The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 320 Overlord
Ramsey made a mistake in player rotation; Bill Walton came on too early.

This resulted in Walton having to leave the court for a short rest after the start of the second quarter; he couldn't play for too long because his knees couldn't take it.

After the Western Conference Finals, Walton's knees and ankles showed varying degrees of redness and swelling, indicating that the seven-game series had taken a toll on him.

Therapist Culp spends two hours each day giving Wharton physical therapy and relaxation treatments to relieve his leg pain and discomfort.

Clearly, Walton, this old machine, is nearing his limit to play all 82 regular season games and perform like this in the playoffs.

The Celtics, with their best sixth man Marquez Johnson, were still able to maintain a high level of intensity in the second quarter even with their rotation players.

KC Jones is known for his short rotations in important games. For example, in the crucial Game 7 of last year's Finals, the Celtics used a seven-man rotation, with Dennis Johnson playing the full 48 minutes.

McHale, Bird, and Parish all played more than 44 minutes, while only Scott Weidman came on as a substitute for 19 minutes.

Their key sixth man, Maxwell, only played five minutes due to a knee injury, and the Celtics ultimately lost this crucial game, thus losing the championship.

Auerbach blamed the team's failure on Maxwell's laxity, noting that he hadn't properly recovered and played after knee arthroscopy. So he traded him, along with a draft pick, to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Marquez Johnson.

Marquese Johnson is a versatile player who can replace Bird, Johnson and McHale on the court. Apart from being slightly lacking in height and strength in the paint, he does the job very well.

Other substitutes like Greg Kate and Sam Vincent won't play for more than 5 minutes; they'll just fill in temporarily or come on to commit a foul.

Therefore, unlike the Lakers who have a deep bench, the Celtics' roster depth has been declining since a number of key players, such as Tini Archibald, ML Karl, Gerald Henderson, and Chris Ford, retired or left, and they have fewer and fewer available players on the bench.

However, their main players are getting stronger and stronger. Bird has grown into an MVP, Kevin McHale has become a low-post monster, Ainge has become more accurate and experienced, and Parish and Johnson, two players in their middle generation, are in their prime.

They only need a decent sixth man on the bench to guarantee basic rotation, and they'll be invincible in the league.

Marquez Johnson perfectly fits this description; he is very versatile and has better physical attributes than Bird, making him a good finisher on the fast break.

In some games, he even stole the spotlight from Bird. His dunks provided many exciting moments at Boston Garden, and his incredible shots always surprised the fans.

His defense was equally outstanding; his shoulders were almost as broad as Kevin McHale's, and at his peak, he averaged 1.3 blocks per game.

He also has a very strong offensive rebounding ability, at his best he can grab 3.7 offensive rebounds per game, making him a formidable force in the paint.

Of course, Marquez has his problems, otherwise he wouldn't have been traded from the Bucks to the Clippers at the peak of his career.

As a player who grew up in Los Angeles and honed his skills at UCLA, this guy has an overwhelming attachment to Los Angeles.

Although he achieved great success during his years with the Bucks, he never considered himself a part of Milwaukee.

Every offseason he would return to Los Angeles to spend the summer with his friends, and eventually he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

However, he did not have a good time with the Clippers. He lost his all-around game and focused too much on scoring—while his mid-range and long-range shooting percentage was not good.

Moreover, he increasingly preferred to take a lot of shots, often making single-digit percentages of 20 shots in a game. The 84-85 season was his worst season ever.

His rebounding and blocking statistics peaked right from his debut, but declined steadily afterward, indicating that he paid less attention to defense after becoming a star.

Coming to Boston was not his choice; he understood what it meant to be a Black player and a Los Angeles resident.

However, Auerbach still gave him promises and confidence, telling Marques Johnson, "The greatest player in Boston is a black man from San Francisco, California."

He integrated well into the Celtics' atmosphere, which is similar to UCLA—it's a basketball team where everyone plays for victory.

