The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 77 Unstoppable
In the 1984 Sweet Sixteen, Duke players were like moths to a flame, relentlessly fouling Ginger and sending him to the free-throw line time and time again. Later, Bilas said, "Fouling Ginger had become a habit. We didn't care if it was effective; we just didn't want to see him score directly over your head anymore. The humiliation of scoring on the free-throw line felt less."

—Excerpt from Jim Sumner's "Tales from the Duke Blue Devils Locker Room," published in 2005.

Whether playing ball is dirty or not is actually a relative concept.

It's the same as being tall or short, heavy or ugly.

You might think the other person is dirty, but if you're dirtier than them, they won't seem so dirty anymore.

The contest between Gonzaga and Duke, fueled by Gan Guoyang's passion, quickly reached a fever pitch.

Neither side used zone defense, but instead employed man-to-man defense, using intensity, stamina, and endless harassment to wear down the other.

Every time you dribble up the ball, every time you set a screen to get around an opponent, every time you fight for a rebound, physical contact is essential.

The referee tried to control the actions of both sides with his whistle, but as the game progressed, it was impossible for the referee to send off everyone.

A delicate balance was reached between the players and the referee, and the game unfolded amidst fierce competition.

After the first half, Gan Guoyang was drenched in sweat, with several bloody marks on his arms.

He frantically fought for offensive rebounds under the basket. The statistician on site did not distinguish between offensive and defensive rebounds, but he estimated that at least 7 of Gan Guoyang's 13 rebounds were offensive rebounds.

Duke had no one to stop him from grabbing offensive rebounds, which prevented Duke from launching their sharp fast breaks.

Coach K was frantically scratching his head on the sidelines; losing a defensive rebound was the last thing he wanted to see.

During halftime, he had to specifically emphasize the issue of defensive rebounding. The halftime score was 32-38, and they were down by 6 points against the Bulldogs.

Duke's offense wasn't bad; Dawkins controlled the ball, and the team's half-court offense was well-organized.

The Bulldogs' defense is strong but lacks structure. As long as they avoid Gan Guoyang and use repeated passing to break through the defense, they can find opportunities to score.

The key issues were rebounding, attention to detail, and interior defense. Gan Guoyang scored 19 points for them in the first half, accounting for more than half of the Bulldogs' points.

In the second half, Coach K had Alari double-team Gan Guoyang to relieve the defensive pressure on Bilas.

Bilas sat in the locker room drinking water; the 20-minute scrimmage had left him feeling dehydrated.

"Jay, you need to keep wearing him down, wear down that number 11!"

"Yes, Coach, I know."

"I don't believe he can maintain this playing style for a whole game."

Gan Guoyang's playing style is indeed very physically demanding. He burns his energy, running and jumping wildly on the court, fighting for every ball, and using his tremendous energy to motivate the whole team.

Kolapis thought to himself, I don't know if you believe him or not, but I certainly can't last the whole game.

"If all else fails, foul him and wear him down with fouls."

Coach K instructed the players to use fouls to interfere with Gan Guoyang, which was certainly not an ordinary foul, but a vicious one.

This type of foul can disrupt the opponent's scoring rhythm and is generally not used lightly unless absolutely necessary.

However, Coach Donoch's attempt to wear down Gan Guoyang's stamina in the previous match has completely failed.

There's also someone here who doesn't believe in superstitions.

On the court, Duke and Gonzaga were engaged in a fierce battle.

Off the field, Blue Devils fans and Bulldogs fans are also engaged in a fierce verbal battle.

The outcome of the battle was decided by the support group of Gan Guoyang from Beiqiao Middle School, led by Gan Guohui.

Gan Guohui waved his big flag throughout the entire match, organizing the students from Beiqiao Middle School to continuously attack Duke.

When Chinese students unite as one, their fighting power is quite formidable. They chant the same slogans, speak loudly, and fiercely curse Duke Blue Devils as idiots.

The essence of Chinese culture resonates within the UCLA Poly Arena, leaving a significant mark on NCAA history.

Although American fans and players didn't understand it, everyone knew it wasn't anything nice.

In any language, swear words spread the fastest; everyone learns them without being taught.

After the start of the second half, Gan Guoyang heard the traditional Chinese opera playing on the sidelines and felt a strange power flowing into his body, continuing to attack Duke's interior under the basket.

He grabbed his eighth offensive rebound of the game, then, with Rabis and Allari hanging on him, he tossed the ball into the basket.

The referee called a foul, the ball went in, and an additional penalty is awarded.

Coach K, looking utterly helpless on the sidelines, called Rabis and Allari over and reminded them, "I told you, if you're going to foul, foul hard! Don't let him score! Don't let him score!"

Labis wanted to explain, but after glancing at Alari, the two exchanged a look and decided it was better not to explain and just be more aggressive.

As he walked away, Alari said, "I know what you mean, he's like a tank."

"Yes, I haven't met a player tougher than him, he's really like a tank."

Rabis had faced opponents taller than Gan Guoyang, stronger-looking players, and more muscular players in his defense, but he had never encountered anyone as tough and resilient as Gan Guoyang.

No amount of pushing or pulling could have any real effect on Gan Guoyang; his muscles seemed to be ingrained in his bones, and you couldn't budge him an inch.

Despite his tough physique, he possesses excellent flexibility and coordination, allowing him to execute a variety of technical moves under the basket. His feints are incredibly deceptive, making defending him a tremendous ordeal.

