The Golden Age of Basketball

() "Around the front, we need to go around the front to defend, and we can't let him catch the ball easily in the low post! If he gets the ball, the outside line will resolutely double-team him, mainly Jordan and Green, forcing him to make mistakes. Play our strength!"

On the bench, Bulls coach Kevin Langley adjusted the team's defensive tactics with a tactical board. Four minutes into the third quarter, the Bulls were still suppressed by the Trail Blazers, and the point difference had widened. 4 points.

Langley had to call a timeout in an attempt to change the unfavorable situation on the scene.

In these 4 minutes, the main problem for the Bulls was that they couldn't defend against Gan Guoyang's strong attack inside. Gan Guoyang had already scored 6 points in a row relying on his own hook and dunk.

Although the Bulls are not bad on the offensive end, it is obviously not what Langley wants to see like this.

Therefore, Langley decided to double-team Gan Guoyang.

Double-teaming is a commonly used defensive strategy on the basketball court. It uses the advantages of local numbers to exert pressure on the opponent's players, forcing the opponent to make mistakes, the attack fails, or the tactics cannot be executed.

Since the NBA does not allow zone defense, double-teaming without the ball is not allowed, only the ball holder can be double-teamed.

In many cases, double-teaming can have a miraculous effect. It can quickly extinguish the firepower of the opponent's arrow figure, making it difficult for the opponent to run the ball and hinder the opponent's attack.

But the number of players on both sides is the same after all. If you use two players against one player, then the opponent must have an empty player.

If the opponent transfers the ball quickly and conducts the ball reasonably, but the own team's rotation is not in place, the result of double-teaming is to leave the opponent with a lot of shooting space, which is fatal to one's own defense.

Therefore, double-teaming is risky, and it needs to be implemented with caution.

Generally speaking, a mature team's defense is more cautious when using double-teaming. The coach will instruct players to interfere with the receiving and dribbling of inside players, and at the same time take care of their own defenders.

When the Lakers played against the Trail Blazers, they used the magician and Cooper to harass Gan Guoyang in turn, and did not completely let the outside line double-team Gan Guoyang.

Langley decided to double-team Gan Guoyang because after Gan Guoyang played more than ten games, all the teams began to study him. Langley found in the video and statistics that Gan Guoyang's assists were not high, and the handling of the ball was not high. The ability is not strong.

This is Gan Guoyang's weakness at this time. After encountering double-teaming, his ability to handle the ball is not strong, and he is easily disturbed by the opponent. He has a good passing vision but lacks experience.

"During the attack, use our vigorous energy! We must constantly attack the opponent's inside line, keep running, and keep fighting back!" Langley continued.

On the offensive end, Langley doesn't have a lot of options, because he has really few dishes in his hands.

Langley used to be the coach of aba, and his brilliance was also in aba. The New York Nets he coached won the aba championship twice in 74 and 75, which was the peak of his coaching career.

At that time, the strongest player under him was the famous Dr. J - Julius Owen.

After the merger of the two leagues in 76, he continued to coach the Nets, but at that time Irving had left the Nets and went to Philadelphia, where he created a new legend.

So the Nets' performance also plummeted. Langley finally switched to the Hawks in the 81-82 season, and two years later, he switched to the Bulls in the 83-84 season.

In the Bulls last season, the team's performance still did not improve, but he made a very important decision for the Bulls, which can be said to change the fate of the Bulls, that is, he took a fancy to Jordan.

Finally, in the 84 draft, the Bulls used the No. [-] pick to take Jordan, a North Carolina boy who was not favored by many people at the time.

The reason why Langley took a fancy to Jordan is very simple, because this kid is very similar to Irving.

Jordan's super athletic ability, his game style of being able to play both inside and outside, and his ability to score points at critical moments made Langley see the shadow of Dr. J.

Therefore, he fell in love with this new flying man, hoping to rely on him to open up a new championship path with the Bulls.

This is why Jordan was able to obtain the tactical core position in his rookie season, which is inseparable from the strong support of coach Langley.

In comparison, Gan Guoyang's tactical status is equally important in the Blazers, but he has not yet reached the absolute core position. In many cases, Gan Guoyang needs to do what a blue-collar player has to do.

"Michael, let go of your firepower and attack your opponent, don't lose to that No. 11." Before the players went on the field, Langley leaned into Jordan's ear and said.

Jordan nodded after listening. Even if the coach didn't say anything, he had already decided to take over the game, and his strong desire to win had already begun to burn his soul.

