The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 720 Kicking Larry's Ass
Tonight's game against the Trail Blazers is not the Nuggets' opening game; just yesterday, they played their first game of the new season at home.

With a score of 125-121, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the San Antonio Spurs in overtime, securing their first win of the season.

They had a good start, so the whole team was in high spirits.

In their second game, a back-to-back against the defending champions and league leaders, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Nuggets' young players were eager to prove themselves at the Rose Garden Arena.

Dikembe Mutombo recorded 15 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks in his matchup against David Robinson.

Rauf scored 32 points and had 6 assists, demonstrating his strong offensive capabilities this season and showing signs of developing into a star.

After the start of the second half, the Nuggets continued to play well. Dan Issel reorganized the team, and Westhead's brief period of absence was completely wiped away.

Whenever a new coach joins a new team, he always likes to emphasize defense.

Because defense brings discipline, discipline brings unity, and unity is often linked to victory.

The two sides were evenly matched in the crucial third quarter, with the pace of the game neither too fast nor too slow. At the beginning of the season, everyone was still finding their rhythm.

Gan Guoyang remained focused, but despite being known as the "King of the Third Quarter," he failed to exert his full strength to defeat the Nuggets in this quarter, even though he felt the Nuggets' defense had many weaknesses.

Most notably, the Nuggets' ability to defend against fast breaks is mediocre. Mutombo's speed and Rauf's height are major problems in their defense.

If the Trail Blazers speed up their pace and increase their offensive rhythm, they have a great chance to widen the score gap.

However, the Trail Blazers also have their problems. Tonight, they made so many mistakes that Gan Guoyang wanted to punch someone.

Once the pace increases, the number of mistakes will increase further, and the cost of increased mistakes is a significant increase in uncontrollable factors in the game.

Their offensive rhythm was disrupted, giving the opponent opportunities to score, and most importantly, their mentality was thrown into disarray by mistakes.

It's like a runner who's running steadily on the track being tripped by a pebble and stumbling.

He may have only lost a second, but that stumble could have cost him the entire long-distance race.

The Trail Blazers' path forward is now inexplicably strewn with too many pebbles, all sorts of small mistakes and errors, which can easily make a team look mediocre.

The difference between elite teams and mediocre teams often lies in these small details, rather than how strong a player's individual ability is, how high they jump, or how impressive their statistics are.

In the third quarter, Gan Guoyang tried his best to stop the team from slipping into mediocrity. He was teaching the young players how to play and how Petrovic could control the rhythm of the backcourt.

NBA games and FIBA ​​games are ultimately different, and moreover, Petrovic did not develop into a true master of controlling the game in FIBA.

He relies more on his talent, speed, shooting, and hard work in playing basketball, which is where he falls short of Porter.

This is also where people often think he is inferior to Toni Kukoc.

Petrovic knows how Porter and Kukoc play.

But when you actually start a game and have to control a team's attack for 40 minutes, it's definitely not as simple as it looks.

PJ Brown is still making mistakes, while Antonio Davis is much better in comparison. However, what surprised Gan Guoyang the most was Mario Allie—in fact, Allie is not even a young man.

Having entered the draft in 1985, he is a year older than Gan Guoyang. He has a wealth of experience and has persisted in working his way up in the professional basketball world after going undrafted, including achieving amazing results under George Karl. He is a very mature player with a very accurate self-positioning.

Such players often lack natural talent, making it difficult for them to produce any spectacular plays, let alone score consecutive points or turn the tide of a game.

But he doesn't make mistakes easily and can perform to his full potential. He has the ability to reach 60 points, and he can deliver all 60 points.

He's reliable on defense and has a good shot on offense; give him the opportunity and he can make it.

He can't create opportunities if there aren't any, but he certainly won't squander them.

Moreover, every NBA player was once a genius who stood out from the crowd, and Ellie was no exception. His occasional flashes of brilliance could also make you exclaim with excitement.

In the 1990-1991 season, when Ally was still with the Warriors, he played against the SuperSonics.

He stole the ball from Gary Payton face-to-face, then dribbled the length of the court and launched a fast break dunk over his opponent.

With five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Warriors were trailing the SuperSonics on the road.

