The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 50 was not my intention.

"...I remember that game vividly. At the start of the second half, Forrest Gump came to me and said that he only scored 7 points in the first half because he didn't want to. I said that was just him comforting himself, and he said no, it was a warning to me."

I was only 15 years old at the time, and I thought to myself, "Oh no, I'm in trouble." Actually, I've never really cared much about trash talk. Most people's trash talk is just bragging and rambling, a way of venting, nothing serious.

But Gan is different. Every word he says must be carefully designed, part of his vast trap, the ingenious mechanism that triggers it.

Of course, I only figured this out much later, and Gan was only 16 at the time. Honestly, if Gan had run against me for mayor in 08, I would have stepped down as his assistant and helped him get to governor or even higher.

————————Excerpt from an interview conducted by Kevin Johnson in 2017 after he finished his term as mayor of Sacramento.

Although Gan Guoyang has only played basketball for a short time, he has been exposed to basketball for quite some time.

From the very first time he actually played, Gan Guoyang made great use of his brain, rather than just relying on his cyborg-like physique.

Besides using trash talk as a psychological tactic, Gan Guoyang is also exploring his own playing style through match after match.

Many players don't start thinking about their playing style until they are 20 or even 25 years old.

Most young players play according to their own imagination, preferences, talents, or the coach's guidance.

For example, if a player likes Magic Johnson, admires his fancy passing and dribbling, he might try to do the same on the court.

In fact, his most suitable position is probably center, and his style is defensive blue-collar.

For example, a player might follow the coach's instructions to play shooting guard and prioritize scoring.

But after changing coaches, they believed he was better suited to playing point guard, which allowed his talent and style to be truly brought to the fore.

This requires a relatively long period of accumulation and exploration, players need to have a real reflection on their skills and basketball career, and they also need some luck to meet a master to guide them.

Gan Guoyang is special. His self-reflection far surpasses that of the average high school student, and his observation and accumulation of knowledge about the game are much more meticulous than those of the average player.

In the early days when his offensive techniques were not yet fully developed, Gan Guoyang made good use of offensive rebounds, a simple and direct approach that proved highly effective.

But Gan Guoyang gradually discovered that being overly obsessed with offensive rebounds had two problems: first, it affected the defense and allowed for fast breaks; second, it was sometimes inefficient and would be targeted by disciplined teams.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang did not have the same obsession with offensive rebounds as Moses Malone. Instead, he focused on grabbing key offensive rebounds based on the situation and the opponent, improving efficiency and reducing energy waste.

In terms of defense, in addition to creating a tense atmosphere of "I will block every one of your shots", Gan Guoyang will formulate defensive strategies based on the actual situation.

He understands that you can't block every shot the opponent makes, but you can effectively disrupt every offensive play.

He will focus on defense, allow certain players to attack when necessary, pay close attention to rebounding, and be adept at directing his teammates' movements.

His teammates can reach things that his arms can't reach; his eyes and mind are faster than others.

Gan Guoyang was even able to participate in the formulation of the team's tactics and strategies, and he also had a strong influence on Berman.

During the pre-match meeting with the Dragons, Gan Guoyang and Berman discussed how to play the game.

Bellman believed that the Dragons were fast, and the Waterbell should slow down, use a zone defense to hold off the opponent's offense, and then rely on the offense of Agan and Franklin to defeat the opponent.

This is the game strategy that Shui Zhong has used most often throughout his career. It suits the characteristics of the players, and everyone is very familiar with this style.

However, Gan Guoyang has a different opinion. He believes that the Dragons are very different from other teams because of Kevin Johnson.

This little cannon's ability to break through defenses is something that most high school teams' zone defenses simply can't withstand. Whether it's Chen Xing or Xu Xun, they would be blown away.

The Waterbell team's perimeter defense has never been effective against speedy guards; their footwork is too slow.

