The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 803 Hidden Contributions
The day after Game 3 ended, the Trail Blazers remained in Houston.

In the morning, they practiced shooting at the University of Houston gymnasium near the hotel.

The NCAA season has ended, and college basketball teams are in the offseason. This arena is available for use.

During practice, Bird gave a speech and announced the changes to the starting lineup for the next game in front of everyone.

The situation is very unfavorable for the Trail Blazers; they need to make some changes.

Van Exel, Riddell, and A.C. Green have all been replaced from the starting lineup, and they will be replaced by veterans Terry Porter Jr., Aaron McGee, and Kobe Bryant.

Trailing 1-2 in the score, it's time to make a change.

The Trail Blazers' starting lineup was pretty good during the regular season; despite various issues, they were able to win.

In the playoffs, many problems still arose in the first round, but they were still able to win. Bird mainly considered the thoughts of the key players and veterans.

Having lost two games in a row, the team's backcourt is in terrible shape on both offense and defense, giving Bird ample reason to make changes to the starting lineup.

AC Green has no objection to leaving the starting lineup. He was just a temporary starter who was forced into the starting lineup anyway, and he was too slow as a small forward.

He would rather go back to the bench and play as a backup power forward, providing help to Forrest Gump in the paint.

Riddell had no objection to leaving the starting lineup. This was his first time playing in the playoffs and he truly felt the intensity of the playoffs.

His strength and post-up skills proved ineffective in the playoffs; as a shooting guard, his scoring efficiency was too low.

His field goal percentage was less than 40 percent and his three-point percentage was only 25 percent. He wasted many opportunities when there was plenty of space to exploit on the perimeter.

Because of his lack of height, he was blocked a lot by the Rockets' tall forwards. Moreover, as a shooting guard, his technical characteristics are more like those of a small forward, specifically the kind of classic small forward that is almost obsolete in the modern era, who can't dribble without his backside.

He's clumsy when facing the basket, like a bear, and can only finish his offense with an inefficient standing shot, so you can imagine how inefficient he is.

In terms of ball-handling and offensive skills, he was even inferior to rookie Kobe.

Bird moved him back to the bench to play in the second unit, which allowed him to utilize his post-up game and score in some possessions, since the Rockets' bench wasn't that tall.

As for Riddell's defense, Bird didn't really count on it anymore.

Entering the playoffs, the Trail Blazers have scored over 100 points in several consecutive games, more frequently than in the regular season.

The Trail Blazers simply went all out and traded blows with their opponents, but in the playoffs, such a relentless offensive approach without any defense is very dangerous.

After all, offense is easily affected by feel and form, while defense doesn't lie.

Green and Riddell happily accepted their substitute roles. While being a substitute might be a bit embarrassing, it also meant less responsibility.

If the Trail Blazers lose again in Game 4, it means the problem isn't with the starting lineup, but with the coach, or perhaps with Forrest Gump.

Anyway, if the sky falls, Forrest Gump will hold it up.

Of the three, the only one who was dissatisfied was Nick van Exel.

After practice, he approached Bird and said, "Coach, why did you take me out of the starting lineup? My shooting touch will improve, you need to have faith in me. Besides, Porter isn't necessarily in better form than me."

Bird didn't explain to Van Exel, but said directly, "This is the coaching staff's decision, and more importantly, it's my decision. Please obey the coach's decision, Nick."

For most players, facing a coach like Bird, they would have agreed; major roster adjustments in the playoffs are quite normal.

But Van Exel refused to accept this and started him off the bench at the beginning of the season. As a result, Porter's performance was mediocre and the Trail Blazers' record was unstable.

Bird then promoted Van Exel to the starting lineup, and Van Exel showcased his offensive prowess to the fullest, playing a decisive role in some important games.

Since then, the Trail Blazers' record has become more stable.

Van Exel's three-pointers were crucial in the game against the Bulls.