This shot was crucial for the Warriors, demonstrating that Elie dared to take action, perform, and take responsibility in critical moments.

It was this quality that led Jerry West to sign Allie to address the Trail Blazers' increasingly weak frontcourt.

In tonight's match, Ai Li's performance also earned the approval of Gan Guoyang.

During the timeout, Gan Guoyang proactively said to Ai Li, "Get me a towel."

Ellie quickly grabbed a towel and handed it to Gan Guoyang. Not just anyone could offer Gan Guoyang a towel on the Trail Blazers.

Being able to get the towel means you're someone Forrest Gump can boss around, and he'll value you in the game.

Bobby Bellman also recognized this, and he asked Ally to step up more in the remaining games and take on more responsibility for outside ball-handling offense, serving as the team's third or fourth ball-handler.

Ellie did not back down or hesitate; he knew this was his chance.

He's almost 30, and his career is running out of time; he has to seize every opportunity.

With the Trail Blazers plagued by injuries at the start of the season, this presents a perfect opportunity for Eli to showcase and prove himself.

He's no longer young and can't afford to waste time, so he absolutely won't miss out.

However, Berman's decision discouraged Petrovich somewhat.

Before the third quarter was over, Petrovic had already scored 21 points, the most on the team.

However, he only had 3 assists and 3 turnovers, resulting in an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1:1.

Playing as a starter and playing as a sixth man are completely different. A sixth man can focus on scoring, while a starter has to pay attention to more things.

Clearly, Petrovic alone cannot shoulder the responsibility of organizing the Blazers' perimeter offense and controlling their ball possession.

In the latter part of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers gradually increased their intensity, and Gan Guoyang began to launch a fierce attack on the Nuggets' interior defense from the low post.

Mutombo was fouled twice by Gan Guoyang, and had to leave the game early in the third quarter due to his fourth foul.

With a combination of free throws and field goals, Gan Guoyang scored 6 points in a row, helping the Trail Blazers take a 4-point lead over the Nuggets at 80-76 at the end of the third quarter.

The Nuggets certainly won't easily relinquish their victory.

For the defending champions, every game in the regular season was tough.

Because opponents will consider defeating the defending champions a great honor, young players and fringe players will see it as an opportunity to make a name for themselves.

Rauf, who scored 32 points in the previous game, began to actively attack the paint in the fourth quarter, challenging Agam's dominance in the paint.

This guy is indeed very fast, and his ball control is quite good.

On the perimeter, he can use a pattern of changing direction, pulling back, and accelerating to keep the defenders completely on their toes.

Following him, you can penetrate into the paint and directly challenge the center's rim protection.

In the fourth quarter, the referees became stricter, and Gan Guoyang dared not defend with all his might on every ball.

Rauf made consecutive breakthroughs and scored with a floater and a pull-up jumper, bringing the Nuggets back into the game.

In terms of the entertainment value of perimeter players' offense, the 90s saw a significant improvement over the 80s.

In the 80s, it was very difficult for many young guards to penetrate to the basket in positional offense.

The opening move for a positional offense is to pass the ball to the low post, allowing the inside player or small forward to use their large rear end to clear the way and find offensive opportunities in the crowded three-second zone.

The best way to score points is to launch fast counter-attacks. Keep running, running, running until you stop. Once you stop, the point guards will have to take over.

There will be more and more small guards like Rauf in the league now.

Their dribbling skills are more proficient, their offensive ideas are more advanced, and of course, the referees are becoming more lenient in their calls for traveling and double dribbling.

Gan Guoyang had no doubt that some of Rauf's dribbling breakthroughs would have been called traveling by the referees in the 1985 season.

However, in 1992-1993, referees would turn a blind eye, and this situation became increasingly common.

When Rauf attempted to drive to the basket for the third time, Gan Guoyang used a very proactive defensive move to stop his speed.

He then lowered his center of gravity and reached down to steal the ball from Rauf's hand.

Gan Guoyang turned around to protect the ball, pushed past Rauf, and dribbled the ball to launch a counterattack.

He strode forward from near the free-throw line in the backcourt, and Mutombo simply couldn't keep up with his pace.

