The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 623 Secret Weapon
The match began after a jump ball between Gan Guoyang and Divac.

Divac wore the Celtics' green number 12 jersey and looked a bit stronger than last season.

However, in the scramble for the ball, his explosiveness was far inferior to Forrest Gump's, and the Trail Blazers launched the first attack.

The Celtics assigned the young Divac to guard Gan Guoyang and Parish to deal with Sabonis in their defensive matchups.

Gan Guoyang moved to the low post and said to Divac, "They sent you to guard me? Is this bullying a rookie?"

"If you have any compassion, go easy on Sonny," Divac decisively admitted defeat.

He played in Portland for a year, and was dominated by Gan Guoyang in the low post for a year. He knows all too well what kind of monster Gan Guoyang is in the low post.

During the regular season, he almost never showed his full low-post energy in any game because he didn't need to.

To conserve energy and give his teammates enough space under the basket, he is willing to act as a playmaker on the perimeter or use the mid-range shot as a weapon.

In any case, his mid-range shot is equally deadly, and his three-pointer is his secret weapon, often catching opponents off guard.

Only Divac, who often trained with Gan Guoyang, knew that Gan Guoyang's core talent was concentrated in his low-post offense.

This is his key competitive advantage in repeatedly reaching the top in the NBA; all other skills are supporting skills that revolve around the low post.

Gan Guoyang started his career as a center. Despite not being particularly tall in the league, he dominated the United States by relying on both strength and skill.

The perfect combination of these two elements gives him unparalleled scoring ability in the low post, making him extremely difficult to defend.

In the 1991 season, Gan Guoyang was in his seventh year in the league, and his low-post offensive skills had become highly refined.

He seamlessly integrated power, low-post footwork, hook shot, turnaround jumper, and layup technique, embedding them into his muscle memory.

Not only do defenders not know what to do after Gan Guoyang receives the ball in the low post, sometimes even Gan Guoyang himself doesn't know what to do.

He adjusts his next move entirely based on the opponent's defense; double-teaming is often ineffective, while triple-teaming is more likely to have some effect.

In the early stages of the regular season, there is often no specific defense, and everyone is playing one-on-one. Gan Guoyang boxed out Divac in the low post and scored three consecutive baskets with his back to the basket, making them all!
A forward-leaning shot with a turn, a difficult inside turn left-handed hook shot, and a simple back-to-the-basket bulldozer, easily turning and scoring under the basket.

However, the Celtics did not fall behind, scoring on all three of their opening possessions, tying the game at 6-6.

On the fourth play, Gan Guoyang received the ball on the left side, turned and drove to the basket, but was surrounded by Parish and Bird. He passed the ball to the middle, where Lewis received it and took a mid-range shot, but missed.

Divac grabbed the rebound, and with three players surrounding him, the Celtics finally stopped one of Gan Guoyang's attacks.

During the counter-attack, the Celtics executed a very beautiful play, with Brian Shaw passing the ball to Bird in the corner.

Bird faked out Kexi and drove towards the basket, drawing Gan Guoyang's defensive attention.

Suddenly, a no-look pass was delivered to Brian Shaw, who was cutting through the middle. Facing Sabonis who was coming to help defend, Brian Shaw launched a high-arcing floater and scored two points!

Passing, running, and passing again – this Celtics team's playing style is consistent with that of the 80s.

Although the wheels of time roll ever forward, there are always staunch conservatives who refuse to follow the trends of the times and remain in the same place.

The pace of NBA games in the 90s was significantly different from that in the 80s.

The pace has slowed down, positional play has increased, defensive confrontations have intensified, and the role of star players in one-on-one situations has become more prominent.

The Celtics once had a strong roster, full of stars, but they played true team basketball.

The league's most assists, most passes, most running distance, and fewest turnovers.

From any perspective, they are an outstanding basketball team, playing pure basketball impeccably.

But starting in 1986, the door to the NBA championship closed to them.

With changing rules, a decline in talent, and constant targeting, Boston's decline is not without precedent.

Even so, the Celtics have maintained their traditions, continued to promote their team basketball, and are striving to earn a place in the league.

After Gan Guoyang got into a rhythm at the start of the game, he knew that the Celtics were going to start double-teaming him, so he changed his strategy and ran the Princeton offense with his teammates.

Jerome Kossi ran into an opportunity under the basket, received a pass from Gan Guoyang, and dunked it in.

Bird then passed the ball to his teammate cutting to the basket, this time it was Hornacek.

Gan Guoyang came over to help defend, interfering with Hornacek's layup, and the ball missed.

