The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 271 Limit
Low-post isolation plays are very physically demanding. You have to position yourself, dribble into the paint after receiving the ball, and do your best to avoid the opponent's interference when you shoot. Sometimes you also have to face double teams and interference from the opponent.

A complete set of moves is much more arduous than a pick-and-roll, receiving the ball on the perimeter and shooting, or a fast break layup. Top centers in the league typically post up 10-15 times per game.

After 15 or more attempts at back-to-the-basket or one-on-one shots, efficiency starts to decline due to fatigue. Around 20 attempts is roughly the limit of efficiency, after which the shooting percentage begins to drop sharply. (Except for Chamberlain in the regular season).

During his peak, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar attempted around 15 to 18 low-post hook shots per game, making him the league's strongest low-post scorer.

Moreover, he has versatile positioning and strong resistance to interference, and he can always find space to make a skyhook shot, scoring points with a success rate of over 50%.

As he aged in the 80s, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gradually reduced his low-post shots to around 12, but his efficiency remained high.

In the 1983 playoffs, the Trail Blazers faced the Lakers, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar completely dismantled the Trail Blazers' interior defense with his low-post isolation plays and hook shots.

At the time, he was 35 years old and had a field goal percentage of over 70% in two games. He scored over 30 points in four of the five games, averaging 30.8 points per game in the series with a field goal percentage of 62%. Moreover, he averaged 5 blocks per game on the defensive end, dominating Wayne Cooper and Mitchell Thompson, and leaving Ramsey with countless hairs on his head.

Now, Ramsey can finally experience the thrill of having a low-post monster. All that talk about hating one-on-one and despising endless low-post offense just comes down to not having one himself!

At the time, NBA rules were very favorable to low-post isolation plays, not only because zone defense was prohibited, but also because off-ball double-teaming on the weak side was prohibited, and when your defensive matchup was above the free-throw line, the person guarding you had to also be above the free-throw line.

For example, when Gan Guoyang calls for the ball in the low post on the right side, the opponent cannot double-team him in advance. At the same time, the defenders Moncrief and Paul Plessy, who are guarding the ball handler at the top of the key, cannot sneak up on Gan Guoyang to make it easier to double-team him. Instead, they must stand above the free-throw line and wait for the ball to be passed to Gan Guoyang before they can double-team him. By then, it is often too late.

Of course, every team will exploit loopholes to bypass illegal defense restrictions, and Nelson will too. For example, most teams will use the 1-3-1 zone defense.

But tonight Don Nelson was stubborn. In the first quarter, he didn't take any defensive measures at all and just let Gan Guoyang play one-on-one. As a result, Gan Guoyang made 8 of 10 shots in the low post and 2 of 2 free throws in the first quarter, scoring 18 points and shutting down Brewer and Cummins.

Later in the game, the Bucks players couldn't hold back anymore and took the initiative to double-team Gan Guoyang, who then passed the ball to him.

However, the gap between the two teams had widened, and at the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers led the Bucks 32-18 by 14 points.

During the break, Gan Guoyang couldn't help but say to Ramsey, "Jack, did you agree with Tang that you wouldn't double-team me tonight so I could practice low-post offense?"

Ramsey said, "He's just arrogant. If you're not tired, keep playing like this until you can't score anymore."

Gan Guoyang wiped his face and said, "My hands will only get hotter and hotter; there's no way I won't be able to score."

Gan Guoyang is confident in his physical fitness. Although he didn't sleep well yesterday, he took a nap in the afternoon and is fine.

Meanwhile, on the Bucks' bench, the team's new head of personnel, Inman, sitting in the back stands, expressed his bewilderment at Nelson's actions.

"Tang, why didn't you double-team and disrupt Sonny in the first quarter? His passing isn't that good, and double-teaming him would weaken his effectiveness. If you let him play like that, he'll keep scoring, I'm sure of that."

“I know, I just want to see where his limits are.” Nelson was very interested in Gan Guoyang’s limits.

Inman was speechless. He said, "Forrest Gump's limit is that he can play five overtimes without getting tired. There's no point in exhausting him. I've said before that we should avoid him, both on offense and defense, and weaken his role. We should let others take the lead."

