The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 81 King of California
I was guarding Ewing, I was pushing him and he was pushing me, and we were both watching Charlie Ward—the Knicks' point guard—dribble the ball up the court.

I said, “Hey Patrick, you need a point guard who can get the ball across half-court faster.”

Ewing said nothing, but kept pushing and pulling forcefully.

Then I said, “Man, your point guards are Charlie and Chris Childs. By the time you get the ball, there’s no time to shoot.”

He still didn't say anything, but he stopped pushing and shoving me.

Then I said, “God, they’ve sidelined you, Patrick, and turned you into a rebounder. Do you like that? You’re a role player now. You’ve made a hundred million dollars and you’re a damn role player. Man, do you remember Gan? You don’t want to be overshadowed by him for the rest of your life, do you? Back in 1984, he didn’t play like you. That was back in college.”

Then Patrick muttered to himself, “Damn man, Jason, you know you’re right. Damn.”

During the next timeout, I glanced at the Knicks' bench, and Ewing was calling for his point guard to pass him the ball.

—Excerpt from Jason Williams' "Loose Balls," published in 2000.

The second half began with Georgetown initiating the attack.

Despite trailing, Georgetown played with great patience, repeatedly passing the ball inside and outside, left and right, in search of scoring opportunities, even without a time limit for attacking play.

In college games with zone defense, positional offense can indeed look rather dull and monotonous.

Individual offense is compressed by zone defense, and the offensive team is like facing a spider web, only able to keep passing the ball to create gaps.

No wonder the NBA banned zone defense a long time ago, to prevent the game from becoming boring.

Viewers prefer to watch players go one-on-one on the court and score using their individual skills.

After patiently passing the ball around, Georgetown got a chance to shoot, but missed from beyond the arc.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound in the backcourt. Although Ewing didn't get the ball, he immediately interfered with Gan Guoyang to prevent him from launching a fast break.

Georgetown suffered a lot in the first half, as Ewing would be easily exploited by Gan Guoyang whenever he lost focus.

Gonzaga, who were in the lead, did not rush to counterattack, but patiently launched a positional attack.

Unlike Georgetown's wide-ranging, lateral ball movement that stretched the opponent's defensive formation, Gonzaga's positional attacks were smaller, primarily revolving around Gan Guoyang and Stockton, focusing on the strong side.

Gan Guoyang kept pulling out to screen and support Stockton, and Stockton used the cooperation to get into the three-second zone and made a close-range jump shot!

Stockton then double-teamed Ewing on defense, stole the ball, and Gonzaga launched a fast break, with McPhee catching the ball and making a layup off the backboard!
The situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for Georgetown, but the team with the best defense in the country is not so easily defeated.

The wide-ranging shifts and stretches of the defense created an opportunity for Ewing under the basket, where he easily received the ball and scored a layup.

Ewing began to focus his attention in the second half and decided to stop staring at Gan Guoyang.

He thought this person must be using some kind of Eastern incantation, chanting curses to make him feel unwell.

Then, Georgetown began to employ their signature full-court press and double-teaming of the ball handler, with Gan Guoyang once again coming out to support Stockton.

When Gan Guoyang has the ball, no matter where he is on the court, there will always be a Georgetown player closely marking him, giving him no space to shoot.

Now everyone knows that Gan Guoyang, as a center, has long-range shooting ability, so we would never dare to give him a chance to shoot from the outside.

Both sides launched a series of unsuccessful attacks, and George City dragged Gonzaga into a quagmire.

Georgetown disrupted Gonzaga's first pass several times, while Gonzaga players went down to fight for the ball and desperately protected possession.

The TV commentator remarked that it resembled a rugby match, with both sides pushing forward across the field, fighting for every inch of ground, all for control of the ball.

Georgetown's defense against Gan Guoyang has become increasingly tight. It's no longer the double-teaming of him that happened in the first half, but rather one player marking him closely in advance, and three players surrounding him once he gets the ball.

