The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 326 Night Falls
The victory in the third game fueled Portland's fervor.

Not only in Portland, but throughout the United States, wherever there are Chinese or Asian people, you can see the Portland Trail Blazers jerseys and flags.

In faraway China, the NBA Finals and the 1986 World Cup were broadcast on television together, marking the first time that basketball and football were evenly matched.

In a land of China where entertainment activities are lacking and professional sports events have yet to emerge, the highest-level basketball and football competitions illuminate people's monotonous spiritual lives with their exciting matches.

The 1985 China tour made the NBA and Gan Guoyang known to the people of his hometown. Stern sent video recordings of regular season and playoff games to CCTV, where they were broadcast to cultivate fans little by little.

When the finals came, people across China—in cities, factories, schools, public institutions, residential areas, and even some relatively affluent villages—gathered around their television sets at 8 p.m. sharp to watch the CCTV broadcast of the match recordings.

Although it could be broadcast live, the finals will still be pre-recorded due to time differences and the daily routines of Chinese people.

In an era when information was scarce, this did not prevent fans from watching the tense and exciting matches with a sense of the unknown.

Larry Bird was unaware that in Gan Guoyang's distant hometown, he had become the nation's number one enemy and the object of curses from many young fans.

Of course, there will always be different opinions in the world, and a considerable number of fans appreciate this forward, number 33, who is not fast or high-jumping but has an incredibly accurate shooting touch.

The Celtics also played in China in 85. Among all the NBA teams that have visited, apart from Gan Guoyang's Portland Trail Blazers, the Celtics are the most popular among Chinese fans.

It's not because they play a beautiful game; the Lakers are the most beautiful team, and Jordan is the most beautiful player. It's because the Celtics' temperament is quite similar to that of the Chinese.

They value teamwork, they are very disciplined, they appear unassuming, and they adhere to certain traditions—which does not conflict with their arrogance and some inherent weaknesses.

On the contrary, it is precisely their adherence to tradition, discipline, and teamwork that gives them a special sense of superiority when facing other teams. In some cases, this sense of superiority is not a bad thing, because it can provide abundant confidence and strong cohesion.

In some ways, this is just like the ancient country of China.

Like China, the Celts at that time faced the pressure of choosing between traditional and emerging paths.

However, in 1986, Reid Auerbach did not feel this deeply, as his Celtics were at their peak.

Even after losing the third game, the whole team is still confident that they can win the fourth and fifth games and then return to Boston to win the championship.

After the third game, in the locker room, Auerbach unusually did not fly into a rage or criticize the players. He knew that playing away from home was difficult, and he tried his best to comfort everyone.

Of course, comforting them won't do any good; they need to make some responses and changes. So, before the start of Game 4, KC Jones adjusted the starting lineup.

He benched the cunning Danny Ainge and started Marquese Johnson at shooting guard, with Dennis Johnson playing point guard.

With the addition of the Johnson duo in the Celtics' backcourt, and Bird's tendency to initiate attacks from the perimeter rather than posting up against Agan, the Celtics suddenly possessed the strongest backcourt firepower in the entire league.

The Celtics, who originally had their formidable frontcourt as the core of their tactics, were forced into becoming a backcourt team by Gan Guoyang.

KC Jones himself is a former guard, so he knows how to coach and arrange backcourt tactics.

For Marquese Johnson, shooting guard is also a position he excels at—before being traded to the Celtics, Don Channing was already considering having Marquese play shooting guard.

The purpose of this new starting lineup is very clear: to target the Trail Blazers' weak backcourt defense, bypass their strongest interior defense, and use maximum backcourt firepower to defeat the Trail Blazers.

Starting Marquese Johnson will maximize his abilities, freeing up Larry Bird and allowing him to better focus on playmaking and leading the team.

On June 7th, Game 6 was held at Memorial Arena. When the Celtics' "five All-Star starters" took to the court, Jack Ramsey felt a chill; he had a bad feeling.

Before the game, Ramsey predicted that the Celtics might use this five-All-Star starting lineup, and this lineup is indeed very powerful, which will inevitably put the Trail Blazers' backcourt under tremendous defensive pressure.

In response, Ramsey didn't have many good backcourt options. Porter, Drexler, and Paxson were his best options, and Cort was not very effective in such high-intensity matches.

Marquez Johnson is in his prime and has performed well in the first three games, but he hasn't played a decisive role. After all, as a substitute, he has limited playing time and it's not easy for him to get into form.

