The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 590 Encounter on a narrow road

An interesting fact is that most of Gan Guoyang's fights took place away from home.

On the contrary, Gan Guoyang rarely takes action at his home stadium, the Memorial Stadium.

Because most players in the NBA are bullies, taking advantage of home-court advantage to act arrogantly and physically.

Gan Guoyang targeted these kinds of people. He beat them up three times in Detroit and many times on smaller scales, making the children in Detroit afraid to cry at night.

When they arrived at Memorial Arena, Portland's home stadium, the opponents became surprisingly civilized and peaceful.

Come to think of it, you can't even beat Forrest Gump in your own hometown, so why would you come to Forrest Gump's stronghold to fight?
This also reveals Gan Guoyang's fierceness.

However, for this Finals, the Detroit team is ready to go all out in Portland.

The grudge from 1987 remains firmly embedded in the hearts of these Pistons players.

They were swept 0-4 and brutally beaten at the Silver Top Center – even the coach got hit.

Despite Gan Guoyang being suspended for one match, they still lost the game.

Every single incident was seen as a disgrace by the Pistons players, who dreamed of revenge on the Finals stage.

As night fell, the Detroit players arrived at Memorial Arena, each with a serious and solemn expression.

It was as if they were not participating in a basketball game, but a life-or-death duel.

For the Pistons players, this is a Finals series that doesn't require any extra motivation.

In a pre-game interview with Dennis Rodman on CBS, Rodman stated frankly:

“Dad doesn’t need to say anything, we know everything, we know what we should do. In 1987, I was a rookie, and there were a lot of things I didn’t understand. I was thrown onto the scorer’s table by Forrest Gump. At that time, I didn’t know how to respond, I was completely confused. Now it’s different. I will fight back, I will fight back, and I will fight until neither of us can play.”

Before the game started, CBS, never one to shy away from drama, aired this interview footage.

Rodman wasn't the strongest physically, nor was he the best fighter, but he was truly brave.

The good news for the Pistons is that the interview was played before the game started, and the players had already taken to the court to warm up, so Forrest Gump wouldn't know about it.

The bad news is that he will most likely find out during halftime.

In fact, Gan Guoyang already knew about Rodman's interview during warm-up.

In the front row of the press section, ESPN's special correspondent Wu Zhixiong told Gan Guoyang about Dennis Rodman's provocation.

After listening, Gan Guoyang simply nodded without making any other comment.

Seeing Gan Guoyang's expressionless face, Wu Zhixiong said, "Boss, this guy is too arrogant, should we take him down?"

Gan Guoyang glanced at Wu Zhixiong and said, "Do you think I'm a born killer or a fighting enthusiast? Always wanting to do this or that? I'm here to play basketball, to win the game, not to beat people up."

"Of course, if there's really no other way, I'll have to resort to the old method—don't include this sentence in the report," Gan Guoyang added.

Gan Guoyang is full of ambition for this final, determined to win his fourth championship.

On the other hand, he also knew how strong the Pistons were and that he absolutely could not underestimate them.

Strategically, he looked down on the Detroit Pistons, but tactically, he had to take them seriously. The Pistons were completely different from those of 1987. Their core players had made significant progress and growth. Dennis Rodman might seem arrogant, but his game was actually very diverse and engaging.

While waiting for the Finals, Gan Guoyang watched the Bulls vs. Pistons game live and also repeatedly watched the Pistons' previous playoff game recordings.

The Pistons' defense is no longer the simple turtle-shell formation of 1987, but a combination of turtle-shell formation and meat grinder, which can be described as a combination of the 87 Pistons and the 88 Bullets.

Jordan, Pippen, and others were thoroughly exhausted in the Eastern Conference Finals.

During their regular season matchups, Gan Guoyang could sense that the Pistons had definitely prepared a backup plan to deal with him.

In the expansion draft, they were willing to give up an important backcourt rotation player, Vinnie Johnson, to keep Rick Mahorn. Wasn't that just to target themselves?

Gan Guoyang isn't afraid of Mahone alone, but the Pistons also have the experienced Sally, Rodman, and Tpin, as well as the cunning Laimbeer.

Even though Gan Guoyang was extremely confident, he wouldn't be so arrogant as to think that he could easily crush the piston's head with a few drops of water.

In the Western Conference, no team's frontcourt is as full, three-dimensional, and well-rounded on both offense and defense as the Pistons.

One reason the Trail Blazers were able to dominate and sweep their way into the Finals was that every opponent they faced in the West was outmatched by the Trail Blazers in terms of roster.

Needless to say, the Nuggets and Suns don't even have a proper, strong inside player. How can they compete with the Trail Blazers' twin towers?

While the Spurs seem to have David Robinson and Terry Cummins, your twin towers can't beat the Trail Blazers' twin towers, and your backcourt is a step below the Trail Blazers'.

More importantly, the Spurs' leading scorer is not a guard, but Terry Cummins, who is matched up against Forrest Gump.

When your leading scorer has to face Forrest Gump head-on every game, his effectiveness is greatly reduced, as Forrest Gump can handle him all by himself.

The Lakers' previous victories against the Trail Blazers relied on their strong backcourt offense, bypassing Forrest Gump's defense and attacking the Trail Blazers' weak backcourt.

In 1989, the Suns and Trail Blazers went to a Game 7, relying on the firepower of Kevin Johnson and Danny Ainge in the backcourt. This year, once Kevin Johnson is shut down by Agan, they are immediately swept.

The Detroit Pistons are theoretically the team that can counter the Trail Blazers, with a defensive-minded, well-rotted frontcourt and a powerful offensive backcourt combination.

As for the loss of Vinnie Johnson, the Pistons tried to make up for it with Ricky Green and Gerald Henderson. Ricky Green was a former All-Star player, and his speed and vision were a great threat. Stockton served as his backup for two years.

Rich Green played very well in the playoffs, averaging 7.4 points and 4.8 assists per game—stats he achieved playing alongside Thomas and Dumars.

Facing the Pistons will be a huge challenge for the Trail Blazers' backcourt.

It's impossible for Forrest Gump to be able to confidently leave the paint to Sabonis like he did against the Suns, while he goes out to gank Dumars or Thomas on the perimeter.

Terpin, Sali, Lambiel, Mahone, and Aguirre are all troublesome, and he has to deal with them all by himself. He simply doesn't have the energy to take care of the surrounding areas.

Gan Guoyang can foresee that this year's Finals against the Pistons will be a fierce battle, an unavoidable and tough fight where there is no room for opportunism.

Before the game started, in the locker room, Gan Guoyang, unusually, put away his relaxed and confident demeanor and addressed his teammates in a serious tone.

"There's an old Chinese saying: 'When two teams meet on a narrow path, the brave one wins.' Now, we only have one path in front of us: the road to the championship. This path can only allow one team to go all the way; it's the narrowest path. We've had a smooth run in the Western Conference; we haven't encountered any significant resistance. But the Detroit guys are different. I've dealt with them for years and I know what kind of people they are."

"Many players on the team participated in the 1987 Finals, and there are also some newcomers who are participating in the Finals for the first time. I want to say that what lies before us is a battle with no way out. Looking at what the Detroit team has done in the past few years, I bet they have been waiting for this moment of revenge for a long time. This series will definitely be bloody, and there will definitely be pain."

"My dear teammates, I want to tell you that I don't care about the casualty figures, I just want the championship."

(End of this chapter)