Once he passes the ball out, Georgetown players quickly return to cover, their defensive line is incredibly flexible and tireless.

With such a defense, even a god like Gan Guoyang would find it difficult to create an offensive opportunity.

Ten minutes into the second half, the score was 41-39, with Gonzaga still leading by two points.

Both teams scored single digits in the first 10 minutes, demonstrating the intensity of the match.

Gan Guoyang didn't even get a good chance to make a move, but he didn't get impatient or force a move. Instead, he quietly accumulated strength and patiently waited for an opportunity.

There was no time to rest, not even a minute. Bellman had to call a timeout to give his players a chance to catch their breath on the bench.

The intensity of the match against Georgetown caused everyone to lose energy very quickly.

After the timeout ended and they returned to the field, Gonzaga had a chance to take a throw-in, and Gan Guoyang suddenly accelerated to get past his defender.

Stockton made a long pass to the basket, Gan Guoyang received the ball, faked out Ewing, then deliberately bumped into him, and casually hooked the ball into the net with his right hand.

The referee blew his whistle, calling a defensive foul on Ewing, and sent him to the free-throw line for the extra free throw.

Ewing stood under the basket with his hands on his hips, speechless for a long time.

After the start of the second half, he focused almost all his attention on Gan Guoyang.

Despite being surrounded by three teammates, this guy still managed to find an opening and score, resulting in a 2+1 play.

John Thompson, furious, took off his white towel, shook it, and threw it onto the bench.

Gonzaga's resilience surprised him. Despite George City's tight pressing, they remained composed and defended very well, leaving George City just one step away from equalizing.

Now, Gan Guoyang has scored a 2+1, giving Gonzaga another boost.

Gan Guoyang made the free throw, his first shot and first score in the second half.

His composure amazed John Thompson, and his insight into the game and his ability to seize opportunities surpassed that of the average college player.

At this moment, Ewing received the ball on offense and attempted a one-on-one against Gan Guoyang. However, his turnaround shot was blocked by Gan Guoyang, who then controlled the ball and passed it to Stockton.

Stockton made a super long pass across half the court, Anderson made a fast break, caught the ball and made a layup!
After Gonzaga University's timeout, a five-point offensive surge forced Georgetown to call another timeout.

John Thompson questioned Ewing about why he insisted on taking the shot, to which Ewing replied that it was an opportunity, but he didn't capitalize on it.

Ewing's offensive skills were still too rough. His turnaround shot relied entirely on his height and wingspan to dodge the defense, lacking rhythm and variation. Gan Guoyang timed his movements perfectly and easily blocked it.

With the score difference widening to 7 points, time is running out for Georgetown.

John Thompson reminded the players to calm down, avoid making any more mistakes, forget about the score, and start with defense.

After the timeout ended and they returned to the court, Georgetown scored two points with a mid-range jumper from Jackson.

They then began to execute a fouling strategy, sending Anderson to the free-throw line.

Anderson missed his first free throw, Ewing grabbed the rebound, and Georgetown launched a fast break.

As his stamina waned due to the intense offense and defense throughout the game, Gonzaga's defensive retreat became problematic.

Although Gan Guoyang kept up the chase, he couldn't stop Georgetown's fast break from the three lines, and Bill Martin scored with a fast break dunk!

The gap was quickly closed to 3 points, but Georgetown had better physical fitness, and their advantage grew as the game progressed.

It's not that Gonzaga didn't train hard enough, but that Georgetown has more players who can play.

Georgetown's 12-man squad ensures that every player can play, which is crucial for Georgetown to maintain a high-intensity, full-field pressing defense.

Gonzaga's roster only had 10 players to begin with, and one of them was just there to make up the numbers, so they couldn't compete at the intensity of the national tournament.

Normally they rotate seven players, and Gan Guoyang can't be benched; if he's off the court, the defense collapses.

