The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 584 Mountain Top
Gan Guoyang used ruthless defensive traps and psychological games to outmaneuver Kevin Johnson.

After the point difference widened to 22 points, Fitzsimmons called a desperate timeout, but it was practically ineffective.

In this game, the Trail Blazers were better prepared than the Suns, and they had more time to rest and study the game film and prepare for the game.

The Suns had just finished a thrilling Game 5 against the Jazz and only had two days of rest before jumping into a new series.

They continued some of the habits they had when playing against the Jazz, assuming that the Trail Blazers were just a higher-spec version of the Jazz.

It wasn't until the games actually started that I realized the Trail Blazers and the Jazz were completely different teams, and Forrest Gump and Karl Malone were completely different players.

With thorough preparation, Gan Guoyang relentlessly tormented the Suns and Kevin Johnson on both offense and defense.

Kurt Rambis was half right; Forrest Gump did have a nasty side. He enjoyed seeing his opponents suffer more than he enjoyed the joy of victory.

But the reason why Gan Guoyang attacked the sun so hard was partly due to his complex emotions.

First, he wanted to avenge his good friend John Stockton, and he hoped to cheer John up.

The year in which the two would meet in the playoffs has to be postponed again.

Secondly, the death of Fleischer a year ago still lingered in his heart, and the semi-finals were held the day after his death anniversary, so it would be impossible for him not to have negative emotions.

Thirdly, the Trail Blazers' game against the Suns went to a Game 7 last year, which made Gan Guoyang very unhappy. He wanted to prove that the Trail Blazers and the Suns were not on the same level, to shut up the experts and commentators.

Finally, Gan Guoyang is playing in this year's playoffs with a strong desire for revenge.

The defeat in the 89 season was both painful and motivating; he wanted to prove himself again and shine on the biggest stage of the NBA once more.

Once a king has reached the peak, he cannot accept being stuck at the bottom and will do everything he can to return to the top.

To Forrest Gump, all obstacles on the path of climbing were just grass and trees, destined to be cut down by a sharp sickle.

So this season, Forrest Gump was single-minded. In the regular season, he averaged 31.6 points, 14.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.1 blocks per game (fifth in the league), leading his team to an easy 69 wins.

After the All-Star Game, they swept the league; no one could stand against them.

Gan Guoyang won the league's Player of the Month award for February and March, and it's safe to say that the regular season MVP is practically his.

With so many strong emotions combined, the fact that Gan Guoyang didn't fight back during the match or knock Rambis to the ground shows that he had managed to control himself well.

Kevin Johnson wasn't broken by Forrest Gump's manipulation, but his mentality was indeed greatly affected.

After that play, Kevin Johnson dared not drive inside with the ball anymore, and instead only took mid-range shots from the outside.

Gan Guoyang stopped double-teaming Kevin Johnson and just let him shoot. Can you make up for the 22-point deficit?

The Trail Blazers maintained firm control of the game's tempo, and the point difference never narrowed to within 15 points throughout the second half.

终场的比分是100:117，开拓者17分的优势在主场轻松战胜了太阳，系列赛大比分1:0领先。

甘国阳全场47分16个篮板球6次封盖4次助攻，这6个封盖里有4个是送给凯文-约翰逊的。

When he left the court at the end of the game, Kevin Johnson had a mediocre stat line of 17 points, 5 assists, and 1 steal.

If he were a role player, these statistics would be outstanding.

But he is the Suns' offensive engine and the key to the team's ball control.

When he is contained, the Suns lose their offensive dynamism.

Back in the locker room, Danny Ainge criticized Kevin Johnson, saying he played too timidly.

Kevin Johnson did not refute, but Rambis stood up and argued that Ainge was wrong and that Kevin had done all he could.

These two players, who were once bitter rivals on the Lakers and Celtics, are now teammates on the Suns, but they still can't stand each other.

One of the reasons Rambis couldn't become the Suns' locker room leader was that Ainge was defiant and always causing trouble.

