The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 811 My Grandmother

The opening game of the 1997-1998 season, at the Rose Garden Arena, was Miami Heat vs. Portland Trail Blazers.

Pat Riley stood on the sidelines, still sporting his impeccably slicked-back hair and impeccably pressed Armani suit.

His physique remained unchanged; he hadn't gained weight or developed a belly, and he was still as dashing as ever.

The wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes are a testament to the passage of time; he has been with the Heat for 10 years.

Ten years, two Finals, one championship—Riley built a powerful team from scratch. His achievements are truly remarkable.

He relied on a superstar strategy, focusing on attracting superstars from other teams to build a super team, and using accelerated growth to make the team expand rapidly.

In his eyes, draft picks were merely a resource for trading star players. This team-building model, while not unprecedented in the NBA, could be said to have led the way and inspired later teams.

In the 80s and 90s, when labor agreements were not yet perfect, there were many loopholes to exploit. Lai used every means at his disposal to continuously build a dazzling lineup.

However, after 10 years, a championship still seems a bit lonely. There's no way around it; Forrest Gump and Michael Jordan's dominance in the league was just too strong.

With Jordan around, it's impossible to reach the Finals; even if you do reach the Finals, Forrest Gump is waiting for you. It's just too difficult.

After losing Hakeem Olajuwon this summer, Riley's wrinkles deepened; he knew his 10-year championship cycle was probably over.

Although the team still has Barkley, Hardaway, and Drexler, and as usual, they poached PJ Brown from the Trail Blazers, the team's fighting power is not what it used to be.

Drexler has lost all fighting spirit. Before the season started, he had already decided that this would be his last season and he would retire after playing all the games.

Tim Hardaway was still in his prime, and acquiring him was Riley's masterpiece, but it was also a move that caused the Heat to fall apart.

Trading John Starks for Hardaway seemed like a move to strengthen the point guard position, but it actually hurt the players' morale. They were a great team that won the championship.

In Riley's eyes, past championships are in the past. Whether you can stay or not depends entirely on your current ability. If there are better options, he will not hesitate to send you away in exchange for better assets.

His ruthless and cold-blooded approach allowed the Heat's star players to see through his true nature.

The ideological differences between Hakeem Olajuwon and Pat Riley grew increasingly pronounced, and the conflict intensified.

Hakeem Olajuwon preferred to start over with the Brooklyn Nets, whose roster was in disarray, rather than stay with the Miami Heat for another year.

With Hakeem Olajuwon gone, Charles Barkley became the pillar of the paint, and Riley almost fainted when he saw Barkley at training camp.

This guy didn't train properly or control his weight all summer, he just ate whatever he wanted and got to a terrifying 300 pounds, and he was hoping that training camp would help him lose weight.

Before the game started, Barkley warmed up on the court, looking like a wide and thick door panel. At 6 feet 6 inches tall, he had a visually enormous presence.

Barkley didn't dare to look Gan Guoyang in the eye. He looked around like a child who had made a mistake, his eyes darting up and down, left and right, but he wouldn't look ahead.

Gan Guoyang shook his head as he looked at Barkley, thinking to himself, "No wonder Olajuwon left the Heat; he's a Muslim."

When the DJ introduced the players, he called out Charles Barkley's name, which was met with a chorus of boos from the crowd.

His disgraceful actions in Orlando led to widespread boycotts and boos across the United States, with attacks against him becoming increasingly frequent.

Gan Guoyang is right. Barkley needs to hire a bodyguard and make sure his wife and daughter are settled in properly, otherwise they will definitely be attacked.

Of course, Gan Guoyang could only suggest that he didn't have the time or energy to take care of his friends, and that making a phone call to remind them was already a good thing.

The loss in last season's Western Conference Finals led Gan Guoyang to devote all his energy to training and competition.

He stopped most of his social activities, handed over all business matters to his wife, and devoted himself to studying basketball and continuing to improve.

For someone like him, only the pain of failure is the best motivation to move forward, since he has already experienced enough of the joy of success.

As the match was about to begin, Gan Guoyang took off his sports shirt and prepared to take the field, leaving an empty seat on the bench.

Larry Bird will be out until December due to a heart problem, and he won't be able to return for the first month of the season.

The team's command was handed over to assistant coach Rick Carlisle, who looked very nervous.

Although Hart was older and had experience as a head coach, he still gave the role of interim head coach to Carlisle.

Hart knows he has already established himself in the coaching world, and at his age, he doesn't need to worry about finding a job; he'll definitely be able to make a living.

Moreover, he is used to being an assistant coach and has no ambition to become a head coach. He is also getting old, so he can just continue to do his job diligently.

Carlisle is different. He is young, has not been in the coaching circle for long, and has not yet gained the recognition of his peers. He needs seniority and experience.

So, Carlisle picked out his best suit for the night, put on a blue tie, and dressed himself up to look as handsome and dashing as movie star Jim Carrey, no less so than Pat Riley.

Seeing that Carlisle was nervous, Gan Guoyang went over and patted him on the shoulder, then pulled out a photo frame from somewhere.