When Rabis got to the basket, he couldn't help but ask Gan Guoyang, "Gan, is your body made of iron? I'm tempted to stab you with a knife and see if I can kill you." Gan Guoyang immediately found the referee and said, "Rabis threatened me, saying he would stab me to death."

The referee gave Rabis a warning, reminding him to focus on the game or he would be ejected if he talked nonsense again.

"Law!"

Rabis decided to stop talking to this jerk. He grabbed an offensive rebound under the basket and tried to make a layup in front of Gan Guoyang, but was ruthlessly blocked.

It would be very unwise to challenge Gan Guoyang head-on. After gaining possession of the ball, Gan Guoyang passed it to Stockton. The Bulldogs launched a fast break, and Gan Guoyang once again drove straight to the basket. He received a precise through pass from Stockton and was about to dunk.

This time, Rabis and Alari pounced on Gan Guoyang from behind, and the two of them finally managed to drag him to the ground.

This is no longer a basketball move; it's not aimed at the ball, it's aimed entirely at the player.

All the Bulldog players rushed forward, and Van Naut and Rabis were about to get into a fight.

The referee quickly stepped forward to stop the conflict between the two. At this moment, Gan Guoyang stood up and separated the two, telling his teammates that he was fine and nothing was wrong.

He stretched and moved around a bit, and it seemed fine.

The referee called an unsportsmanlike foul on Rabis, awarding him two free throws and possession.

Rabis has already committed four fouls, and it's only been a short time since the second half started.

Coach K had no choice but to substitute Rabius and bring on rookie center Martin Nesley.

This is a tall, 7-foot-2 center, but he's too young and lacks experience and training.

As freshmen, we spend most of our time on the bench, being groomed to be future pillars of the interior defense.

Coach K patted Nesley on the shoulder and said, "Your job is to guard Gan and protect the defensive rebounds. Go for it."

Coach K knew that while it was risky to let young players take the field in such crucial matches, it would become a valuable asset in their growth.

Five minutes later, Nesley was substituted by Coach K due to his third foul.

Nesley looked dejected and said, "Sorry, Coach, he was too fast, I..."

"It's okay, you did a great job. The foul was good too, at least you didn't let him get a 2+1."

Coach K comforted Nesley, and also comforted himself, at least Gan Guoyang didn't get a 2+1 play, right?
But he was unstoppable at the free-throw line. His free throws were incredibly accurate; he'd made 12 of 13 tonight, a frighteningly consistent performance.

At this rate, he might get 20 free throws tonight.

In the knockout stage, it's a winner-takes-all situation; no one will hold back.

Coach K started mobilizing his bench players, with the big men taking turns on the court.

Regardless of the consequences, even if it means committing a foul, we must stop Gan Guoyang from wreaking havoc in the three-second zone.

Faced with Duke's aggressive fouls, Gan Guoyang stepped up to the free-throw line time and time again.

Some Los Angeles fans at the stadium began booing Duke, believing that Duke was making the game unwatchable.

Coach K remained unmoved, silently praying that Gan Guoyang's free throws would be poor, giving Duke a chance.

The Bulldogs maintained a lead of 5 to 7 points throughout, and Gan Guoyang's score gradually increased.

Although each foul was a blow to him, he was completely fearless, neither angry nor discouraged. He simply stepped to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and calmly sank the free throw.

In the NCAA, free throws are on a 1-on-1 basis. If the first free throw is missed, the game immediately moves to rebounding mode, which means the offense has failed and the opponent has only committed one foul.

If Gan Guoyang's mental fortitude is weaker, and his free throw percentage drops later on, Duke will have a chance.

However, Gan Guoyang was like a god of war at the free throw line. He never missed the first free throw, and the only one he missed was the second free throw, which would score at least 1 point.

Coach K tried everything – pacing on the sidelines, squatting, sitting with his chin in his hand, complaining, talking, and trying to find solutions with his assistant coaches – but nothing worked. He couldn't stop Gan Guoyang from scoring.

In a slow-paced NCAA game without shot clock restrictions, Gan Guoyang faced a fierce defense from Duke, making 20 of 21 free throws, scoring 37 points, grabbing 24 rebounds, and dishing out 7 blocks.

The Duke Blue Devils fans on the sidelines went from being wildly enthusiastic at the beginning, to gradually falling silent after being insulted, to covering their faces after being hit by Gan Guoyang, and finally all of them fell silent, some with their arms crossed, some with their hands on their hips, and some even turned their backs and stopped watching the game.

This game became one of the most memorable defeats in Duke Blue Devils history.

The final score was 72-65, with the Bulldogs defeating the Duke Blue Devils by 7 points to advance to the Elite 8.

The Blue Devils actually played very well on offense tonight, with Dawkins scoring 23 points. The Bulldogs didn't really stop the Blue Devils' outside shooting on defense.

However, the Bulldogs' inside advantage was too great, and Coach K's intention to wear down Gan Guoyang failed to be achieved until the last second of the game. He was still lively and energetic, doing whatever he wanted in the paint.

At the moment the match ended, Berman rushed up and gave Gan Guoyang a warm hug, his eyes filled with tears.

His biggest regret was not being able to reach the Elite Eight with Notre Dame University, but now he has finally achieved that as head coach.

"Gan, you are my God, you are my God!"

"Coach, I still prefer the title of Bodhisattva."

I found an error: the NCAA didn't have a shot clock in 1984, so the previously stated 35 seconds was incorrect. The 45-second shot clock wasn't introduced until 1985. However, in major college games, teams generally had a limit and didn't endlessly drag out the game. The pace was indeed very slow, but there were also a few fast-paced games where players scored over 100 points.

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(End of this chapter)