The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 566 The most concise and clear method
Having once again triumphed in the Gan vs. Qiao showdown, Gan Guoyang is no longer satisfied with regular season matchups.

Jordan too.

They longed to meet on the highest stage.

The fans share the same thought.

Following the game between the Trail Blazers and the Bulls, the latest issue of Sports Illustrated featured a cover photo of Jordan and Gan Guoyang facing each other.

And raise a question: When will it be 23 vs 11?

The Bulls still looked somewhat inexperienced, while the Detroit Pistons stood like a mountain in front of Jordan and the Bulls.

Phil Jackson is only in his first season in charge, and there are still many areas where the triangle offense needs improvement.

But the fans can't wait.

Gan Guoyang and Jordan never disappoint fans in their games.

Both players consistently scored high marks and created memorable moments in every match.

As time goes by, those intense and passionate scenes have become less frequent.

Instead, there is an undercurrent of struggle and intense confrontation in the details.

And the offensive and defensive duels between heroes who are superior to others.

The regular season was no longer enough for the two players to showcase their abilities, and they clearly didn't give their all in the games.

Otherwise, how could he have only scored 40-something points?

Other teams and players are naturally unhappy about the growing popularity of the Trail Blazers and Bulls.

After all, the season has only just begun, and 1990 hasn't even arrived yet. How can we be already fantasizing about the Finals in June?

Have you asked other strong teams? Are you Bulls and Trail Blazers really that strong? Are you the only two heroes in the world?

In the Western Conference, the Lakers are second only to the Trail Blazers in terms of record. Don Nelson has built the Lakers into a team entirely around Magic Johnson, with guards as the core of their offense, and they have the most incisive and fluid counter-attacks in the entire league.

In the East, the defending champion Detroit Pistons remain highly competitive, although they have suffered some losses on their roster.

In the 1989 expansion draft, with only eight players allowed to remain, the Pistons were torn between Rick Mahorn and Vinnie Johnson for the last roster spot.

Ultimately, considering the possibility of facing the Trail Blazers in the Finals, the Pistons kept Rick Mahorn on the roster, sacrificing Vinnie Johnson, who was picked up by the Hornets.

The Pistons' backcourt trio was reduced to just their two sharpshooters, and they piled up a bunch of forwards in the frontcourt, all in preparation for Forrest Gump.

Without Vinnie Johnson, it's hard to say whether Thomas and Dumars can withstand Jordan's firepower.

The Trail Blazers, who secured a crucial victory, quickly faltered in their next back-to-back game, losing at home to the visiting Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors unexpectedly overwhelmed the Trail Blazers with their offense and three-point shooting, scoring 127 points and making 6 of 11 three-point attempts, a very high shooting percentage.

It's fair to say the Trail Blazers were defeated by the very style of play they themselves pioneered.

After Adelman left the Warriors, the team brought in former Bucks assistant coach Mike Dunleavy.

Dunleavy previously played and coached under Don Nelson, so he picked up Nelson's backcourt system, building a fast-paced offensive style around Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, and Richmond's backcourt TMC.

Faced with the Warriors' sharp offense, the Trail Blazers' weak backcourt defense was exposed - Hornacek continued to be absent from the game.

Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang and Sabonis both had mediocre performances, while Divac came off the bench and scored a career-high 17 points.

Losing is not a bad thing for the Trail Blazers. After the game, Berman even praised Divac, encouraging him to take an important step in his career.

After that, the Trail Blazers experienced some ups and downs in their performance, and as always, they experienced a slump in form in the latter half of December.

The players are entering their first period of fatigue, especially as this fatigue coincides with injuries and away games.

When Hornacek returned, Terry Porter suffered some minor injury problems, including a contusion of his elbow during practice that caused him to miss two games.

In the four away games before Christmas, the Trail Blazers lost two, bringing their record to 20 wins and 5 losses, still ranking first in the league.

Due to protests from various teams who did not want to play on Christmas Day, the league schedule only arranged one game for this year's Christmas Day games: the Cavaliers vs. the Hawks.

Who the hell would watch this? Needless to say, the ratings hit a record low for Christmas Day viewership in recent years.

Stern had no choice; firstly, no one wanted to fight the Christmas battle and wanted to go home for the holidays.

Secondly, he must take care of smaller teams, giving those teams with insufficient popularity some spotlight and maintaining the balance of the league ecosystem.

Moreover, both the Cavaliers and the Hawks were considered strong teams last season, with the Cavaliers even ranking second in the Eastern Conference.

When scheduling the season, I never expected the Cavaliers to be so brainless, trading away their core guard at the very beginning, causing the team's strength and popularity to plummet.

The Hawks are in a similar situation to the Cavaliers. Last season they were a strong team in the East with 52 wins, but this season they have been getting worse year by year.