As the game progresses, players become increasingly fatigued, their shooting touch deteriorates, and their defensive footwork slows down. Many teams collapse in the final stages when facing Georgetown.

Berman used another timeout, partly to give the players a rest, and partly to remind them not to make mistakes in the final moments, not to force things, and not to give the opponent a chance to counterattack.

They say it, and the players know it in their hearts, but their bodies won't obey.

McPhee made a mistake while passing the ball, giving Georgetown another counter-attack opportunity.

Gan Guoyang quickly retreated to defend after the three lines moved quickly, but was held back by Ewing.

Rex Williams received the ball on a fast break and made a layup, narrowing the gap to 1 point!

With three minutes remaining in the match, it was time for both sides to decide the winner.

Yu Yin stared at Gan Guoyang like glue, making it difficult for him to move anything without pushing and shoving.

Gan Guoyang pushed Ewing away and said, "You're just a defensive role player, right? Did you score over 10 points tonight?"

Yu Yin remained unmoved, simply sticking close to Gan Guoyang and not giving him a chance to receive the ball.

"I'm going to hit the game-winning shot over you in a minute, and you, without your teammates' help, can't stop me at all."

Gan Guoyang continued, and You Yin's expression remained unchanged, but he was clearly slightly stunned.

Stockton was double-teamed again in the half, and Gan Guoyang immediately came out to receive the ball in a high position.

This time, Gan Guoyang received the ball without any hesitation. He didn't wait for Stockton to get rid of him, nor did he hold the ball up to set a screen. Instead, he dribbled and broke through from near the top of the arc!

His breakthrough was very sudden, and Georgetown's zone defense was breached, allowing Gan Guoyang to break through from the right!
Facing Ewing's help defense, Gan Guoyang launched a high-speed move hook shot from outside the right three-second zone, giving Ewing no chance to contest the shot.

The ball traced a less-than-ideal arc because Gan Guoyang's shot was also rushed. The ball bounced on the rim once, missed the first time, bounced back on the backboard, spun twice on the rim, and finally fell into the net.

The ball goes in!

"A hook shot! Wow! It's in! Gan made a moving hook shot! Gan is 10 for 10!"

When Gan Guoyang saw the ball go in, he felt relieved and rushed back to defend with his hands raised.

"Ewing tried to get the ball in the low post for a shot, but he was stripped! Gan's hand was quick! Ewing fell! Gonzaga's fast break! Stolton passed to Gan, who dunked over two defenders in the middle!"

The Poly Stadium erupted like a burst of gas. Gan Guoyang took to the air during a fast break, recklessly dunking over two Georgetown players before flying sideways out of bounds, knocking the photographers sitting on the baseline flying like bowling balls.

The cheers from the crowd were deafening. Gan Guoyang quickly jumped up from the ground and returned to defense.

The momentum of the match had completely shifted to Gonzaga's side, and Gan Guoyang sealed the victory with a hook and a smash!
The stadium erupted in chants of "Sonny Gan," and Gan Guohui waved his flag with a whooshing sound, leaving the Georgetown players somewhat dumbfounded.

After missing a shot from the outside, Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Stockton.

Stockton is no longer in a hurry; he'll just wait out the time, and victory will be theirs.

Georgetown had to resort to fouling tactics, but Stockton was very steady at the free throw line in the crucial moment, making both free throws and bringing the score difference back to 7 points.

The game then went on in a series of timeouts, fouls, and free throws as Georgetown made their last stand, but victory was no longer theirs, nor the property of the obsessive De La Hoya.

The moment the final whistle blew, Gan Guoyang raised his arms high, and all the Gonzaga players rushed towards him. The Poly Arena responded with the warmest cheers and applause to the King of California.

11投11中，罚球2罚2中，以百分百的命中率，全场拿下24分16个篮板球4次封盖4次助攻，用完美的表现击溃尤因的乔治城。

The final score was 54:49.

Gonzaga advanced to Final Four, continuing their undefeated streak and making history for themselves.

(End of this chapter)