The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 568 The Wall of the Empire
Since entering the league in 1984, Gan Guoyang has consistently had the longest playing time in the league.

During his most singles season in 1986-1987, he averaged 42.6 minutes per game.

He had 2 minutes more than Larry Bird, who was ranked second.

His total playing time was 3493 minutes, 212 minutes more than Michael Jordan, who ranks second.

He can be considered the undisputed number one ironman and number one Sachima in the NBA.

After 87, Gan Guoyang's playing time gradually decreased, with 41 minutes in the 88 season and 40 minutes in the 89 season.

Since the start of this season, Gan Guoyang's playing time has been reduced to 38 minutes, the lowest in his career, because Berman wanted to give Sabonis, Divac, and others more playing time.

But clearly, Bellman wasn't going to let Forrest Gump off the hook so easily.

As the season progresses and the roster and rotations stabilize, Gan Guoyang's playing time will definitely increase.

After moving to the power forward position, Gan Guoyang became irreplaceable on the defensive end. His primary task was to assist the backcourt on the defensive end and control the opponent's backcourt spearhead's offense.

A new generation of NBA guards, such as Reggie Miller, Richmond, and Mullin, are rapidly emerging.

Compared to traditional classic defenders of the past, they are taller, have more advanced playing styles, and are stronger in attacking with the ball than their predecessors.

The Trail Blazers have repeatedly suffered from the lack of a defensive anchor in the backcourt, so without changing the roster, they naturally have to bring out their star player, the Bulls, to fill the gaps.

After the jump ball, the game began. Duckworth won possession in the jump ball, and Johnson orchestrated the Lakers' first offensive play.

Johnson's legs were wrapped in thick blue knee braces. In terms of the number of games played, Gan Guoyang actually faced off against Magic Johnson more often.

Just like how people hyped up the Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson matchup back then, Bird's number one rival in the league was actually Dr. J Kyrie Irving in the East.

The Trail Blazers and Lakers are both in the Pacific Division and play each other five times a year. In the playoffs, they face off against each other. Gan Guoyang won two of his three championships by defeating the Lakers and Johnson, and he also lost twice to Johnson.

Therefore, their relationship off the court was very distant, but on the court they respected each other, constantly studied each other, and witnessed each other's progress.

At 30 years old, Johnson is now a highly skilled and experienced point guard with a strong ability to control the game.

His turnovers per game have decreased further this season, reaching a career low of 3.6.

His scoring has stabilized at around 22 points, and he averages 11 assists per game.

He made fewer steals and grabbed fewer rebounds, focusing more on offensive organization.

In the past, when Drexler was on the court, it was Drexler who guarded Johnson one-on-one.

With Drexler gone, none of the Trail Blazers' starting point guards can match Magic Johnson in terms of height and strength.

On the Lakers' first offensive possession, Johnson dribbled the ball deftly across half-court, observing his teammates' movements.

Terry Porter was guarding Johnson but was unable to put much pressure on Magic Johnson.

Byron Scott moved to the top of the key after a screen, and Johnson made a simple pass to Scott, who caught the ball and hit a mid-range jumper for two points.

Johnson passed the ball very easily. He was standing at a 45-degree angle on the left, and Scott ran to the top of the arc. The two were very close to each other.

Johnson turned sideways and used his butt to block Porter, then gently passed the ball to Scott, leaving Porter unable to steal it.

Porter was then double-teamed by the Lakers. As soon as he dribbled past half-court, Scott pushed Porter toward the left sideline, and then Duckworth and Scott joined forces to surround Porter, forcing him toward the corner of the court.

Porter tried to pass the ball to Agan, but Duckworth blocked it with both hands, and the ball flew out of bounds, giving the Trail Blazers possession.

Don Nelson had clearly made careful arrangements and preparations before the game, knowing that the Trail Blazers' relative weakness was in the backcourt.

As an inside player, no matter how good Forrest Gump is, he still needs the support of the backcourt to feed him the ball. Instead of pointlessly double-teaming and shutting down Forrest Gump, it is better to concentrate resources on dealing with his ball-handling and support lines.

Phil Jackson's idea is similar to Don Nelson's, and now most teams in the league follow this strategy.

Of course, if Agan gets the ball to the basket, he should still be double-teamed.

Kossi served the ball to Sabonis at the top of the arc, allowing Sabonis to receive the ball.