Gan Guoyang must plug the leaks at this point, and at the same time, he must give up some of the comprehensive protection of the area under the basket, which will render the zone defense ineffective.

Therefore, they simply abandoned the zone defense and switched to man-to-man defense, with Gan Guoyang and Xu Xun working together to suppress Johnson and prevent the leader from making his mark.

Johnson is not the kind of point guard who organizes the offense; he needs to execute his own offense and lead the whole team in a frenzied attack to overwhelm the opponent.

If he struggles to score, even if he gets a lot of assists, it won't help the team as much as it would be if he scored directly. This is determined by the player's style.

Since they've abandoned the zone defense, their offense must go head-to-head with the dragons, focusing on speed rather than slowly grinding down their position.

After some thought, Bellman decided to follow Gan Guoyang's advice and fight according to this strategy.

As a result, the first half went well, with Shui Zhong scoring 40 points, their highest half-game score since the team was formed.

While the Dragons' offense appeared smooth, it lacked explosiveness without Kevin Johnson's strong performance.

They were suppressed by the Water Bell team from start to finish, and being two or three points behind was very difficult for them.

The strong and fast Franklin scored 20 points in the first half, and he is currently the Dragons' head coach's biggest headache in terms of scoring.

During halftime in the locker room, the Dragons' head coach repeatedly instructed that they must keep a close eye on Franklin and not let him score easily again.

They completely overlooked Gan Guoyang, the top scorer of Beiqiao Middle School, assuming that he was not in good form today, or that their defense was already excellent enough.

Gan Guoyang was just waiting for the right opportunity. He realized that instead of fighting hard in the first half, it would be better to make a decisive move at the start of the second half.

The third quarter, which is the beginning of the second half, is often the quarter with the most changes and the most opportunities to establish a game advantage.

The first half is a phase of testing the waters and finding one's rhythm. During halftime, players can recover their energy to some extent and then summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the first half, making targeted changes. In the second half, whoever adjusts well will be able to deliver a fatal blow to the opponent.

Therefore, this stage is often the most intense, and if the two sides are evenly matched, the suspense will be left until the end.

Gan Guoyang didn't want to leave the suspense until the end; he had already figured out the Dragons' defensive tactics in the first half.

After the inbound pass, Gan Guoyang received the ball at the top of the key, while Franklin called for the ball in the low post. They executed this offensive play several times in the first half, with the two combining in the high and low post, allowing Franklin to attack the basket repeatedly and score.

This time, the Dragons clearly tightened their defense, but Gan Guoyang didn't pass the ball. Instead, he took a long-range jump shot and made it.

This shot surprised the Dragons; this guy could actually shoot from long range.

After scoring, Gan Guoyang said to Kevin Johnson, "Didn't expect me to be able to shoot from long range? And you, a guard, don't seem to know how to shoot very well."

Gan Guoyang did not miss the opportunity to put pressure on Johnson.

On the sidelines, Bellman watched Gan Guoyang shoot and thought of that guy Laimbeer, who also liked to shoot from the outside.

Kolanbil was lazy, while Gan Guoyang was accurate and had a good offensive strategy.

When Gan Guoyang made three consecutive long-range shots from almost the same spot, the Dragons' coach couldn't sit still anymore.

How the hell is this big guy so accurate with his shots? He had to call a timeout and change his defensive strategy.

But how can we change it? In the 80s, it was already a relatively uncommon tactic for big men to shoot from the outside.

I can tolerate you throwing in one occasionally, but what if you try to kill me?

But judging by Gan Guoyang's attitude, he could really throw you to your death.

The Dragons' center had to closely guard them.

The problem arises with close marking, as Gan Guoyang also has some ability to dribble and break through defenses.

His long hours of dribbling practice paid off; his 6-foot-9 height made it easy for him to get the ball and he was not easily dispossessed.

His strong physique allows him to drive to the basket and score a layup or draw a foul, even though his dribbling skills aren't particularly outstanding.

