The Golden Age of Basketball

() After Gan Guoyang was suspended for more than a week and a total of three games, he was finally lifted on December 1984, 12 and entered the starting list of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Gan Guoyang's first game back on the court was against the San Antonio Spurs who came from afar.

Since the Spurs were assigned from the East to the West in the 1980-1981 season, it has always been a strong team in the West.

They ranked second in the Western Conference in the regular season for three consecutive years in 1981, 1982, and 1983. They reached the Western Conference Finals twice and stopped the Lakers twice.

After experiencing a big decline in the 1984 season, the Spurs were in decline in the 1985 season. The core lineup they had maintained for 5 seasons was aging.

But Ramsey still didn't dare to slack off. In the NBA, no team was truly weak, especially in the regular season when everyone was not fully prepared.

Moreover, the current state of the Blazers itself is not the best. Ramsey has also heard of the conflict between Gan Guoyang and Sampson. The poor state of Sampson in the last game made Ramsey worry whether he can survive in this game. The game plays normally.

And Gan Guoyang, who has been suspended for three games, has just returned to the game. Will he be uncomfortable?

There is also the team's perimeter defense. This game will face the Spurs' old double guns. Ramsey is worried that their perimeter may be hit again.

"Gan, I asked you to watch Gilmore's video yesterday, did you watch it?" Ramsay saw Gan Guoyang warming up before the game, and asked him.

Although Gan Guoyang hadn't played a game for only a week, his hands were already itchy. During the warm-up training, he was full of energy. He even accepted a pre-match interview with Portland TV. In the past, Gan Guoyang always avoided the media. far away.

"I saw it! It's the guy with a lot of hair and beard. He is really similar to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, except for the hair and beard." Gan Guoyang said, looking at No. 53, Artis Gilmore, who was warming up on the opposite field .

"I'm asking you to focus on his style of play, not his beard and hair..."

"I know, he just looks like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but he is actually different. His defense is great. I think I will encounter some troubles, but believe me, I will be fine." Gan Guoyang is always so confident.

Ramsey had nothing to say, so he could only shake his head. He didn't know where this brat got his confidence. After only playing in the NBA for a month, he felt like an old man who had been playing for many years.

However, Ramsey also had to admit that this kid was really trustworthy most of the time except for the occasional hothead.

However, facing Gilmore this time, Ramsey felt that Gan Guoyang might not have such a good time.

For Gilmore, a tall center who is 7 feet 2 inches tall and very similar to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in terms of figure and hairstyle, Ramsey can be said to be very impressive.

In his first season as coach, the championship season in 1977, he led the Portland Trail Blazers against Gilmore's Chicago Bulls in the first round. (The bulls at the time were assigned to the West.)

In the best-of-three game, the two teams played extremely fiercely and anxiously. The two sides fought hard in the second game in Chicago, and the Trail Blazers also lost that game.

In his memories after winning the championship, Ramsey believes that among all the opponents, the Chicago Bulls played the toughest and most iron-blooded team in the first round, and the Blazers took off a layer of skin to reach the next round.

The root of this Bulls iron blood comes from their super center, Artis Gilmore.

Although Gan Guoyang spoke loudly, he didn't know much about it. He watched several videotapes about Gilmore yesterday, and he found that this center looked very similar to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but was different from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in many aspects.

Like his defense.

Gan Guoyang feels that Gilmore's defensive characteristics are actually very similar to his own, that is, focusing on physical confrontation and competition for positions, rather than relying solely on height and wingspan to predict and block opponents.

On the offensive end, Gilmore's hook and turnaround shots are very good, especially his shot selection is very reasonable, and his shooting percentage is very high. Once he makes a shot, he will kill you.

Gan Guoyang also watched Gilmore's game this season. It was the Spurs' match against the Houston Rockets in the same state. Gilmore faced the new champion Olajuwon. Wang scored only 11 points.

The two are facing each other most of the time on the field. Gan Guoyang, who has played against Olajuwon, knows what level Olajuwon is. Seeing that Olajuwon is quite helpless, it is difficult for Gan Guoyang to relax stand up.

Soon, Gan Guoyang didn't have the mind to worry about this and that. During the opening ceremony, the audience welcomed Gan Guoyang's return with the warmest applause and cheers. Gan Guoyang hadn't felt this kind of enthusiasm for a while.

Because it has been half a month since he last played at the Memorial Stadium, and now he is finally officially home.

