The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 85 is mine.
During the 15-minute halftime break, Wang Fuxi finally found the pink hat in a pile of debris being swept up by a cleaning lady at Kingdome with the help of a cleaning lady.

During the process of entering the venue at night, there were so many people that my hat was knocked off. I tried to bend down to pick it up, but I couldn't bend down at all and was quickly trampled and swallowed up by the crowd.

In a stadium with over 4 people, her seat was very far inside. Once the game started, the enthusiastic fans all stood up, and she couldn't get out at all.

Wang Fuxi patiently watched the entire first half. During the halftime break, when everyone was scattering to use the restroom or eat, he finally managed to find the hat by pestering the staff.

However, because it had been stepped on countless times, the hat was damaged and dirty, with black footprints all over the pink surface.

The plump cleaning lady asked, "Is it a very important hat, young lady?"

Wang Fuxi wiped his hat as he replied, "Yes, it's very important."

The hat was no longer wearable, and Wang Fuxi's eyes were a little red. The old lady comforted her, "At least it was found. Many important things, once lost, can never be found again."

The old lady's words made Wang Fuxi feel a little better. She took her hat and went back to the stands. The second half of the game was about to begin.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang no longer cared about who came to watch the game; his attention was entirely focused on the final, and he entered a state of maximum concentration.

Trailing in the score, they cannot afford to lose. In the slow-paced, low-scoring NCAA Finals, a six-point gap is significant.

"Their defensive focus will definitely be on me, so go ahead and attack John. I'll protect the rebounds under the basket, but offensive rebounds will definitely be harder to get in the second half, so you have to seize the opportunity."

Before the second half started, Gan Guoyang and Stockton spoke.

Stockton remained silent, only nodding slightly, knowing he had to step forward and share the burden.

Gan Guoyang's performance in the first half drew a lot of attention, and if another player from the Bulldogs can step up, the team's offense can be revitalized.

"Two goals. That's all I ask of you. Go for it, John."

Gan Guoyang threw the ball to Stockton from the baseline. He knew that Stockton had to be pushed and whipped to unleash his full potential.

The second half of the game has officially begun.

The enormous stadium brings immense pressure. The players standing on the court now possess strong nerves and robust bodies. They have all endured more than four months of grueling competition to get here step by step, and none of them will back down.

Stockton's performance in the first half was only average, without any particularly outstanding moments, and he was even outplayed by Franklin on the defensive end.

His tricks are useless in such a high-level competition; the referees are very strict about them.

He must support the team offensively, with Gan Guoyang coming out to screen for Stockton.

Stockton used a screen to get past the defense, then suddenly accelerated and drove to the basket!
Facing Hakeem Olajuwon's towering defense, Stockton launched a high-arcing floater!

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

But Gan Guoyang followed up with a putback dunk.

Gonzaga narrowed the gap to two points, and Stockton's desperate drive to the basket finally tore apart the Cougars' defense.

"Good, those two points are yours," Gan Guoyang encouraged Stockton as he returned to defense.

Stockton had no time to pay attention to Gan Guoyang; he immediately countered and launched a full-court press.

The Cougars handled the full-court press well in the first half, but the Bulldogs continued to press in the second half.

No one can be perfect, especially under pressure. Franklin accelerated too fast when crossing half-court, and lost control of the ball, which Stockton snatched from behind!

Stockton stole the ball and switched positions. Gan Guoyang immediately sprinted towards the basket. Stockton made a long pass, and Gan Guoyang caught the ball and quickly broke through the defense, then dunked with both hands!

In a game like this, Gan Guoyang would never choose to lay up when he could dunk, even if his hand hurt from the effort.

In those days, some coaches forbade players to dunk, believing it was too much of a performance. Among the older generation of players, even someone with such outstanding physical attributes as Oscar Robertson never dunked because he felt it would disrupt his coordination on the court.

Cougars coach Lewis was a supporter of dunking, but back then players' dunks were rather subtle, often just a quick touch, which may have been related to the poor quality of the rims.

But Gan Guoyang's dunks are either as elegant as Dr. J's or as fiery as a raging fire, so reckless that it seems he wants to burn the basketball hoop to ashes.

His passion ignited the Bulldogs' players and the emotions of the 4 spectators in the Kingdome Arena.

The cheers were deafening, and most of the neutral fans in the stadium favored the Bulldogs.

They all hoped that this Cinderella story could continue in the dark and make up for the disappointment of the Figs team in 1979.

44-46, the Bulldogs narrowed the gap to 2 points at the start of the second half.

The pressure shifted to the Cougars, but they managed to maintain their composure in the face of a full-court press.

Taking full advantage of the individual abilities of the perimeter players, Michael Young hit a mid-range shot from beyond the arc, regaining the lead.

Stockton's outside shot still missed, and Olajuwon drew a foul from Gan Guoyang on offense.

With one of two free throws made, the Cougars regained a 5-point safety lead.

Stockton stopped shooting and, having gathered his strength, seized the opportunity to drive to the basket.

Hakeem Olajuwon dared not help defend against Gan Guoyang this time, and Stockton made a close-range floater!
Due to excessive force, Stockton flew off the line and crashed heavily into the crowd due to the enormous inertia.

He immediately got up and threw himself into the full-court press defense. It wasn't until two rounds later that Stockton noticed a sharp pain in his leg during an offensive play.

He had just fallen and suffered a calf muscle contusion. The team called a timeout and immediately went to the sidelines for treatment.

Coach Deron Williams, who also works as the team doctor, immediately examined the area and, seeing the redness and swelling, asked Stockton if he wanted to go to the locker room for treatment.

"No, just tie me up, Steve, tie me up."

"There could be more serious problems."

"It's okay, just tie him up."

Stockton sat on the bench, drinking water, and spoke calmly.

Coach Deron had no choice but to give Stockton emergency treatment for the redness and swelling on his leg, spraying some medicine and putting on a bandage, and Stockton returned to the field.

He had a slight limp, but it didn't affect his defense or offense.

On the contrary, the surge in adrenaline after the injury put Stockton in an even stronger state.

He first used Anderson's screen to pull up and shoot a jump shot from the free-throw line.

Then, under intense full-court pressure, he stole the ball again and scored a layup on his own!

After scoring, Stockton unusually pumped his fist and roared, scoring 4 consecutive points and bringing the Bulldogs within 1 point!

Stockton's state of mind is limited in duration.

With about eight minutes left in the game, he had to leave the field for further treatment due to severe leg pain.

Gan Guoyang helped Stockton off the field, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, leave it to me, John."

(End of this chapter)