The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 495 The Journey to Defend the Title
The new labor agreement was officially signed in April 1988.

At this point, the NBA regular season was drawing to a close, the standings in the East and West were becoming clearer, and the brutal playoffs were about to begin.

The 1987-1988 season was a turbulent one, with changes occurring in the landscape of both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

The rule of the eastern Celts was already crumbling.

However, relying on the reliable combination of the frontcourt Big Three plus Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson, the Celtics still achieved a record of 57 wins and 25 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference.

The Detroit Pistons, with a record of 56 wins and 26 losses, followed closely behind, having won one more game than last season.

After a disappointing Finals appearance last season, the Pistons are full of fighting spirit this year and determined to make another run for the championship.

Compared to last season, the Pistons played more aggressively and brutally, and the nickname "Bad Boy" began to spread throughout the league.

The third-ranked team in the Eastern Conference is the Washington Bullets, with a record of 53 wins and 29 losses.

After acquiring Moncrief in a trade, the Bullets finally filled the last gap in their roster.

This unusual team, composed of old, weak, sick, and disabled players of varying heights and builds, displayed formidable fighting power in the second half of the season, defeating strong opponents one after another and showcasing their defensive prowess to the fullest.

They are also a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.

From fourth to eighth are the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks, respectively.

Jordan led the Bulls to a record of 50 wins and 32 losses.

This is Jordan's best regular season record and highest ranking since joining the Bulls.

While Gan Guoyang was aiming for a three-peat, Jordan was still striving to reach the conference finals.

This year, their opponent is once again the Atlanta Hawks.

Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan are about to face off in another Slam Dunk Contest.

In the Western Conference, the Lakers finished first in the league with a record of 62 wins and 20 losses.

This marks the Lakers' fourth consecutive season with 60 wins, setting a new NBA record for the longest winning streak in a regular season.

This demonstrates the Lakers' talent and their dominance in the regular season.

However, the Portland Trail Blazers followed closely with a record of 60 wins and 22 losses, achieving 60 wins for three consecutive seasons, making them a major concern for the Lakers.

甘国阳赛季结束，打满了82场，以场均31.8分14.7个篮板球4.4次助攻4.3封盖2.1次抢断完成了他生涯第四个赛季。

His 4.4 assists, 4.3 blocks, and 2.1 steals were all career highs.

With 14.7 rebounds, Gan Guoyang hit a career low, but he is still the league's number one rebounder.

The decrease in rebounds is partly due to the rise of players like Drexler and Korsey, which have taken away some of the rebounding data.

Another reason is that the overall pace of the league's offense and defense has slowed down, with fewer possessions and shot attempts, resulting in fewer rebounds.

His individual performance remains impeccable. After the All-Star Game, Gan Guoyang frequently exerted his strength, leading the team to a 10-game winning streak and an 8-game winning streak, achieving 60 wins for the third time in four years.

Of course, many of the games were won very narrowly, dragging on until the very last moment, where Gan Guoyang's individual ability, defense, and key shots secured the victory.

The Trail Blazers were no longer as composed as they were in 1986, nor as invincible in one-on-one situations as they were in 1987. The team's progress was difficult, but they were also determined.

Due to the divisional ranking rules, the 60-win Trail Blazers have once again moved up to third place in the Western Conference.

The Dallas Mavericks are second in the Western Conference with a record of 54 wins and 28 losses.

They will face the Seattle SuperSonics, the seventh seed in the Western Conference, again in the first round.

It's true that enemies are destined to meet. Last season, the Mavericks suffered a first-round upset by the SuperSonics, and this year they have the chance for revenge.

The Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, and the two teams will meet in the first round.

The Houston Rockets, ranked sixth in the Western Conference, will face the Trail Blazers in the first round.

In just two seasons, their former Western Conference Finals opponent has fallen to the bottom half of the bracket.

The San Antonio Spurs, without David Robinson, are ranked eighth.

Last year they were vying for the number one draft pick, but without him, the Spurs have made it back to the playoffs.

However, the Spurs are clearly not content with being the eighth seed in the West, because they will most likely be cannon fodder in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers.

This summer, the Spurs will finally have the leader they need, and they will quietly await the arrival of David Robinson.

It's worth noting that Rick Adelman's first season coaching the Warriors was not successful. He led the team to only 23 wins, and the Warriors went from being a playoff team the previous season to tanking and vying for a lottery pick.

