The Golden Age of Basketball

() (Thanks to mobile 4g, let me post the text on the road.)

The Utah Jazz may be the team that has received the least attention in the entire NBA, and the players are the least willing to go to a team.

The team joined the NBA in 1974. At that time, the city where the team was located was New Orleans, Louisiana, a city full of rambunctious black people, so the team was named "jazz".

At that time, the top player of the team was also born in Louisiana, studied at the University of Louisiana, NCAA scoring champion, Pete Maravich, his gorgeous and uninhibited style of play was like an afternoon jazz, full of intense The confrontational NBA arena is unique.

But in 1979, this southern team changed its home because of its poor record and moved to another city, a city that had nothing to do with Jazz-the cold Salt Lake City, Utah.

This may be one of the most incompatible teams in the NBA with the name of the city. The Jazz has always been on the fringes of people's attention, and may not be able to get a national broadcast throughout the season.

But the enthusiasm of the fans in Salt Lake City allowed the team to take root in the Utah Plateau. When Gan Guoyang played the NCAA game in Salt Lake City, he also felt the crazy and noisy energy of the local fans. Compared with the people of Portland, there is a difference More than anything.

Fortunately, the game against the Jazz was held in Portland. Whenever Gan Guoyang thought of Salt Lake City, he would recall the [-]-point game against the Miners.

Another problem Gan Guoyang has to face now is how to give full play to himself in front of his old friends and teammates.

There are two members of the Jazz team who have a close relationship with Gan Guoyang. Needless to say, Stockton, the two won the NCAA championship together and are the closest teammates.

Last night, Gan Guoyang invited Stockton to his home for dinner. Gan Youwei didn't realize that Stockton was playing basketball, thinking that he was a staff member of the team.

After the meal, Gan Guoyang also chatted with Stockton for a long time, about the feeling of playing professional league in NBA.

Unlike Gan Guoyang, although Stockton had a good performance in the NCAA, he still didn't get too many opportunities in the NBA. The team coach Frank Layden only used him as Green's substitute, playing for more than ten minutes per game Excessively.

Sometimes there is simply no chance to play.

But the team's assistant coach, Jerry Sloan, has a good relationship with Stockton, and the two chatted well in many ways.

Gan Guoyang naturally knew that Stockton was not something in the pool, and the key to his success was Jerry Sloan, so Gan Guoyang knew that everything was still moving forward according to the established historical track.

At the same time, Gan Guoyang also confided his thoughts with Stockton. He already knew that the contradictions in the team were becoming prominent. As long as there was a problem with the Blazers' record, the contradictions would inevitably erupt.

Stockton has also gradually understood in his career for more than half a month that many things inside the team are much more complicated than they appear on the surface.

Moreover, as a small substitute of the team, a temporary marginal figure, he sees problems more clearly and objectively than Gan Guoyang, and some of his opinions have also inspired Gan Guoyang a lot.

In addition to Stockton, another old friend of Gan Guoyang in the Jazz is the center who will be facing him, Mark Eaton.

The two could have become alumni, but Gan Guoyang eventually left UCLA, but Mark Eaton just didn't like UCLA either.

Although they only met briefly twice, once because of a car breakdown and once after the game, the two big men hit it off right away.

Before the start of the game, Gan Guoyang and Eaton shook hands on the sidelines, and each chatted about the recent game life.

It's just that Gan Guoyang knows that once the game starts, he will have a showdown with this 7-foot-4 super giant on the court.

One of Ramsey's concerns before the game was the Jazz's absolute advantage in height, and Gan Guoyang didn't care about it.

But on the training ground, Gan Guoyang discovered that there were actually six players over 6 feet 10 in the Jazz. Their starting center was Mark Eaton, who was 7 feet 4 tall, and the starting power forward was Thurle, who was 6 feet 11 tall. Bailey.

Both of these people are taller than the Blazers' starting insiders Gan Guoyang and Mitchell Sampson.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang will also face a mammoth that is 6 inches taller than himself and weighs 275 pounds. The pressure on his heart also suddenly rises.

"Hey Clyde, why are you looking sad again? Be happy. We are at home, not in damn Salt Lake City." Gan Guoyang looked at Drexler, who was doing shooting training, and felt that he was a little worried. .

"I feel like I'm frozen in Salt Lake City right now," Drexler said deadpan. <Can the sky be far behind? "Gan Guoyang knew that Drexler was distressed because he couldn't get a chance to play recently, so he comforted him.