In Van Exel's own view, he is already the Trail Blazers' number two player and the core of the perimeter ball-handling team.

Even though we're down 1-2, it's one thing to change two starters, but how could you replace me, your core perimeter player?

Does this mean that if the Bulls and Jazz lose, Pippen and Stockton will be benched for the next game?

In Van Exel's view, the coaching staff was using him and then discarding him; they initially looked down on him and made him a substitute.

The team's performance became unstable, so they pulled me in to save the day. I started for the entire season, but then they wanted to replace me in the crucial playoffs.

“I don’t agree with your decision. I shouldn’t be a substitute. I need time to adjust,” Van Exel insisted.

"But the team doesn't have time to wait for you to adjust!" Bird said sternly, believing that he had already given Van Exel many opportunities.

Van Exel certainly had an excellent performance in the regular season, but the playoffs are really different from the regular season. The intensity of the playoffs caused Van Exel's shooting percentage to drop sharply. Without offensive output, Van Exel became a negative on the defensive end.

Moreover, his overly aggressive playing style could easily cause greater harm to the team in the playoffs, which Bird could not tolerate.

The two talked for a while longer, starting with a debate, then turning into an argument, and finally into a verbal altercation.

Van Exel eventually stormed out of the training facility and left alone, without returning to the hotel with his teammates.

The following morning, the Trail Blazers announced that Van Exel would be leaving the team indefinitely and would not be returning to the series for the time being.

Bird probably didn't expect that one of his starting rotations would lead to the departure of a key player.

But the proud and stubborn Bird was unlikely to change his mind because of a player's objection—unless that player was Forrest Gump.

Gan Guoyang was not indifferent to van Exel's departure; that very night he called van Exel to ask where he was.

Van Exel simply said, "I'm going back to Portland."

Gan Guoyang didn't urge Van Exel to return to the team, but instead said, "That's good, we'll wait until we go back to Portland. But you might not be able to play for the team then."

Van Exel complained to Gan Guoyang over the phone, only to find that Gan neither objected nor agreed nor offered any advice; he simply listened.

When Gan Guoyang hung up the phone and said "Good luck," Van Exel felt a little flustered, as if he had made a wrong decision.

Van Exel originally thought that if the coaching staff wouldn't let me start, I would simply go on strike, disappear, and wait for the coach or the leader to persuade me to come back.

After all, Van Exel is the team's second-leading scorer, the strongest outside firepower, and the most important three-point shooter and playmaker. Can the Trail Blazers do without him?

Unexpectedly, the management quickly issued a punishment, suspending Van Exel indefinitely. Even the team's leader, Agam, did not support him and did not try to persuade him to return.

At that moment, Van Exel realized that the Trail Blazers were not indispensable to him.

Back then, Drexler was a much bigger name, wasn't he? In the end, didn't Forrest Gump lead his team to a four-time championship dynasty?

Van Exel felt a pang of regret, but in the heat of the moment, he couldn't back down.

He held onto a sliver of hope, thinking, what if the Trail Blazers lost Game 4 without him? Falling 1-3 back in Portland would be disastrous.

Then Van Exel will be able to say, "You guys really need me!"

With this mindset, Van Exel flew back to Portland on his own and cut off all contact with the outside world.

The Trail Blazers, missing a key player and experiencing sudden internal turmoil, faced the Houston Rockets on the road on the evening of May 8th.

This was undoubtedly a very tough battle. Before the game started, the Trail Blazers' locker room was quiet, and everyone was changing their clothes silently.

Gan Guoyang's expression was not good; in his view, Van Exel's behavior was tantamount to desertion.

It's okay if you have opinions about the coach's rotations; you can argue and make a scene, but you can't run away or leave the team.

The right way is to finish the game, win it, and prove yourself with your performance.

In Gan Guoyang's view, trying to harm the team by threatening or disappearing to gain personal benefits is tantamount to betrayal.

Throughout the season, Gan Guoyang took good care of Van Exel, keeping the media quiet in order to provide his teammate with a good playing environment.