Parish grabbed the offensive rebound and was about to dunk, but Gan Guoyang, who had reacted quickly, turned around and blocked it again!
If any other player were defending this kind of shot, they would definitely watch the rebound dunk go in. Only a defender with Gan Guoyang's incredibly quick reflexes could defend two players at once and block a shot that was sure to go in.

It is this superhuman defensive ability that makes the Trail Blazers' three-second zone impregnable, requiring a great deal of effort to break through.

"What a beast," Bird cursed under his breath. How could such a shot be defended?

Hornacek then successfully stole the ball from Porter on defense, regaining possession for the Celtics.

They tried to launch a counterattack, but the Trail Blazers quickly got back on defense. Bird got the ball, circled around the three-second zone, and then ran out to pass to Hornacek to reorganize the half-court offense.

Bird was getting old, and he didn't dare to risk his back. If he drove hard to the basket and got bumped from behind by Forrest Gump, his career might be over.

Once the game turned into a half-court offense, Bird wanted to use his penetrating passes to help his teammates score under the basket; he was now playing entirely in the style of a point forward.

But Gan Guoyang was like a kink under the basket, constantly using his long arms to interfere with the Celtics players' shots and layups.

Meanwhile, Sabonis will roam around the paint to assist with defense; this super big man's perimeter defensive ability is underestimated.

When he played for the Soviet national team, Sabonis often defended from the three-second zone to the three-point line, and his mobility was not bad.

Therefore, Bobby Bellman's decision to move Gan Guoyang back to the center position and Sabonis to the power forward position was a very good adjustment.

The Trail Blazers' defense became more solid as a result. Despite being smaller than Sabonis, Gan Guoyang's defensive threat in the paint was much greater.

Many players who saw Sabonis dreamed of reaching that height, and Jordan even dunked on Sabonis multiple times.

But when you see Forrest Gump, everyone should think twice about whether they can get past him head-on. Unless the opportunity is absolutely perfect, it's better to just shoot.

The Celtics started the game on par with the Trail Blazers, but as the game progressed, they struggled to create opportunities in the paint, and their offensive efficiency began to decline.

The Trail Blazers gradually gained the upper hand, their offense became more ferocious and powerful, with strong drives to the basket and numerous second-chance opportunities, making it very difficult for Divac and Parish to defend them.

At this point, Celtics coach Chris Ford was missing Reggie Lewis. If Lewis were on the court, the Celtics would be more athletic on the wing.

The Celtics team currently lacks athleticism the most, with three white players in the starting lineup and a white sixth man on the bench.

Bird's back is ruined, Hornacek and Divac are players who rely on their brains, Parish is already 37 years old, and Brian Shaw is not known for his physical prowess.

The Celtics rely on tactics, experience, and teamwork to play. When facing weaker teams, the Celtics can play smoothly and achieve the best record in the league at the beginning of the season.

However, as the season progressed, they struggled on both offense and defense when facing teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, who were tactically disciplined and physically gifted.

Especially on the defensive end, sometimes we manage to defend the ball, but the opponent always manages to grab the offensive rebound and score on the second-chance points, which is very demoralizing.

For the Celtics to win, they need to maintain a very high shooting percentage on offense, especially from the perimeter, and prevent the Trail Blazers from launching fast breaks.

Secondly, the second unit must step up to continue the attack and gain an advantage in the chaos.

Midway through the first quarter, the score was tied at 14-18, with the Trail Blazers leading the Celtics by 4 points.

Chris Ford called a timeout and made a substitution, replacing Hornacek with Kevin Gamble to bolster the backcourt's athleticism.

Hornacek can play well against other teams, but against his old teammates on the Trail Blazers, his strengths and weaknesses are well understood, and he struggles a lot.

The Trail Blazers' backcourt defense was very targeted tonight, assigning Terry Porter to guard Hornacek and Reggie Lewis to guard Brian Shaw.

Porter and Hornacek grew up together and know each other too well; neither of them played well against the other tonight.

Reggie Lewis is significantly larger than Brian Shaw, and his defense made Shaw very uncomfortable.

With Bird becoming the only reliable outside playmaker, the offense simply wouldn't work.

Kossie is very aggressive on defense, and Ford needs Gamble to come on to relieve the pressure on the team's backcourt.

The Trail Blazers made no personnel adjustments. After the timeout, Divac received the ball at the high post and made a pass to Bird, who was cutting to the basket.

Bird faced Forrest Gump and launched a high-arcing shot. The ball flew over Gan Guoyang's fingertips, hit the front of the backboard, and bounced into the basket.

In terms of skill, Bird was still top-notch; only he could face Forrest Gump's defense and shoot with ease.

"It was so close, so close to hitting me with the hat."

