The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 473 Death Sentence with Reprieve
"I didn't start the game very well."

During the break between the first and second quarters, Gan Guoyang and Bellman spoke.

Bellman glanced at the statistics, and sometimes he really wanted to slap his prized student.

Scoring 17 points in a single quarter and bringing four of the Bulls' starting five players to foul trouble, you say you're not in good form?
Gan Guoyang continued, "I missed two shots in the mid-range, missed a three-pointer, and also missed a free throw!"

Bellman said, "Sonny, it's perfectly normal for shooting percentages to be 100% in basketball. You're not a newbie to basketball."

"I know, but those few shots I took were when I was trying to adjust my offensive approach to deal with the Bulls' defense. I wasn't in good form and didn't make them."

"Has the Bulls' defense forced you to take jump shots?"

"No, no, no, Bobby, it wasn't coercion, don't use such vulgar language. I made the adjustment on my own initiative, although their defense was interesting."

During a break in the quarter, Gan Guoyang chatted with Bellman about the Bulls' defense.

"When I played the Mavericks in the playoffs in 1985, their defense was the most troublesome for me. Sam Bowie and another player would double-team me. The double-teamer would try to steal the ball from me and interfere with me, but Sam Bowie would also be distracted and help defend after I passed the ball."

“I know, I watched the tapes of that series and studied them. You broke through with your shooting.”

"That's right, being able to force me to shoot is already a success."

"The Bulls are definitely doing that. Which player was it again?"

"It was number 33. After he came on as a substitute, he started to double-team me. He double-teamed me with all his might. Meanwhile, Corzine just bumped into me. If I passed the ball, he would go to help defend."

Gan Guoyang pointed to Scottie Pippen, the Bulls' backup small forward number 33, who was still playing on the court.

The young Pippen, who still had a small mustache, caused Gan Guoyang some trouble.

After he entered the game, the double-teaming was very timely, and he was highly motivated, quick, ruthless, and accurate, giving it his all.

It's not easy for any player to take on two opponents at once, especially when one of the defenders is an aggressive forward who is good at making steals.

They often combine height and agility, making it very difficult for the player with the ball to double-team them.

Sally of the Pistons and McDaniel of the SuperSonics are examples of this type of player.

They are all people that Gan Guoyang needs to pay special attention to during the attack.

On the contrary, Gan Guoyang was unconcerned about those centers and power forwards who backed down him one-on-one.

Whether you're Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, or any other center, Gan Guoyang doesn't particularly care.

It's simply a matter of changing your offensive approach. Whether you rely purely on strength or add some skill, face the basket or back to the basket, turn and jump shot or hook shot, there's bound to be one that suits you.

Gan Guoyang only needs to use his brain to find solutions when facing small forwards like Sally and McDaniel who double-team him.

In the first quarter, Gan Guoyang tried to solve the problem with shooting, but as he said, his shooting was not good tonight. He missed some free throws and three-pointers, and his touch had not yet been restored.

In the 85 playoffs against the Mavericks, Gan Guoyang relied on free throws to build up his shooting touch, and then went all in to defeat the Mavericks.

He can't play like this every game in the regular season; he needs to use more brainpower and skill.

"Sonny, you don't have to rack your brains to think every time you're double-teamed by a rookie, do you?"

Bobby Bellman deliberately provoked Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang scoffed, "Of course not. You don't understand. You can't see things from a dynamic and long-term perspective."

"Shit, with such a short-sighted view, you might as well become president."

Gan Guoyang certainly couldn't explain to Berman that Pippen would develop into a strong defender.

Actually, it wasn't just Pippen; starting from the 1987-1988 season onwards, there were more and more excellent and strong forwards in the league.

Under Gan Guoyang's influence, both forwards and centers started working out intensely to become stronger.

This contributed to the Celtics' decline to some extent.

Because Larry Bird's dominance against increasingly stronger and faster forwards is not as great as it was in the early 80s.

Gan Guoyang will face similar problems in the future.

He is not afraid of the strong defense of a big center, but these fast, tall, and physically strong forwards will definitely cause a lot of trouble for the inside.

Gan Guoyang was certainly prepared for this.

