The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 589 Intensified Combustion
The 1990 Portland Trail Blazers were an enigma; theoretically, they shouldn't have been the best Blazers.

In 1989, the team suffered a defeat, losing an important number two player. In the summer, they added new players, but they were all unproven European players.

The team's overall structure has not changed significantly compared to before.

The team changed owners and management, including me, the "traitor" who came from Los Angeles alone—a term Los Angeles people still used to refer to me from time to time long afterward.

Throughout the season, I have been trying to make trades to bring a better forward to the team or to solve our defensive problems at the backcourt.

I've never been entirely satisfied with the team's backup center position. Thompson is too old, and Divac is too young. I always have the opportunity to make a great trade using Divac or Petrovic as trade bait to further improve and strengthen the team.

Sabonis' injury problems are worrying; he has been plagued by various minor injuries this season, missing 15 games.

Injuries limited his speed and explosiveness; he was somewhat clumsy and not the playmaker people imagined.

Divac struggles against some high-impact interior players; his defense has always been a problem.

Moreover, he is too young and lacks experience. He spent the entire season adapting to the NBA's playing environment and lifestyle, which Sabonis did better.

Our forward line lacks talent, which is dangerous. I can sense that there are more and more talented forwards in the league, and the small forward position is becoming more and more important.

Kossi is excellent, but he is too tall and heavy, which will make it difficult for him to deal with speedy players.

Like Divac, Clive Robinson is talented but too young, and I think his playing style is unlikely to be effective in tough games.

Mike Sanders is decent, you can't expect him to do more, his performance is commensurate with his salary, nothing more.

Porter and Hornacek are very talented, but they are very low-key. The media calls them the "silent duo" because they are too unassuming.

Sometimes this is a good thing, but sometimes it's a bad thing. Their lack of talent makes them less aggressive in crucial moments. The absence of this ability in the backcourt is often more troublesome than the absence of a top-tier center, because the ball is more often in the hands of the smaller players.

Petrovic is probably one of the worst defensive guards in the league. His physicality and defensive efficiency are a headache. I think I could beat him even if I were born in 1974.

I admit he had great potential, but in 1990, he was just a Matthews-like player who was unlikely to be decisive in crucial games.

Aside from his shooting, Dell Curry is unremarkable in other aspects, making him more suitable for weak teams in the lower half of the league.

In short, as always, I was anxious at the start of the season. I prepared myself mentally for a less-than-successful season.

But as the season progressed, they dispelled many people's doubts with their record, victories, one victory after another, all kinds of victories.

After the All-Star Game, they reminded me of the 1972 Lakers, who, theoretically, shouldn't have been the best Lakers team.

Wilt is 35 years old, and I am 33. My scoring average has dropped to its lowest level since my rookie season, while Wilt is averaging below 20 points per game for the first time in his career.

To make matters worse, Elgin Baylor announced his retirement after just nine games into the season. At 37, he was no longer able to play and didn't want to continue, so he decided to leave.

Throughout the 1972 season, our team only had 11 players. With Baylor gone, no one could fill the void, and the starting position was taken by 23-year-old Jim McMillan, who had only been in the league for a year.

Everyone thought we were finished. We were missing Baylor, and Wilt and I were visibly declining. Alcindor and his Bucks were dominating the league.

But that year we won 69 games, set a record of 33 consecutive wins in the regular season, and defeated the Bucks and Knicks to win the championship.

The reason is that we play faster, more cohesively, and more focused, and no team can stop us.

When the Trail Blazers also finished the regular season with 69 wins, I knew the same thing had happened again.

They shouldn't be the best, but they are the best.

Sabonis provided excellent defense in the paint; his height and defensive instincts made him a headache for every scorer attacking the rim in the league.

Moreover, his defensive range is greatly underestimated. In many cases, he can defend beyond the three-point line, putting pressure on every ball handler on the opposing team, and then smoothly return to his own inside position.

He wasn't a playmaker, but his playmaking was superb, and he quickly became an indispensable screen and watchtower for the team's positional offense.