Gan Guoyang positioned himself in the low post and shut down AC Green. Sabonis passed the ball to Porter on the wing, and Porter then lobbed the ball to Gan.

The Lakers decisively double-teamed, and Byron Scott got his hands on the ball. Gan Guoyang squeezed in a step, creating space for Porter on the perimeter, and then passed the ball to Porter, who received the ball and took a three-pointer.

Unfortunately, he missed the shot, but Sabonis rushed to the basket, grabbed the offensive rebound, turned around, and dunked with one hand!
The powerful dunk from the Lithuanian giants caused the basket at the Great Western Forum to sag as if it were about to break.

As the Lakers attacked, Johnson continued to use his physical advantage to suppress Porter on the perimeter, dribbling the ball while observing the Lakers' movements.

After Gan Guoyang moved to the power forward position, his positioning was noticeably further out. Johnson suddenly made a through pass, sending the ball directly from beyond the three-point line to the basket.

Duckworth received the pass and slammed it home with a reverse dunk! He returned the favor to Sabonis!
An opportunity like this could only be seen and passed on by Magic Johnson.

Other players either failed to notice the fleeting gap, or they saw it but dared not pass or were unable to pass it out.

In the first two rounds, Johnson has already easily provided two assists, both of which were in positional play.

Magic Johnson is no longer the "showman" who only launched fast breaks and constantly fed the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in half-court sets.

His ability to organize positional warfare and find opportunities is unparalleled in the league.

Gan Guoyang immediately received the ball in the low post, turned around and quickly shot to score two points, tying the score at 4-4.

Gan Guoyang has also reached a level of effortless scoring with his shooting, though he is still far from being able to do whatever he wants, but he is working hard to reach that level.

Both sides played relatively relaxed at the start, and Gan Guoyang did not immediately put pressure on the Lakers' outside shooting.

Exerting force too early can easily reveal tactical intentions and also lead to foul trouble.

For an inside player, learning how to control fouls is a must.

In November games, Sabonis often fouled out in just over ten minutes of playing time.

Such frequent fouls make it impossible for him to play as a starting center.

By December, Sabonis had become more and more accustomed to the NBA rules and his foul control had improved, which is why Bellman promoted him to the starting lineup.

The first and second quarters of the game were mostly close, but the third and fourth quarters were when the killer moves were revealed.

Especially for teams with superior strength, they tend to play more conservatively at the start of the game, trying to adapt to any situation.

If you are significantly weaker than your opponent and cannot win a stalemate, it might be a good way to achieve a big victory with a small investment.

The Lakers and Trail Blazers players have played together for so many years and know each other very well, so they started the game in a relatively conventional manner.

James Worthy attempted to back down Korsey in the low post, but his turnaround shot missed—Korsey isn't so easy to beat anymore.

The Trail Blazers grabbed the rebound, and Sabonis received a pass from Gan Guoyang and drove to the basket. Facing the Lakers' encirclement, he flicked the ball to the trailing Caesar.

Kossi received the ball and easily made a layup, giving the Trail Blazers the lead.

Johnson passed the ball to Worthy again, and Kossie risked a steal, but Worthy dodged it.

Worthy received the ball and drove straight to the basket, but Sabonis stood like a mountain in the paint, blocking Worthy's way.

And then there was Forrest Gump sticking up to him like a ghost from the side. Worthy could only jump up and pass the ball, but the pass was too long and went out of bounds.

The Lakers' offense was somewhat disorganized in these two possessions, while the Trail Blazers' defense remained as stable and defensive as ever.

The opening under the basket that was just now has been completely shut down; Johnson can no longer find a gap.

The best approach at this point would be to attack hard from the low post, but Worthy no longer had a low post advantage against Cauchy.

Further in, there's the formidable Sabonis, and as for the ghost of Forrest Gump—Lakers players know that when this guy reaches the power forward position, his time to annoy you is yet to come.

Hornacek took advantage of a simple screen and made a mid-range jump shot.

The Trail Blazers are now up 8-4, and the Lakers must adjust their offensive strategy.

Johnson stepped up, first passing the ball to Duckworth who came out to receive it, and then going to the low post to call for the ball with his back to the basket.

After receiving the pass, he backs down and pushes inside, then turns and fakes a shot after pushing Porter aside, causing Porter to lose his balance before jumping to shoot.

The ball didn't go in, but the referee called a defensive foul on Porter, and Johnson went to the free-throw line.

One of Johnson's most significant improvements is his ability to draw fouls.