"But it's always cold in Portland, the northernmost point in the United States."

Drexler's words meant something. Gan Guoyang knew that Drexler had recently been having conflicts with Ramsey over playing time, and even had the intention of asking for a trade.

Gan Guoyang certainly doesn't like Drexler being traded. He and Drexler have become good friends who can talk about everything, and he knows that Drexler will become a superstar.

But at the same time, it is impossible for him to completely stand on Drexler's side against Ramsey, not to mention that doing so would be detrimental to the stability of the team. Gan Guoyang is not such a person who does not know the general situation. Gan Guoyang would not do this either.

Gan Guoyang has now learned more and more things from Ramsey. Although he also has some complaints about Ramsey's restriction of his shots, Bellman used to train him in this way.

"I believe you are the best player. As long as you continue to perform well, gold will always shine." Gan Guoyang can only say this to him.

The cold night did not prevent Portland fans from coming to the Memorial Stadium to watch the game in the snow. Although the opponent was the Utah Jazz, who did not have much to watch, Gan Guoyang performed well and the Trail Blazers started the season well. , so that the team's games are often full.

The entire arena was filled with spectators early, waiting for the start of the game.

Gan Guoyang has gradually become accustomed to such a lively and noisy game atmosphere every night, what he needs to do now is to learn to enjoy this atmosphere.

"Pay attention to our speed and speed. We are at a disadvantage in height, but our athletic ability is our advantage. Try to fight against them as little as possible, and bring up the rhythm!" After the opening ceremony, Ramsey was doing on the sidelines The final arrangement.

Because the Jazz has an absolute advantage in height, especially the height of the inside line, Ramsey focused on quick counterattacks in pre-match training.

Gan Guoyang tightened his pants, walked to the center of the field and was about to jump the ball. The fans began to cheer for him early. At this time, Gan Guoyang had become the most watched star in Portland.

"Don't show mercy, Gan." Eaton looked at Gan Guoyang and said.

Gan Guoyang nodded with a smile, of course he will not show mercy, as long as he stands on the field, he will defeat all enemies!

But in the jump ball, Gan Guoyang failed to compete with Mark Eaton.

Eaton was too tall and had long arms. The referee threw the ball into the air. Eaton didn't even need to jump. He touched the basketball first with a light tiptoe. The Jazz got the ball and the game officially started.

The Jazz are a typical outside attack and inside defense team.

They have the scoring champion Adrian Dantley on the front line. Gan Guoyang once saw his powerful scoring ability in the Salt Palace Arena.

In the backcourt, there is Darryl Griffith. He is a very useful shooting guard acquired by the Jazz in the draft in 80. He has comprehensive offensive skills and stable scoring ability, and he can contribute every game. About 20 minutes.

Inside, the combination of Eaton and Bailey seems to complement each other perfectly. One is huge and strong, which is a heavy fortress, and the other is tall and dexterous, which is a big umbrella for filling leaks.

The Utah Jazz gives people the feeling that the division of labor is clear and each performs their duties, but Utah's problem also lies here. There is too little connection between players, especially in offense. Eaton lacks the ability to attack independently, and Dantley's firepower Strong, but lacks the ability to connect teams.

Bailey and Griffith are good but not game changers

The Blazers' defensive strategy in the opening game was very targeted, that is, put the inside line and double-team the outside line.

"Team double-team! Let me do it! Protect the three-second zone!" Gan Guoyang yelled in the first defense. He began to directly participate in the flanking of the Jazz's perimeter and gave up marking Eaton.

At that time, the NBA still used a relatively seldom-used defensive strategy. Because there was no zone defense, this kind of defense could easily lead to emptiness inside.

Gan Guoyang often did this when he was in high school and college. This is Behrman's favorite defensive strategy.

Ramsey also realized that Gan Guoyang's strong mobility is a major advantage that can be used, so he tried to let Gan Guoyang participate in the outside double-teaming in the opening game.

Unexpectedly, it had a very good effect. Gan Guoyang forced Griffith, who was trying to break through, to the bottom line. Griffith wanted to pass the ball, but made a mistake. Paxson intercepted the ball, and the Blazers launched a quick counterattack.

When Drexler was away, the Blazers' counterattack speed and level obviously dropped to a notch. Neither Valentine nor Paxson could attack the opponent quickly and effectively.

The Blazers' fast offense mainly relies on teamwork, relying on the precise jump shots of Paxson and Vandeweghe to beat the opponent's unstable foothold.