The difference is that, as an NBA team, there is a privileged figure here, namely Larry Bird. On the first day of training camp, Bird told Marquese Johnson, "This is my team. You are here to assist us, to be a member of the team, but you can't take away the shots that belong to me. Never even think about it."

This annoyed Marquez Johnson, but he had no choice but to submit to the Celtics, which were Bird's team, and Bird was always so harsh on rookies.

It's no wonder that Bird and Kevin McHale didn't get along well. When the whole team rebelled against Bill Fitch, Bird didn't think Fitch had done anything wrong.

Because he is like Fitch, relentlessly pursuing victory, and at the same time, extremely demanding, even harsh.

Regardless, Marquese Johnson has integrated well into the Celtics, especially when Bird is not on the court, where he can make a significant contribution.

In the second quarter, Marquese Johnson took control of the Celtics' game, playing with more freedom and a more aggressive style.

In response, Jack Ramsey substituted Kenny Carr, with Gan Guoyang and Thompson still forming the frontcourt duo, and Drexler and Paxson in the backcourt.

This was a lineup with a strong defense but a somewhat rigid offense. There were many physical collisions between the two sides, and the referee began to blow his whistle frequently to control the situation on the field.

"Damn it, the Trail Blazers keep slowing down the pace. Do they think they can stop our offense like that?"

Bird sat on the bench, resting. He saw the Trail Blazers' intention: not to give the Celtics a chance to launch a fast break and prevent them from running.

The Trail Blazers used this strategy throughout the regular season and achieved good results, winning at Boston Garden for two consecutive years and handing the Celtics their only home loss of the season.

The Celtics have never lost a home game in the playoffs.

"Go for it, Marquez, go for it!" Bird yelled from the sidelines, urging Marquez to speed up.

Marquez accelerated, but his layup was blocked from behind by Gan Guoyang.

Parish, who had caught up, tried to put the ball in for a putback, but Gan Guoyang blocked it again.

When Danny Ainge got the ball, he didn't dare to attack the basket anymore and obediently went out to reorganize the half-court offense.

The Trail Blazers' defense was loose on the outside but tight on the inside, and Marquese Johnson's tough three-point shot missed, allowing Gan Guoyang to grab the defensive rebound.

Gan Guoyang was also dissatisfied with his teammates' defense, as they lost many defensive rebounds tonight, giving the Celtics too many second-chance opportunities.

But he held firm under the basket, preventing the Celtics from easily converting rebounds into points.

"Hold the rebounds, you fools! We're not going on fast breaks, everyone needs to grab the rebounds!"

Drexler and others, used to fast breaks, forgot to protect the defensive rebounds. During the offensive possession, Gan Guoyang finally got a chance to attack in the low post.

Drexler made a quick pass, and Gan Guoyang received the ball, immediately turned around, and shot past Parish to score.

"That's how you spread it, quickly, you absolutely have to be fast!"

Gan Guoyang urged each teammate to get on their feet quickly.

In regular matches, Gan Guoyang mainly encourages his teammates, but the finals are truly different.

Both teams' star players kept yelling at their teammates, but no one objected. The players all knew that these two guys were the coaches on the field.

Bird didn't stay on the bench for long; he returned to the court to replace Kevin McHale at the power forward position, guarding Mitchell Thompson.

Bird, with his back to Thompson at a 45-degree angle, used a fake and a series of spins to find a shooting opportunity at the baseline, and his fadeaway jumper went in!

Gan Guoyang received the ball at the free-throw line, dribbled towards the baseline, used his speed to shake off Parish, and then made a move hook shot!

The two teams' key players began to score difficult goals and take over the game.

In the same position, Bird received the ball, and this time he switched to a turnaround layup.

Before Gan Guoyang could block the shot, he threw the ball towards the basket, which went in off the backboard and drew a foul.

"I didn't even touch him! He fell down on his own!" Gan Guoyang complained to the referee.

