The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 51 Preemptive Strike
There's some truth to the fact that Gan Guoyang didn't take the other group of opponents in the semifinals seriously.

Because the other winning team was none other than Washington High School. (Note: Historically, Washington High School won the Northern California Division 1 championship in 1982, but lost the final.)
The two San Francisco teams have met again in the final of the Northern California Championship.

This is the third meeting between the two teams recently. Each team won one of the first two matches, and this match will be the decisive battle for both sides this year.

The game was scheduled for February 17th. The Sheraton Hotel, which was bustling with activity just a week ago, was now empty except for the two teams from Beiqiao High School and Washington High School.

The two teams met at the buffet lunch, but neither spoke to the other.

With the decisive battle approaching, the atmosphere remains quite tense.

But if we're talking about the most nervous person, it has to be Quentin Stephenson.

Gan Guoyang scored 40 points in the last game and then racked up 33 points in the second half, which Stephenson saw from the sidelines.

Instead of seeking revenge, he was afraid of facing Gan Guoyang again on the 17th.

The shadow left by the San Francisco conference finals is indeed quite deep. More importantly, it was Stephenson who told Gan Guoyang that Kevin Johnson was going to score 40 points.

Stephenson was just saying something casually, without any ulterior motive. It's normal for players to gossip and spread rumors when they live together.

Who knew that Kevin Johnson wouldn't score 40 points, while Gan Guoyang scored 33 points in the first half, and then dominated the Dragons with 40 points in one game.

Stephenson was sweating bullets watching the game, which caused him to perform poorly in the semifinals, spending half the time on the bench with his coach.

He even secretly hoped that they wouldn't win at all, because if they did, they would have to play against the Water Bell team again, which was unbearable.

However, Washington High School is still quite strong overall. They narrowly defeated their opponent by 2 points and earned the opportunity to compete for the Northern California championship.

Stephenson felt unwell all day on the 17th, and tried to go to the toilet several times but couldn't defecate.

During lunch, the two teams didn't greet each other. After lunch, Stephenson wanted to take the initiative to chat with Gan Guoyang.

To his surprise, Gan Guoyang completely ignored him and went straight back to his hotel room, displaying a completely hostile attitude.

This made Stephenson even more nervous and flustered. During the afternoon warm-up, he told his coach that he was not feeling well and did not participate.

When the game officially started that evening, Stephenson was tormented before the game and thought he might as well say that he was sick.

But he eventually stepped onto the field and prepared to jump for the ball with Gan Guoyang in the center circle—five minutes earlier, he had been vomiting in the locker room toilet.

"Gan, I'm not feeling well today." Before the jump ball, Stephenson confessed to Gan Guoyang.

"I know, just play well in the game." Gan Guoyang didn't intend to provoke Stephenson with trash talk today.

Psychological warfare is all about knowing when to stop; too much is as bad as too little. Once the objective is achieved, that's enough. Ultimately, the outcome of a competition is determined by hard power.

This is the third time the two teams have met. They have no secrets from each other and are old acquaintances. Let's go head-to-head with our pieces.

But while Gan Guoyang's psychological warfare was over, Stephenson's trauma remained. From the start of the jump ball, Quentin seemed rather neurotic.

During the scramble under the basket, Stephenson stood next to Gan Guoyang and muttered, "I've been feeling like I need to poop all day, but I can't. I'm not feeling well, but I still came to the game. I feel like I should participate in such an important game... I'll do my best, but I'm really not in good shape. Gan, you understand, right?"

Yes, I understand.

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post and made a quick turnaround jump shot.

His backheel turn speed is getting faster and faster, even faster than some forwards.

This was something Gan Guoyang trained deliberately, knowing that he would be facing many players who were much taller than him in the future.

"Good shot, that was a beautiful shot, Gan."

Stephenson even praised him; this is called preemptive strike, and you can't hit a smiling face.

I've already praised you, so please stop attacking me with trash talk, okay?

Gan Guoyang hadn't intended to attack Stephenson; he looked tense and focused on defense.

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle at the start.

Washington High School devised a new strategy: instead of using the twin towers to wear down Gan Guoyang, the whole team attacked together, often with three players double-teaming him.