A large headshot of Larry Bird was displayed in the frame. Gan Guoyang placed the photo on the empty bench and said to Carlisle, "Now you don't have to be nervous, Rick. Larry is with us."

Carlisle: "..."

“Uh… Sonny, Larry is just sick, not dead.”

"Yes, he will always live in our hearts, don't be nervous."

"I'm not nervous, really."

"Don't worry, we'll definitely win tonight. I'll get 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists, leading the team to victory and giving you a winning start as head coach. Also, being a head coach is easy, trust me, just focus."

Before Carlisle could say anything more, Gan Guoyang had already jogged onto the field, ready to start the match.

Carlisle's initial anxiety gradually subsided.

He thought, "So this is what it feels like to coach Forrest Gump as the head coach?"
That's so reassuring; no wonder everyone says coaching Forrest Gump is the easiest thing to do.

Being an assistant coach and watching from the sidelines doesn't give you a sense of the importance of coaching. It's only when you become the head coach and take on the responsibility and pressure that you truly appreciate its benefits.

The Trail Blazers' starting lineup tonight is completely different from last season, with Sabonis returning to the starting center position.

Gan Guoyang moved to the position four and played a twin-tower lineup with Sabonis. The two can actually switch positions, so there is no fixed position four or five for either of them.

This poses a huge challenge to other teams, as the pressure on the inside suddenly increases, and the fear of the paint that plagued the team from 1990-1993 has returned.

Chris Mullin started at the small forward position, but his arrival did not solve the defensive problems at that position.

However, on offense, the Trail Blazers now have passing and playmaking relay stations both inside and outside, eliminating the problems of sluggishness and monotony.

At shooting guard, Riddell remains the starter. His performance in the playoffs was less than satisfactory, but he was still a reliable player in the regular season.

At point guard, Blake wore the Trail Blazers' number 10 jersey. He wasn't tall, but he was exceptionally sturdy with a solid lower body, making him a formidable defensive player.

If the Trail Blazers face John Stockton again, they will definitely not let him score more than 30 points in a single game.

Three of the five positions have been filled, and the Trail Blazers' biggest concerns right now are age and health.

With the addition of three veterans, the team's average age has suddenly increased.

The team consists of either veterans in their thirties or young, inexperienced players in their twenties, lacking depth in the middle generation.

However, these things need time to be verified. The Trail Blazers players themselves are quite apprehensive. Can they achieve their goals this season?
The game began, and Sabonis jumped for the ball with PJ Brown at center circle. Brown was still wearing a Trail Blazers jersey last season, but this season he is a member of the Heat.

There's no way around it; the Heat are offering more and are willing to give more. PJ, who already has a championship, will definitely pursue a bigger contract and more dollars.

During the entrance ceremony, Trail Blazers fans applauded PJ Brown to thank him for his contributions over the years and for accompanying the Trail Blazers through a period of decline.

Now that they are on opposing sides, it's impossible for PJ Brown not to be intimidated by his two senior teammates.

In the very first possession of the game, Gan Guoyang received the ball in the middle and drove hard towards the basket, drawing a foul from Brown.

The pass from Sabonis showcased their excellent teamwork, giving the Heat's defense little time to react. Barkley's task tonight was to guard Agan one-on-one, but he didn't even have time to react to this play and was easily beaten.

Otherwise, PJ Brown wouldn't have needed to come over to help defend and risk committing a foul.

Barkley, quite self-aware, raised his hand and said it was my problem.

After Gan Guoyang made both free throws, he then stole the ball from Barkley on defense.

The ball was passed to Mullin, who then passed it behind his back to Riddell. Riddell dunked the ball with both hands, and Barkley licked his lips, too embarrassed to say anything.

Under Riley's tutelage, the Heat have become a very tough defensive team over the years, with Riley himself having very high expectations for his players' one-on-one defense.

For players like Barkley, who are very strong offensively, Riley might be a little more lenient on the defensive end, but it would still be much stricter than it was with the Suns.

After two consecutive mistakes at the start of the season, Riley already sensed that Barkley's season seemed to be in trouble and he probably wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

He caused such a big incident in Orlando that he almost went to jail.

Lack of self-discipline, 300 pounds, defense allows him to be easily beaten, offense is completely unable to push him.

Almost five years have passed since 1993. Forrest Gump is still Forrest Gump, but Barkley has aged considerably.

Of course, Barkley wasn't completely finished; he still had some fuel left in his tank.

After a poor start, Barkley began to work with Tim Hardaway, constantly using pick-and-rolls and high-post play to create opportunities.

Drexler made a cut to the basket, received the ball, turned and jumped to shoot, scoring the Heat's first point.

The Trail Blazers' defense wasn't particularly strong; in a typical one-on-one situation, Drexler handled both Mullin and Riddell with relative ease.

However, the Heat found it increasingly difficult to defend the Trail Blazers. Before the game, Riley devised a strategy to double-team Agan and set up more defensive traps.

However, Gan Guoyang was not the team's offensive focus in the first quarter. Apart from drawing a foul on PJ on the first play, Gan Guoyang was hidden in the team's offense for the rest of the offensive possessions and did not stand out.

This is quite different from last season.

Old guys have their flaws, but they also have their advantages.