The entire Rose Garden arena erupted in cheers, knowing that the Forrest Gump performance they had been waiting for all game was about to begin!

He sprinted across half-court in a few steps, entered the three-point line, grabbed the ball with one hand, stepped inside the free-throw line, and then jumped!

The gliding of a heavy attack aircraft was not graceful, but rather fierce, carrying the ball towards the basket and slamming it in!

The Rose Garden Arena erupted in the loudest cheers of the game; many fans had come specifically to see this.

No Nuggets player dared to stop Forrest Gump's move; it was just one dunk, so let him dunk it.

If you foul him, you won't stop him from scoring; you'll also risk fouling yourself and even your own health.

Unexpectedly, Gan Guoyang's gliding dunk was so powerful that it caused a problem with the basket support.

A crack appeared at the connection between the rim and the backboard. The rim, which was previously at a 90-degree angle to the backboard, is now tilted downwards, like a chicken with a broken neck.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. How long had it been since they'd seen Forrest Gump break the rim with a dunk?
This is the third time Gan Guoyang has broken the rim in an official game. The previous two times were in the Finals against the Celtics and in the regular season against the Mavericks.

In particular, the finals game caused a break of more than half an hour.

Since then, the NBA has further reinforced the rims to make them less prone to damage from dunks.

But tonight, Gan Guoyang broke the rim with a one-handed dunk. Looking at the broken rim, Gan Guoyang shook his head and said to the referee, "Jack, did David take a kickback from the rim supplier to provide such a low-quality rim to the venue?"

Jack Madden shrugged and said, "I only handle the officiating, not the equipment. Also, if you're going to spout nonsense, don't drag Sonny into it. I'm retiring soon..."

Fortunately, the Rose Garden Arena was well prepared, with spare hoops and backboards. Staff rushed in to replace and repair them. Commentator Seanley joked, "Forrest Gump has shown terrifying strength since the start of the season. It looks like he's determined to win a fourth consecutive championship... I've always thought Forrest Gump should have participated in weightlifting instead of basketball. He would have achieved even greater success in weightlifting."

The match was delayed by about 15 minutes, giving both teams a chance to rest.

However, rest is not always a good thing. The form and touch that players have worked so hard to build up can easily be worn down and cooled off during rest.

As expected, the game continued, and both sides started missing shots.

Gan Guoyang missed two consecutive turnaround jump shots, and the Nuggets seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack and tie the score.

Gan Guoyang called for the ball again in the low post, but Petrovic did not pass after making a feint.

Instead, he dribbled the ball and drove to the basket, scoring despite Mutombo's help defense!
The ball grazed Mutombo's fingertips, bounced off the backboard, but failed to enter the basket, hitting the front edge of the rim and popping out.

Gan Guoyang burst out from the side and rear, leaped up and dunked successfully. Mutombo went to help defend, so no one was guarding Gan Guoyang.

"That was a good assist. Although it wasn't your intention, passing the ball would have been a better choice after you received it."

Gan Guoyang reminded Petrovic that the kid was playing a bit too aggressively tonight, with a lot of ball-handling attacks and shots.

Petrovic nodded without saying a word, and immediately threw himself into defense, launching a fierce press on Rauf.

Gan Guoyang knew that basketball is a muscle memory sport, and 99% of the actions players make on the court are done subconsciously.

These movements and choices are accumulated through day-to-day training and numerous matches. In high-intensity official matches, athletes can only rely on these memories to play.

Only about 1% of people truly think things through carefully and thoroughly.

A player's style and choices cannot be taught or changed in a few words.

Petrovic's fierce defense had no effect; instead, the referee called a foul on him, and Rauf went to the free-throw line and made both shots.

The score remained neck and neck, and at this stage of the game, it was time to test who had the tougher hand.

Gan Guoyang arrived at the familiar left corner, received a pass from Ellie, and faced Mutombo, he pulled up for a strong jump shot and made it.

The Trail Blazers took a two-point lead, but the Nuggets responded with a crucial, clutch three-pointer.

The shot was made by Nuggets' backup center Scott Hastings.

Dan Isaiah brought him in to exploit the Trail Blazers' weakness at the power forward position, and also to have him and Mutombo strengthen their defense against Agan.