Gan Guoyang was subjected to a relentless barrage of attacks from Washington High School, as well as... Stephenson's "psychological assault."

During a defensive play, Gan Guoyang blocked the opponent's layup, but the ball was not controlled by the Shui Zhong team and instead fell into Stephenson's hands.

Stephenson was unguarded and made an easy layup under the basket, scoring two points—his first points of the night.

"Sorry, Gan, I picked it up." After scoring, Stephenson explained that he had picked up two points. Gan Guoyang was a little annoyed by him, but there was nothing he could do. Could he scold him?

Washington High School executed their strategy well today; their inside game wasn't completely overwhelmed by Gan Guoyang.

The Water Bell team had many opportunities on the outside, with Xu Xun, Chen Xing, and Franklin all scoring.

However, none of them possessed Gan Guoyang's explosive scoring ability; their attacks were sporadic and they couldn't create a significant scoring gap.

Gan Guoyang was really targeted this time, and his shooting touch wasn't very good tonight.

Perhaps his luck ran out in the last game, as he missed several three-point shots, almost making them.

"Oh, so close, what a pity, Gan."

Stephenson tried to comfort Gan Guoyang, but Gan Guoyang only heard sarcasm.

But looking at Stephenson's round head and cautious demeanor, Gan Guoyang knew that the guy wasn't mocking him.

This is fucking annoying!
Fortunately, even if the offense falters, Gan Guoyang still has a solid defense – defense doesn't lie.

Both teams scored very little in this game, and the score was 25-24 at halftime, with the Water Bell team leading by 1 point.

In the second half, both teams' shooting percentages dropped even further, and the game became a physical battle of missed shots.

The San Jose Civic Auditorium, which was already a bit chilly due to the rain, was filled with steam from the heat emanating from the players.

The stadium for tonight's final was packed with spectators, probably more than the combined audience of the previous days.

Most fans support North Bridge Water Clock, not because there are many Asians in San Jose, but because everyone wants to see Gan Guoyang, this amazing kid, make it to the California Finals.

The intense match left the players drenched in sweat, and Gan Guoyang kept wiping his face with a towel during timeouts.

The only one who didn't sweat much was Quentin Stephenson—he didn't exert much effort, but he seemed to perform quite well.

In the final stages of the game, Washington High School scored on a fast break, bringing the score to 44-44, a tie.

With just over ten seconds left in the game, Berman called a timeout to plan the final attack.

The Water Bell team had practiced this game-winning tactic countless times, and this time they finally put it to use.

Bellman devised a tactic where Gan Guoyang would hold the ball high in the post, attract the defense, and then hand the ball to Franklin for a layup.

As insurance, Chen Xing and Xu Xun were lurking in the corner, along with opportunities to grab offensive rebounds.

The final shot that decided the Northern California championship.

When Gan Guoyang saw Quentin Stephenson approaching, he quickly said, "Don't say anything, Quentin, I'll just score the winning goal."

“Oh, that’s great.” Stephenson wasn’t angry at all; instead, he flattered Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang remained unaffected by any emotions and tactically received the ball after the referee blew the whistle.

The tactic of having the center come out to receive the ball in crucial moments was not very common in that era.

Gan Guoyang is the most consistent ball handler on the Shuizhong team. After receiving the ball, he dribbles to the free throw line on his own.

The Washington High School team double-teamed Franklin, who cut around from the other side using a screen, and Gan Guoyang made a through pass to Franklin.

Franklin received the ball, accelerated, and drove to the basket! His layup was interfered with; the ball bounced a few times on the rim before finally rolling out.

No entry.

Quentin Stephenson was about to grab a rebound when a huge force came from behind, preventing him from jumping.

It was Gan Guoyang. He rushed into the basket almost at the same time as Franklin. He flew up while the ball was still in the air and then dunked the ball that had rolled out of the basket!
Goal! Water Clock team takes the lead 46-44 in the final moments!

Washington High School was given only one second.

Quentin Stephenson watched Gan Guoyang raise his arms in celebration and leaned over to say something.

Gan Guoyang said, "Quentin, I'm not feeling well today, please let me go."

"Oh, I just wanted to congratulate you..."

"I'm scared of you! The game isn't over yet!"

(End of this chapter)