The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 498 Half a Core
As the playoffs progressed, Gan Guoyang found his form.

Throughout the entire season, he prepared for the playoffs, and no matter how the team went through ups and downs, his goal never wavered.

Whether it's the trade rumors surrounding Sterling or the leak of information that the Trail Blazers are going to be sold—Weinberg and Gan Guoyang suspect it might be related to Sterling, who wants to create turmoil to poach players from the Trail Blazers, but there is no concrete evidence.

In any case, none of this could shake Gan Guoyang's determination to move forward.

In the first game against the Mavericks, when he started hitting some incredible shots, he knew he was getting into his rhythm.

He wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by; he kept attacking the Mavericks' basket, dismantling their defense with each basket.

The Mavericks actually played very well, extremely well, especially Sam Bowie's defense, which was very effective.

Both he and Lambis were defeated by Gan Guoyang, especially Lambis, who was driven to a mental breakdown by Gan Guoyang.

After joining the Mavericks last season, Rambis gradually recovered from his poor form and formed a reliable frontcourt duo with Sam Bowie.

Bowie never became a superstar; he wasn't even an All-Star.

He was plagued by injuries last season and missed the playoffs.

His absence was a major reason why the Mavericks lost to the SuperSonics in the first round.

This season, Powell finished the regular season healthy and became one of the most reliable rim protectors in the league.

He averages 14.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game, making him the guardian of the Dallas Mavericks' paint.

In several regular season games against the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang, Bo Wei played admirably, unlike his rookie season when he was timid and bewildered after being beaten.

The NBA professional arena is a tough place; if you can get through it, you can transform into a mature and excellent player.

Even if they aren't star players, they will still be a force to be reckoned with on the court.

Those who cannot survive will be eliminated, making way for more capable and promising young people.

Despite being outscored by Gan Guoyang's 53 points in the first game, Bowie was not discouraged. On the contrary, he joked in the locker room interview after the game, saying to reporters, "We kept Gan's score under 60 points, which shows that our defense was quite successful."

Everyone burst into laughter; his attitude was quite good.

Rambis patted Bowie on the shoulder from behind, thinking that if he had had this mentality when he was with the Lakers, he wouldn't have been beaten so badly that he cried.

Rambis's breakdown was not only related to his own mindset, but also to Pat Riley's high-pressure control.

Riley created a tense atmosphere within the Lakers, putting a heavy psychological burden on everyone's shoulders.

The advantage is that it can help the exceptionally talented Lakers curb their laxity and unleash even greater energy.

The downside is that the players lack relaxation and are prone to collapse if they lose.

Dick Motta was once in a similar situation to Riley, but Motta resigned, and the Mavericks' coach was replaced by former Suns head coach McLeod.

McLeod was more lenient with his players, encouraging them to be bold and take responsibility.

Judging from the regular season and the first round, McLeod's approach has had a good effect.

If McLeod had coached the Mavericks earlier in his career, Dale Ellis would most likely not have left and would have been able to realize his potential in Dallas.

However, everything has two sides. While the high pressure from Riley, Motta, and others can break players, it is necessary to use special methods to squeeze players, even whip them, to reach the highest peak in order to raise the ceiling of players and teams.

Many people who have achieved great things in history, apart from a few exceptionally gifted individuals, were forced into it by circumstances.

Many people can only unleash their superhuman potential when they are under high pressure and in dire straits.

Therefore, Riley and Dick Motta are championship coaches; they have won championships.

McLeod was just a good coach; he even tried to emulate Doug Mo, but ultimately failed.

In the NBA, a coach who has won a championship and a coach who has never won a championship may not differ much in terms of ability, but there will definitely be subtle differences in their team management and mentality.

And this gap may never be bridged.

On May 12, the second match between the two sides continued at the Memorial Stadium.

The Mavericks made adjustments from top to bottom in this game, and seized the initiative from the start with their offense.

Mark Aguirre, Blackman, and Derek Harper, the three outside shooters, fired away in quick succession, outscoring the Trail Blazers 32-24 in the first quarter and taking an 8-point lead.