Hastings entered the league in 1982 and is a veteran who is nearing the end of his career and on the verge of retirement.

He spent two seasons with the Pistons and witnessed several massacres at the Silver Top Center, but escaped because he was a benchwarmer.

Having spent time with the Pistons, he received some real instruction from Laimbeer and developed a three-point shot. Although he rarely took them, the occasional three-pointer he made was quite effective.

The Trail Blazers, with their roster incomplete, exposed their defensive weaknesses at crucial moments. Hastings was completely exposed, and Gan Guoyang couldn't afford to abandon Mutombo to fill the gap.

The Trail Blazers' perimeter defensive rotations faltered, and their perimeter defense created numerous gaps in their efforts to contain Rauf.

Rauf has scored 32 points in this game, making 13 of 19 shots, including 4 of 9 three-pointers, demonstrating his strong offensive firepower.

Hastings' three-pointer came from a pass and assist from Rauf, and the Nuggets took the lead at a crucial moment.

The Trail Blazers did not call a timeout, and Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball across half-court to organize the offense.

He directed Petrovic and Elie to slip along the baseline and take away the defense.

At the same time, he made a very deceptive back-step at the top of the arc, followed by a crossover dribble and acceleration, getting past the African mountain who came out to defend.

Poor Mutombo, a 2.18-meter center, was forced to defend near the three-point line.

He was supposed to defend against Agan's three-pointer, but Gan Guoyang faked a move and then drove to the basket.

His eyes and mind followed Gan Guoyang into the three-second zone, but his feet didn't have time to react. He stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.

Gan Guoyang drove into the paint, and Hastings couldn't stop him at all. Gan Guoyang easily made a layup, and the Trail Blazers regained the lead.

Gan Guoyang passed by Mutombo, who had fallen, and helped him up.

He patted his butt and said, "You guys from Georgetown all have legs that are too long and a center of gravity that is too high."

Although it was embarrassing to be faked out, it felt okay because the other person was Forrest Gump. It wasn't too embarrassing, and I even felt a little honored.

It's hard to imagine that the offensive move just now was made by a powerful center; it was fluid, natural, and seamless, without any sense of incongruity. On the sidelines, Bobby Bellman was certain that Forrest Gump had improved his skills again this season, reaching a level where "even grass and trees can be used as swords."

Even so, basketball is a team sport. The Nuggets played very well tonight, while the Trail Blazers were greatly weakened by injuries.

The game entered its final decisive moment, and fans did not expect that the defending champion Trail Blazers would have such a tough first game against the Nuggets.

However, in terms of the entertainment value of the game, tonight's match was quite exciting, and the fans' tickets were definitely worth it.

Dan Isell called a timeout to outline tactics for the crucial moments, while Berman repeatedly emphasized the problems in the defense.

During the brief timeout, the defensive issues were endless; the Trail Blazers' current roster has too many defensive vulnerabilities.

They can't openly use zone defense like the Chinese team at the Olympics, as that's still an illegal defensive tactic in the NBA.

In crucial moments, Berman decided to have Mario Allie guard Rauf one-on-one, and Petrovic guard the less threatening Reggie Williams.

This decision was correct, and Petrovic knew that his defense was holding him back. He was dissatisfied with himself but felt helpless.

Defense also requires talent, and Petrovic's biggest problem is that his wingspan is not very long and his lateral movement speed is not fast enough.

These two points put them at a significant disadvantage when facing fast and explosive American guards.

There are no such requirements when playing as the sixth man, but once you start at point guard, you can't handle the pressure of playing the same position all game.

Of course, compared to his league-worst defensive efficiency when he first came to the United States, Petrovic has made great progress in recent years.

At the very least, their attitude is absolutely fine.

After the timeout, the Nuggets indeed focused their offense on Rauf.

He was the Nuggets' key offensive weapon in this game, and Mario Elie immediately went to meet him.

Despite Rauf's continuous changes of direction and sudden stops, Elie's footwork remained perfectly steady, keeping up with Rauf without losing his position or making any risky attempts to steal the ball.

Finally, Rauf's forced jump shot was blocked by Ellie.

As soon as Gan Guoyang saw the ball go, he knew it was hopeless, so he immediately spread his arms under the basket, clearing a gap in the backboard.