As a seasoned ball-handler, drawing fouls and making free throws is an essential skill. This season, Johnson is averaging a career-high 8.1 free throws per game.

Through rigorous training, his free throw percentage reached 91%, making him the league's strongest free throw shooter.

Judging from his free throw percentage, it's clear that Johnson, a player not known for his shooting talent, must have put in a lot of effort and hard work to reach this level.

Off the field, he was a womanizer, with one woman after another, but on the field, he never neglected his training.

Johnson made both free throws. His timing and method of drawing fouls to get to the free throws were perfect, demonstrating his reading and control of the game.

Subsequently, Johnson double-teamed Gan Guoyang on defense. Gan Guoyang passed the ball to Sabonis at the top of the arc. Sabonis received the ball and attempted to break through, but was interfered with by Duckworth. His footwork became disordered, and he was called for traveling by the referee.

Johnson passed the ball to James Worthy in the low post for the third time. This time Worthy didn't waste the opportunity and made a left-handed floater after a turnaround.

The score is tied, 8-8.

The two teams traded blows, a testament to the tacit understanding between old rivals.

Hornacek once again used Agan's screen to pull up and shoot a jump shot from the left side at a 45-degree angle, and it went in.

Whenever Gan Guoyang sets a pick and roll, he always draws the opponent's defensive attention, thus creating shooting opportunities for Hornacek or Porter.

This is the Trail Blazers' most basic scoring method; they're so familiar with it.

Duckworth's low-post spin move missed, the Trail Blazers grabbed the rebound and launched a fast break. Porter passed the ball to Sabonis under the basket, but Sabonis' layup was interfered with by A.C. Green and also missed.

AC Green grabbed the rebound and passed it to Johnson, who dodged Porter's attempt to steal it and launched a counterattack.

James Worthy took the lead, receiving Johnson's classic long-range bounce pass, gliding into the air, and dunking with one hand!

The fast-paced connection between the Magician and the Cobra is one of the few remaining relics from the Showtime era.

The Trail Blazers countered with speed, with Gan Guoyang quickly inbounding the ball from the backcourt and then driving powerfully down the middle like a bulldozer.

After receiving a high lob pass from Porter, Gan Guoyang advanced all the way down the middle to the three-second zone, drawing the Lakers' defense, but he didn't pass the ball at all.

He crashed all the way into the three-second zone, jumped up and slammed the ball home with one hand!
Kevin Duckworth, who weighs 265 pounds, was knocked off his feet by Gan Guoyang and flew out of bounds.

"Forrest Gump's impact was truly astonishing... How is that any different from a truck?"

This wasn't the first time Zick Hearn had witnessed Gan Guoyang's savage charges; he was unstoppable in the league.

When the first quarter ended with a timeout, the score was tied at 14-14, meaning the two teams were evenly matched.

It seems that moving Gan Guoyang to the power forward position and having Sabonis play center makes little difference, except for giving him a larger defensive coverage area.

But Magic Johnson knew that Forrest Gump wasn't exerting himself at all; he was hiding his strength on both offense and defense.

Having dealt with Forrest Gump for five years, Johnson knew firsthand how formidable Forrest Gump's abilities were. As a fellow superstar, Johnson understood that Forrest Gump was constantly improving.

However, this is not evident in the data, especially since Forrest Gump's scoring has been declining in the last two years, making people feel that his ability has reached a bottleneck.

Only by facing him head-on on the court can you know how unfathomable Forrest Gump is. In the past two years, he has always held back in the regular season, only occasionally revealing his true strength.

When you get to the playoffs and give it your all, when things get really tough, you'll realize just how despair-inducing this guy can be.

Magic Johnson also knew that, compared to his offense, Forrest Gump's most despair-inducing aspect was his defense, something that many experts, reporters, and fans overlooked.

The Trail Blazers were able to build a dynasty, break the Lakers and Celtics' monopoly, break the consecutive championship curse, wait for the next batch of young players to grow and develop, and achieve their current success with a roster that wasn't particularly outstanding in terms of talent. Forrest Gump's defense was the absolute cornerstone.

Even without Forrest Gump's offense and scoring, the Trail Blazers could still win the championship if they compensate with the firepower of the rest of the team.

But without Forrest Gump's timeless defensive prowess, they would never have won a championship and would definitely be no match for the Lakers or Celtics.

However, compared to the dazzling scoring, the defense on the court is like a silent thunderclap, often overlooked.