Yesterday, Gan Guoyang called Van Exel, essentially giving him a chance. If Van Exel said something conciliatory and Gan Guoyang intervened, Gan Guoyang was willing to talk to Bird and get Van Exel back to play as a substitute.

But Van Exel continued to complain and went straight back to Portland, so Gan Guoyang would no longer help him.

Van Exel has likely already played his last game with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Van Exel's absence gave other players more playing time, and Kobe was probably the biggest beneficiary.

He will get his first chance to start in the playoffs, and he seemed a little nervous but also excited as he stepped onto the court.

He was noticeably more aggressive during warm-up than in previous games, completing several dunks, whereas he usually goes for layups or shots.

"Sonny, will Nick come back?" Kobe asked Gan Guoyang.

"You should ask him, and tell him that leaving was his own decision."

“I think he’s pretty brave,” Kobe suddenly said.

Gan Guoyang glared at Kobe and said, "You want to be this brave too?"

Kobe is still very young, and sometimes he says childish things that are annoying.

Even so, he still speaks out boldly, and frankness is a characteristic of his personality; he rarely hides anything.

"If needed, it's not impossible," Kobe said, dribbling towards the basket and completing a between-the-legs dunk.

Houston fans on the sidelines gasped in amazement, and some kept taking pictures of Kobe with their cameras. Kobe seemed to enjoy the feeling of the flashes.

Gan Guoyang shook his head slightly, not wanting to pay any more attention to the conspicuous bag; he focused all his attention on the competition.

The Trail Blazers have made major changes to their starting lineup, replacing all three guards, which will definitely lead to a change in their playing style.

Porter is no longer the player he once was. His greatest strength now is his consistency and solid defense. He can barely hold his own against players like Cassell and Kenny Smith.

Aaron McGee and Kobe Bryant are two young players who have had some highlights in the regular season, but lack the test of the playoffs. Their performance will ultimately depend on how the games are played.

Gan Guoyang has only one requirement for young players: "Make fewer mistakes and fewer errors."

If you do these two things well, the competition won't be too difficult or frustrating.

Bird asked to slow down the pace, avoid going toe-to-toe with the Rockets, and try to get the ball to Gan Guoyang to handle each possession.

"We need you to handle the ball more," Bird said bluntly, adding that Forrest Gump was their only reliable option.

Gan Guoyang nodded, indicating that there was no problem. As long as the outside shooting percentage was high, the Trail Blazers would definitely not be afraid of the Rockets.

At 7:30 p.m., the fourth game between the Rockets and the Trail Blazers began. The Peak Arena was packed, with Houston fans eagerly anticipating Forrest Gump's defeat here.

The grudge from 1986 is still fresh in the minds of many veteran fans. If the Rockets had won Game 6 at the Summit Arena, they would have made it to the NBA Finals.

The young Rockets are full of confidence; defeating the Trail Blazers and Agan will give them a significant boost in morale.

Rockets head coach Tomjanovich looked solemn. He knew that if the Rockets could overcome the Trail Blazers this time, the team would be elevated to a higher level.

Chris Webber may be able to shake off the shadow of the timeout in the NCAA final, rebuild his athletic spirit, and get rid of the recent college scandals that have plagued him.

But whether it would work or not, Tomjanovich was unsure.

The news of Van Exel's self-disclosure before the game was good news for the Rockets.

But Tomjanovich knew that unless Forrest Gump self-destructed, there was no absolutely good news.

Moreover, Van Exel did not perform well in the first three games, and his inefficiency greatly helped the Rockets.

Without Van Exel, it's hard to say what the outcome will be.

The substitutions were like a change of weapons; after only a few rounds, the Trail Blazers quickly displayed a different style of play.

They played more positional warfare, and most of their offensive possessions started with Gan Guoyang holding the ball in the low post.