Nelson glanced at Inman and said, "Are you that afraid of Gan?"

Inman shook her head and said, "I'm not afraid, I understand him."

"So you hate him?"

"I...no. But is it wrong for me to want the Bucks to win?"

“That’s true, but you shouldn’t have sent people to the hotel to disturb them.”

"...This...this is a tactic the Celts used to employ."

"Just because I played for the Celtics doesn't mean I agree with their practices."

"So you deliberately didn't double-team him, just letting Forrest Gump keep hitting him?"

"No, I said I want to know his limits."

Inman had nothing to say. The two had a good relationship, so Inman knew Nelson's temper; he was incredibly stubborn.

Of course, none of the coaches who have achieved success in the NBA are without their own stubborn opinions.

In this respect, Inman knew he couldn't be a coach; he could only work behind the scenes.

As the two were talking, three minutes into the second quarter, Gan Guoyang was resting on the sidelines.

When Bill Walton is on the court, his style is completely different from Gan Guoyang's.

The Bucks are actually quite comfortable with a style of play that involves a lot of high-post ball handling and constantly directing teammates to make runs.

No matter how fast you run, the Bucks keep switching on defense, ensuring that there's always someone in front of the Trail Blazers players.

This made it difficult for the Trail Blazers to find open spaces in their passing and cutting plays, and Walton eventually had to dribble the ball in himself.

The pull-up jumper missed, Cummins grabbed the rebound, and Kenny Fields launched a fast break and scored a layup.

Walton's defensive speed is a problem. His legs, which have been plagued by injuries, require him to be cautious with every run. He can't run as fast as Gan Guoyang and block the opponent's fast break layup.

The Bucks quickly closed the gap during the transition period. The Trail Blazers looked tired tonight, while the Bucks played very aggressively, increasing their defensive intensity at the start of the second quarter and launching very decisive counterattacks.

Compared to the Bucks' well-rounded and experienced backcourt, the Trail Blazers' backcourt is much weaker—not because the players are less skilled, but because of a gap in experience and tactics.

Ramsey's tactics revolve around the frontcourt, with the backcourt playing a supporting role.

Meanwhile, Drexler and Terry Porter lack the experience and skills of the Bucks' backcourt.

Nelson had been building this guard system for many years, including Moncrief, Plessy, Pierce, Kenny Fields, Craig Hodges, and Mike Glenn. At the time, no other team in the NBA had stockpiled so many guards under 6'5" like the Bucks.

For example, the Trail Blazers have only had two small guards for years. Last year it was Valentine and Cort, and this year it's just Porter and Cort, two rookies.

Moreover, the Bucks' 12th pick is different from other teams. While other teams sign 7-footers, Nelson opted for a 195cm guard, Derrick Rowland.

In the second quarter, the Bucks used their speed and quick rotations in defense, along with sharp counterattacks, to quickly close the gap, at one point reducing the score to just 5 points.

Ramsey called a timeout, and Gan Guoyang replaced Mitchell Thompson and returned to the court. As soon as he came on, the noise from the fans in the arena quieted down a bit.

The pace of the game slowed down instantly. Walton and Gan Guoyang executed a high-low post play, with Gan Guoyang receiving the ball amidst a triple-team and making a difficult left-handed hook shot!

On the defensive end, Ramsey also made changes, not letting Gan Guoyang play the power forward position, but instead having him and Walton camp together under the basket.

While this approach abandons the pressure and delay on the Bucks' perimeter players, it provides better protection for the paint, allowing them to shoot freely from the outside.

If you make the shot, there's nothing I can do, but don't even think about driving to the basket. We'll take over all the rebounds, and we won't go on fast breaks; we'll just grind it out.

Cummins received the ball in the low post on the left and attempted to back down Gan Guoyang, but his turnaround shot was contested and missed.

Walton grabbed the defensive rebound, passed the ball to Cort, and slowly started a positional game.

The Bucks seemed content to slowly wear down the Trail Blazers, with Cummins and Moncrief suddenly double-teaming Cort during defense.

Colter made a passing error, Cummins stole the ball and passed it to the frontcourt, Moncrief received the ball and made a fast break layup.

