The Golden Age of Basketball

What exactly is Chapter 79 talking about?

On March 25th, the Elite Eight quarterfinals, vying for Final Four, were held at the UCLA Poly Arena.

The champions of the four regions will advance directly to Seattle, where the 1984 NCAA championship will be decided.

Before heading to the competition venue, Gan Guoyang called Wang Fuxi from the hotel. She hadn't come to watch the competition in Los Angeles this time.

Because the ticket price and round-trip airfare were too expensive, and the school was not closed for holidays, and Los Angeles was too far from Portland, she would have to skip class to come.

On the phone, Wang Fuxi said that she and her roommates were going to the multimedia classroom to watch the game.

The school's sports department has arranged for a live TV broadcast in the classroom. There are still two hours before the competition starts, and if we don't go now, there probably won't be any seats left.

"Everyone supports Gonzaga and hopes you can win the game. Forrest Gump, you have to keep it up. When you go to Seattle, I will definitely go to watch the game live."

Wang Fuxi's voice came from faraway Oregon, gentle yet firm.

It wasn't easy for the two of them to have a phone call, as she wasn't always in her dorm and the administrator wasn't always able to contact her.

"Okay, I understand. After all, we made a promise. If I go to Seattle, the team will be in seclusion, and we probably won't be able to see each other until the game is over. Remember to wear your pink hat to the game so I can find you in the stands."

"I know, don't worry, it's up to you tonight."

After hanging up the phone, Gan Guoyang went to the Poly Stadium with the team.

There were more people at the stadium tonight than at the last game.

CBS broadcast the game live, and a large number of media personnel came to the sidelines, aiming their cameras at the field.

Tonight's game will be broadcast to every household, and sports fans across America are watching this battle between black and white.

While the Bulldogs were warming up on the field, Gan Guoyang was joking and laughing with his teammates, sometimes pulling Stockton's hair, sometimes patting Anderson's head, and sometimes playing Horse with Vannott, appearing very relaxed.

He knew everyone was incredibly nervous. Stockton hadn't smiled even once in two whole days, Vannott had gone to the bathroom several times before the game, and even Berman hadn't uttered a single swear word while giving instructions today—this was clearly abnormal.

The pressure is everywhere, and everyone wants to keep going, but each night only one team can stay.

During the entrance ceremony, players from both teams took turns appearing on the field. Georgetown wore light-colored jerseys, and Patrick Ewing was the third to appear, drawing cheers and applause from the audience.

Gan Guoyang was the last to appear on stage, and the cheers and applause from the audience were even louder than those for Ewing. This seemed to spur Ewing on, and he glanced at Gan Guoyang from afar.

Finally, let's introduce the coaches. Berman wore his most expensive suit tonight, while John Thompson, as always, had a white towel draped over his right shoulder, reportedly as a tribute to his chef mother.

As the two sides prepared for the jump ball in the center circle, Gan Guoyang, who had been laughing and joking during warm-up, became more serious than anyone else.

He stared intently at Ewing, his gaze unwavering, making Ewing feel uneasy and even more irritated.

Before the match began, comparisons between him and Gan Guoyang were constantly on everyone's lips.

Ewing had long heard about the legendary story of this Chinese center and his impressive performance in previous games.

Although Ewing is excellent, he is generally part of the Georgetown Howard team. As a center, he is the defensive core. He is called the second Bill Russell. He helps the team win with blocks and rebounds. His personal statistics are not particularly eye-catching (16 points and 10 rebounds per game).

Gan Guoyang is more like Wilt Chamberlain, with exaggerated personal statistics (averaging 29 points and 15 rebounds per game, ranking second and first in the country respectively), and outstanding offensive power.

The two were seen as a duel between the strongest shield and the sharpest spear.

However, some argue that, defensively speaking, Gambit is better than Ewing.

And then there's his intelligence; Gan is a smart Asian, while Ewing is illiterate.

Ewing was already used to these kinds of comments. Every bit of discrimination would turn into anger that would build up in his heart and then erupt on the field. He wanted to prove that these people were wrong.

Therefore, when faced with Gan Guoyang's gaze, You Yin glared back fiercely.

Before the referee told the two to get ready, Gan Guoyang's mouth suddenly moved as if he was saying something to Ewing.

Ewing was puzzled; what was this guy talking about?

Gan's lips moved a few more times, and he stared intently at Ewing, clearly talking to him.

“What the hell are you trying to say, you idiot?” Ewing couldn’t help but ask.

The referee then told the two players to get ready. Gan Guoyang bent his knees, and then the ball flew out of the referee's hands.

Gan Guoyang jumped and flicked the ball into Stockton's hands, and the game began.

Ewing didn't jump. The TV commentator said, "Ewing didn't jump. He was just spacing out. What was he thinking?"

Gonzaga launched their first attack.

Georgetown employs a 2-3 zone defense and boasts one of the best zone defenses in the nation.

John Thompson selected tall and agile players: Ewing was 7 feet tall, power forward Graham was 6 feet 9 inches, there were two 6-foot-7 guards and forwards, and guard Jackson was 6 feet 2 inches.

Five spider-like players on the field made the already cramped half of the field even more crowded.

Against Georgetown's zone defense, it is very difficult for a defender to break into the three-second zone.

