The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 580 You Should Live
The two sides jump for the ball, and the game is about to begin.

The Suns don't actually have a center.

Mark West is said to be 6'10", but he's actually only about 6'9".

Standing on the court, he was noticeably shorter than the standard 6-foot-10 Gan Guoyang.

He was quite strong, but compared to Sabonis on the other side, he was insignificant.

However, jumping isn't just about height and build; jumping ability, speed, and technique are also very important.

Mark West had the speed advantage, and he jumped immediately the moment the ball reached its highest point, making the first contact and flicking the ball towards Danny Ainge.

He won the jump ball over the towering Sabonis, and in the first round, he was equally matched with the Mammoth, Mark Eaton.

But Forrest Gump suddenly darted out from behind and knocked the ball away from Angie, sending it flying forward.

Gan Guoyang pushed past Angie and Tom Chambers, got the ball first, rushed to the basket and made a quick layup with his left hand!
"Sonny scored the first point of the semifinal! Wow! Beautiful steal, surging energy, you can tell that Forrest Gump is in great form tonight."

Bill Shawnley's voice was as passionate as ever, just like Gan Guoyang's performance on the court, as if he would never give up.

Gan Guoyang scored first, putting pressure on the Suns.

The pressure comes not only from offense, but also from defense.

Instead of using the usual half-court man-to-man defense at the start, the Trail Blazers had Gan Guoyang positioned very high to put pressure on the Suns' two guards.

The Suns started with a 3-2 formation, with Ainge and Kevin Johnson on the left and right wings, and Tom Chambers providing screens and support in the middle.

West and Rambis, two players with little independent offensive ability, were lurking near the three-second zone, an open and spacious position.

In response, the Trail Blazers opted to abandon the weak side, sending Gan Guoyang to the top of the court to double-team Johnson and Ainge near the three-second zone, while also keeping an eye on Tom Chambers.

Kevin Johnson's strength is speed, while his height is a disadvantage. In positional play, Kevin Johnson is easily out of sight when double-teamed by taller players.

Needless to say, the person who was double-teaming him was Forrest Gump.

During his high school years, Forrest Gump was already a nightmare on the basketball court.

Johnson was cornered in the half by Porter and Forrest, and Gan Guoyang didn't close in very close.

He used a clever positioning to block both Kevin Johnson's driving and passing lanes.

With Porter pressing relentlessly, Kevin Johnson had no choice but to hit the ball off Porter and out of bounds to create a throw-in.

Gan Guoyang also complained to the referee: "Kevin hit someone with the ball, that's a technical foul!"

The referee ignored Agan's ramblings, and the Suns inbounded the ball.

Fitzsimmons was yelling from the sidelines, directing his players' movements.

The Suns felt immense pressure on their very first offensive possession.

With little time remaining, the Suns opted for a tactical run where Ainge cut in from the outside.

He received the inbound pass from Kevin Johnson at the right 45-degree angle and immediately launched a three-pointer.

Interference from Forrest Gump caused the ball to hit the front edge of the rim and miss.

Sabonis grabbed the defensive rebound under the basket. With Sabonis on the court, Gan Guoyang could focus more confidently on helping on the perimeter.

Porter led a fast break and passed the ball to Gan Guoyang at the top of the arc. Gan Guoyang received the ball and took a mid-range shot, which went in again!
Gan Guoyang scored 4 points in a row at the start of the game, showing excellent form, which worried Fitzsimmons.

Both sides started the game at a very fast pace, as both teams are offensive-minded.

The Suns, needless to say, have two guards and three forwards, clearly prioritizing offense.

After Drexler left and a number of forwards, including Vandeweghe, retired or left, the Trail Blazers transformed from a defensive team to an offensive one.

They can go fast or slow, and can attack from positional or rapid pace, making them quite versatile on the offensive end.

Kevin Johnson knew it would be tough to get into the half-court, so he opted for a quick drive, stopping abruptly at the top of the key for a jump shot.

The ball missed, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound in the backcourt, signaling to Porter to slow down and take a shot.

Sabonis moved to the top of the key to facilitate, received a pass from Porter, and Agam positioned himself in the low post.

Sabonis flicked his wrist and the ball was accurately passed to Gan Guoyang.

The moment Lambis made physical contact with Forrest Gump, he froze, too afraid to exert any force.

Gan Guoyang received the ball, spun inside to get past Rambis, and cut to the basket, easily scoring with a layup.

Fitzsimmons shook his head repeatedly on the sidelines, realizing that having Rambis guard Forrest was a desperate measure. Even if Mark West were assigned to guard him, what difference would it make? Could he possibly stop him?
Before the game started, Fitzsimmons specifically asked Rambis if he had any problems going up against Forrest Gump.