Ainge isn't much younger than Rambis, and he didn't respect Bird when he was with the Celtics, so why would he respect Rambis when he's with the Suns?
Who do you think you are, Lambis? You gave one passionate speech and think you can be the spiritual leader? You're dreaming.

Now that Kevin Johnson, the team's nominal leader, is underperforming, Ainge is having second thoughts about "seizing power." Anyway, this guy has a history of trying to steal the spotlight; to put it nicely, he's competitive; to put it bluntly, he's a troublemaker.

"Kevin is better at offense. Next game, give me the offensive organization and let Kevin go all out on offense. I'm not afraid of Forrest Gump at all. Who does that son of a bitch think he can scare?"

Ainge meant he would handle the ball and organize the offense, while Kevin Johnson would play shooting guard.

This idea is actually quite good.

However, Lambis said, "Why didn't you yell 'son of a bitch' at Forrest Gump during the game?"

"I'll dare to do it next game, and who was guarding Forrest Gump tonight?"

"Why not this game? I dare to do it! I may not be able to beat Forrest Gump, but I dare to defend him!"

Seeing things getting out of control in the locker room, Fitzsimmons reminded everyone not to panic after just one loss.

"Whether we lose by 17 points or 1 point, we're still down 0-1 in the series. Just like in the first round against the Jazz, we also suffered a crushing defeat in the first game, but we still won in the end, didn't we? Let's calm down and believe in our teammates, believe in everyone."

Fitzsimmons still holds considerable influence within the Suns, and his words quelled the dispute.

However, Fitzsimmons also needs Kevin Johnson to step up.

He told Kevin, "I believe in you. This is just a common lapse in performance. You can play your game, Kevin."

Kevin Johnson nodded and said, "I know, I know Forrest Gump is amazing, he's at the top of the mountain. But mine will be at the top too, and I won't give up easily."

Kevin Johnson's maternal grandfather, George Johnson, was an ordinary white worker in Sacramento.

When he was young, George Johnson fell in love with a white girl named Georgia, who ran a small pub.

But Georgia got pregnant by a black man and gave birth to a mixed-race girl. George Johnson accepted the mother and daughter, married her, and named the black girl Georgia as well.

Georgia gave birth to Kevin Johnson when she was 16, and his father did not marry her and died in a drowning accident when he was three.

Therefore, Kevin Johnson takes his mother's and maternal grandfather's surnames, and he lives in an unusual family.

George Johnson was a kind man. When news reports came on TV that someone had been robbed at Christmas, he would drive Kevin to the victim, give him some money, and help him get through Christmas.

George Johnson would give money to homeless people whenever they knocked on his door, which made him very popular in Sacramento and influenced Kevin Johnson.

While studying at the University of California, he spent most of his time in the library and on the basketball court.

He would go to the training facility with a friend named Mohammed Muqtar and practice dribbling in the dark with the lights off.

One day, a staff member at the stadium heard a noise and came to investigate. He found the two guys who had sneaked in and asked them, "It's Saturday today, why aren't you two going to the party?"

Kevin Johnson said, "Parties are not where I want to go."

"Where do you want to go?"

"At the top of the mountain, you can overlook the world."

He is still some distance from the summit, but the people on the summit are right in front of him.

The man who reached the summit before him, the former king of California, is still there.

A day later, at Memorial Stadium, the Suns and Trail Blazers faced off in a rematch.

Kevin Johnson finally found his form, scoring 30 points on 14-of-20 shooting against Porter's defense, along with 16 assists and 3 steals.

The Suns even led the Trail Blazers by 6 points before the start of the fourth quarter.

不过太阳队还是以106:110，4分的劣势输掉了第二战，大比分0:2落后。

Because of Agan's triple-double performance of 29 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists on the mountaintop, as well as his consecutive points in the crucial moments, he destroyed the Suns' hopes of tying the game.

Kevin Johnson is still a long way from the top.

(End of this chapter)