Gonzaga started the game with great patience. Gan Guoyang tried to get the ball in the low post, but Ewing took the initiative to move in front of him to receive the ball.

The two engaged in a fierce battle under the basket, and Gan Guoyang finally met a worthy opponent in terms of strength. However, Ewing was also amazed when he first faced Gan Guoyang under the basket; the man's strength was astonishing.

After repeated ball movement, McAfee received the pass in the corner and shot, but the ball hit the rim and missed.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback, giving him the first point of the game.

After scoring, Gan Guoyang moved his lips toward Ewing again, but Ewing couldn't hear what the guy was saying.

Georgetown's first offensive possession ended in a missed three-pointer, but Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound and Stockton initiated a fast break.

Gan Guoyang made a fast break, burning across Georgetown's half of the court like a raging fire, received a pass from Stockton, and scored with a fast break dunk!

Ewing didn't expect Gan Guoyang to launch a fast break after getting the rebound, and that he was so fast.

Georgetown's outside shot still missed, and Georgetown's players crowded under the basket to grab the offensive rebound, but Gan Guoyang firmly controlled the rebound.

Gonzaga launched another counterattack. Stockton went to the frontcourt, dribbled low to avoid the defense, found a gap and passed to the basket. Gan Guoyang received the ball on the fast break, took a step and flew up, and slammed the ball over Ewing with one hand!

"Sonny Gan's one-handed dunk! Wow! A dunk over Ewing!"

Gan Guoyang demonstrated his powerful explosiveness and unique playing style.

As a center, he actively participates in fast breaks, and with Stockton's accurate passing, he becomes an excellent fast break finisher, rather than always getting bogged down in positional battles.

Ewing was furious when Gan Guoyang scored 6 points over him at the start of the game.

What angered him even more was that after the dunk, Gan Guoyang stared at him and muttered something, but he couldn't hear what Gan Guoyang was saying.

Georgetown got off to a bad start, their strategy went wrong, John Thompson underestimated Gonzaga’s sharpness on fast breaks and Gan Guoyang’s rebounding control.

Their offensive rebounding strategy was flawed, and Thompson immediately corrected it.

Georgetown began to patiently pass the ball around the perimeter, using baseline runs to disrupt Gonzaga's defense.

Jackson found an opportunity on the perimeter and hit a mid-range shot, giving Georgetown 2 points.

Then, in defense, Georgetown implemented a half-court double-team defense.

Stockton had just crossed halfway when Georgetown's backline double-teamed him, pressing him towards the midfield corner.

Stockton made a passing error, Georgetown stole the ball and launched a counterattack, scoring a layup and two points.

In just a few dozen seconds, Georgetown pulled back two points.

This was undoubtedly a tough game. Georgetown in the Big East had the best defense in the country, more solid and aggressive than Gonzaga's.

Gonzaga's only advantage is their star center.

Facing Georgetown's double-team, Gan Guoyang took the initiative to come out and support Stockton.

Stockton passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, who then passed it back to Stockton, shaking off Georgetown's double-team.

Instead of attacking in the low post, Gan Guoyang repeatedly screened for his teammates, passing the ball around in the half-court and stretching Georgetown's defense.

Their passing is very skillful, which is the result of a lot of training.

Finally, Gan Guoyang provided a pass to Van Naut, who found an opportunity at the 45-degree angle and made a mid-range jump shot.

The two sides entered a seesaw phase. Georgetown passed the ball to Ewing, who received the ball, turned and took a high-flying jump shot. His turn was quick, but a bit stiff. He had a good touch and made the shot.

Gan Guoyang also received the ball in the low post, and Georgetown immediately came up to double-team him. Gan Guoyang suddenly made a behind-the-back pass to the basket, and Van Naut received the ball and easily made a layup!

"What a pass!" the commentator exclaimed in surprise.

Gan Guoyang's brilliant behind-the-back pass ignited the passion of fans throughout the Poly Stadium and in front of their televisions, and it will undoubtedly become a classic goal in this year's NCAA games.

Ewing caught the ball again and made a shot; he was in good form tonight.

However, one player was in better form, with Gan Guoyang once again receiving Stockton from a high position and breaking through Georgetown's double-team.

He received the ball at the top of the arc and pretended to provide support. Gonzaga spread out his entire formation. Gan Guoyang's eyes darted around. He suddenly started moving with the ball, broke through Ewing head-on, and drove into the basket for a move hook shot, scoring two points!
The ball not only went in, but also drew a foul from Ewing, giving him a free throw.

After making the free throw, Gan Guoyang has scored 9 consecutive points with a 100% shooting percentage.

He moved his lips toward Ewing again, as if reciting some ancient Eastern incantation.

Ewing finally lost his temper and yelled at Gan Guoyang during the attack, "What the hell are you talking about? What the hell are you saying?!"

"I'm going to steal the ball from you."

"what?"

Ewing was not paying attention and did not notice that his teammate was passing the ball to him.

Gan Guoyang took a step forward and intercepted the ball, throwing it to McPhee, and Gonzaga launched a counterattack.

A fast break on both ends of the court: McPhee made a long pass to Stockton, who scored a layup!
Gonzaga used speed and attacking prowess to bring Georgetown to a standstill.

Ewing was in a state of confusion, constantly wondering what this guy was talking about.
(End of this chapter)