The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 417 Confrontation
Maurice Lucas had a disappointing season with the Lakers last year.

He simply couldn't get along with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Pat Riley.

Clearly, the Lakers are not a good fit for him, and he is not a good fit for the Lakers; it was a bad match.

Lucas returned to the rainy Pacific Northwest coast, and he tried to go back to Portland.

However, the Trail Blazers have enough depth in the paint, and management has expressed concern about Lucas's temperament.

During his time with Walton, he was a troublemaker within the team, dissatisfied with many things and always complaining.

He was the one who led the vote against awarding Culp a bonus, believing that Culp only served Wharton.

The Trail Blazers are now Gan Guoyang's team, and they don't want to bring back a locker room bomb.

So Lucas went to Seattle, where he performed quite well and found his niche.

Lucas and McDaniel have a good relationship. As an "enforcer" who has fought countless times on the NBA court, Lucas taught McDaniel: "Don't try to meet every challenge. Sometimes you have to be patient. At the same time, when you retaliate, don't let the referee catch you. Be smart and skillful."

Lucas was no brute; his years of fighting experience had made him quite experienced.

Fighting and brawling on the field is not the ultimate goal; the goal is to win the game.

In the first round game against the Mavericks, McDaniel clashed with Sam Bowie multiple times.

On one occasion, after being tackled by Sam Bowie, McDaniel brought down the 7-foot-1 giant.

A conflict erupted between the two sides, and McDaniel received a technical foul. However, from then on, Bowie's defensive threat in the paint decreased, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Mavericks' defensive system.

However, McDaniel knew in his heart that Bowie was Bowie, and Forrest Gump was Forrest Gump.

Although he desperately wanted to sacrifice himself and send Forrest Gump off the field, reason told him that it would be a losing proposition.

Once she actually stepped onto the court and faced Forrest Gump, McDaniel realized that she should just focus on playing the game and not think about any underhanded tactics.

Gan Guoyang's upright character makes any player with evil intentions give up and focus on playing the game properly.

The Trail Blazers' starting lineup remains unchanged, and the team is currently in good health, with Paxson, Vandeweghe, and Walton all in relatively good condition.

The SuperSonics' starting lineup consists of center Claymond Johnson, power forward Tom Chambers, small forward X-Man, shooting guard Dale Ellis, and point guard Nate McMillan.

This is a rather "modern" lineup, with the center reduced to a pure defensive workhorse. The team's core attack revolves around three forwards, who take turns attacking the opponent using shooting and penetration.

The Mavericks were killed by the SuperSonics' three musketeers' indiscriminate shooting; when they really got going, most teams couldn't handle them.

However, the Trail Blazers have the best one-on-one defensive resources in the entire league, making it extremely difficult for the SuperSonics to take a bite out of them.

Gan Guoyang tipped the ball during the jump ball, and the Trail Blazers launched their first attack.

Gan Guoyang called for the ball in the low post on the left side, and the Trail Blazers spread out and passed the ball to Gan Guoyang.

This is the Trail Blazers' most efficient and reliable tactical initiation method.

Claymond Johnson is the same height as Gan Guoyang; he is a strong, big-headed center.

However, no matter how strong he is, he can't be stronger than Gan Guoyang. The SuperSonics coach wasn't foolish enough to let him guard Gan Guoyang one-on-one.

Even though the Trail Blazers' formation was spread out very wide, McDaniel still abandoned his own defender to double-team Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang chose to pass the ball, which Drexler received at the top of the arc and then passed to Vandeweghe at the right 45-degree angle.

Vandeweghe receives the ball and immediately launches a three-pointer, which goes in!

A very decisive three-pointer; Vandeweghe's shooting style this season has been just that crisp and clean.

This makes him the player with the most three-point attempts and the most made three-pointers this year.

The SuperSonics' goal came quickly; Tom Chambers received the ball at the horns and fired a mid-range shot that found the net.

Both sides played their first points with distinct styles.

