The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 400 The Swap of Souls

The unexpected loss to the Pacers caused the Trail Blazers to fall behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference.

在2月15号这天，洛杉矶湖人主场击败了波士顿凯尔特人，魔术师约翰逊拿下了39分10个助攻7个篮板2次抢断，完全压过了拉里-伯德的20分7助攻5篮板。

Before 1987, the Lakers often won games against the Celtics, but Bird was able to win in terms of stats because the Lakers' core was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

At the start of this season, Magic Johnson was aiming for both team wins and personal statistics, and the balance between the two superstars, Magic Johnson and Magic Blade, was gradually tilting in Johnson's favor.

After all, Johnson is 3 years younger than Bird, and Larry Bird has looked tired since the start of the regular season this year. The Celtics are also plagued by bench problems and injuries.

After securing this important victory, the Lakers' record improved to 40 wins and 13 losses, while the Trail Blazers, who lost to the Pacers, have a record of 37 wins and 16 losses, a difference of 3 games from the Lakers.

However, the Trail Blazers don't really care about being first in the West, because everyone knows that Gan Guoyang has an away advantage against the Lakers. If you take the top seed in the West, you lose the away advantage, which is not good for the series.

As the defending champions, the Trail Blazers are no longer focusing on other teams, but rather on their own internal situation.

Team injuries, rotation, player morale, mental health, competitive atmosphere at all levels, etc.

The strongest fortresses are often breached from within, a fact that Jack Ramsey knows all too well.

Since 1969, most of the failed defending champions were not defeated by their opponents, but rather by their own problems.

The Knicks, Celtics, and Trail Blazers in the 70s all suffered from injuries; the Lakers were too old and Chamberlain was too timid; the Warriors were hampered by Rick Barry's illness; and the Bullets and SuperSonics were not particularly strong to begin with.

In the 80s, the Lakers won the championship and began to have internal turmoil. Johnson fired the head coach. The Celtics did the same as the Lakers. After winning the championship, they fired the head coach and wasted two seasons. The Philadelphia 76ers won the championship with great momentum. The following year, they became complacent and were eliminated in the first round.

In short, the failures of these defending champions were basically influenced by internal factors, so the Trail Blazers' strategy of focusing on the team's internal situation is correct.

So far this season, the Trail Blazers have not experienced any major conflicts or problems, and the fatigue that Drexler, Korsey, and others showed at the beginning of the season has gradually improved and disappeared.

The new playing style, Gan Guoyang's amazing performance, and his outstanding personal charisma united the entire Trail Blazers team, allowing them to steadily advance toward the playoffs without being disturbed by any external factors.

After leaving Indiana, the Trail Blazers went to Milwaukee and Cleveland, covering the entire Michigan region.

They faced strong resistance from the Bucks in Milwaukee, whose strength increased significantly after acquiring Jack Sikma this year.

Don Nelson's defensive coaching caused many perimeter scorers in the league to suffer. Jordan, Johnson, Bird, Wilkins, and others had their lowest-scoring seasons when they faced the Bucks.

However, this only applies to the perimeter. As for the inside, Nelson doesn't have many good solutions. The scene last season where Gan Guoyang scored more than 50 points in a one-on-one game is still fresh in everyone's mind.

This time, the Trail Blazers escaped the baptism of the hotel fire in Milwaukee. Gan Guoyang, who had a poor performance against the Pacers, vented his anger on the Bucks, efficiently scoring 39 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 blocks, helping the Trail Blazers slaughter the Bucks in three quarters.

After the game, Gan Guoyang shook hands and hugged Stu Inman. This was the first time Inman had greeted and spoken to Gan Guoyang on the court since leaving the Trail Blazers.

As time went by, the Trail Blazers won the championship, and the little grudge between the two gradually disappeared. Inman told Gan Guoyang, "I hope you become the greatest of all time."

Gan Guoyang sensed Inman's sincerity. He knew that Inman had actually been helping him and the Trail Blazers in private, but for some reason, they found it difficult to be honest with each other.

Inman's feelings toward the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang, Walton, Weinberg, and Ramsey are complex.

Gan Guoyang said to Inman, "We made an extra championship ring for you. If you want it..."

“No.” Inman refused decisively. “Keep it. Put it in the office as a display. It belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers, not me.”

Gan Guoyang nodded and went back to tell Weinberger about Inman's decision. Weinberger remained silent for a long time, then framed the ring and hung it on the wall of his office.