His fundamentals were very solid, and many years later, Tim Duncan was considered the African American version of Sabonis.

Divac is very different from Sabonis. He is slick, agile, and intelligent, and he likes to draw fouls on the defensive end.

This made up for his physical weaknesses, but it also angered some of his opponents.

He endured it because he was subjected to grueling training every day, and he grew rapidly.

Kossi could become the team's leading scorer in some games, and he and Cliff Robinson were both versatile players and were the team's X-factor.

They were wild Black players who injected passion into the Trail Blazers, and their performances often boosted morale in tough, close games. However, compared to Petrovic, they all seemed somewhat subdued; Drazen's surging basketball passion was truly astonishing.

Bobby Berman insisted on giving Petrovic enough time to grow and develop. I think he saw his own past self in Petrovic—a crazy basketball gambler, a player who could defy fate.

He is still growing and has many problems, but in some games he already shows the signs of a superstar.

He brought internal competition to the team.

As for Dell Curry, he has a wonderful son.

Of course, none of this was enough to make the 1990 Trail Blazers as strong and excellent.

We swept all three rounds of the Western Conference playoffs, setting a new NBA record.

Before the 1990 Finals, I found Buckwalt and said to him, "Buck, I finally understand what you mean. The Portland Trail Blazers are like flying foxes. If you turn the engine up to the maximum, they can fly like stainless steel blocks at Mach 3."

Buckwalt told me, "Our engine hasn't even engaged afterburner yet."

—Excerpt from Jerry West's autobiography, West by West, published in 2011.

Because the Pistons and Bulls went to a Game 7, the NBA Finals came very quickly for them.

Just two days after the Eastern Conference Finals ended, on June 6th, the NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and the Portland Trail Blazers began at Memorial Arena.

Another sleepless night for Portland.

Portland fans have been waiting a week since the Western Conference Finals ended.

Tickets for the Memorial Stadium and the adjacent Paramount Theatre were in high demand.

The scene of people setting up tents and queuing to buy tickets, just like in the 80s, has been recreated in Portland.

Next to the memorial stadium, a new stadium is under construction at a rapid pace, with workers working around the clock.

The new arena will be able to accommodate more than 20000 fans to satisfy the Portlanders’ passionate enthusiasm for watching games.

While the world anticipates the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers' "Red and Black," the Detroit Pistons and Trail Blazers' "Hamlet" is equally compelling—even if it's a dark prince.

The two teams met again after three years since the finals in 1987.

In 1987, the Detroit Pistons were not yet fully prepared.

They lack offensive firepower in the low post, and their forward line is too inexperienced.

By 1990, they had already experienced the baptism of championships and had complete championship experience.

To counter Forrest Gump, the Pistons assembled a star-studded frontcourt lineup.

Lambiel, Aguirre, Tppin, Mahon, Sally, Rodman...

Chuck Daly built a formidable frontcourt to annihilate Forrest Gump.

Laimbeer is still Laimbeer, while Salley and Rodman have developed into the best wing defenders in the league.

Characters like Mahone and Aguirre, seasoned veterans who have dealt with Forrest Gump for years, are tough as nails.

Turpin is the Pistons' best low-post scorer, and he penetrated the Bulls' paint in several games during the Eastern Conference Finals.

Backcourt player Joe Dumars is no longer a second-year rookie, but an All-Star guard, hailed as the Jordan terminator.

Isaiah Thomas may seem like a seasoned veteran who has been in the league for many years, but he is actually only 28 years old, which is the peak of a guard's ability and experience.

The Pistons' biggest problem was losing Vinnie Johnson in the expansion draft, which left them with insufficient firepower in the backcourt.

Although they added experienced veterans like Ricky Green and Gerald Henderson, they are nearing the end of their careers and have never been known for their offensive prowess, so they can only serve as supporting players.

The matchup between Terry Porter Jr. and Hornacek versus Thomas and Dumars is equally noteworthy.

Of course, the most anticipated thing is how Forrest Gump will perform in the finals.

Will there be another tragedy? If so, who will be the Pistons' victim this time?

(End of this chapter)