Then, with a light jump, he grabbed the rebound, securing his 15th rebound of the game and clinching the Trail Blazers' first victory of the new season.

The final score was 101-104. The Trail Blazers, relying on Mario Elie's last-second defense, defeated the Denver Nuggets, who were playing well despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and achieved a winning start to the new season.

As if a mission had been accomplished, everyone in the Trail Blazers and the entire Rose Garden arena breathed a sigh of relief.

This is just a small part of the team's consistent and long-running performance over the years.

Although the road ahead this season seems particularly uncertain, they have at least taken the first step, and it's not a bad one.

The Nuggets players, despite their disappointing loss, were not particularly disappointed, as they had already seen hope in the first two games and were about to usher in a new era for the Nuggets.

In his first game, Ellie scored 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, which can be described as a very steady and impressive performance.

Most importantly, he quickly gained Gan Guoyang's approval.

This is very important for the Portland Trail Blazers' rookies.

With Forrest Gump's certification, one can not only survive with the Trail Blazers, but also obtain a passport to survive in the NBA.

In the following week's competition, Elie had a very impressive performance.

In the second game, the Trail Blazers hosted the Phoenix Suns. Facing the aggressive Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson, Mario Elie scored 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting!
The game was also very intense, with the Trail Blazers trailing the Suns by two points until the very end.

Despite being shorthanded, they dragged the Suns, who had a full roster, into the final stages.

Charles Barkley hit a crucial mid-range shot, breaking the deadlock and leaving the Trail Blazers with only 5 seconds left.

When it comes to the final attack, Gan Guoyang is undoubtedly the first choice, as everyone in the Rose Garden Arena knows.

The Suns will definitely guard Gan Guoyang closely, and Barkley and Sam Bowie are already prepared to double-team him.

During the timeout, Bobby Bellman decided to use Gan Guoyang's defensive presence to create opportunities for other players, and then finish the game with a three-pointer.

But Berman hesitated for a moment about who should finish the job. Petrovich looked intently at Berman, hoping that he could take on this important task.

Petrovic also had an outstanding performance tonight, scoring 23 points and dishing out 8 assists, holding his own against Kevin Johnson.

In the end, however, Berman took out his clipboard and gave the first finisher option to Mario Elie, which greatly angered Petrovic.

As a qualified team player, Petrovic would not raise any objections during the game, nor would he dare to.

If Forrest Gump had no objections, who else would dare to object?

With five seconds left, Gan Guoyang received the ball at the top of the arc and immediately drove towards the basket.

The Suns' defense immediately collapsed, leaving an open space in the right corner. Gan Guoyang passed the ball to Mario Elie, who was lurking there.

Elie received the ball, made a three-pointer, scored his 17th point of the game, and helped the Trail Blazers defeat the Suns to secure their second consecutive victory.

After delivering crucial performances on both offense and defense in two consecutive games, Mario Elie's name quickly appeared in major sports media and newspapers.

After the match, Allie gave a television interview, in which he said that he had been preparing for this moment for a very long time, so long that it was hard for others to understand.

Back in the locker room, his teammates celebrated with Ellie, who had made a great shot that might change his basketball destiny from that moment on.

Ellie remained calm; he was inwardly pleased, but he could hardly revel like a young person.

Ellie came from a poor family. Her father was a radiator factory worker from Haiti. Her childhood dream was to join the New York Knicks, earn millions of dollars, and then open her own sneaker store.

When he was a child, he didn't have any basketball shoes to wear when playing ball, so he could only wear his older brother's handmade shoes that he didn't want anymore. To prevent his feet from getting blistered, he had to wear five pairs of socks.

He wasn't a child prodigy; he was kicked off the basketball team in junior high because he was too short.

After graduating from high school, no NCAA Division I school wanted him, so the Bucks selected him in the seventh round of the draft.

But everyone knew that the seventh round was like a joke.

He was cut by the Bucks before finishing training camp, and he had to play basketball in Europe and South America to make a living.

He persevered in lower-level leagues in Portugal, Argentina, and Ireland.

He persisted from the age of 22 to 27, while many people would have given up long ago on this path.