He will not be complacent with his current achievements, but will constantly look to the future, keeping up with and even leading the development of the basketball era.

Four minutes into the second quarter, the score difference between the two sides remained at 10 points.

Gan Guoyang returned to the court, while Pippen remained on the field.

Collins, seeing his good defensive performance tonight, let him play a little longer. Pippen was completely unaware that his two successful double-teams had already caught Forrest's attention.

At that moment, only one thing was on his mind: My back hurts so much.

After two months into the season, it becomes a grueling period for rookie players.

The first 30 games almost exhausted their accumulated energy, and they were like zombies in every game after that.

Aside from a very few exceptional players, even outstanding high draft picks like Miller and Pippen started to endure the game rather than enjoy it.

Pippen has started experiencing back pain recently. He doesn't know why, but his back pain becomes unbearable while driving, forcing him to stop and rest to catch his breath.

The team doctor examined him and said it was just a muscle spasm, and that a massage or some rest would be enough.

Pippen wanted to curse. "I can rest, but I'm either training or playing games. Where am I supposed to rest?"
So he had to see a doctor on his own, take painkillers, and insist on playing the game.

By the late 1980s, many teams still did not pay much attention to injuries, especially to rookies.

Young rookies are all just drudges.

Pioneers who have learned from their mistakes are often the forerunners.

Before the game, Phil Jackson specifically instructed Pippen to double-team Gan Guoyang more often.

"Don't be afraid, be aggressive in your double-teaming, harass him, and make things difficult for him."

Jackson added a special note: "Don't be afraid," after all, Gan Guoyang had just used his elbow to draw blood from Reggie Miller in the previous game.

Pippen wasn't intimidated by this; he knew Forrest Gump's infamous reputation.

But he had also studied Forrest Gump. He told Jackson, "Haven't you noticed that as long as you don't provoke Forrest Gump, he won't hurt anyone? He's different from those Pistons guys. I just need to play good defense; I'm not afraid."

Pippen delivered a good performance.

However, as the game progressed into the second quarter, Pippen's stamina waned, and back pain made his movements somewhat sluggish.

After Gan Guoyang returned to the court, he began to use more agile movement and ball handling to deal with the Bulls' double-teams.

He started moving around actively, setting screens and pick-and-rolls with his teammates, supporting from the high post, and then dropping down to the low post to get the ball.

His positioning is more flexible, rather than rigidly standing in the center.

Meanwhile, Hornacek and Dell Curry spread out and took three-point shots from the outside.

The larger space and more flexible movement make double teams more difficult.

Gan Guoyang received the ball and scored consecutively, while also assisting his teammates twice to score three-pointers.

The young Pippen kept making mistakes, first by fouling on defense and giving away free throws, and then by shooting carelessly on offense, allowing Gan Guoyang to grab the rebound and launch a fast break.

The Trail Blazers went on a 13-5 run, widening the score gap further.

Gan Guoyang completely controlled the rhythm of the game, acting like a commander on the field, arranging the team's offense and defense perfectly.

At this point, Jordan knew things were not going to work out and he had to step up and take over the game.

Three years have passed, how come the gap between the two teams is still so big?

It wasn't just Jordan who wanted to take over the game; Collins himself couldn't stand the team's poor performance either.

During the timeout, he directly told everyone, "Give the ball to Michael, let Michael solve the problem!"

Collins is just that straightforward; his dependence on Jordan is growing deeper and deeper.

Phil Jackson disagreed with Collins' approach, believing that if they strengthened their defense and controlled Agan, they could still fight back even when trailing by 17 points.

If they had kept giving the ball to Jordan, he would have scored the most points in the game, and the Bulls would have lost.

In terms of scoring, Forrest Gump was not afraid of Jordan at all; the two were scoring masters on the same level.

The real difference between the two lies in their control and understanding of the game, as well as their ability to manage their teammates.

"Michael not only has poor judgment of people, but he's also bad at using and managing his teammates."

Jackson thought to himself, this really is a difference in basketball IQ.

Jordan's basketball IQ was reserved only for himself, while Forrest Gump's encompassed all aspects of basketball.

Before the first half was even over, Jackson had already given the Bulls a suspended death sentence.

With that performance tonight, they can't win.

(End of this chapter)