"Gan, if the opponent double-teams you, remember to score the ball in time! I don't ask you to pass the ball to the open player, but you must try not to make mistakes! Pass the ball to the outside and let others organize the offense. "On the other side, Ramsey already had a premonition that the Bulls might double-team Gan Guoyang, so he reminded Gan Guoyang to be careful.

Gan Guoyang also nodded, but he himself didn't know what to do after being double-teamed.

Among all the talents of Gan Guoyang, the talent of passing the ball is not low, otherwise he would not be able to pass the kind of long-distance long pass that spans the audience.

But Gan Guoyang also found that among all the talents, the passing talent is the most difficult to train and cultivate. Perhaps this is also related to the complexity of the passing ability.

Unlike jumping and strength, pure practice is enough, but passing requires experience and a grasp of the situation on the court, which cannot be developed in a year or two.

After the opening of the second half, Gan Guoyang took four shots and made three goals, one hook, one alley-oop, and one layup from the basket.

The three balls were all crisp and neat, giving the Bulls almost no chance to react inside.

Similarly, Jordan also showed superior strength in the offense. In addition to the back-up basket that slipped past Gan Guoyang, he also made a [-]-foot jumper.

However, the rest of the Bulls can provide limited support for Jordan, and on the Trail Blazers side, although Paxson still can't guard Jordan, Jordan can't stop him from making long-range shots.

Therefore, the Blazers still lead the Bulls by 67 points 56:11.

"Jordan and Gan are on the court, and they feel faster than the others. The Bulls' inside line can't keep up with Gan, and the Blazers' outside line can't keep up with Jordan." Hamilton said to the two rookies during the timeout. evaluate.

"Yes, both young people have shown good physical condition and solid basic skills. Jordan's dribbling, running positions, and breakthroughs are quite stable and reasonable. Obviously this is the result of coach Dean Smith's training; and Gan Although he only studied in college for one year, his low-post ability and defensive awareness are very good. The two of them are not like rookies on the court, but like experienced NBA veterans." Crouch is full of praise for these two words.

Jordan quickly responded to Crouch's praise with practical actions. He asked for the ball at a low 45-degree angle on the right, and firmly suppressed Paxson behind him.

On the basketball court at that time, it was normal for backcourt players to learn low-post skills, and excellent forwards and guards all had excellent low-post back-up abilities.

Jordan's brother James Worthy in North Carolina is one of the best.

And No. 23 did not give up much, his position was quite deep, and Jones passed the ball to him smoothly from the outside.

With a simple shake of the shoulders, Jordan turned over quickly from the baseline, passed Jim Paxson, and went straight to the basket.

Gan Guoyang has been paying close attention to the situation on the right side, but Jordan's speed is still too fast. Gan Guoyang rushed to the bottom line to block Jordan, but Jordan in the air was stuck in the air and layup from the left side of the basket at the same time.

Another reverse basket.

"Beep!" The referee whistled, and Gan Guoyang hit Jordan's arm while blocking the shot.

Gan Guoyang was also extremely depressed, and he was a little speechless about being constantly beaten by Paxson, although he knew that a player of Jordan's level could hardly be defended by one man.

At this time, Ramsey also decided to make adjustments. He replaced Paxson and replaced Drexler, hoping to ease Jordan's offensive.

Jordan also made a steady free throw, reducing the score between the two sides to 8 points.

"Let's see how the Blazers will respond and whether Gan will continue to attack in the low post. In the third quarter, his low post threat is indeed quite large." Hamilton has begun to guide the audience to pay attention to the duel between Jordan and Gan.

Gan Guoyang did start to play in the low position. Although Kerzin tried to go around Gan Guoyang, Gan Guoyang was not afraid of going around at all. When Kerzin went around on the right side, he quickly moved to the left side.

Drexler's feed from the outside line was also timely, and Gan Guoyang got the ball smoothly.

At this time, Wallridge still stepped forward to double-team, and the big muscular man rushed up like a bear, trying to force Gan Guoyang to the bottom line.

Gan Guoyang was double-teamed before he could make a move. Naturally, he could only pass the ball out to Valentine who was standing near the top of the arc.

But Gan Guoyang's intention to pass the ball was too obvious. Jordan shot out from the side, stretched out his long arms, and broke the ball.

Although Jordan is a guard, he is as fast as a forward in the fast break, and Drexler can't stop him.

A one-handed dunk after a mid-air stop!Jordan scored two more points!

"Michael~Jordan!" The DJ on the field also shouted Jordan's name with his high-pitched voice, and the fans cheered for the Bulls with applause and cheers.