In the future, it will be moved to the Trail Blazers' Hall of Fame, placed alongside those championship trophies, silently telling a little-known story of the Trail Blazers' history.

Like the Indiana Pacers, Cleveland is slowly emerging from its slump. With the addition of Daugherty and Ron Harper, they have found their core, and Lenny Wilkens is reshaping the team's offensive and defensive systems.

Harper is one of the best rookies this year, averaging 22 points per game, and is an excellent ball-handling offensive guard.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Rookie of the Year award will likely be decided between him and Chuck Pasen.

Lenny Wilkens was a proud coach. As one of the few Black coaches in the league, his entire career was dedicated to proving that Black players also have brains and can be successful coaches. He won a championship in Seattle, but this didn't earn him enough respect or recognition; this late 70s championship is often overlooked.

Furthermore, he later failed to manage his relationship with Dennis Johnson, which ultimately led to the disintegration of the SuperSonics. He left Seattle and came to Cleveland to start over.

Cleveland is an appallingly bad team. Due to Stepien's terrible coaching, the team has not had a first-round pick for several years. In order to support the Cavaliers, the league had to give them a first-round pick.

Of course, the inexperienced Cavaliers were no match for the powerful Trail Blazers, and it was another dog-walking game, with the Trail Blazers and Cavaliers battling it out until the crucial moments of the fourth quarter.

When the Cavaliers thought they had a chance against the Trail Blazers, the Trail Blazers went on a 12-2 run in the last five minutes, killing any suspense in the game.

The process was very simple: spread out in four directions, one against four, Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low position and overwhelmed Doherty.

The Cavaliers double-teamed them, and Paxson and Drexler made layups on cuts, while Thompson taught them a lesson with his mid-range shots.

A very simple, efficient, and difficult-to-counter procedural tactic left Wilkens pacing back and forth on the sidelines, looking utterly dejected.

The score was 115-103, and the Trail Blazers ended their week-long road trip in the East with a victory, allowing them to return to Portland for a short rest.

At the end of the game, Wilkens and Jack Ramsey embraced, these two old rivals from the 70s whose fates had taken different paths.

Wilkens left the West Coast and coached teams in the East, never to return.

Ramsey stayed in Portland; he had no intention of going anywhere else, as he was nearing the end of his career.

Wilkens exclaimed, "Jack, you're so different from before, so very different."

This is probably what Ramsey has heard most often in the past two years, and now he always jokes, "Really? I told you I've become handsome."

Ramsey knew what others meant by "change"—it was obvious to everyone that his coaching style was completely different from the past.

"Lanny, I never thought I'd end up like you. If I'd known this would happen, I should have retired early," Ramsey said self-deprecatingly.

At the height of his career, Ramsey was known as the ultimate coach, the kind of general who controlled everything.

He was disciplined, firmly believed in his tactical system, and thought that nothing on the field was accidental.

He conducts keen and comprehensive analysis before the game, and he always predicts certain things, which almost always happen.

In his world, the coach is very important, extremely important, and is the core of the team.

Lenny Wilkens, however, is a "player-coach." As a former player himself, he has more faith in players' talent and performance and is willing to let players follow their instincts to play.

During the epic battles between Portland and Seattle, Ramsey was often seen on the sidelines, furious, yelling at the referees or making sarcastic remarks, putting pressure on them.

Lenny Wilkens, on the other hand, was much quieter. At most, he would shrug his hands, make some helpless expressions, and use some light movements to attract the referee's attention in order to gain the referee's sympathy.

Now? Wilkens noticed that throughout the entire game, Ramsey sat quietly on the bench, rarely kneeling on the sidelines, and showed no signs of losing control of his emotions or shouting.

At the same time, Wilkens observed that the Trail Blazers' tactical system was relatively loose and highly open.

Their truly tight and powerful core tactics consist of only one and a half elements: one is the low-post isolation plays that closely revolve around Gan Guoyang, and the other is the passing and cutting system that connects Walton and Gan Guoyang.

The Trail Blazers' remaining offense was largely based on the players' talent and their chemistry with each other. It was no longer as organized, disciplined, and structured as it used to be, but it was full of variation and power.

Isn't this exactly the effect Lenny Wilkens was aiming for?

Their coaching philosophies seem to have undergone a complete soul-swapping.

“Jack, if I were you, and I had Forrest Gump, I would coach him until he retired.” Wilkens made no attempt to hide his envy of Ramsey.

Ramsey shook his head and said, "Impossible. Forrest Gump will play until he's 50. By the time he retires, I'll probably be dead."

(End of this chapter)