He spent a lot of time in transition, leading the offense with the substitutes, but when it came to the decisive moment, KC Jones still trusted Ainge more—or rather, Bird trusted Ainge more.

While Ainge may be cunning and his intelligent and passionate playing style is off-putting to opponents, he's nothing but a rabbit in the face of Porter and Gan Guoyang's defensive traps. No matter how clever and cunning you are, your physical attributes are what they are. Bird at least had height and strength; what does Ainge have?
In the finals, it all comes down to hardware. No matter how smart you are, if you can't make a pull-up jumper over the defender or drive to the basket to challenge the opposing center, you're useless.

Marquez Johnson was much better in this respect. He was a true talent monster. Even after retiring for many years, he could still dunk at nearly 70 years old.

On the court, he is a versatile player who can both attack and defend. He excels at one-on-one attacks and playmaking, essentially a weaker version of Larry Bird.

The Celtics already have a formidable Bird, but if they add another "Black Bird" to their starting lineup and unleash their full potential, the Trail Blazers will indeed face a huge challenge.

At the start of the game, the Celtics' offensive and defensive levels were noticeably elevated, with Marquese Johnson's double-teams being far more aggressive and effective than Ainge's.

In fast breaks, Marquese Johnson doesn't always stop the ball to find a defender like Ainge does, because Ainge has difficulty attacking the basket directly.

Marquez gets the ball and charges straight in; Porter can't stop him. He reduces the passing in fast breaks, becoming more direct and aggressive, relentlessly bombarding the Trail Blazers' half of the court.

The Celtics' offensive pace increased by at least one level, and their impact on the basket increased by two levels, suddenly increasing the defensive pressure on Gan Guoyang under the basket.

With Gan Guoyang under increased defensive pressure, Parish's pressure decreased significantly, allowing him to make several close-range, high-arc jump shots in the first half.

Parish failed to score in double digits in the first three games, which shows how badly he was suppressed by Gan Guoyang. Marquez Johnson relieved the burden on Parish.

The Trail Blazers were at a disadvantage from the start. Although they launched a fierce comeback in the second and third quarters, the game's pace completely shifted to the Celtics' familiar style.

Both sides engaged in numerous fast-paced attacks, extreme switching between offense and defense, rapid advances after securing rebounds, a large number of risky long passes and through balls, and chaotic scrambles during transitional periods.

Bird and the Celtics thrived in this style of play, and while the Trail Blazers could also play fast, being dragged out like this was quite uncomfortable.

By the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers had lost their tactical focus, and everyone was playing their own game, attacking whenever they could and scoring whenever possible.

They expect to create miracles by relying on the players' individual abilities, outside shooting, and tireless defense.

A miracle was indeed within reach, as Vandeweghe, Paxson, and Gan Guoyang hit consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter, bringing the score closer at one point.

The Celtics called a timeout. After the timeout, Dennis Johnson hit a crucial mid-range jumper and then stole the ball from Porter on the next defensive possession, scoring on a fast break layup and drawing a foul on Porter.

Porter paid the price for his youth, and with Dennis Johnson making the free throw, the gap widened to 8 points again, and the Trail Blazers lost all hope of a comeback.

The final score was 124-117, a typical Celtics score, but the game itself didn't feel like the Celtics of the 80s. Instead, it felt like a return to the 60s, to the Celtics dynasty led by Bill Russell and his guards.

马奎斯-约翰逊拿到了25分8个篮板5次助攻，伯德24分9个篮板10次助攻，丹尼斯-约翰逊21分5个篮板6次助攻。

The three backcourt players became the Celtics' offensive engine, while Parish and McHale became interior defenders and finishers, only giving Gan Guoyang 4 blocks.

Gan Guoyang's 33 points and 21 rebounds were diluted by his total score of 117 points, a lesson learned by the Nuggets' Doug Moe.

Avoiding Gan Guoyang and using the backcourt more for offense, putting pressure on the Trail Blazers' guards, is an experience the Rockets have learned.

After the game, Larry Bird learned from the Lakers' experience and did not trash talk to Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers because of the victory.

Instead, he said something famous to the reporter:
"Night falls not because the sun disappears, but because the earth rotates to the other side."

To use this analogy, their victory wasn't due to limiting Gan Guoyang, but rather to a change in strategy that successfully avoided his influence.

The two sides are tied 2-2, and will face off in a crucial match on June 10.

The bad news for the Trail Blazers is that they have lost home-court advantage and must win in Boston to win the championship.

The good news is that, due to the implementation of the 2-3-2 format, the crucial Game 5 will be held in Portland.

(End of this chapter)