"Scatter, scatter!" Ramsey shouted, hoping the players could hear his instructions.

He hopes that the players' positions will be more dispersed, so that it will be more difficult for the Bulls to double-team.

It's just that the three-pointer didn't become a tactic at that time, and too scattered positions often made the team's offense fall into trouble.

Gan Guoyang is still working tirelessly in the low post, but the Blazers' outside passes seem to be less decisive.

The ball passed around the outside line, and Gan Guoyang seized the opportunity to block Corzin's position in the front of the three-second zone.

This is a fleeting opportunity, Gan Guoyang will stay for a little longer and it will take three seconds.

Valentine's observation was quite in place, and he still threw the ball to Gan Guoyang.

At this time, Wallridge on the right wanted to double-team. If Gan Guoyang walked to the middle, he would bump into Wallridge's arms and be hit by two ghosts.

If he turns to the bottom line, then his left hook is not practiced well, how should he attack when he turns to the baseline?

But Gan Guoyang did not hesitate, nor did he choose to pass the ball. He knew that he was not good at distributing the ball, so he simply did it alone.

So he made a trick, turned his body to the baseline, dribbled the ball with his left hand, and pushed Corzin with his right arm. The movement was very small, and he was on the verge of blowing or not.

The referee did not blow the whistle, indicating that this action was acquiesced.

And Gan Guoyang pushed Kerzin away, leaving a large space behind him, jumped directly, and dunked with his left hand!

He can't hook with his left hand, but he can still dunk.

"Hush~" There were some boos on the court at this time, they thought Gan Guoyang had fouled.

But it doesn't count if the referee didn't blow it, and Gan Guoyang was often squeezed by the Bulls' inside line when attacking, so this is revenge.

"Believe in my attack on Valentine." Gan Guoyang said to Valentine when he returned to the defense, and he meant to continue to feed him the ball.

In the past Blazers, Sampson was the leader inside, and most of the time it was Sampson who asked for the ball in the low post to attack.

But after more than ten games this season, Gan Guoyang, a rookie, began to attack in the low post frequently like the leader of the Blazers.

Gan Guoyang's offensive efficiency is not worse than Sampson's. If there is a shortage, he can't play and pass like Sampson, which can be used as a tactical axis.

However, Valentine was also impressed by Gan Guoyang's aggressiveness and crispness in singles.

"No problem, but we have to guard against one now," Valentine said.

That's right, the Blazers need to guard against one, they can't let the Bulls get up, they have to guard against Jordan.

Jordan mainly passed the ball to drive the offense in the first half, but in the third quarter, he began to let go of his firepower. He felt that his shooting touch was good tonight.

This time, Jordan received the ball at the free throw line, and Drexler put his hand firmly against Jordan's back, trying to test out Jordan's movements.

But Jordan didn't break through, didn't turn over, but took off and shot directly from the free throw line!

Jordan, a rookie, still looks a little awkward in his shooting posture. His whole body is leaning forward instead of backward, and his legs are slightly bent, which is very similar to Drexler.

The ball ran towards the basket with a relatively straight arc in the air, turned around on the basket, and still scored.

"At this time, Jordan feels hot!"

The Bulls' three consecutive offenses were all completed by Jordan.

Gan Guoyang sent the ball to Valentine from the bottom line, and then stared at Valentine with burning eyes.

Although Valentine didn't hear Gan Guoyang's words, but looking into Gan Guoyang's eyes, he knew that Gan Guoyang was asking him to pass the ball.

Sure enough, Gan Guoyang asked for the ball in the low post again. This time, Kerzin no longer went forward. He knew it was useless, but leaned against Gan Guoyang, and then pushed his leg against Gan Guoyang's leg, trying to make small moves to make Gan Guoyang lose his balance.

After Gan Guoyang received the ball, he didn't play back in the low post. He knew that this guy Corzin was making small moves.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang took a smooth sigma step, carrying the basket and turning the basket before the bull double-teamed.

Gan Guoyang saw Jordan, who came to double-team from the upper line, with a feint and heavy shoulders, broke through from the bottom line!

Kerzin's footsteps slowed Gan Guoyang by more than one shot. When he turned around to defend, Gan Guoyang had already hung on the basket with one hand.

"Oh my God, Jordan and Gan have already matched up! In the third quarter, one scored 10 points and the other scored 13 points! This may be the battle to determine the best rookie of the year!"

The soaring points battle in the third quarter kicked off.