When the Rockets double-teamed him, Gan Guoyang would pass the ball, reorganize the offense, feed the ball again, and pass it again, playing with exceptional patience.

When Van Exel is in charge of the offense, he often has a habit of throwing things on a whim, which Porter doesn't do.

This made the Trail Blazers' offense look less sharp and unremarkable, yet it still contained some power.

In the first quarter, the two teams were tied 24-24. The Rockets were aggressive and seemed determined to crush the Trail Blazers from the start.

They took an 8-2 lead, but soon, with Porter hitting a three-pointer from the top of the arc and Gan Guoyang hitting consecutive mid-range shots, the Trail Blazers took the lead.

On the defensive end, Aaron McGee and Kobe, these two young men, may lack experience, but their physical attributes and aggressiveness are undeniable.

Both players played very cautiously on offense, taking decisive shots when given the opportunity and avoiding handling the ball too much, which made the Trail Blazers' offense look much more organized.

At halftime, the Rockets and Trail Blazers were tied 49-49. Both teams played well, and the outcome was still uncertain.

The Trail Blazers impressed the NBC commentator, who said, "I see a long-lost sense of order and composure in the current Portland Trail Blazers."

During halftime, Bird praised Kobe and Aaron McGee's performance, with his only complaint being, "If only you guys could shoot a little more accurately."

The Trail Blazers' poor outside shooting percentage was the main reason they failed to take the lead in the first half, as they had more open looks from beyond the arc than the Rockets.

The Rockets' two forwards often shoot over the defense, and Kobe and McGee miss two or three open opportunities, wasting the potential lead.

In the crucial third quarter that determined the outcome of the game, Gan Guoyang pulled Kobe aside before the start of the third quarter and asked, "Are you confident in taking more shots?"

Kobe's eyes lit up, he nodded, and said, "Of course!"

Gan Guoyang said, "Okay, I'll pass you the ball more in the third quarter. You need to be decisive in your shots. Don't shoot three-pointers, shoot more mid-range shots."

"I won't let you down, Forrest. But does the coach know that?"

"On the field, I am the coach, listen to me."

So, without informing Bird, the two decided to play like this in the third quarter.

The Rockets defended Gan Guoyang well in the first three games, preventing him from shooting over 70%.

Meanwhile, the Rockets used their forwards' height and wingspan to try to cut off Gan Guoyang's connection with his teammates.

Gan Guoyang scored normally in the first three games, but his assists dropped significantly compared to the regular season, from 10.8 to 6.5, which can be described as a major decline.

Actually, it's not just this season; in previous playoffs, Gan Guoyang's other stats all increased—points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and field goal percentage—but his assists declined.

The only problem is that his assists dropped significantly this time, because his 10.8 assists per game in the regular season were somewhat inflated.

In some matches, the overall intensity is average, both sides attack each other, or the tactics are more deliberate, making it easy for assists to increase.

It didn't work out in the playoffs; Gan Guoyang wasn't someone with exceptional talent in assists or playmaking to begin with.

In his early years, he averaged only 2 assists per game, but he gradually improved through hard work and a certain amount of talent.

It can be said that Gan Guoyang is the Karl Malone of playmaking. When it comes to the tough playoffs, he trusts himself to attack more than to rely on his teammates.

Bird once commented on Gan Guoyang's playmaking and passing, saying, "He lacks talent and imagination, and is much worse than me."

Gan Guoyang responded, "That's because I can't understand mediocrity as deeply as you do."

Gan Guoyang's sudden and inexplicable trust in Kobe, wanting to pass him the ball to finish the attack, seems rather abnormal.

When the third quarter began, Chris Webber scored first, using a beautiful back turn to get past PJ Brown in the low post and making a reverse layup on the baseline.

Webber is extremely talented on offense, possessing many skills both inside and outside. He was also touted as "the second Forrest Gump." However, compared to Gan Guoyang, he lacks proficiency in many skills and his shooting consistency is insufficient.