Signing Moses Malone didn't propel the Hawks into championship contention; on the contrary, Malone's age meant his effectiveness in the paint diminished. Moses Malone was a mediocre center in every aspect except offense and one-on-one defense.

His average assists per game have consistently been below 2, with a career high of only 1.8, indicating that he has no role in playmaking.

Malone's past dominance in the league relied on his explosiveness and energetic playing style, attacking the opponent's paint throughout the game and causing chaos in the opponent's interior.

He no longer has the same impact he used to have, but his playing style remains unchanged; he still relies on driving to the basket and second-chance opportunities.

As a result, they repeatedly ran into obstacles in front of the new super center and the young inside players.

During the game, you can often see him missing consecutive shots under the basket, or looking helpless after his layup is blocked.

Like the Cavaliers, the Hawks' record has plummeted, and the Eastern Conference will now be dominated by the Pistons, Bulls, and Knicks.

Then there's the rapidly rising Pacers, who defeated the Trail Blazers by 4 points at home in their game against the Blazers after Christmas on December 26, handing the Blazers their sixth loss of the season.

This is the first time the Indiana Pacers have defeated the Trail Blazers since the 1985 season.

For the previous five seasons, the Pacers had never beaten the Trail Blazers because of Forrest Gump's arrival.

The Pacers have now found their new leader, Reggie Miller, who, after two and a half years of honing his skills, has become a tenacious outside shooter.

On the bench, they signed German Schrempf to provide outside firepower, and at center, they acquired Dutch giant Rick Smits.

A rising star team in the Eastern Conference is emerging, and their structure is gradually becoming clear.

For the Trail Blazers, losing is still not a problem, as has been the Blazers' long-standing tradition.

They will try to achieve better results at the beginning of the season to lay a solid foundation for the team.

Starting in December, we conducted more trials in the middle of the season, losing some games to identify problems.

If a trade is needed, then trade; if not, adjust and change your playing style or rotate your players.

After the All-Star Game in February, we need to go all out in the later stages, establish a fixed rotation, and prepare for the playoffs.

Bellman learned most of this process from Jack Ramsey, and now they have indeed discovered some problems.

Their backcourt defense lacks intensity and height; in their recent losses, against the Pacers and the Warriors, they allowed their opponents' outside shooting to flourish.

As the New Year approached, Jerry West spoke with Buckwalt, asking him about the team's backcourt defense.

West had previously considered trading Petrovic, given his $100 million contract, decent offense but terrible defense.

The Trail Blazers' backcourt players, including Curry, Hornacek, and Porter, are all relatively short and thin, while Jerome Cahill is relatively large.

If they could trade Petrovic for a well-proportioned 6'7" forward or guard with strong defense, it would be a huge boost for the Trail Blazers.

After all, the Trail Blazers have enough firepower in the backcourt, but they lack defense. Sanders is good, but he alone is not enough.

Buckwalt shook his head and said, "The team atmosphere is great right now, so a trade is probably not a good option."

“But we should strive for perfection.” West was under no less pressure than anyone else.

As a "traitor" to Los Angeles, he desperately needs the Trail Blazers to succeed this season.

With 1990 fast approaching, their first opponent of the new year was the Los Angeles Lakers.

Buckwalt added, "Have you forgotten, Jerry? I once said that the Trail Blazers are like foxbats; sometimes it's not about precise execution, but about powerful engines. You should ask Forrest Gump; his opinion is very important, and he might have a solution to the perimeter defense problem."

West thought to himself that he really should ask Forrest Gump for his opinion.

The NBA today is not what it used to be. In the past, team managers and owners had absolute power and could change teams however they wanted.

After all, players are assets. I can trade assets around as long as it's compliant with regulations. I can do whatever I want with them. You can take the money as an asset, and I don't care where I send you.

The situation has changed now. Star players are of great importance. It's best to consult the leader before making any trades. If the leader is unhappy, things will get complicated.

For example, when the Bulls traded Klaus for Jordan's friend Oakley, although Jordan ultimately chose to comply, it sowed the seeds for a breakdown in the relationship between Klaus and Jordan.

West didn't want to fall out with Forrest, and besides, the team was doing very well, so he needed to talk to Forrest.

Before West could even ask, Bobby Bellman received the news from Buckwalt and rushed over to talk to West.

He stated frankly that he wanted to keep Petrovic because "he is my only imaginative offensive option on the perimeter, and I can't let him go."

Regarding the perimeter defense issue, Berman said, "It's okay, I'll put Agan at the four and have him help out on the perimeter defense. I'm going to increase his playing time at the start of the new year!"

West thought about it and realized that this seemed to be the simplest and clearest way to solve the problem; transactions were just too troublesome.

So he abandoned the idea of ​​making a trade, which eased his anxiety about losing the game a little.

(End of this chapter)