But this time Gan Guoyang chased closely, rushed up from the side and back, and swatted the ball away with a big block!
The ball flew right back into Cort's hands, and Gan Guoyang shouted to Cort, "Don't lose the ball again!"

Bucks fans were all ready to celebrate the fast break basket, but instead they were met with a huge block.

This play highlighted a long-standing core problem for the Bucks: their lack of top-tier talent in the league.

Moncrief is excellent, but if it were Jordan, Worthy, or a prime Irving, Gan Guoyang would most likely not have been able to block the shot.

The gap in talent among the core players has prevented the Bucks, an excellent team, from ever making a breakthrough.

Gan Guoyang, who had just blocked the shot, immediately dropped to the low post. This time, the big guy Moxki was guarding Gan Guoyang.

This guy thought he had a good grasp of how to defend against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but he was completely helpless against Gan Guoyang.

His 255-pound weight did not help him hold off Gan Guoyang; on the contrary, his slow movements were completely unable to keep up with Gan Guoyang's pace.

Gan Guoyang received the ball and made a feint, which caused him to lose his balance. He then hooked the ball with his right hand over Moxki and scored, drawing a foul from the fat man.

The referee blew the whistle, and Gan Guoyang went to the free-throw line and made the free throw.

Paul Moxki usually likes to trash talk when opponents are shooting free throws.

But he didn't dare say a word tonight. Although he has no chin and can't be knocked down in a boxing match, the problem is that Gan Guoyang is good at wrestling.

After Gan Guoyang entered the game, the offensive and defensive momentum reversed again, and the Trail Blazers regained the advantage on the court, stabilizing the situation.

Nelson watched as Moxki failed to keep up, as neither the tall nor the fat could shake Gan Guoyang's consistent output in the low position.

He then brought in the team's second center, the 7-foot-tall, exceptionally talented Alton Lister.

In previous seasons with the Bucks, he was the starting center. He has an impressive physique and is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker.

This year, due to tactical adjustments, Nelson was moved to the bench and became the team's second center, with playing time similar to the past.

He engaged in intense physical battles with Gan Guoyang in the paint, preventing Gan Guoyang from receiving the ball inside, while using his wingspan and height to disrupt Gan Guoyang's shot attempts as much as possible.

Gan Guoyang has played in the low post more than ten times in the first half, scoring 31 points. Many players cannot play like Gan Guoyang throughout the entire game.

Under the Bucks' relentless defense, Gan Guoyang missed two shots, leading Lister to believe that Gan Guoyang was nearing the limit mentioned by Nelson.

However, in the final offensive and defensive possession before the end of the first half, Moncrief missed a jump shot from the outside, and Thompson grabbed the rebound.

Drexler made a quick drive with the ball. With the first half almost over, the Bucks suddenly collapsed their defense to stop Drexler.

Drexler jumped but had no space to shoot, so he passed the ball to the outside, where Gan Guoyang received it.

He had a three-point threat, but he faked a shot and didn't release it. He dribbled past Cummins and then drove straight to the basket.

Facing Lister, who was lurking in the three-second zone, Gan Guoyang suddenly launched a one-handed dunk!

Lister was thrown to the ground, completely stunned and disoriented.

Gan Guoyang landed smoothly, pointed at Liszt, as if to say: You're blocking my way.

The entire MECCA arena erupted in gasps, and the Trail Blazers' bench was thrown into a frenzy like water splashed into a hot oil pan.

At halftime, the Trail Blazers led the Bucks 63-55, an 8-point advantage.

The radio host commentating on tonight's game exclaimed, "Sonny Gan, the sky's the limit for him!"

Only two updates today. After finishing the first update this morning, I took cephalosporin and a cold medicine at noon and slept until 7:00. My throat is itchy, I have cold symptoms, I'm tired, and I have a headache, but it's not serious. I'll take another dose of medicine tonight and get a good night's sleep to try and completely suppress the cold. I'll try to maintain three updates tomorrow, and if I recover, I'll make up for it with four updates.

Also, I witnessed Murray's game-winning shot today, and I'm very calm. I've seen it all before. In the end, I still want to say: Lakers are the champions!
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(End of this chapter)