The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 666 Say thank you

Within five minutes of the game starting, Mutombo felt Forrest Gump's intensity, which explained why Ewing said, "If you can compete with Forrest Gump, you're a qualified NBA center."

Mutombo suddenly realized that all his past tactics and experience against his opponents were no longer effective. Tonight, the balls that he could easily block with his outstretched hand were always just a little short.

Mutombo knew that that one small difference was a huge gap.

When the game entered the second quarter, Mutombo panicked whenever Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post.

He didn't know what Forrest Gump's next move would be: shoot directly, back down and drive into the paint, or pass to a teammate to attack the basket.

For a defender, the most frustrating thing is that the opponent's actions are unpredictable. Just like a goalkeeper saving a penalty kick, sometimes it is very effective to firmly dive in one direction and make the shooter choose.

You can't beat Forrest Gump. He reacts incredibly fast, and you can't read anything from his eyes. You don't know what he's going to do next.

In fact, Forrest Gump himself didn't know that so many years of hard training and competition experience had long since given him unparalleled muscle memory and nerve reflexes.

Most of his offensive plays don't require him to use his brain; instead, he relies on his subconscious and the tacit understanding he has developed with his teammates over the years to play smoothly.

It just so happens that the Nuggets' head coach, Paul Westhead, is a coach with a unique understanding of defense. He doesn't like double-teaming or deploying heavy forces in the paint because it hinders the team's fast breaks.

They prefer a tight defense, controlling the passing game rather than the ball handler, then securing the defensive rebounds, and having the backcourt players immediately launch a fast break without any hesitation.

Like Doug Moe, Westhead doesn't like to focus on a few specific rounds; he focuses on the overall pace of the game and likes to set the pace very fast.

The opponent may score a lot of points, but as long as our team scores more points, we can win the game. This is Westhead's basketball philosophy.

Some matches are so fast-paced that the referees are exhausted from running back and forth and end up having to stand still and blow their whistles.

In the 1990 season, Westhead led his team against Louisiana State University, whose team had a super strong and tall center named Shaquille O'Neal.

In that game, O'Neal delivered five blocks right from the start, putting Loyola Marymount behind early on. However, Loyola Marymount used a frantic offensive pace to keep the tall and strong Louisiana State team on their toes.

Towards the end, the Louisiana University players were exhausted, and in order to call a timeout, they deliberately threw the ball out of bounds, calling a timeout because the ball was dead.

The two teams went into overtime, with an astonishing score of 134-134. Although Loyola Marymount University ultimately lost the game, the fans in attendance said it was the most exciting game they had ever seen at the Maravich Sports Centre.

That season, Loyola Marymount University, led by Westhead, put on a crazy offensive show. They belonged to the WCC conference and were in the same division as Gonzaga University.

They scored 128 points against Gonzaga, and Payton scored 48 against Oregon State, but Loyola Marymount's Bo Kimball scored 53.

These statistics are very rare in the NCAA, and can only be seen in Loyola Marymount University's games because their pace is just too fast.

Westhead hopes to use this basketball philosophy to make a comeback in the NBA and continue his championship dynasty dream that ended in Los Angeles in 1980.

However, after joining the Nuggets, their offense was indeed crazy, but their defense was also crazy, conceding points like crazy.

In Westhead's first game as head coach, the Nuggets faced the Warriors, and the score was 158-163, with the Nuggets losing the game.

In the late 80s and early 90s, when the entire league was leaning towards defense, such a crazy scoring battle was truly rare.

Later, in a game against the Spurs, against a team coached by Larry Brown, they also scored 153-161.

It's no easy feat to get Brown's team to score 161 points; Westhead's strategy doesn't seem to work in the NBA.

In the NCAA, many teams have players who aren't top-tier in terms of skill, and their stamina gets worn down when faced with an extremely fast-paced offense.

NBA players are all elites, the best of the best. The veterans are all battle-hardened and have plenty of stamina. Some players are even known as physical monsters.

The Los Angeles Lakers' ability to overwhelm their opponents wasn't just due to their speed and stamina, but also their exceptional talent, something the Nuggets lacked.

Westhead's coaching philosophy faced its biggest questioning and challenge during the Nuggets' game against the Suns on November 10, 1990.

At halftime, the score was 110-85.

This isn't the final score, but the halftime score; the Suns have already scored 110 points.

In the locker room, Westhead faced criticism from his players as the Suns were on track to set a record of 200 points.

Westhead shook his head, saying the Suns would get tired and they couldn't score 200 points.

In the end, the Suns scored 173 points, which is an incredible high score.

