The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 504 Escaping the Cliff
The regional finals are scheduled to be held every two days.

Between the second and third matches, both teams have to fly between their home and away stadiums, leaving the players with very little time to rest and adjust.

After a long physical training session on the afternoon of the 27th, Jack Ramsey gave everyone a good rest on the morning of the 28th, the day of the competition.

Trailing 0-2 in the score, a barrage of negative comments has emerged.

The crushing defeat in the second game, in particular, led many to believe that the Trail Blazers were on their last legs and that their good times were over.

Most Oregon and Portland fans still support the Trail Blazers and believe they can pull off a miraculous comeback.

However, there were also many criticisms and sarcastic remarks. The sports section of The Oregonian has a column dedicated to publishing letters from fans.

After the Trail Blazers' second crushing defeat, the newspaper received letters from fans all over Oregon. The editors picked out some encouraging words and also included some biting satire.

"The Trail Blazers have developed a Forrest Gump dependency. When Forrest can't score, I doubt the rest of the team even know which way their basket is."

"Drexler was like a headless fly on the court. He played in a daze from the first round. His shooting seemed to have regressed to his rookie days. His shooting form was different every time he took a shot. Before each shot, he was thinking about the 'standard shooting form: 1...2...3'."

"The Trail Blazers are playing with a kind of inertia, an inertia built up over the past two seasons. When that inertia is disrupted by strong opponents, their direction changes, and they fall downwards. They no longer have the self-motivation to go upwards."

"What disappointed me the most was Coach Jack. He was spoiled by Forrest Gump and completely lost the sharpness a coach should have. He was at a disadvantage in the matchup against Don Nelson. I couldn't see any adjustments from him. The Trail Blazers have never played so rigidly."

These criticisms were quite sharp, and the Trail Blazers coaching staff and players must have felt uncomfortable seeing them.

But Jack Ramsey brought the newspaper into the locker room and read those words aloud in front of everyone.

At first, everyone looked grim, especially Drexler, who offered the most and harshest criticism.

However, everyone laughed when they read the last comment, which said, "I think Forrest Gump should get a new hairstyle. His hair looks too long, not energetic enough, not aggressive enough, and too feminine."

Gan Guoyang laughed and cursed, "Bullshit! Oregonians are posting all sorts of nonsense these days. My hairstyle is the coolest in the whole league!"

Gan Guoyang's hair has grown a bit long recently because of the intense competition and the back-and-forth travel between home and away games; he hasn't even thought to get a haircut.

Everyone laughed even harder. Gan Guoyang said, "What are you laughing at? You guys are all almost bald, are you jealous of me? Clyde, was it you who climbed up there?"

Drexler shrugged and said, "Don't slander me, Forrest Gump. I'm very happy with my hairstyle."

The jokes in the locker room eased the pre-match tension and helped everyone relax a bit.

Gan Guoyang verbally opposed the criticism in the newspaper, but before the game started, he asked Quentin to bring his hairdressing tools and cut his hair short in the locker room.

Quentin's skills are pretty good. Sometimes when Gan Guoyang doesn't want to go to the barbershop, he asks Quentin to cut his hair.

After getting a haircut, taking a shower, and changing into their jerseys, the entire Trail Blazers team prepared to take the court for the crucial third game.

If they lose again, the Trail Blazers will truly have no hope; no one can come back from a 0-3 deficit.

At 7 p.m., the memorial stadium was packed as usual.

No matter how much the fans express their dissatisfaction, the support at the stadium will never be lacking.

During the playoffs, some teams' home games are not even full – like the Houston Rockets.

During the 1986 Western Conference Finals, many Rockets home games had empty seats.

After all, Houston has many professional basketball teams, and a significant portion of Houstonians aren't very interested in basketball; they prefer watching American football and baseball.

This was the first time Gan Guoyang had felt so secure playing at home.

Over the past three seasons, Gan Guoyang has preferred away games to home games.

This season is different; the Trail Blazers rely more on their home court.

Because of internal instability, the team is prone to morale fluctuations and poor performance when playing away games.

At this point, the value of playing at home becomes apparent, as it becomes the ideal place for players to regain their form.

There's nowhere warmer than home, especially in Portland, where you'll find the best fans in the country.

The criticism in The Oregonian was valid, but fans overlooked two points in their outburst:
First, losing two away games in a series is indeed bad, but it's not hopeless.

The second loss, in particular, did not reflect the true strength of the two teams.

Secondly, the Trail Blazers are, after all, a team with 60 wins in the regular season, the second-best record in the league.

It's difficult to achieve 60 wins by relying solely on momentum; the Trail Blazers still have the drive to improve.

Gan Guoyang, sporting his freshly cut hair, jumped for the ball with Jabbar in the center circle.

The two sides didn't waste any words or engage in pre-game public relations battles; they went straight into the fight—if the Lakers' coach were Riley, there would definitely have been a war of words.

Gan Guoyang won the jump ball, initiating the Trail Blazers' first offensive play.

Learning from the previous game, Gan Guoyang made a cut to the basket on the very first possession of the game.