They rely on their physical talent and experience as Black people to make a living; they can earn money by playing basketball anywhere.
But Ellie didn't; he never gave up on his dream of returning to the NBA.

He made a name for himself in the CBA before returning to the NBA, where he earned his place through defense and consistency.

When he was with the Warriors, he stayed in the training facility day and night, practicing 2-on-2 with Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, and Mitch Richmond.

The Warriors' trio taught Mario Allie a fundamental truth for role players to survive in the NBA: "You have to make open shots, you have to."

Ellie kept this in mind and practiced spot shooting like crazy. The tedious and repetitive movements, over and over again, were all to form muscle memory.

That summer, when he received a call from Jerry West inviting him to the Trail Blazers' training camp, he knew his opportunity might have arrived.

The Portland Trail Blazers, the reigning champions of the NBA, the most watched team in the league, where you will be bathed in the sunshine.

If you are gold, you will shine brightly and demonstrate your value on the highest stage.

If you were a rock, you wouldn't be able to stay here for even a day.

The grueling new recruit training camp was a piece of cake for Ellie; he was much more resilient than those 20-something guys.

The injury of four key players presented a tremendous opportunity, which he seized immediately.

Without any hesitation, not even a second slower.

After delivering a brilliant game-winning shot, Ellie wasn't complacent; he knew that such a performance in one or two regular season games was far from enough.

He must be consistent, even more consistent, contributing high-quality output and defense every night.

This way, he can remain competitive when players like Cauchy and Lewis return.

The Trail Blazers will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in their third home game. The Trail Blazers' schedule in November is as easy as ever, as they always have a lot of home games in the first month.

Allie continued his consistent performance in the game, contributing 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, along with 3 rebounds and 2 steals, and his defensive performance was satisfactory.

But the brightest star tonight is clearly not Ellie, nor the rock-solid Gan Guoyang, but Petrovich.

Petrovic scored a whopping 44 points against the well-rounded and defensively sound Cleveland Cavaliers, helping the Trail Blazers to a 121-103 victory at home.

Since Drexler left the Trail Blazers, the team's overall strength and statistics have been very balanced, except for Forrest Gump. It has been a long time since anyone else has scored 40 points.

Petrovic was on fire in this game. No matter how the Cavaliers defended him, he could make any shot he took, and he also made many fast break shots.

This season, he is no longer the sixth man who only exerts his strength in the shadows, but has stepped onto the stage and begun to take on the right to shoot from the outside.

Petrovic was named Man of the Match and received cheers from the fans in the stadium.

People could sense that Forrest Gump's new outside partner was already taking shape.

Offensively, Petrovic; defensive role player, Mario Elie; and for a moment, Reggie Lewis, Jerome Cahill, and Terry Porter sitting on the bench didn't seem so desirable.

However, after the game, in the locker room, Bobby Berman was not satisfied with Petrovic's performance, believing that Petrovic's playing style was somewhat selfish at times.

Especially when he had the ball, Bellman privately questioned him: "Pete, I watched the video of the game against the Cavaliers repeatedly. There were some balls you could have passed, why didn't you pass? Instead, you insisted on doing it yourself or passing to someone who didn't have a good opportunity."

Instead of directly answering Berman's question, Petrovic asked, "Bobby, do you still think I can become the best player in the world?"

"Of course, I certainly think so, but if you fight like that, you'll never become... Forrest Gump would never do that!"

Berman noticed that Petrovic seemed to be intentionally avoiding passing the ball to Mario Elie during the game.

Ellie had two good opportunities on the perimeter, but Petrovic didn't pass to her. He attacked with the ball himself once and passed it to Gan Guoyang in the paint once.

Although they all scored in the end, Elie, who was left out, was clearly disappointed, which was a blow to his teammates' confidence.

The Trail Blazers have always been very united, and Bellman doesn't want this to happen.

Petrovic knew he was in the wrong; he was just annoyed that in the second game, the first choice for the game-winning shot was Elie, not himself.

If it were him, he could also hit a game-winning three-pointer; Petrovic has that confidence.

Unlike Allie, Petrovic was a true prodigy, a basketball hero in Croatia during his youth, an absolute genius.