Magic Johnson was an offensive mastermind, possibly the greatest offensive playmaker in NBA history, and he knew better than anyone the level of Forrest Gump's defense.

In short—an unparalleled imperial wall.

Putting everything else aside, Gan Guoyang's ability to defend two players under the basket is unparalleled. Sometimes, even a three-on-one situation might not be enough to break through his defense.

This guy's defense isn't just about explosiveness, technique, and reaction speed; he also has superb psychological warfare skills, often causing the attacking side to mentally collapse.

The Magician still vividly remembers the bloody lesson of Lambis.

"We need to open up our offense, be more decisive in our shots, don't hesitate, dare to shoot, we must dare to shoot."

Johnson reminded his teammates on the bench that they must be decisive when taking shots, and that they should attack decisively once they get the ball.

They need to trust the Magician's judgment. If he gives you the ball, it means he thinks you can attack, no problem.

"But if Forrest Gump is nearby, you'd better consider moving the ball around."

Johnson judged that in the second and third quarters, Forrest would definitely start to put pressure on the perimeter.

Johnson's judgment was correct; Sabonis was substituted with four minutes remaining in the first quarter, and Mitchell Thompson entered the game.

Gan Guoyang was substituted out with 1 minute and 54 seconds left in the first quarter, and Divac was brought in – a different rotation strategy than before.

After the first quarter, Gan Guoyang came on to replace Mitchell Thompson at the start of the second quarter, partnering with Divac and leading substitutes such as Cliff Robinson and Petrovic into the second quarter.

The score was tied 28-28 after the first quarter.

As a result, after the start of the second quarter, Gan Guoyang suddenly revealed his fierce side.

On the defensive end, they pressured Larry Drew and Michael Cooper, constantly spreading out to apply pressure.

Stealing the ball from Drew, a fast break counterattack, Bulldozer drives to the basket and scores a layup.

Then, he chased down Cooper and, after regaining possession of the ball, made a long pass to Petrovic for a layup—the two's fast break coordination was becoming increasingly seamless.

With Johnson resting on the bench, the Lakers' backcourt was unable to break through Forrest Gump's spiderweb-like defense in half-court sets.

With Eastern European centers like Divac or Sabonis in the paint, the Trail Blazers can confidently entrust their backs to their teammates.

Don Nelson didn't expect that Berman would cheat. Everyone else is putting their second unit on the court, why are you still putting your big brother on the court?

Berman doesn't care. My older brother has an incredibly long playing time, so I'll just let him stay on the field. Top-class horses beat your average and inferior horses, let's see what you do then.

What could Don Nelson do? After the Trail Blazers went on a 7-0 run against the Lakers and widened the gap, he quickly called a timeout and brought Magic Johnson back in.

Johnson is not afraid of Forrest Gump; he is also a superstar, and he has the courage to face Forrest Gump head-on.

Moreover, he had a psychological advantage by defeating Forrest Gump twice in the playoffs.

He dared to provoke Forrest Gump: "Sonny, you can only bully others, you can try to defend yourself against me."

Johnson is using reverse psychology. If Gan Guoyang really goes all out to defend Johnson, then others will definitely have many opportunities.

Johnson will then be able to provide more assists, as he is confident in finding every teammate who creates an opportunity.

This is what a team leader should do: draw the strongest defense and create opportunities for his teammates.

Gan Guoyang glanced at Johnson and said, "Magic, do you think your offensive skills are better than Larry's?"

Gan Guoyang once shut down Bird in one-on-one defense, reducing his shooting percentage to a very low level.

"How will you know if you don't try?"

Johnson was not to be outdone; this was the first encounter between the two sides this season.

He strives to gain the upper hand in the confrontation between the two sides, especially the psychological advantage.

Only in this way can we be confident of defeating the Trail Blazers again in the playoffs.

Johnson wasn't entirely confident, especially since he didn't have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by his side this year.

On the first possession after the timeout, the Lakers inbounded the ball to Magic Johnson.

Gan Guoyang actually defended Magic Johnson one-on-one, leaving the inside game entirely to Divac.

Gan Guoyang stood like a wall in front of Johnson. When Johnson tried to push his opponent in as usual, he found that he couldn't push him in, he couldn't push him in at all, it was as hard as an iron wall.

A flicker of regret crossed the magician's mind. How could he have forgotten the Forrest Gump Law and gone to provoke this guy?
(End of this chapter)