Sure enough, Valentine passed the ball to Vandeweghe, who quickly inserted from the right side. Vandeweghe made a fake shot, tricked Dantley, who was chasing up to the defense, and cut into the inside with a step, throwing a throw Hit, opened the scoring for the Blazers.

At this time, Mark Eaton has not returned to the basket, and when he reaches the basket, the main task is to serve.

In the opening 2 minutes, the Blazers' tactical execution was in place, and they were also very targeted. They succeeded in three quick counterattacks in a row, and the Jazz were a little dizzy.

The Jazz only relied on Dantley to hit a three-pointer to successfully score 3 points, and the Blazers took the lead with 8:3.

But Gan Guoyang paid for a foul. When he flanked Dantley, Dantley didn't pass the ball to Eaton, but rushed to the basket for a layup, and Gan Guoyang fouled.

Gan Guoyang did not expect that this No. 6 small forward, who is only 4 feet 4 and is almost perfect for playing a point guard, would have such a strong low-post ability.

Watching Dantley's game before, I felt that this guy has a good mid-range shot, great low-post skills, and often beats taller opponents by force.

It was only after a real fight on the court that I felt the strength of this honest-looking scoring champion.

Gan Guoyang has begun to worry about how the Blazers, who are already weak in front line defense, will be ravaged by Dantley in this game.

However, the Blazers' offense was still sharp. Valentine and Gan Guoyang made a pick-and-roll. Gan Guoyang cut to the inside, Valentine hit the ground and passed the ball.

A major flaw in Eaton's defense is that he can't defend pick-and-rolls. This is also a common problem of all heavy centers.

Before the game, Ramsey asked Gan Guoyang to do more pick-and-rolls in high positions to find opportunities, and to avoid singles in low positions, so as to maximize his strengths and avoid weaknesses. Gan Guoyang also listened to the coach's advice.

After the goal was scored, the Jazz had to call a timeout, and they had problems on both ends of the offense and defense.

The offense was double-teamed on the outside, and the flow was not smooth. In defense, Eaton was good at defending positions, but the Blazers did not play positions, but played quick counterattacks and pick-and-rolls, which made Eaton a little exhausted.

"We did a good job, keep up the rhythm and intensity, Gan, you don't need to pinch Dantley again, it's not worth the foul. We shrink the defense, protect the rebounds in the backcourt, seize the opportunity to play a quick counterattack, That's it." Ramsey decided to return to the regular mode after receiving good results in the opening defense.

Shrink the defense and put jump shots, if you go in, you go in, if you don't go in, you grab the backcourt rebounds and counterattack. This is exactly the same as the Lakers. It was also a common offensive and defensive strategy for many NBA teams at that time, because there were very few three-pointers at that time. , The cost of putting outside lines is much smaller than later.

Gan Guoyang has also begun to get used to this conventional defensive method. He only needs to keep an eye on his own man, get in a good position and grab a good rebound.

He knew that the time when he really needed to exert his strength had not yet come.

The timeout ended and the game continued. The Jazz players clearly felt that the Blazers' defense had loosened.

The Jazz coach arranged a sideline tactic, Dantley used the cover to run back to the basket, Eaton passed the ball after receiving the ball, and Dantley made a layup.

"Keep your attention! I asked you to change your strategy, but I didn't let you lower your attention! Concentrate!" Ramsay was annoyed at the side, and he was beaten immediately after the timeout.

Ramsey is also very contradictory. He also hopes to develop and utilize Gan Guoyang's defensive ability, but the Blazers' perimeter defense has inherent defects. The result of always letting Gan Guoyang wipe his ass is that he often gets into foul trouble.

And Gan Guoyang's contribution to the offense is very large, and Ramsey hopes to cultivate Gan Guoyang into a major axis on the offensive end.

Ramsey watched Gan Guoyang hold the ball in a high position from the sidelines, and after observing it, he passed the ball skillfully to Paxson who ran back and cut the basket.

Eaton defended, Paxson did not challenge Mammoth's ability to block shots, but passed the ball back to Gan Guoyang who cut in from the middle, Gan Guoyang took off and dunked the basket with one arm!

"Beautiful-play" (beautiful performance.) Ramsay also can't help but admire, Gan Guoyang's sense of smell on the court is getting better and better.

But back on the defensive end, Dantley held the ball in a high position, one step away from Vandeweghe, directly pulled up a jumper, scored the ball, and also scored two points.

Gan Guoyang just ran back to the basket to participate in the defense, but he was about to serve again.

"What the hell kind of defense is this!"