"It feels so good to go home!" Gan Guoyang sighed in his heart, he has become more and more fond of the feeling of playing in Portland.

Everything was ready for both sides, Gan Guoyang stood in the middle circle again, he felt full of strength all over his body, and the three-game suspension allowed him to get a full rest.

As the referee threw the ball into the air, the game officially began.

The young and strong Gan Guoyang easily won the ball, and the Blazers took the lead in getting the offensive power.

According to Ramsey's preparation requirements before the game, the most important thing for the Blazers in this game is to keep running and fight back quickly.

The Blazers were originally a team that was good at playing fast, and with Ramsey's instructions, Valentine didn't stop organizing for the first time. Instead, he rushed to the outside line with a little cover from Gan Guoyang. Insider.

Valentine is known for being strong among point guards, with two thighs as thick as tree stumps, but the Spurs point guard John Moore who defends him is also a stout player.

He pushed aside Gan Guoyang's obstruction and followed Valentine closely.

Valentine followed Ramsey's instructions and played fast at the beginning, but he suddenly went too deep and was entangled by Moore and the Spurs' insiders.

Valentine reluctantly passed the ball to Vandeweghe, who came forward to meet him. Vandeweghe feinted on the left side, shook the defender away, and went straight to the basket.

One trick that Vandeweghe is good at is to break through from the bottom line, use his body and his big hands after reaching the basket, and directly layup.

This trick is particularly effective against some forward and defensive players who are not particularly strong and tall. He can always use his physical advantage and sense of rhythm to score at the basket or draw fouls.

But this time, he was facing Gilmore under the basket.

He has been playing professional basketball from 1971 to 1972. He first played for the Kentucky Colonels. Gilmore, who has played for 13 seasons, is no longer the black giant who took off his cap with one hand when he was young.

But he still has rich defensive experience and skilled defensive skills.

Seeing Vandeweghe hit the basket, Gilmore didn't jump or adjust his pace to block the shot. Instead, he stuck his body up and blocked the passage further into the penalty area. At the same time, he raised his arm high and propped up under the basket. A giant umbrella.

Gilmore knew that a white player like Vandeweghe was best at playing time lag. If you jumped up to block the shot and the ball missed, you might have to send a foul.

Vandeweghe saw Gilmore in position and forced a layup against his defense.

It may be that the opening hand is not hot yet. Vandeweghe leaned on Gilmore's layup and didn't make it. Instead, he hit the left side of the basket, which was obviously weak.

At this time, Gilmore, who had been raising his arms, easily pocketed the rebound, firmly grasped the basketball with both hands, and pushed Gan Guoyang, who wanted to pick up the offensive rebound from behind, behind him.

Gan Guoyang had a close contact with this giant, and he felt that he was stronger than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His muscular and strong arms reminded Gan Guoyang of Nate Thurmond.

Gilmore firmly controlled the rebound, handed the ball to Moore, and the Spurs began to build slowly.

One of the important reasons why Ramsey wants the Blazers to keep running and launch fast offenses is that the Spurs are already an older team.

The core framework of this team was established in 1982, and Gilmore ushered in an important puzzle in 1983, but they still failed to break through the Lakers' dominance.

Up to now, their starting five players have two players over the age of 30, of which Gilmore is already a 35-year-old veteran.

In the NBA at that time, with the medical technology of the 70s and 80s, many players would reach the recession period around the age of 30, and after the age of 30, they would suffer from injuries and had to retire.

Unlike the 90s and later, many players were at their peak at the age of 30, and the professional life span of players was greatly extended by the advancement of medical technology.

In this regard, Gilmore and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are very similar. They have broken the age limit and are both evergreen trees on the court.

Even so, the Spurs couldn't withstand the invasion of time, and the Blazers were a young team with the oldest player at 30 years old. Sampson was the oldest of them all, and Kenny Carr was not far behind.

Therefore, the Spurs naturally had to play slower, while the Blazers speeded up desperately at the beginning.

However, the fact that the Spurs are slow does not mean that their offense is not sharp. On the contrary, they have two old outside guns that are well-known in the league, and they are as powerful as the combination of Vandeweghe and Paxson in the Blazers.

Moore dribbled the ball steadily to the front court. At this time, Gan Guoyang was standing on the right side of the three-second zone and stared at Gilmore. The entire Spurs were positioned in a 1-4 formation. Only Moore stood outside the free throw line, and everyone else They all stood inside the free throw line and lined up in a row.