After scoring, Bird couldn't resist showing off a bit.

For someone like him, if he plays well but doesn't show off, it's as if he didn't play well at all.

Then, substitute Kevin Gamble received the ball and made a jump shot, followed by a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Gamble isn't the kind of guard with particularly explosive athleticism, but he's taller than Hornacek and has a quicker release.

He comes onto the court and immediately starts shooting, scoring, and opening up the backcourt offense, relieving pressure on Bird.

Sometimes basketball is simple: scoring is the only thing that matters. Gamble scored 5 points in a row, which shows that the substitution was a good one.

Late in the first quarter, the score was tied at 24-26, with the Trail Blazers leading the Celtics by only 2 points.

Bellman called a timeout, and both sides began their first player rotations.

Petrovic took off his jacket and replaced Porter. Center Gan Guoyang also rested, and Davis came on.

With this lineup, the Trail Blazers immediately shifted their offensive and defensive focus from the inside to the outside.

The Celtics, on the other hand, brought on Kevin McHale while Bird went to the bench for a rest.

After leaving the court, Bird found a towel, placed it on the floor by the court, and then lay down, using his elbows to support himself on the towel as he lay on the ground, which made his back feel a little better.

During the transition between the first and second quarters, the two sides fought more and more fiercely, and the pace became faster and faster.

Ford and Bellman both deployed troops, constantly replacing them with fresh forces, in an attempt to gain an advantage in the chaotic battle.

The football field is like a battlefield. Often, you don't need fancy strategies; it's just a constant influx of fresh players onto the front lines.

Whoever has higher quality troops and stronger firepower will win on the battlefield; using tactics is often a last resort.

Clearly, the Trail Blazers, with their full roster, had a higher quality of players, but the experienced Kevin McHale led the bench players to keep the score close.

Petrovic set a very fast pace for the game. He is much stronger this year than last year. Facing Dee Brown, who was guarding him, Petrovic repeatedly used his body to push past his opponent and then scored with a mid-range pull-up jump shot, or he would push down to the basket and draw fouls from the defense.

Seemingly in an effort to forget his off-court troubles, Petrovic has been more focused on basketball this year.

He was so focused that his life consisted almost entirely of competitions and training.

There has been a rift in his relationship with his girlfriend, who is young and unable to accept such a monotonous life.

In just one season, Petrovic has won the championship ring that many people dream of, and the Trail Blazers have also given Petrovic a lucrative contract.

Why are their lives becoming increasingly dull and isolated?

Although Portland is not a metropolis like New York or Los Angeles, it still has a very rich social scene.

Petrovic received many invitations, but he turned them all down, immersing himself in the world of basketball.

He seemed completely indifferent to his fame, wealth, and handsome appearance; all he wanted to do was play ball.

He went even further than Sabonis in this respect, who frequently participated in community and business events and was very popular in Portland.

Petrovich, however, was like a recluse who rarely left his home. He installed a whole set of fitness equipment in his newly bought house and spent a lot of time in the gym every day.

In the past, his girlfriend would come to the sidelines to cheer for Petrovic every night at home games, but recently she has been not coming often, either going to meet with friends or attending parties.

In short, the two drifted apart, but Petrovic didn't care. He focused all his energy on basketball and strived to achieve real success.

Although he has a championship ring, Petrovic knows that the gold content on it is pitifully small.

Last season, the Trail Blazers swept through the playoffs, and even without Petrovic, the championship would still belong to Portland.

After making the free throw, Petrovic scored 6 points and also provided an assist, connecting with Lewis for 2 points.

The Trail Blazers extended their lead in the second quarter.

However, in the paint, the young Antonio Davis was treated like a toy by the cunning Kevin McHale.

In low-post one-on-one defense, Davis, who was inferior in height, wingspan, and experience, simply couldn't stop McHale.

Yes, McHale's offense was so strong that even Forrest Gump would have to give it his all in a one-on-one defense, let alone rookie Davis.

Mitchell Thompson, who was the most effective defender against McHale, is still on the injury list and will have to watch the game from the sidelines.

During the timeout, Thompson gave Antonio Davis instructions on how to defend.

Antonio Davis has great physical attributes, but he's too sensitive; he jumps at the slightest provocation.

Young people are inexperienced; they get excited easily with just a little provocation. They're no match for seasoned veterans.

Thanks to Kevin McHale's extensive experience and low-post offense, the Celtics' second unit withstood the Trail Blazers' onslaught.

Furthermore, Kevin McHale's shooting became increasingly smooth, and he seemed unstoppable in the low post.

Seeing that things were not going well, Berman called a timeout and substituted Davis, with Gan Guoyang returning to the court to deal with McHale.