The slow pace of the NBA in the late 90s was the perfect time for experienced veterans to shine.

As the point guard, Blaylock originally had to shoulder a lot of offensive responsibilities with the Hawks.

He's a point guard, so he needs to be aware of everything around him, constantly communicate with his teammates, and call out tactics.

The coach laid out a set of tactics at the start, and he was the primary executor and the first commander on the field.

If the tactics are going well, he needs to get the ball to the right person in the right position. If the tactics are not going well, he needs to execute Plan B.

If neither Plan A nor Plan B works, you have to find a way to create your own opportunities, score yourself, or break through and pass the ball, or force a shot.

In short, the point guard is often the shortest player on the team, but he is also often the one who thinks the most and uses his brain the most.

Blaylock was not a good offensive player. In the 1993-1994 season, when he was selected as an All-Star, his two-point field goal percentage was only 44% and his overall field goal percentage was 41%, which can be said to be quite inefficient.

Moreover, he is not a point guard who takes excessive shots. Whenever he takes a shot, it is usually because the overall offense has failed, and he has to take the shot himself.

In this situation, the hit rate will naturally not be very high, but a 41% hit rate is indeed excessively low.

When Lenny Wilkens was with the Hawks, his team focused on defense and often struggled offensively, requiring Blake to take strong shots and think creatively on offense.

But when he arrived with the Trail Blazers, participated in training camp, played in the preseason, and then played his first regular season game, after only one quarter, Blake discovered that offense was really easy.

His offensive task is to dribble the ball across half-court, pass it to Agan, Sabonis, or Mullin who are coming to receive it, and then crouch outside the three-point line, ready to receive the ball and shoot a three-pointer.

Blaylock has a very good three-point shooting percentage and he has a high volume of three-pointers; last season he made more three-pointers than Van Exel.

With Gan Guoyang and Sabonis drawing the defense in the paint, plus Mullin acting as a lubricant, Brelock feels that dribbling the ball even once more is a waste of time.

In the first quarter, the Trail Blazers' offense wasn't fully in form, and their shooting percentage was average, but they still led the Heat 27-22 by 5 points, maintaining their lead.

After the first quarter of adjustment, Carlisle was satisfied with the players' "flowing offense".

Before the game, he did not set any tactical routines, but instead had the players move around, focusing on Gan Guoyang and Sabonis, and organizing their activities along the two rib lines in the three-second zone.

During the break, Riley tried to get the team to increase their defensive intensity to limit the Trail Blazers' offensive space, as he felt the Trail Blazers' offense was going too smoothly.

During the transition period, young players such as Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal, and Ben Wallace were given playing time.

They all looked a bit more mature.

Kobe changed his hairstyle; he sported a retro-style afro, making himself look less youthful.

Jermaine O'Neal wore a white headband to cover his huge forehead.

Ben Wallace wore a white arm guard on his right arm, imitating Gan Guoyang.

Since he did it in the 80s, many young interior players have been imitating him.

The young players didn't play with much structure; they were eager to show the results of their summer training.

Kobe hit two consecutive mid-range jump shots, while Jermaine O'Neal made a turnaround jump shot in the low post.

Ben Wallace guarded the paint, aggressively rebounding and making timely blocks, helping the Trail Blazers widen the score gap.

The Heat seemed somewhat unprepared against the well-equipped and in-form Trail Blazers.

When the point difference widened to 10 points, Riley had to call a timeout to make adjustments, as he was dissatisfied with the players' relaxed state.

After the timeout, Charles Barkley came on and repeatedly outmaneuvered Jermaine O'Neal, helping the Heat regain control of the game.

However, with the return of key players like Gan Guoyang and Sabonis, Barkley could only rely on three-pointers from the outside to try his luck.

Gan Guoyang suddenly surged ahead at the end of the second quarter, hitting consecutive mid-range jump shots and breaking through to score, leading the Trail Blazers on a run.

At this point, the situation started to get a little out of control. Blaylock hit two consecutive three-pointers, and Mullin also hit a three-pointer on the fast break.

Gan Guoyang added fuel to the fire by blocking Drexler's layup, then launched a fast break, driving to the basket and scoring a layup while drawing a foul from PJ Brown.

The Trail Blazer truck finally warmed up and started up.

At halftime, the Trail Blazers led the Heat 62-45, a 17-point advantage. They scored 35 points in the second quarter.

After two quarters, Carlisle sat on the sidelines without calling a single timeout.

During halftime, Gan Guoyang took the photo of Bird that was on the bench back to the locker room.

He told Carlisle, "Richard, I told you, being a head coach is easy. Just focus, focus!"

Gan Guoyang pointed to his eyes, reminding Carlisle that he should call a timeout when necessary.

Carlisle casually took a sip of water and, on his way back to the locker room, asked Dick Hart, "Is being a head coach really that easy?"

Hart said, "It depends. Given Portland's situation this year, I think even my grandma could be a good head coach."

Carlisle thought for a moment and said, "If I may ask, is your grandmother still alive?"

Hart rolled his eyes and said, "She's long gone! But I can bring her picture."

After saying that, the two thought of Bird's picture and burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)