The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 607 Pilgrimage
The Trail Blazers' coaching staff felt that the preseason training camp was too short; they simply didn't have enough time to digest the essence and details of the "Princeton" tactical system.

Furthermore, after the success of the 1989-1990 season, Bobby Bellman will face new challenges in the backcourt personnel in the new season.

As a key tactical pivot, Hornacek's departure will lead to changes in many lineup combinations and tactical coordination.

Generally speaking, given their tremendous success last season—69 wins in the regular season and a record-breaking 15-2 record in the playoffs to win the championship—the Trail Blazers only need to maintain their achievements this season; they will remain a historic force.

However, for the Pioneers who introduced the new tactical system, they actually faced many problems and challenges.

Of course, it seems incredible that a few coaches would close the door, have an elderly university coach come and instruct for two weeks, and then inject new tactical genes into a team with four championships.

In fact, the players were somewhat unaccustomed to the preseason training camp, and the Portland media did not understand why we, a championship team with 69 wins, would want to learn the tactical system of an Ivy League university.
We, the Trail Blazers, have 5 championships. How many championships do you, the Princeton?
The Chicago Bulls used the "triangle offense" because they couldn't win a championship.

Forget about winning the championship, they couldn't even make it to the finals. So, in their desperation, they're just trying everything.
So, at first, no one understood, including the promoters Bobby Bellman and Adelman. They discussed privately more than once whether they should just give up on this thing altogether.

Why not just maintain the good tactical style from the 1990 season and tweak the details? Any normal coach would do that; what defending champion develops a new tactic?

In some preseason games, Portland fans, seeing Forrest Gump always going high to pass the ball, expressed a desire to see him drive to the basket and dunk on the defender.

However, Forrest Gump strongly supported the Trail Blazers' strategy of using the Princeton system.

As the team's absolute core player, if Agan clearly says "I don't want to play this tactic," then Carrel will soon disappear from the Trail Blazers' training camp.

Taking him to Hawaii for a few days was a way to make up for his emotional distress and let us become friends.

In Portland, Forrest Gump is not the Jordan of Chicago; with four championship rings, he has absolute tactical authority.

If he wants to improve his stats, he can get more possession of the ball, score more points, and win another scoring title without any problem.

Moreover, with this kind of play, it's still hard to say who will win in 1991, and the Trail Blazers still have a very high chance of winning.

After all, the 1987 example is right there in front of us; even if the league prohibits isolation plays, there are still ways to do it if you want to.

However, Gan Guoyang did not do that. After the preseason ended and Carrier had to return to Princeton to continue his head coaching job, Gan Guoyang took Carrier's phone number and said that he would often call him to ask him questions about Princeton tactics.

He is the most supportive and knowledgeable player on the Trail Blazers regarding the Princeton offense.

During daily training, he often participates in discussions, pondering the details of tactics and understanding the internal logic of the system's operation.

This led Bobby Berman to wonder: "Sonny, do you want to be the head coach?"

Gan Guoyang: "In order to prevent you from betraying us, I think it is necessary to understand the coach's job duties."

"I will not betray you!"

"Defenses can not do without."

Gan Guoyang explained to the public, "I think this system is very interesting, and it will be very interesting to play this way."

But Gan Guoyang clearly has a longer-term vision, and he supports the coaching staff's decision.

The Trail Blazers did the same thing in 1987 and 1988. They had championship experience, but instead of sticking to the old ways, they sought innovation and change.

New tactics and strategies are constantly being developed, new ideas are being injected into the team, and young players are being discovered and given important roles.

At that time, the Trail Blazers were both decaying and reborn, which is why they were able to recover so quickly from the setbacks of 1989, rapidly assemble a new championship roster, and achieve even greater success.

Self-renewal must never cease; this is the price to pay for preserving the title of King of the Forest.

时间到了1990年11月2号，开拓者1990-1991赛季拉开帷幕，他们首战在主场迎战休斯顿火箭。

Before the game, Gan Guoyang attended the team's tactical meeting - with four coaches, the Trail Blazers coaching staff holds a tactical meeting for every game.

When asked about whether to use the Princeton offense in the game and for how long, assistant coach John Weitzer said, "We can try this system in the first half, which might make the players uncomfortable and we might fall behind. In the second half, we can switch back to the tactical rhythm we were familiar with last season and turn things around."

John Weitzer has extensive experience as an assistant coach in the league and is very familiar with the situation of each team.

He briefly coached the Phoenix Suns, but at that time the Suns were mired in a drug crisis, and Weitzer was just a temporary replacement. He was soon removed from the head coach position during a purge.

After joining the Trail Blazers, his main job was pre-game preparation, conducting detailed research on each opponent and providing key tips to the head coach and players.

In contrast, the other assistant coach, Jack Shalov, is mainly responsible for post-game analysis. Shalov previously served as the head coach at the University of Seattle, so he has a more comprehensive understanding of the team's work and knows how to criticize and motivate players.

Weitzer's suggestion makes a lot of sense; new systems and new tactics require time to adapt to.

Halftime is enough; to secure victory, halftime should be reserved for a familiar playing style.

But Forrest Gump had a different opinion. He said, "John's idea is good, but I think we can play the Princeton system for three and a half quarters so that we can digest it faster."

