The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 538 Security

The Trail Blazers entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, 85-75.

A 10-point lead isn't a sure thing, but it becomes very difficult for the Spurs to come back when Robinson has to sit out due to a foul.

Robinson rested on the bench, and Larry Brown substituted him with backup center Frank Blikowski.

Last season, with no reliable center available, Blikowski was one of the Spurs' few options in the paint, averaging 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

It was with the Spurs that his performance improved significantly compared to before, because there was simply no one else available in the paint.

In 87, Blikowski played one season with the Lakers, and West wanted to use him as a replacement for Kirk Rambis.

Of course, the final result was the same: they were both knocked away by Gan Guoyang.

As a white center, Blikowski played a very cunning game.

At the start of the fourth quarter, he drew an offensive foul from Gan Guoyang in the paint.

Gan Guoyang pushed in from the low post, and the opponent fell backward, and the referee blew the whistle.

The referees were really favoring the Spurs tonight; this was Gan Guoyang's third foul.

Possession changed, Maxwell hit a three-pointer, and then the referee called two dribbling violations on Porter.

These three hot-headed referees seem determined to challenge the Trail Blazers.

Taking advantage of the Trail Blazers' consecutive fouls and turnovers, the Spurs went on a 6-0 run, narrowing the gap to just 4 points.

Bellman wanted to call a timeout, but Gan Guoyang gestured for him to wait.

He ran to the right baseline to receive the ball, and pulled up to shoot before the double team could close in.

The Trail Blazers breathed a sigh of relief after hitting a mid-range shot.

Gan Guoyang didn't argue with the referee; when it came to the crucial moment, he needed to stay focused.

Then, on the defensive end, Gan Guoyang suddenly attacked, joining Mike Sanders in double-teaming Elliott.

Elliott's pass was delayed, and he tried to draw a foul, but he was double-teamed and blocked, and the referee did not blow the whistle.

Sanders intercepted the ball; the Trail Blazers' frontcourt defense is still very strong.

During the counterattack, Gan Guoyang broke through the middle, received a pass from Sanders, quickly jumped up, and dunked with his left hand!

David Robinson tried to catch up, but it was too late; he could only watch as Gan Guoyang scored.

When the point difference returned to 8, it wasn't Bellman who called a timeout, but Larry Brown.

With eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Berman replaced the well-performing Sanders with Petrovic.

This was a risky substitution, bringing on Petrovic, who had struggled to dribble past half-court in the first half, at such a crucial moment.

Once the backcourt makes a mistake, the 8-point lead can vanish in an instant.

Adelman reminded Bellman, "This is risky; we've already rotated 11 players tonight."

In the first few games of the regular season, Bellman used an 11-man rotation. So far in this game, only Mason, who is at the end of the bench, has not played.

Berman said, "I know that these kinds of games are only valuable for players to play and develop. Playing them during garbage time is meaningless except for killing time."

"What if we lose?"

"Losing? Blame it on Forrest Gump. He's the team leader. If we don't blame him, who else can we blame?"

Bellman was perfectly justified; with Gan Guoyang around anyway, he could blame Gan Guoyang for the loss.

Adelman found this very reasonable and stopped commenting.

Indeed, with Gan Guoyang providing support, other players can have more opportunities to develop.

Otherwise, if they rely on the same starting lineup as last season, how far can they go in the new season?

Sabonis and Petrovic both came on at crucial moments.

The Trail Blazers used a lineup of Sabonis, Petrovic, Gan Guoyang, Kersey, and Hornacek.

Porter and Sanders were substituted for a short rest, and the responsibility of controlling the ball fell on Petrovic's shoulders again.

In the first half, his first pass was disrupted by Wingate's defense, so it's impossible to say that his physical strength would immediately improve in the second half.

However, Petrovich was smart; he knew he had teammates and could rely on their strength.

After the Spurs timeout, David Robinson returned to the game.

Through a pass on the outside, Cheeks got a mid-range opportunity in the left corner and made the shot.

89:83, the score difference has been narrowed to 6 points.

Petrovic dribbled the ball up the court and called for Sabonis to come and screen for him, using Sabonis's massive frame to block the defender.

He then accelerated through the half-court and quickly cut into the middle, then completed a pick-and-roll with Gan Guoyang, cutting into the basket and drawing Robinson's defense. He then made a bounce pass to Gan Guoyang, who easily dunked the ball.

The Spurs attempted to disrupt the Trail Blazers' offense with a full-court press, but Petrovic repeatedly used screens to break through the Spurs' defense and score easily.

91:83, still an 8-point difference.

The play was executed beautifully, and Larry Brown, furious, started yelling from the sidelines again, criticizing his players for their lack of defensive focus. In Brown's view, Cheeks' defense was far from his peak level with the Philadelphia 76ers; as a 33-year-old All-Defensive First Team guard, he couldn't match the intensity he once possessed.