Gan Guoyang also received the ball in the low post. The moment he got the ball, the Rockets double-teamed him. Gan Guoyang passed the ball to Kobe in the middle. Kobe received the ball and immediately took a mid-range jump shot.

The ball slammed against the front of the rim with a "thud," but missed.

But Gan Guoyang slipped to the basket, and before the Rockets players could react, he gently tapped the ball into the hoop.

Next, Webber went around the screen, received the ball at the corner, and took a mid-range jump shot, but it missed.

Webber's shooting arc is somewhat flat, and he occasionally makes some rather outlandish shots, indicating that his consistency definitely needs improvement.

Gan Guoyang easily grabbed the rebound, dribbled the ball across half-court, drew the defense, and then passed it to Kobe.

Kobe followed the instructions carefully, tapped the defender on the right, dribbled to the basket, and then stopped abruptly to shoot when facing help defense.

Still no luck!

But Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound for the second time, pushed past Kevin Willis, and scored with a hook shot from his right hand.

Bird on the sidelines was getting anxious. What was wrong with Kobe? Why was he shooting randomly at the start of the second half?
Crucially, Forrest Gump also passed the ball.

The Rockets passed the ball to Webber again, who held the ball at the top of the key and facilitated the play, then passed it to the wing.

Cassell cut around the basket, drawing the defense away, and Robert Horry drove towards the basket, only to be stopped by Agan.

The ball was passed to Tracy Murray, who wanted to contest the shot, but McGee blocked the shot and didn't give him a chance, so he had to pass it again.

The ball goes to Cassell, a screen, then to Webber… The ball goes around in circles and comes right back to his head.

Webber had no choice but to take a forced three-pointer himself, as time was running out.

Missed, Gan Guoyang had already positioned himself and secured another defensive rebound.

This defensive play nearly forced the Rockets into a 24-second violation, and Tomjanovich sensed something was wrong.

On offense, Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post, double-teamed, and continued to pass to Kobe.

Unlike Van Exel, who would randomly shoot three-pointers, Kobe preferred to use his speed and explosiveness in half-court offense, combined with dribbling crossovers to get rid of defenders and drive towards the paint.

He likes to shoot closer to the basket, whether it's a layup, a jump shot, or a floater.

His shooting arc is moderate, and his trajectory is stable. You can tell from the first shot that this guy has a natural talent for shooting.

He had the ball again this time, and the fact that he missed the first two shots did not affect his confidence.

He pulled up to the three-point line, then used a shoulder fake and dribbling change of direction to fool the defender and drove into the basket from a 45-degree angle!

This time he chose to attack the basket, and facing the help defense of Webber and Kevin Willis, he switched hands for a layup in mid-air!

The ball bounced off the backboard, but still didn't go in! The ball hit the front edge of the rim.

Just then, a large hand appeared, pressed down on the ball, and stuffed it back into the basket!
Gan Guoyang's putback dunk gave the Trail Blazers a 6-2 lead over the Rockets at the start of the third quarter, prompting Tomjanovich to call a timeout.

Kobe Bryant fell to the ground and slid out of bounds after his difficult layup attempt.

Gan Guoyang, who had just scored the putback dunk, came over and helped Kobe up.

Kobe grasped Gan Guoyang's strong hand and said, "Sorry Sonny, I didn't make any of my shots."

Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "It's alright, I've already filled them all in, haven't I?"

Kobe looked at Forrest Gump's smile and suddenly felt something was off.

Could it be that Forrest Gump passed the ball to himself just so I wouldn't score, and then he would do a putback?
Impossible, it shouldn't be possible. How could that be? Offensive rebounds aren't that easy to grab.

In just a few rounds, Gan Guoyang scored 6 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. It must be admitted that Kobe's missed shots were much easier to predict in terms of landing point and trajectory than Van Exel's random throws, and also easier to box out than Riddell's back-to-the-basket offense.

This kid has made quite a few unseen contributions.

(End of this chapter)