"What if we fall behind and lose the game?" Weitzer asked.

Gan Guoyang said, "That's why I left half a quarter. Against Houston, half a quarter is enough to turn the game around." Everyone in the locker room who knew Gan laughed. That's how confident and boastful this guy was.

The key point is that, despite his boasting, he always manages to succeed in the end.

Weitzer didn't know Forrest Gump well enough, so he said with some concern, "Houston is different this year. They've strengthened their roster, they're in good form, they..."

At this moment, Adelman came over and patted Weitzer on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, John, leave it to Forrest. If we lose in the end, he'll take full responsibility. Sharoff, don't forget to comment on Forrest's decision during the post-game debriefing."

Adelman knew Gan Guoyang very well; in the 1990-1991 season, Gan Guoyang had already reached his peak.

Physically, he still maintains the vigorous energy, unparalleled strength, and explosive power of his youth, and his weight is well controlled.

In terms of technique, Gan Guoyang has reached a high level. There is no technical move he cannot do. He is proficient in all kinds of offensive weapons. At the same time, he is perfect yet incomplete. In normal situations, he always uses the simplest few moves. In critical moments, his opponents do not know what moves he will use.

This guy has already reached the realm of "a heavy sword without an edge, great skill without artifice," no longer just approaching it around 1988, but truly achieving it.

In terms of match experience, Gan Guoyang has fought countless tough and fierce battles, and has been competing in high-level games for many years. He has saved the situation from danger many times at critical moments. He is a master of error control, has a smart and flexible mind, and has a strong desire to learn. He is the brain of the team on the field.

He is absolutely trustworthy, and that is the source of the Portland Trail Blazers' unity. The team has low communication costs, everyone has a leader, and they won't fall apart or have various small groups fighting amongst themselves.

Conflicts certainly exist, but victory will eliminate all destabilizing factors.

John Weitzer nodded after being reassured by Adelman.

Having been rivals in the past, Weitzer knew how terrifying Forrest Gump was; now on the same team, he hadn't gotten used to the sense of security Forrest Gump provided.

At 7:30 p.m., the Trail Blazers and Rockets appeared at Memorial Arena.

It's another year-end game, and the team's fifth championship banner was raised to the arena ceiling before the game. The cheers of Portland fans will continue for the entire season, and may even last until June.

The advantage of the championship opening match is that the fans' enthusiasm will reach its peak, and the team's morale will be very high.

The downside is that players' attention is easily distracted by things outside the game, making them less focused.

In the 1989-1990 season, the entire Trail Blazers team was united in their determination to avenge their defeat in the 1989 season and return to the top of the league.

Now that the goal has been achieved, it's normal for the players to become somewhat complacent.

Moreover, with the departure of Hornacek and Divac and the arrival of new members, the chemistry between the players is not as good as it was last season.

This is also why Gan Guoyang insists on playing Princeton offense for three and a half quarters. He hopes to use this "ordinary system" to stimulate the tactical synergy of the new team and get the team into the game as soon as possible.

In contrast, the Houston Rockets, forced to sit on the bench and witness the Trail Blazers' championship ring presentation ceremony, were filled with resentment and vowed to cause trouble at Memorial Arena.

John Weitzer's pre-game prediction was correct. After rest and reinforcement this year, the Houston Rockets are slowly emerging from the shadow of the fall of their twin towers and the drug crisis.

In September, as the Trail Blazers and Bulls acquired Reggie Lewis and Buck Williams respectively, initiating an arms race, the Houston Rockets also made a significant trade.

They traded veterans John Lucas and Tim McCormick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Roy Marble and Kenny Smith.

At the time, the trade was unremarkable. Kenny Smith was traded from the Kings to the Hawks last season, but he didn't adapt well to the Hawks, averaging only 7 points and 4 assists per game. He was quickly released by the Hawks and went to the Rockets.

In fact, Kenny Smith is a very talented player, and his arrival has made up for the Rockets' lack of a point guard.

With the addition of Vernon Maxwell to the trade from the Spurs, the Rockets' backcourt has been revitalized.

These two short players are young and aggressive, especially with their shooting range and outstanding long-range shooting ability. Their playing style is very modern and in line with the current development trend of the NBA.

In the paint, after trading away Sampson, the Rockets brought in Audis Thorpe to guard the power forward position.

This year in free agency, they signed Matt Brad and Dave Furlett, both centers.

The holes left after the collapse of the Twin Towers are being patched up little by little.

Most importantly, Hakeem Olajuwon is still with the Rockets, and as long as he is there, the Rockets still have hope.

He has always been Gan Guoyang's strongest challenger in the West. While Gan Guoyang continues to improve, Hakeem Olajuwon is also completing his self-improvement and purification.

As he gradually converts to Islam, his gaze on the court has lost much of its fierceness and gained more tranquility and peace.

However, when facing Forrest Gump, he still couldn't calm down and couldn't completely focus on fighting the guy.

Every time he saw Forrest Gump's face, he had the urge to rush up and fight him—even though he knew he couldn't win, he just wanted to.

How to curb this impulse and focus entirely on basketball rather than personal emotions is what prompted Hakeem Olajuwon to make his pilgrimage to Mecca to find the answers within himself.

(End of this chapter)