As everyone knows, Forrest once drove Rambis to the brink of a mental breakdown, almost causing him to retire from the league.

After leaving the Lakers, Rambis gradually recovered. In fact, he was a role player that coaches really liked.

On the court, he never tries to steal the spotlight; he always diligently completes the tasks assigned by the coach.

Off the field and in the locker room, Rambis led the team with his past championship experience.

The Suns' performance was inconsistent in the early part of the regular season, and by 1990, their winning percentage was still below 50%.

Before the game against the New York Knicks, Fitzsimmons had Rambis speak in the locker room as a veteran to boost the team's morale.

At the time, Rambis said, "If we can play good defense, do the dirty work, the hard work, then there's no reason why we shouldn't win the championship. I've been doing these things all my career, it's not hard. Everyone has to be prepared to throw themselves on the floor and go out for the ball, and then the championship will get closer and closer to us. If you just want to stand up and play, sorry, we can't beat tall teams. We have to get on the ground, fight, and fight for every ball."

Rambis's impassioned speech turned the tide for the Suns in the regular season.

That night they defeated the New York Knicks and went on to win 9 of their next 11 games.

From then on, the Suns made great strides toward the playoffs, then upset the Jazz in the first round, standing before the champions.

For Rambis, Forrest Gump was not only a king, but also a devil.

After easily scoring 6 points in a row, the viper began to flick its tongue at Rambis.

"Kurt, I saw your news in the New York Times. Your speech was fantastic. Throwing yourself onto the floor to play ball, it seems you really enjoy lying on the floor, don't you?"

Gan Guoyang said to Lambis in a half-joking tone.

Rambis didn't respond, he just ran forward with his head down, his neck slightly red.

The Suns still had no chance in half-court sets, so Kevin Johnson had to pass the ball to Tom Chambers early.

As soon as Chambers received the ball, Forrest immediately came over to defend him one-on-one. Chambers didn't have the courage to challenge Forrest one-on-one.

The ball could only be passed to Ainge, who then passed it to Mark West in the low post. West turned and went one-on-one against Sabonis.

As a result, he was blocked, Jerome Kossie got the ball, and the Trail Blazers launched a counterattack.

The ball was passed to Hornacek, but he didn't rush to launch a fast break, knowing that Agam was on fire.

Although Hornacek is a shooting guard, he also has the ability to organize the offense.

He and Porter started together. The two were not differentiated in terms of scoring or ball handling; both could control the ball and organize the offense, and both could receive the ball and shoot.

Hornacek slowed the pace, and Gan Guoyang once again called for the ball in the low post, with poor Rambis struggling to head it from behind.

Tom Chambers came over to double-team, but Gan Guoyang received the ball, turned around at the baseline, and, after overpowering Rambis, took his signature leaning shot.

Rambis made the two-pointer, and he was almost knocked over by the pressure. If he had pushed forward a little, it would have been a foul, sending Agan to the free-throw line.

Gan Guoyang single-handedly outscored the Suns 8-0. Fitzsimmons knew this couldn't continue and they would be crushed, so he immediately called a timeout.

"Kurt, why didn't you fall down just now? You're 'Mr. Floor'." Gan Guoyang still didn't let Lambis off the hook.

At one point, Lambis felt as if a thread in his brain had snapped.

The last time he lost was when he was with the Lakers; he couldn't help but rush up to hit Forrest Gump.

As a result, he was knocked unconscious by Forrest Gump's slam, and after that match, he considered retiring.

He thought he had moved on, but it still didn't work. The game had only just begun, and Rambis knew he would break down if he had to face Forrest Gump like this for the entire series.

So instead of following his teammates back to the bench, he turned and rushed up to Forrest Gump, yelling, "Sonny! Why have you been targeting me like this all this time! What did I do wrong! Why are you targeting me! All these years! Why did you kill me! What did I do wrong!"

The referee and players from both sides gathered around, thinking the two were about to fight.

But Rambis just yelled at Forrest, and he looked like he was about to cry.

He didn't understand why Forrest Gump had been targeting and tormenting him for so long.

The two didn't interact much off the court, and Rambis himself didn't consider himself a bad person. Why?

Gan Guoyang was taken aback when he saw Lambis's reaction, then laughed and said, "It's just a game, why are you taking it so seriously?"

Lambis felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

Gan Guoyang patted Rambis on the shoulder and said, "Surrendering means you're only half dead. Losing a game doesn't mean you're really dead. You should be back to life, Kurt."

(End of this chapter)