Many of the things Adelman learned in Portland didn't work in Oakland.

Moreover, his long-term collaboration with Forrest Gump led Adelman to subconsciously believe that centers should all be like that.

As a result, Joe Barry Carroll was far inferior to Gan Guoyang in both ability and attitude.

Ultimately, Carroll was traded, and the acquired Sampson failed to meet the Warriors' expectations—the impact of injuries on him was devastating.

During team training, Adelman realized that Sampson could no longer play like he used to.

Not to mention becoming a super center like Forrest Gump, dominating the team's interior defense.

The Rockets were equally disappointed after acquiring Carroll, and the talented center completely lost his fighting spirit after arriving in Houston.

他的得分、篮板都来到了职业生涯新低，他从一个20+8的7尺明星中锋，退化成了12+6的蓝领内线。

The twin towers of the rocket, which once brought people endless hope and aspirations, have officially collapsed.

The Rockets, who managed to secure sixth place in the Western Conference during the regular season thanks to their previous performance, were soundly defeated by the Trail Blazers in the first round.

Hakeem Olajuwon scored 31 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots in the game, but Gan Guoyang scored 40 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and blocked 6 shots in the first game, leading his team to a big victory over the Rockets at home and officially starting the team's title defense.

In the second game, the Trail Blazers gave the Rockets no chance at home, winning 98-105, a 7-point advantage, and taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

Hakeem Olajuwon scored 40 points at Memorial Stadium in this game.

His individual attack power became increasingly formidable, but it was useless; the gap in strength between the two sides could not be bridged by 40 points.

In the third game, back in Houston, Olajuwon and Lloyd exploded together, combining for 70 points, finally defeating the Trail Blazers and securing a victory.

In the past few years, Gan Guoyang has swept his opponents in the first round of the playoffs, giving them no chance whatsoever.

The Trail Blazers' dominance isn't as terrifying this year.

They lacked their former ferocity on the defensive end, and while they tried to tighten up, they couldn't quite manage it.

The variation defense that suffocated opponents last season is no longer as effective.

The reason for all of this is that the team's focus is declining.

The locker room was filled with arguments, reconciliations, more arguments, and more reconciliations throughout the season.

The Trail Blazers are like a studious but averse-to-studying student. With the encouragement of teachers and parents, they can do well in their studies, but they tend to fall behind as soon as they relax even a little.

Over the course of six long months, with repeated collapses and constant encouragement, and with a superstar providing support, they stumbled and struggled their way to the playoffs.

After the game, Gan Guoyang once again lost his temper in the locker room, demanding that the Rockets not be allowed to score more than 100 points in the next game.

This season, Gan Guoyang has lost his temper more times than in the previous three seasons combined.

There's no other way. When you get to this point, you have to force yourself to do it, grit your teeth and move forward, and get into the zone.

In the fourth game at the Summit Arena in Houston, Gan Guoyang and Drexler combined for 81 points, paying tribute to Gan Guoyang himself.

Gan Guoyang limited Hakeem Olajuwon to 24 points, leading his team to a 121-95 victory over the Rockets on the road, advancing to the semifinals with a 3-1 series win.

Hakeem Olajuwon ended the 1987-1988 season with deep disappointment.

In 1986, he almost knocked the Trail Blazers and Forrest Gump to the ground, but now he can only be defeated in the first round.

He felt that the gap between himself and Forrest Gump was widening.

After this series, Bill Fitch was fired by the Rockets' management.

This summer, Olajuwon devoted his time to training facilities and mosques, and he decided to convert to Islam in order to seek inner peace.

In 1988, in Game 4 of the first round, we suffered a crushing defeat to the Trail Blazers, ending our season.

After leaving the stadium, I didn't go home. Instead, I drove to the mosque I had passed by before. Once, when I was drunk, Forrest Gump and Drexler took me there. I was surprised to find that there was a mosque near the stadium.

At that time, I believed that there must be some kind of connection between it and me. It was destined to appear there and let me meet it, not too early and not too late, just when I was most confused.

I went that night and stayed until morning, and then I went there all summer to calm the turmoil in my heart.

—Excerpt from Hakeem Olajuwon's autobiography, *Living The Dream*, published in 1996.

(End of this chapter)