With only 27 points away from 200, if Westhead continues like this, it feels like losing 200 points is just a matter of time.

Mutombo's arrival is an attempt by the Nuggets' management to prevent the team from conceding so many points again.

Meanwhile, Mutombo also surprised people a lot on the offensive end.

Although his low-post offensive skills are nothing to brag about, the young and strong player has actively integrated into Westhead's offensive system.

He plays center on defense, but on offense he sometimes plays more like power forward. He participates in fast breaks and actively fights for offensive rebounds to create scoring opportunities.

So far, Mutombo has averaged 5 offensive rebounds per game thanks to his impressive height and wingspan, as well as his aggressive play, which is a key reason for his strong offensive performance.

However, Mutombo's offensive rebounding strategy failed to work against the Trail Blazers tonight, as defensive rebounding king Gan Guoyang protected the Trail Blazers' defensive rebounds very well.

It's impossible to move him; with a weight of 270 pounds and the strongest in the league, he simply cannot compete with him.

Mutombo tried to use his height and wingspan to grab the rebound over Gan Guoyang's head, but it was all in vain.

Without a positional advantage, unless there is a significant height difference, it is impossible to grab an offensive rebound.

Throughout the first half, Mutombo, unable to score in the low post, could only run back and forth, trying to find some opportunities on the counter-attack.

However, Gan Guoyang anticipated this and locked down most of the opportunities, not giving Mutombo an easy chance to receive the ball under the basket and attack the rim.

Twice he cut to the basket to receive the ball, but Gan Guoyang intercepted it. His ball handling and passing speed was too slow, while Gan Guoyang's reaction was extremely fast.

As a result, Mutombo did not score a single point in the entire first half, with only 5 rebounds and 2 blocks on the stat sheet.

At halftime, Mutombo felt unusually tired, both physically and mentally exhausted, and he played without any presence.

Gan Guoyang easily racked up 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the first half, helping the Trail Blazers take a 17-point lead over the Nuggets.

The Nuggets' defense is much better than last season; they no longer concede 70 or 80 points in the first half, let alone 130, 140, or even 150 points for the whole game.

However, this version of the Nuggets has also lost the essence of Westhead's basketball philosophy. They are no longer a frenzied offensive machine, but have gradually become an ordinary team that looks distinctive but isn't particularly strong. This is because the league's overall trend is towards defense, especially this season, with the league's average points per game declining further.

Even offensively strong teams like the Trail Blazers are improving their defensive consistency in order to achieve better results.

During halftime, Mutombo was frustrated. His confidence had taken a major hit, and the sense of superiority he had built up over the past two months was shattered by Agam.

Gan Guoyang really went a bit too far tonight, using playoff-level intensity and focus against Mutombo.

More importantly, the Nuggets lack a system to support Mutombo's defense, leaving him to fight alone in the paint most of the time.

The two are indeed far apart in terms of experience and ability, and Gan Guoyang has never been afraid of tall and thin center Mutombo.

After the start of the second half, Gan Guoyang changed his approach to deal with Mutombo. He began to pull out a lot of space to support the attack, holding the ball at a high position and at a 45-degree angle.

Mutombo had to step out to defend, but he also had to cover the paint, resulting in him being caught in the middle. He either watched as Gan Guoyang hit a mid-range shot, or he defended too far out, leaving the paint wide open and allowing the Trail Blazers' Princeton offense to exploit numerous weaknesses and create opportunities for backdoor layups.

Westhead made some adjustments futilely, but to no avail; he simply didn't have many cards to play.

In the NBA, roster talent is the most important factor; without talented players and top stars, success is impossible.

Gan Guoyang relaxed the intensity on both offense and defense in the third quarter, giving Mutombo some scoring opportunities.

When Mutombo seized the opportunity and dunked with both hands after receiving the ball under the basket, Gan Guoyang stared at him for a while and said, "You should say thank you, Deakinbe."

Mutombo was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Why should I thank you for dunking?"
But then I realized that if Forrest Gump had gone all out to defend this ball, it might have resulted in another steal or even a block.

Mutombo is still too slow under the basket, and as Gan Guoyang said, his habits are bad; he always has to squat down to collect the ball before getting up again.

This bad habit is present in several of Georgetown's centers: Ewing, Mutombo, and Mourning. It seems they can't generate power without crouching down to receive the ball.

They can never do what Forrest Gump did: catch the ball and immediately launch an offensive move, raising the ball high and hitting it without giving the opponent a chance to react.

After hesitating for a moment, Mutombo still said to Gan Guoyang, "Thank you, thank you."

