quarter. This guy sets his own rules and then goes on a block-farming spree.

His main teammates also cooperated with him, and on the defensive end, they would defend him one-on-one, sticking close to him, not letting him shoot, and letting him in to challenge Forrest Gump.

Gan Guoyang will make his own judgments; he will cover what he can and defend what he should defend against.

The Pacers don't have any particularly strong penetrators, and their scoring is fairly even across the board, with the team relying primarily on shooting offense.

The Trail Blazers' defensive strategy of allowing drives but not shots, essentially having a big man inside, made things very difficult for them.

Mike Schuler was pacing anxiously on the sidelines, but Reggie Miller, sitting on the bench, was even more anxious.

The Pacers desperately needed points, but their offensive rhythm was completely suppressed by the Trail Blazers; they couldn't make shots or score inside.

At times like these, it's crucial for someone to step up and break the deadlock, using their individual skills to overcome the Trail Blazers' defense.

In terms of ability, Miller doesn't qualify as such a player.

After entering the league, like many high-drafted and strong college players, he had a period of outstanding performance.

In a November away game against the Boston Celtics, Miller scored 24 points at Boston Garden, shooting an impressive 69% from the field and 2-for-4 from three-point range.

The Celtics clearly underestimated the skinny guy's energy, and although they lost the game, Miller has caught the league's attention.

This was only his fourth game since joining the NBA.

Inspired by this game, Reggie Miller scored over 20 points in each of the next four games. This included a game in Chicago where he went 9-for-12 from the field, including 1-for-2 from three-point range, scoring 20 points to lead his team to victory over the Bulls and deny Jordan's 37-point performance.

This was Miller's first time facing Jordan in his career, and he was very satisfied with his performance.

This series of outstanding performances gradually silenced the voices questioning the management's choices at Indiana, and people began to re-evaluate this slender California shooter.

But after his outstanding performance in November, like many high-ranking rookies, he began to hit the rookie wall.

The intensity and frequency of NBA games are simply too high.

For a shooter, physical fitness is very important.

In the past, in college, players would play a maximum of 30 games a season.

Moreover, there are usually two matches a week, or even one match a week.

The NBA not only has a dense schedule, but also long and tiring away games, which can be very difficult for newcomers to adapt to.

The irregular flight schedule, various unexpected events, and one game after another quickly exhausted the inexperienced Miller.

Once you start to stand out, make it into the newspapers and news, and attract the attention of other teams, then the opposing coaches and players will start targeting you in the next game.

Unless you can pull ahead of your opponents like Jordan, Gan Guoyang, or Bird in your rookie season, your performance on the court can easily plummet under the dual pressure of targeted defense and fatigue.

Since December, Reggie Miller has failed to score more than 20 points, and even scoring more than 15 points has become difficult.

He started playing some games with low shooting percentages, and when he was targeted, he chose to give up some shot opportunities. He started having some games with single-digit scores, and the November spotlight quickly faded.

Miller was very dissatisfied with his performance, so he was looking forward to this game, hoping that Agan's arrival would inspire him to play a great game and regain his form.

Miller didn't get a chance to play in the first quarter. Schuler noticed Miller's eagerness and said, "The second quarter will be our chance to catch up when Forrest isn't playing."

"Even we can catch up with Forrest Gump, Coach. I'm not afraid of Forrest Gump."

Miller also scored over 30 points in that high school final.

He was just one shot away from winning the 1982 California championship.

Schuler praised Miller's fearless spirit, saying that fearlessness is the worst thing on the basketball court.

Even if the opponent is very strong, you must have the determination to challenge them.

Miller entered the game at the start of the second quarter, and he avoided playing against Gan Guoyang.

When he came off the bench, he didn't try to help the team by scoring; instead, he started by doing his job on defense.

Miller may look thin, but he has a great frame and is tall, considered very tall for a guard.

He has long arms and legs and received excellent defensive training at UCLA.

His positioning on the defensive end is very precise, and he acts quickly, making steals, grabbing the ball, and fighting for rebounds, all of which can help the team.

After the Pacers solidified their defense, Miller made a cut to the basket, received a pass from his teammate, and easily scored a layup.

Then, in a positional play, Tisdale missed a shot, but he grabbed the ball that his teammate had tipped to him.

Beyond the three-point line, he dribbled a step inside, shot over Drexler, and made a long-range two-pointer.

Drexler's attempt to overpower Miller failed.

When Drexler tried to challenge him, Miller suddenly stepped back, causing Drexler to stumble and lose possession of the ball.

During the counterattack, Miller received a pass from Tisdale and dunked it with both hands!

The Pacers went on a 6-0 run against the Trail Blazers, narrowing the gap.

Seeing this, Ramsey called a short timeout, and the Indiana home crowd erupted in applause. Miller had once again delivered an excellent performance tonight.

Pacers fans are growing to love this California bald guy who has a precise shot and plays intelligently.

When Miller left the court, he deliberately pointed to the Trail Blazers' bench and then to Gan Guoyang, as if to say, "It's time for you to come back on."

(End of this chapter)