He rarely complains to the referees, but in the finals he fights for every point, and a single free throw can decide the outcome.

The referee tonight is Baveta. He explained to Gan Guoyang, "The cylinder is the problem. I will be fair. Don't worry, Sonny. Play your game well."

Bird made the free throw, and the Celtics widened the score gap, but Gan Guoyang knew he couldn't be impatient at this point. He calmly observed the situation on the court.

He positioned himself high to draw the defense, then suddenly made a through pass to Paxson, who was cutting to the basket. Paxson received the ball and made a strong layup, drawing a foul from Bird.

Gan Guoyang and Paxson high-fived, a rare collaboration between the two. The Celtics were caught off guard, and Paxson made both free throws, stabilizing the situation.

"Great free throw," Gan Guoyang and Paxson said after the free throw was made.

Paxson had a chance to make the shot directly, but he deliberately waited to draw a foul from Bird.

Free throws are not only more reliable, but they can also slow down the pace of the game, making it difficult for the Celtics to accelerate.

Bird tried desperately to accelerate, quickly inbounding the ball from the backcourt and dribbling across half-court.

Marquese Johnson receives a pass in the middle and cuts to the basket to attack the Trail Blazers' three-second zone before their defense has recovered.

Gan Guoyang rushed over and delivered another block to the Celtics, his fifth block of the night!

The two teams scrambled for the ball on the perimeter, and Kenny Carr almost wrestled with Bird before the referee called a jump ball.

After a period of adjustment in the first quarter, the competition between the two sides intensified in the second quarter.

Physical fitness will be a test for the Trail Blazers players, but the good news is that the Trail Blazers have good bench depth.

Furthermore, they have a bull and a horse with almost unlimited physical strength, allowing Gan Guoyang to consistently contribute and play a role on the field.

During the jump ball, Ramsey replaced Drexler with Vandeweghe.

Meanwhile, Mitchell Thompson was replaced in the paint by veteran Jones, with the team determined not to let Gan Guoyang go.

When Gan Guoyang saw Jones come on, he thought Jones was going to replace him, but Jones pointed at Thompson instead.

Ramsey saw that McHale was off the court, so he let Thompson rest as well, keeping him alive to deal with McHale.

Bill Walton was to be saved for the more crucial second half, so Jones came into play.

"That old geezer, he really won't let me go." Gan Guoyang took a deep breath and continued to focus on the game.

Kenny Carr won the jump ball over Bird, and Gan Guoyang rushed forward and stole the ball.

He dribbled the ball across half-court, dodging Bird's steal attempt, and then suddenly accelerated down the middle to force his way to the basket!

A powerful, domineering dunk with both hands!
As a result, this powerful dunk pulled down the old backboard of the Boston Garden basketball court.

The timer cord snapped, and the entire piece of tempered glass crashed directly onto the parquet flooring.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang dodged in time, otherwise he would have been hit by the board.

The spectators on the sidelines were stunned. Auerbach, who was sitting in his reserved seat watching the game, opened his mouth wide and kept cursing.

Viewers at home were shocked, and the commentators were at a loss for words. This was the second time Gan Guoyang had broken the rim during a formal game.

The last time was when the tempered glass backboard was shattered at Memorial Arena, so the entire league upgraded the backboards.

This time, the backboard didn't break, but the entire backboard was pulled off, forcing the intense game to be interrupted and the basket replaced!
Bird looked at the pitiful basket, shook his head, and muttered, "Beast, this guy is a beast."

CBS commentator Brant Musberger slowly realized what was happening and joked, "The NBA should really investigate the equipment procurement department; there might be some corruption involved."

Gan Guoyang returned to the bench for a short rest and said to Ramsey, "Coach, if you won't let me rest, I'll find a way to rest myself."

Ramsey sighed and said, "Next time you want to rest, just tell me. Don't take it out on the basketball hoop; that's not good."

(End of this chapter)