Gan Guoyang nodded. In the fourth quarter, he didn't go all out and played normally.

Mutombo finally had some breathing room and was able to perform on both offense and defense.

However, it no longer affected the outcome of the game. With a large lead, the Trail Blazers easily secured the victory with an 18-point advantage amidst the festive Christmas atmosphere.

At the end of the match, Mutombo and Gan Guoyang shook hands. At that moment, Mutombo lowered his usually proud head and put away his condescending nostrils, saying, "I will try my best to put a hat on your head."

Gan Guoyang admired Mutombo's confidence, knowing that this African center would shine in the NBA in the future.

Gan Guoyang gave him some advice: "Use more cleverness and strategy when defending. You are too straightforward, which will cause you to suffer."

Mutombo is indeed very straightforward in both personality and playing style. His physical attributes are undeniable, making him a top-notch defensive prospect.

Therefore, he disdains drawing fouls, using dirty tricks, or psychological tactics; he always goes head-to-head and if he can block your shot, he will never resort to any other tricks.

On the contrary, defensive players like Rodman, who are not particularly good at physical attributes, make up for their lack of physical attributes with various unorthodox methods to improve their defensive ability and disrupt their opponents as much as possible.

As for historical defensive masters like Gan Guoyang and Bill Russell, players who single-handedly changed the defensive landscape, they always excelled both inside and outside, using a combination of soft and hard tactics.

If Mutombo wants to go from good to great, he must understand this: defense is not just a technical skill, but also a psychological battle and a game of overcoming choices.

Of course, Mutombo is still too young. He just nodded vaguely and did not fully understand what Gan Guoyang was saying.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, “Those guys from Georgetown are all stubborn. They’re brave but lack strategy. They can get by with their talent in college, but that’s not enough for the NBA.”

The Trail Blazers had a perfect Christmas night, bringing Portland fans the expected joy.

On the other side, the Chicago Bulls also easily defeated the Boston Celtics, who were without Bird.

So far this season, the Chicago Bulls have been dominant in the regular season, losing only four games in November and December.

Whether on offense or defense, the Bulls demonstrated dominance over other teams—except for the Trail Blazers.

The loss to the Trail Blazers at the end of November was a painful memory for the Bulls, but it also gave them tremendous motivation to continue moving towards their goals.

In the East, the Detroit Pistons are declining, and declining rapidly, even though their players aren't actually that old.

Dumas is 28, Thomas is 30, Rodman is 30, Sally is 27, Aguirre is 32, and Tping is 31; they are all still in their prime.

However, the Pistons' golden age was over in 1991-1992. Their playing style had become ineffective, and they had lost their deterrent effect on other teams in the league.

No one is afraid of them anymore, no one is intimidated by them, and everyone dares to challenge them, especially after Thomas lost his Olympic qualification and his position in the league became precarious.

On November 15th, the Pistons will host the Utah Jazz. Thomas will prove to the world that he is much better than John Stockton and that Stockton's selection for the Olympics was definitely rigged.

He scored 44 points over Stockton with a furious offensive, humiliating Stockton in the process.

On December 14th, the Pistons visited Salt Lake City. Less than a quarter into the game, Thomas was struck in the temple by Karl Malone's elbow during an offensive play and immediately lost consciousness.

This is the second time Thomas has suffered a serious head injury; the first was in the 1990 NBA Finals when Forrest Gump elbowed him, leaving him with facial disfigurement.

Malone's elbow strike was undoubtedly motivated by revenge, and Chuck Daly and Mark Aguirre immediately went berserk. Aguirre rushed forward to fight Malone but was restrained by staff.

Thomas was then taken to the hospital. After examination and treatment, he was found to be fine, but he suffered a head injury and rested for several days before returning to the field.

Although Malone's elbows were notorious, when Thomas was elbowed, no one in the media spoke up for him, and the league only suspended Malone for one game as punishment, which was not a serious offense.

This shows how unpopular Thomas was in the NBA. When Forrest Gump elbowed him, the entire league and even the whole of America were pleading for Gump. Thomas, the one who got beaten, received less sympathy than the perpetrator.

A series of setbacks, marginalization in the league, and the retirements of rival Bird and friend Johnson all left Thomas disheartened.

At 30, Thomas is usually at the peak of his career as a guard, but he has already begun to decline, and it seems to be going downhill from there.

In the entire Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls seem to have no rivals. The Knicks are no match, the Celtics and Pistons have declined, the Heat seem to be lacking, and the Cavaliers have been consistently suppressed by the Bulls.

Their only goal is the NBA Finals, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

(End of this chapter)