On the defensive end, the Mavericks didn't hesitate to triple-team Gan Guoyang, with Aguirre, Rambis, and Bowie all preventing him from getting a shot off. Gan Guoyang only managed 6 points on 2-of-7 shooting in the first quarter. Without Gan Guoyang's offensive efficiency, the Trail Blazers' offensive efficiency immediately crumbled.

In the second quarter, the Trail Blazers' offense still failed to improve. In the playoffs, when your inside game is not working, your outside shooting is also likely to be ineffective.

This is 1988, not 2018. As the most pioneering team in the league in terms of tactical thinking, the Trail Blazers are still unable to break free from the constraints of their time.

They still need their inside players to drive the outside game. Once the inside game is open and attracts enough defensive attention, the outside players will have a chance to fire away.

The model of opening up opportunities on the perimeter first, and then creating enough opportunities for the inside players, will not appear for another 20 years.

In the first half, Gan Guoyang made 5 of 11 shots, a shooting percentage of less than 50%, which is far too low for both Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.

But Drexler's shooting percentage was even lower, making only 3 of 10 shots for 8 points, including 0 of 2 from three-point range, leaving the Mavericks completely open for him.

Drexler can be a core player in the regular season, but his role declines in the playoffs due to his inadequate shooting ability.

The Mavericks' defensive strategy against Drexler is simple: allow him to shoot but not drive, and Sam Bowie can also focus on protecting the rim while he's under the basket.

Drexler complained that he wasn't treated as the second core player, but in the Trail Blazers' consistently fair team atmosphere, if he had the ability to be the absolute second core player, it's impossible for everyone not to treat him as such.

Jack Ramsey knew very well that Drexler was only half a core player.

Even without Drexler, the Trail Blazers, led by Forrest Gump, could still have made it to the Western Conference Finals.

If there weren't a super team like the Lakers in the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers would have a 70% chance of making it to the NBA Finals.

But without Forrest Gump and with Drexler leading the team, they would only be eliminated in the first round with their current roster.

In the intense playoff battles, Drexler, as the top perimeter player, failed to adequately address the challenges of high-intensity defense in half-court situations.

Not only is his shooting inconsistent, but his drives to the basket also lack variety.

Some technical details are too crude and rely heavily on speed and impact.

Drexler struggles against big men like Sam Bowie in the paint.

In the first round against the Rockets, Drexler's performance was mediocre, while the Rockets had Olajuwon in the paint.

In the previous two championship seasons, Drexler provided more support than assistance.

Gan Guoyang would often be the one to go first, unleashing a flurry of powerful blows that would leave his opponents in pieces.

At this point, Drexler will step in to clean up the mess; he's quite good at finishing off weakened opponents.

For example, in the game against the Pistons, Gan Guoyang played a series of attacks, knocking out both himself and the opponent's key players. That's when Drexler had his chance to shine.

Once the game isn't over and both sides are on high alert, Drexler has fewer opportunities to exploit weaknesses, and his value is more reflected in supporting roles such as rebounding, playmaking, and steals.

In the third quarter, the Mavericks seemed to anticipate Gan Guoyang's resurgence, and they learned from their experience of being beaten.

This quarter was straightforward: a four-man gank! Bowie, Lambis, Harper, and Aguirre, four men hunting down one opponent.

Even though the Mavericks left their perimeter open and allowed the Trail Blazers to hit several three-pointers, they did not change their defensive strategy.

Their strategy was clear: prevent Forrest Gump from scoring; if anyone else dared to do it, they could kill them.

The Mavericks gradually caught up in the score at the beginning of the third quarter, but they continued to double-team the Mavericks with four players on each side and performed equally well on the offensive end.

The Mavericks have the second-most three-point attempts in the league, second only to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Moreover, the Mavericks increased the pace of the game by a lot, preventing the Trail Blazers from playing a slow-paced half-court game.

The Trail Blazers' offense and defense were both suppressed, and their rhythm was dictated by the nose.

They ultimately lost the game 116-108 at home, a difference of 8 points.

The situation was actually worse than just an 8-point deficit, because the Trail Blazers never managed to turn things around.

The Mavericks have tied the series 1-1, putting the Trail Blazers in a very difficult position.

Gan Guoyang played well in the first game, but his teammates clearly hadn't.

(End of this chapter)