Gan Guoyang's arrival immediately halted McHale's momentum of dominating the low-level position.

The Celtics tried to pass the ball to McHale, but before they could get it to him, Gan Guoyang intercepted it and poked it away.

After stealing the ball, Gan Guoyang made a long pass to Lewis in the frontcourt. Lewis shook off the defense and dunked the ball with both hands to score!
Bill Shawnley traded Rip-City to Lewis, while criticizing that "the quality of the Trail Blazers' bench is far inferior to that of the starters."

During this period, Antonio Davis had quite a few opportunities to play, with his performance fluctuating, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Bellman gave him a lot of time and trust.

Considering his draft position and college level, his performance with the Trail Blazers was quite good. He was very proactive, played aggressively, had good fundamentals, and dared to engage in physical battles.

If he were on a weak team, like the Magic or Hornets, a team desperately lacking talent, someone like Antonio Davidson could be developed into a starter.

But this is the Trail Blazers, with Forrest Gump and Domantas Sabonis in the paint, and former backups like Gilmore, Bill Walton, and Davis are simply not good enough.

When he came on the court, the Trail Blazers' offensive and defensive quality in the paint dropped sharply, and the contrast between him and Forrest Gump was too strong and too obvious.

This put Davis under tremendous pressure. From commentators to the media, there was a lot of criticism and questioning of Davidson, with many believing that it wasn't worth investing too much in him.

"Can you imagine the Chicago Bulls developing a young shooting guard?" A reporter from The Oregonian criticized the Trail Blazers coaching staff's personnel strategy without reservation.

They believe the Trail Blazers should trade away young but untalented big men like Davis, Pinckney, and Mark Bryant in exchange for a veteran with immediate impact to help the Blazers win a championship.

Every year, the NBA has such veteran resources, such as Robert Parish of the Celtics, James Edwards of the Lakers, as well as Big Tree Rollins, former Trail Blazers player Wayne Cooper, etc., all of whom are good choices.

But both Jerry West and Bobby Bellman believe that the Trail Blazers need young talent in the paint, and Antonio Davis is the player with the most potential among them.

Of course, the two had different considerations. Bobby Bellman was thinking of developing a high-quality backup and scorer for Forrest Gump. After Mason was poached, the Trail Blazers needed such a fresh player.

Jerry West, however, has a longer-term vision. He believes the team needs to develop some high-quality potential players to ensure they always have enough assets to trade for better potential players in the future.

After Gan Guoyang returned to the field, Sabonis rested on the bench, and Berman used a small lineup with strong attacking power and an experimental nature.

Gan Guoyang, Cliff Robinson, Lewis, Petrovic, and Terry Porter.

All five players have mid-range and long-range shooting abilities, with Porter, Petrovic, and Gan Guoyang being particularly strong at three-point shooting.

This offensive lineup left the Celtics' defense overwhelmed. Whether in half-court offense or fast breaks, the Celtics seemed a step behind, allowing the Trail Blazers to keep them on their toes.

However, this lineup is relatively weak on the perimeter, and with only Agan in the paint, the pressure is immense.

After the Trail Blazers quickly widened the score gap, the experienced Bird slowed down the pace.

He first passed the ball to McHale, who then scored in the low post, drawing a foul from Gan Guoyang and making both free throws.

Then Bird dribbled with his back to the basket, leaned against Cliff Robinson, and used a turnaround fake to deceive him.

The Celtics made the shot and drew a foul on Robinson, earning a free throw, and then scored 5 straight points.

But the Trail Blazers are really fierce on offense, and this lineup doesn't play the slow Princeton offense at all.

In positional warfare, Gan Guoyang would take a low position and start attacking. If you flanked him, he would split up. The other four players were all capable of both driving and throwing, and were independent attackers.

You're not going to double-team? Then just wait to give away points. Gan Guoyang's low-post slam dunk always finds a way to put the ball in the basket.

This simple and straightforward talent-based playstyle is surprisingly efficient in attacking, yielding results in 9 out of 10 rounds.

But this only lasted five minutes. After taking a seven-point lead over the Celtics, Bellman made a substitution.

Petrovic and Lewis were substituted off for rest, while Kossi and Sabonis came on, and the team returned to normal positional offense and defense.

On the bench, Adelman asked Bellman with some confusion, "We were playing really well just now, we were about to crush the Celtics."

Bellman said, "I know, but this is our secret weapon. We only use it occasionally and we can't let our opponents figure it out."

Bellman constantly experimented with lineups, secretly using various combinations and tactics, all in preparation for the playoffs and even the Finals, to deliver a fatal blow to the opponent.

(End of this chapter)