He charged into the paint from the middle like a bulldozer, scoring layups in quick succession, and even a three-man encirclement couldn't take the ball from him.

The referee called fouls repeatedly, and Gan Guoyang stepped to the free-throw line, making consecutive free throws—in just four minutes, he had already scored 14 points.

This sudden scoring surge gave the Water Bell team a 10-point lead, and the balance of victory quickly tilted in their favor.

The Dragons' coach shook his head on the sidelines, realizing how careless they had been.

In high school competitions, the players' tactical awareness is not that high, and some players' abilities are not quite up to par.

Therefore, coaches often face a tough challenge when encountering a particularly talented but difficult player.

The best solution in this situation is if you also have a talented player on your team.

The dragon's talent undoubtedly lies in Kevin Johnson.

But in the second half, Xu Xun continued to stick to Kevin Johnson like a madman, while Gan Guoyang lurked like a wolf, ready to pounce and bite you at any moment.

Johnson was in a very difficult and broken state. In one offensive play, he finally couldn't stand Xu Xun's entanglement anymore and elbowed Xu Xun away, sending Xu Xun flying out of bounds.

The referee called a flagrant foul on him, but both sides remained relatively calm and no conflict broke out. The Dragons were awarded two free throws and possession, and Gan Guoyang went to the free throw line to continue scoring.

He has already scored 23 points, and there is no sign of his momentum waning; on the contrary, he is becoming more and more aggressive.

Gan Guoyang's jump shot at the high post against the defense missed, but after landing, he immediately rushed into the paint, stole the ball among three Dragons players, and then quickly jumped up and made a close-range jump shot.

The series of movements were fluid and seamless, giving the opponent no chance to react or defend.

"I've got 25 points now, do you think I'll get 40, Kevin?"

Gan Guoyang's pressure on Kevin Johnson is not over; it has only just begun.

The Water Bell team's teammates also cooperated very well, passing the ball to Gan Guoyang, which was the most efficient way to attack.

Franklin drew the defense during his drive and delivered a high lob pass to the basket, where Gan Guoyang leaped high, caught the ball, and slammed it home with both hands!
This is Gan Guoyang's 30th point. During halftime, he told his teammates that he wanted to score 40 points.

The point difference widened to 15 points, and the Giant Dragons couldn't withstand Gan Guoyang's fierce offensive onslaught.

This is a complete defeat in a clash of cores; the water clock can lock your core, but you cannot lock the water clock's core.

High school teams are prone to collapse, and in order to stop Gan Guoyang from scoring, the Giant Dragons began to surround and block Gan Guoyang, even resorting to fouls.

However, once he reached the foul limit, Gan Guoyang would simply give him points whenever he stepped to the free-throw line—Gan Guoyang practiced at least 200 free throws every day, even on his rest days.

In a defensive play with one minute remaining, Gan Guoyang once again blocked Kevin Johnson's drive, then took possession of the ball and dribbled forward on a fast break.

With no one to stop him, he drove straight to the basket and effortlessly slammed home a dunk, bringing his 40 points to a perfect close.

Kevin Johnson stood with his hands on his hips in the backcourt, his expression one of utter despair. He never expected that his unintentional boast would result in such a severe retaliation.

However, after the game, Gan Guoyang took the initiative to shake hands and hug Kevin Johnson, and said: "Sorry, I got into the zone and couldn't stop. 40 points was not my intention. You need to practice your mid-range and long-range shooting. That will make you more difficult to defend, instead of being taken down by two people."

The grudges and rivalries between the young players on the court are easily forgotten. Johnson hugged Gan Guoyang and said, "I know. Please bring the championship back to Northern California."

"I will. Glory belongs to Northern California."

Their conversation made it sound as if the two teams were having a championship battle in Northern California, and the winner would go to Los Angeles to compete for the California championship.

They completely disregarded the other group of opponents in the semifinals.

(End of this chapter)