He swept across Europe, while Allie was just an unknown in Europe at the time. Petrovic was already famous throughout Europe, and everyone knew he was going to the NBA.

During his three years in the NBA, Petrovic has made great progress and is ready to go even further. He has even earned the approval of Forrest Gump.

Ellie's arrival was nothing special for him; he was just a new teammate. They worked together and moved forward as a team, which reflects Portland's positive team culture.

However, during training, Petrovic found himself becoming a stepping stone for Mario Elie to prove his defensive abilities, as Elie frequently matched up against Petrovic in scrimmages.

With Porter and Lewis both injured and resting, Petrovic is the strongest player left on the Trail Blazers' perimeter. It's impossible for Ellie to guard Forrest Gump one-on-one; that would only prove your courage, not your ability.

Petrovic is a very competitive guy, so the two of them often competed against each other during training, including extra training sessions after training.

In the past, the Trail Blazers' training facility only had Agan and Petrovic, but now they often need to have an extra person, Allie, who is always practicing open three-pointers.

The various differences and competition between them created a strange, tense atmosphere between Petrovich and Elie, who seemed to see each other as adversaries.

Petrovich did not tell Bellman these things, only saying that he would pay attention next time.

Bellman softened his tone and said, "You know, I've always had high expectations for you, very high expectations."

Petrovic believes this, as it was Bellman who encouraged and looked after him when he first arrived with the Trail Blazers and struggled to adapt.

Forrest Gump provided him with spiritual support and guidance, but it was Bobby Bellman who truly led him to where he is today, giving Petrovic the most direct guidance.

"You won't become Jordan, but you will become Petrovic, the NBA's fastest three-point shooter, the sharpest clutch weapon, the quickest knife to cut through everything when things are in chaos. Forrest told me that you want to be the MVP."

Petrovich was a little embarrassed, but he nodded and said yes.

"Bullshit, Forrest Gump is just kidding you. You can't be the MVP with him around."

"I want to start with the best lineup. I still have time, and I can still improve."

"Besides, Forrest Gump will retire one day, and he'll be gone one day..."

Hearing Petrovic say that, Berman lightly kicked him and said, "Without Forrest Gump, I don't want to live either. Go get the MVP yourself."

Petrovich smiled and said he was joking, "Forrest Gump will be here, I will follow him and compete with him, with the goal of surpassing him."

Looking at Petrovic's silly antics, Berman thought to himself that this guy was 28 years old, yet he was still like a child obsessed with his basketball dreams, just like when he first came to Portland in 1989. It was truly remarkable.

After a three-game winning streak to start the season, the Trail Blazers faced their first away game in the fourth round, traveling to Oakland to challenge the Golden State Warriors.

Of the team's four starters, Jerome Kossie's patellar tendinitis has improved, and he has requested to travel with the team to California for the away game.

After analyzing his health condition, the team doctor believed he was fit to go, but Berman kept Kossi on the observation list, possibly allowing him to come on as a substitute.

Bellman wanted to continue evaluating Mario Elie, and through data analysis, he discovered that the Trail Blazers' net point differential was quite good when Elie was on the court.

In this respect, he is second only to Forrest Gump on the Trail Blazers, which shows that Elie can have a very positive impact on the team on the court.

Of course, the sample data was too small, and Bellman hoped to obtain more samples to verify his data model and his vision.

The game against the Warriors will be a big test for Ellie and the Trail Blazers' perimeter defense, as the Warriors' wing players have a very strong offensive presence.

Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, and this year's rookie, Latrell Sprewell, are all new-generation backcourt players of the 90s.

It is fast, explosive, accurate in shooting, and has excellent dribbling skills, making it highly flexible on the offensive end.

Gan Guoyang must admit that after entering the 90s, as an inside player who was good at spreading out and sweeping the defense, the defensive difficulty for him increased significantly compared to the 80s.

These forwards and guards are becoming increasingly skilled and adept at offensive plays, putting the guards in the paint to an ever-growing challenge.

Excellent wing defenders are becoming increasingly indispensable for every team. Fortunately, Larry Bird, a "leaky three," retired early.

Otherwise, Larry's white butt would definitely be kicked to pieces.

(End of this chapter)