Neither side managed to score in the following rounds, with both sides displaying intense defensive pressure. Gan Guoyang missed two three-point attempts.

However, Petrovic and Sabonis held up on the defensive end, with Gan Guoyang constantly directing and guiding them from behind, telling them how to move and where to mark their opponents.

The Trail Blazers' backcourt duo of Whites isn't strong enough in perimeter defense, but Sabonis guards Robinson under the basket, and Gan Guoyang can pull out to help with the defense.

With Gan Guoyang there, Petrovic and Jonathan can close in and defend closely. Even if they are out of position, it doesn't matter. Just increase the intensity, and there will be someone to cover for them from behind.

Incidentally, Gan Guoyang was also able to keep an eye on Terry Cummins, delivering a big block from behind during a defensive play.

Cummins had no choice but to finish the attack with a mid-range shot, but at this point his mid-range shot was clearly not working.

With four crucial minutes remaining in the game, Berman called a timeout, substituting Petrovic and Sabonis for Porter and Thompson.

In the final moments, we still need to use our main lineup to finish the game.

After the timeout ended, the Trail Blazers, who hadn't scored yet, passed the ball to Gan Guoyang.

David Robinson held off Gan Guoyang from behind, while Cummins came over to double-team him.

Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball away and made a through pass to the basket.

That pass was dangerous; the Spurs' defense rotated, and they almost intercepted it.

But thanks to the long-standing tacit understanding between Thompson and Gan Guoyang, Thompson still managed to get the ball first and scored two points with a layup.

The point difference has returned to 10 points.

On the Spurs' side, Robinson didn't dare to go one-on-one against Gan Guoyang.

After receiving the ball at the high post, he passed it to Maxwell.

Maxwell breaks through and passes to Robinson, who cuts to the basket. Robinson drives to the basket, and Gan Guoyang dodges, allowing Robinson to score.

He knew that according to tonight's standards, if you blocked him, the referee would call a foul.

As a result, Robinson's layup attempt missed, but Cummins grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback.

Robinson's finishing ability needs improvement. He often drives to the basket, but if he can't dunk, he just stiffly slams his left hand onto the backboard, lacking more refined finishing skills.

The Spurs played very hard and defended another Trail Blazers attack. On the counterattack, Cheeks made a strong drive and passed to Robinson.

Robinson received the ball and drove to the basket, but Gan Guoyang blocked it. Robinson then grabbed the ball, drove again, and scored with a layup.

This kid's impact is really strong, and his aggressive playstyle suits him well. It reminds Gan Guoyang of how he was when he first entered the league, which was to attack from the mid lane.

Now Gan Guoyang attacks less from the middle, and he plays more calmly, showing more of a general's demeanor.

During defense, Gan Guoyang refrained from making any further moves to avoid being blew the whistle by the referee and being forced off the field.

The Trail Blazers received the ball at the horns position and facilitated the play, disrupting the Spurs' defense with a back-cut.

As a result, Gan Guoyang suddenly pulled up for a mid-range jumper and scored two points.

Before Robinson could react, the ball had already flown out and landed accurately in the basket.

Gan Guoyang has already scored 39 points. He is very efficient and can always step up and score in crucial moments.

Time ticked by, and the score difference remained around 8 points, making the Spurs increasingly impatient.

At this point, the referees stopped blowing the whistle easily, and the Trail Blazers tightened their defense, giving the Spurs outside shooters opportunities, but they couldn't make the shots.

The intense defense throughout the game affected the players' offensive stamina, resulting in a decrease in their outside shooting accuracy.

The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, had an 11-man rotation, so their starters had plenty of energy and played with ease on the court.

If the Spurs don't score, the Trail Blazers can stall for time and then throw out a last shot; it doesn't matter if it misses.

The Spurs scored, Gan Guoyang received the ball, made a wide pass to the weak side, and Kexi received the ball and hit a mid-range shot.

They still have an 8-point advantage.

As the game progressed, time seemed to fly by, and the Spurs' chances of winning dwindled.

Elliott's drive and shot didn't even touch the rim; it bounced off the backboard.

The referee also called an offensive foul on him for colliding with Kossie.

Next, Gan Guoyang received the ball after a screen, drove towards the basket, used a crossover to get past Robinson, and then slammed the ball in with both hands!

With 41 points, the Trail Blazers led 101-93, an 8-point advantage, with just over 40 seconds left. The game was essentially over.

Cheeks finally hit a mid-range shot, but it had no impact on the game.

The Trail Blazers secured a high-quality, hard-fought victory, winning 101-95.

For the first time, the Trail Blazers' rookies experienced firsthand what a true superstar and team leader is.

He can lead you to victory, and if you lose, he can take the blame. Playing with him gives you a great sense of security.

(End of this chapter)