After receiving a pass from Drexler, he drove to the basket despite being defended by three men. He missed, grabbed the offensive rebound, and went for it again! He scored, drawing a foul from AC Green in the process!
Green shook his head; he sensed something was wrong.

Green is from Oregon, and his performance fluctuates every time he returns to Portland to play.

It's not a pleasant feeling to be at odds with your fellow villagers.

Gan Guoyang made the free throw, and the Trail Blazers did not experience a scoring drought like in the second game, scoring early on.

The Trail Blazers started the first quarter with a high level of defensive intensity, with Drexler stealing the ball from Johnson twice and scoring on fast breaks.

During a defensive play, Drexler blocked James Worthy's shot in mid-air. Gan Guoyang, who got the ball, didn't slow down but passed it to Drexler to launch a fast break and bombard the Lakers' basket.

In the first quarter, the score was 23-35, with the Trail Blazers scoring a whopping 35 points in the quarter, giving them a 12-point lead over the Lakers and establishing an early advantage.

When Nelson used the same tactic again in the second quarter, sending out three guards, Ramsey substituted Gilmore.

Gan Guoyang moved to the outside and guarded Johnson one-on-one, and he guarded him for the entire court, almost never leaving his side.

Gan Guoyang's strong physique, excellent wingspan, and outstanding speed have always been a nightmare for players of average build.

Bernard King once commented that Forrest Gump was a stronger version of George Johnson.

The list of players he strangled includes Bird, Barkley, Aguirre, Dantley, and now Johnson will be added to it.

Gan Guoyang confidently entrusted his back to his teammates, giving the three-second zone to Gilmore, the perimeter defense to Drexler, Korsey, and Porter, and the rebounds to Thompson.

He didn't care about anything else; the Lakers played with three guards, and he just focused on marking Johnson.

When Gan Guoyang started guarding Johnson, Johnson's size advantage against most defenders was completely negated.

His classic back-to-the-basket dribble with his back to the basket becomes useless; could you even push Forrest Gump?
Johnson can only rely on his skillful dribbling, speed, and explosiveness.

But Johnson is not known for his speed and explosiveness, and Gan Guoyang has always been very fast, so defending smaller forwards has never been a problem.

Therefore, Johnson could only rely on continuous dribbling deception, as well as acceleration, passing, and teamwork during transitions to get rid of Gan Guoyang's entanglement.

This meant the Lakers' three guards were almost unable to function in half-court sets, and they could only play in transition. Johnson had to use the acceleration of the drive to shake off Forrest Gump.

But if you're going to play transition offense, why bother with a three-guard lineup? You have Worthy and Green on your roster, why not use them? You're making a three-guard lineup drag two big centers through transition offense, isn't that a waste of time?

Nelson quickly realized something was wrong, but the old man was stubborn and insisted on using three guards in the second half of the second quarter, instructing Scott and Cooper to cut inside, while Duckworth and Edwards would attack the paint.

Because Forrest Gump went to guard Johnson, the Trail Blazers' interior defense was exposed.

Unexpectedly, Gilmore unleashed tremendous energy and held firm in the paint.

He contributed three blocks and five rebounds in the second quarter alone, helping the Trail Blazers withstand the Lakers' comeback attempt.

At halftime, the Trail Blazers not only failed to be caught up, but also extended their lead to 15 points.

Once the Trail Blazers take control of the game and gain the lead, it becomes very difficult for their opponents to recover.

In the third quarter, the Trail Blazers held a 15-point lead, dragging the game into a slow-paced, half-court offense.

Good inside-outside connections, double-teaming, passing, shooting, not double-teaming, Gan Guoyang's one-on-one play.

It can be said that the Trail Blazers' current offensive logic is still only a work in progress.

Ramsey's new approach was only implemented for one season, leaving the Trail Blazers in a state of flux, neither fully developed nor fully improved.

Therefore, they rely on home advantage, morale, and their shooting touch.

In the third quarter, Don Nelson continued to try to close the gap by using a three-guard lineup, but whenever he used three guards, Gan Guoyang was assigned to defend Johnson.

The frontcourt players Gilmore, Thompson, Anderson, and Jones took turns on the court, all with one goal: to defend the paint.

Every player on the Trail Blazers who stepped onto the court contributed, whether it was a defensive play or a rebound.

In the first two games, the Trail Blazers' bench barely contributed, relying entirely on their starters to carry the team.

Back in Portland, Anderson, Hornacek, Curry who shone in the semifinals, and the important Gilmore all contributed their best efforts.

Having weathered the Lakers' comeback attempt in the third quarter, their momentum waned in the fourth. If the Trail Blazers didn't make any mistakes, the Lakers would have no chance.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Lakers 107-121 at home, winning by 14 points and pulling one back in the series, bringing the overall score to 1-2.

After winning the game, Gan Guoyang told Portland reporters in a post-game interview, "See you here for Game 6, guys."

Clearly, Gan Guoyang is absolutely confident of winning the fourth match.

On May 30th, in Game 5, the Trail Blazers crushed the Los Angeles Lakers with a defensive battle.

The Trail Blazers won 85-92 at home, tying the series at 2-2, pulling themselves back from the brink of defeat.

(End of this chapter)