The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 363 King of Singles
The Trail Blazers' "new" style of play quickly created a sensation in the third week.

The defending champions, who had a poor performance in the first two weeks, have gradually found their rhythm in the game.

Without Bill Walton, they simplified their overly complex attacking passing and movement tactics.

The team started with a series of low-post isolation plays by Gan Guoyang, quickly gaining an advantage in the game.

Once they establish an advantage, the Trail Blazers will give the offensive initiative to the perimeter, with Porter and Drexler becoming the initiators of the offense.

Gan Guoyang's excellent screens and Vandeweghe's perimeter positioning made the Trail Blazers' offense simple yet multifaceted.

When the game reaches its most intense stage, Gan Guoyang will step up and take over the game with his strong low-post play.

Although every game presents different situations, such as fouls, turnovers, and inaccurate shooting, etc.

However, the Trail Blazers are currently operating according to this strategy, and once the strategy is clear, the regular season encounters become much simpler.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan was executing a similar tactic.

Although the Bulls' new coach Collins didn't let Jordan play as many one-on-one games, the Bulls would still give the ball to Jordan in crucial moments.

After a frustrating 85-86 season, Jordan unleashed his offensive firepower in the new season. He was extremely prominent on offense, and scoring was as easy as drinking water.

So, from November to December 1986, fans were surprised to find that every day when they turned on the TV and looked at the sports news, and when they opened the newspaper to the sports section, all they saw was the scoring battle between "Forrest Gump and Jordan".

11月23日，芝加哥公牛107:109丹佛掘金，迈克尔-乔丹37分。

11月25日，波特兰开拓者115:109华盛顿子弹，甘国阳44分。

11月26日，克利夫兰骑士98:105波特兰开拓者，甘国阳38分。

11月28日，芝加哥公牛103:110洛杉矶湖人，乔丹41分。

11月28日，波特兰开拓者114:112费城76人，甘国阳40分。

……

At first, people were focused on the outcome of the game, with the Bulls losing by a large margin and the Trail Blazers winning by a large margin.

Gradually, many people stopped caring about winning or losing and just wanted to see how many points Jordan and Gan Guoyang scored.

From November 29th to December 12th, Jordan's single-game scores were 40, 40, 45, 43, 43, 40, 41, and 41 points respectively.

Including his 41 points on November 28th, Jordan scored 40 points in nine consecutive games, kicking off a scoring spree.

Starting from November 28th, Gan Guoyang's single-game scores from the victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on December 12th were 41, 40, 39, 38, 42, 48, 33, 35, and 46 points respectively.

Gan Guoyang does not have a record of scoring 40 points in a row, with gaps in between, but his high scores are even higher, demonstrating his strong scoring explosiveness.

In terms of scoring bursts, an inside player like Gan Guoyang is not as good as an outside player like Jordan. However, the Trail Blazers' almost shameless one-on-four defense ensured Gan Guoyang's scoring continuity, making it too difficult for opponents to defend against.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang played for about 44 minutes in almost every game, with only two short breaks per game.

While fans and media were worried that Gan Guoyang might be exhausted, he said instead: "Confrontation and singles are not very taxing for me, and I can play for more time."

Gan Guoyang was a physical prodigy in high school and college. Coupled with his exceptional self-discipline and daily training, he was in excellent physical condition.

This is his third year in the professional career, and he is reaching his peak.

On the field, Gan Guoyang could feel that the pace of the game was slowing down further.

In the 1984-1985 season, the score often reached around 120 points.

In this year's competition, high scores were generally between 115 and 120, while low scores were below 110.

The increasing number of games with scores below 100 points indicates that the entire league is gradually shifting towards a slower pace and stronger defense.

In fact, a slow pace and high intensity play relatively less physically demanding because players have a chance to catch their breath.

The fast pace and high transitions in ice hockey games place higher demands on physical fitness, which is why substitutions are so frequent. Ice hockey has the highest transitions between offense and defense among all ball games, and they don't even pause the game when making substitutions.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang is extremely strong, with a solid frame and muscles ingrained in his bones. When he receives the ball in the low post, he crouches down and is unmoved by most centers pushing or squeezing him. After receiving the ball, he squeezes in, creates space, and easily scores with a layup. It's almost like training; he hardly breaks a sweat.