This is a very labor-saving tactic that does not require too much running and covering. There are generally two options for offense. One is to pull out the players to play singles, and the other is to cross screen with each other, and then shoot after catching the ball.

The Spurs' shooting guard Mike Mitchell is a very efficient small forward with comprehensive skills and a shooting percentage of more than [-]% all year round.

He stood on the far right side of the front court and suddenly started to drill inside. Gilmore made a cover for him. Mitchell shook off Vandeweghe, who was already slow, and went around to the bottom line on the left.

Moore made a straight pass and passed the ball to Mitchell.

If Mitchell receives the ball, he will turn over and shoot a 12-foot bottom line jumper directly. With his shooting level, he is very sure.

But this time, he didn't catch the ball firmly, because Gan Guoyang had already caught up to defend.

In the Blazers' defensive system, supplementary defenses and rotations are rare, because Ramsey believes that the defense is passable. A large number of supplementary defenses and rotations can improve defensive efficiency, but they are also the most likely to make mistakes.

Therefore, Ramsey, who advocates offense, has always asked players not to lose their positions and not to make up defenses indiscriminately.

And Gan Guoyang made up, not because he meant to disobey Ramsey again, on the contrary, he followed Ramsey's request and actively participated in the defense of the opponent's outside players.

Because in the three games without Gan Guoyang, Ramsey has already felt the benefits of proper rotation to the team's defense, especially in the battle against the 76ers.

So this time, Ramsey began to ask Gan Guoyang to expand the defensive area and actively participate in supplementary defense.

Before Mitchell got the ball, he was cut off by Gan Guoyang with a slap, but Gan Guoyang didn't break the ball, and Mitchell still stumbled and controlled the ball.

At this time, Sampson and Valentine also surrounded them. In such a situation where the opponent is almost dead, the Blazers players will still attack in time.

Mitchell, who had been blocked from all possibilities, could only barely make a shot from the bottom line on the right. The ball hit the edge of the basket and missed.

Valentine picked up the rebound in a crowd and ran like a collie again towards the opponent's basket.

Vandeweghe, who was out of position defensively on the right, immediately threw himself into the fast break. He couldn't defend him, and offense was his forte.

Vandeweghe quickly rushed to the basket, Valentine also passed the ball to Vandeweghe in time, and Vandeweghe layup directly after receiving the ball.

But the Spurs returned to defense very quickly, John Moore and Gigi Banks all returned to the basket.

The Spurs' starting lineup is a little different from other teams. They don't have a starting power forward, or Gigi Banks, who is at the power forward position, is not a power forward, but a 6-foot-7 small forward.

Maybe because their centers are tall and strong enough, it doesn't matter if the power forwards are short.

And one of the benefits of this is that the defense is still very fast.

Banks is the youngest player to start, but he is also a veteran player who has played for four seasons, and he has very experienced defensive experience.

He didn't go to take off to block Vandeweghe, because it was too late, and to block the block was just a foul.

So he made his way to the basket and got stuck in Vandeweghe's way to the layup.

Of course, Vandeweghe couldn't stop anymore, so he had to rely on Banks to force a layup again. As a result, the two turned on their backs under the basket, but the ball still didn't go in, and the referee didn't call a foul.

"Isn't this fucking blocking the foul!" Ramsey yelled from the sidelines. This is the Blazers home after all, and Vandeweghe has already blocked two such balls in a row.

The referee's penalty cannot be changed. The Spurs have launched a quick counterattack. In the NBA, quick counterattacks are a required course for all teams, regardless of young teams or old teams.

The Spurs' quick counterattack seemed to be full of tricks, and Gan Guoyang was guarding the basket and waiting for his opponent to layup.

However, it was discovered that the opponent's No. 44 made a circle, rolled into the three-second zone from the top of the arc, threw off Paxson's defense, and went straight to the basket after receiving a pass from Moore.

"It's just in time!" Gan Guoyang was thinking about giving his opponent a big hat and making fun of himself.

As a result, the thin-looking No. 44 didn't make a layup at all. Instead, he flicked the ball with one hand and flicked the ball out from a distance of 10 feet.

"Shua!" The ball went into the net hollow, and the Spurs took the lead in scoring!

"How the hell did you shoot this ball?" Gan Guoyang was full of question marks, and No. 44 had already turned around and walked away without saying a word.