So, as Bobby Bellman said, "Letting Forrest Gump play one-on-one is the same as letting him rest."

None of the teams were prepared for such a straightforward and aggressive offense, and no one had stockpiled strong, low-post defensive big men.

Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers swept through November and December, achieving an eight-game winning streak and ranking second only to the Lakers in the Western Conference.

Gan Guoyang and Jordan began a fierce battle on the scoring leaderboard. Jordan averaged 39 points per game in November and December, while Gan Guoyang, hampered by his performance in the previous few games, averaged only 38 points per game.

This unparalleled scoring duel attracted the keen attention of fans across the United States, with the two players showcasing exceptional offensive skills, one inside and one outside.

Jordan was two levels above his opponents in speed, jumping ability, and explosiveness. He would only release the shot in mid-air after the defender had already started to fall, and there are countless examples of such shots.

Gan Guoyang is all about brute force; he can easily drive into the paint and score against most interior defenders without needing much skill.

He can also screen for his teammates, receive the ball after a pick-and-roll and shoot, doing more on both ends of the court and leading the Trail Blazers to victory after victory.

In comparison, the Bulls' record was much worse; in games where Jordan scored high points, the Bulls lost more often than they won.

On the other hand, this scoring-focused style of play has sparked considerable controversy in the basketball world.

Many commentators believe that "this is not how basketball should be."

In particular, the Trail Blazers and Bulls used a lot of one-on-four tactics in the game, where one player would dribble on the strong side and score while the other four stood by with their hands on their hips watching from the outside. This turned what should have been a team-based basketball game into a one-on-one duel between star players, which does not conform to the basic aesthetics of basketball.

After being discussed at various levels, the issue eventually reached NBA Commissioner David Stern's desk, and the league may need to discuss changing the rules to limit such cheating tactics.

David Stern's focus this year remains on drug prohibition.

The examples of Michael Ray Richardson and John Drew are right before our eyes, but David Stern knows that making an example of someone isn't effective enough in the current NBA.

These Black players are so used to being dissolute that simply suspending two individuals and having a rookie die from drug use won't serve as a real deterrent.

Many in the league are still using banned substances, and they believe that Stern's tough stance is only temporary and is just for show.

Once the storm passes, everyone will go back to playing the game as usual. After all, America is a free country, and what I do off the court is my own business and doesn't affect my playing on the court.

At the time, most players thought the same way; they had no idea that Stern was not only tough but also very shrewd.

He has a close working relationship with the FBI, and has placed his security agents throughout the United States to investigate the players' movements.

Once the alliance receives information from its informants, it will submit the evidence to the New York Police Department, which will then order urine tests to catch drug addicts trying to evade detection.

In December, David Stern received information that John Drew, who had previously been suspended, had purchased cocaine from an undercover agent and was arrested in Atlanta.

He lamented that it was far too difficult to reform these scoundrels, and that removing them from the alliance was the best solution.

Therefore, when Stern saw Jordan and Gan Guoyang being criticized by many commentators for their one-on-one play, he didn't think it was a big problem.

This is not a problem at all, but a good thing. Just these two people have stirred up a new wave of public opinion in the NBA.

Previously, Bird vs. Magic Johnson was a matchup between two team-oriented superstars; now, Gan vs. Joe is a duel between two one-on-one superstars.

This generated a huge amount of buzz, which was a golden business opportunity for Stern.

However, as the NBA commissioner, he still has to maintain a certain image.

At the meeting, Stern discussed this issue and then stated:

“Every year we modify and fine-tune the rules of the game to ensure that the game is fair, just, and entertaining. However, the rules are made during the off-season to give teams and players enough time to understand and adapt. Now that the season is in progress, we cannot change the rules at will, so let’s wait until the season ends.”

No one raised any objections, and in just two seasons, Stern transformed from a short, smiling Jewish lawyer into a powerful dictator who purged other dissidents, wielded immense authority, and had FBI agents at his disposal.

This guy is the real king of one-on-one.

(End of this chapter)