The Trail Blazers are absolutely dominated by their interior game, using their star center to draw defenders and create opportunities for others.

The Supersonics, on the other hand, rely on three outside shots, constantly moving the ball around and using shooting to create firepower.

The Trail Blazers' strength lies in their stability. Gan Guoyang is as solid as a rock, and this simple and efficient system allowed the Trail Blazers to easily finish the regular season.

The Supersonics are known for their unpredictable nature; they struggled throughout the regular season, sometimes playing exceptionally well and sometimes playing erratically. When they were on fire, no one could stop them, and when they were off fire, no one could stop them.

The Trail Blazers' second offensive possession was again passed to Gan Guoyang in the low post. He spread out and went one-on-one, with McDaniel coming over to double-team him, and Gan Guoyang then passed the ball to the outside.

This time, Drexler didn't pass the ball. Instead, he faked a pass and drove straight to the basket! An elegant layup attempt... missed. He was interfered with by McDaniel, but Gan Guoyang followed up with a putback and drew a foul from Claymond Johnson, earning him a free throw.

On the sidelines, Bickerstaff's coach protested to the referee, saying that Gan Guoyang knocked down three people by himself, so why was it called a foul on us?
After Drexler missed his layup, Chambers, Johnson, and McDaniel all came over to grab the rebound, but Gan Guoyang pushed them over from behind.

Chambers was knocked to the ground, and McDaniel and Johnson were pushed aside, but the referee still called a foul on Johnson.

The referee for tonight is Dick Bavetta, with two assistant referees, Hugh Evans and Bill Sal.

Given that the two referees were unable to control the situation on the court in the previous games, starting with this year's playoffs, the league will assign three referees to officiate.

Baveta's reasoning was simple: Agam was going for the ball, not the player, and he didn't exert any force or make any hand movements. The reason your players fell was because you weren't strong enough to stand up.

The television replay showed that Bavita's judgment was correct; Gan Guoyang did not push or shove, and Chambers fell because he lost his balance and tripped.

Bickerstaff had no choice but to accept it for now. Gan Guoyang made the free throw, and the Trail Blazers quickly scored 6 points to start the game, leading the SuperSonics by 4 points.

However, the head coach's complaints were not entirely useless. Chambers then missed a three-pointer, McDaniel grabbed the offensive rebound, and drew a foul from Thompson.

This play seemed to be a way of getting the whistle back, and McDaniel made both free throws, keeping the SuperSonics close in the score.

Gan Guoyang was very dissatisfied with Bavita's behavior of looking for a whistle, saying, "Can't you referees stick to your own beliefs? You give a whistle just because the head coach complains? Where is your own judgment and brain?"

Bavita warned Gan Guoyang: "If you're against complaining, then start with yourself. And I just gave you a favorable ruling."

"That's what I should do, it's your job, why should I thank you?"

There are bound to be some grudges and rivalries between players and referees. Some referees like one player and dislike another, and it is inevitable that personal feelings will be involved in their officiating.

Of course, players also have referees they don't like, and the two sides may even become long-term enemies, such as Drexler and Jack O'Donnell, who doesn't get along well with the entire Trail Blazers.

Dick Bavetta is someone Gan Guoyang doesn't like very much, and similarly, Bavetta doesn't like Gan Guoyang very much either.

Gan Guoyang felt that Bavita, as a referee, liked to try to maintain a balance too much, while Bavita disliked Gan Guoyang because he had a very good relationship with Earl Stroom.

Stromb admired Gan Guoyang greatly. During the infamous "Silver Top Massacre," Stromb grabbed Gan Guoyang's leg and stopped him from killing Thomas.

Gan Guoyang also admires Earl Stroom's straightforwardness, impartiality, and rough but fair style on the field. He is not as hypocritical and self-aggrandizing as Baveta.

Earl Stroom once beat up Baveta after a game, so the two had a bad relationship, and Baveta naturally didn't like Gan Guoyang either.

However, tonight was the Trail Blazers' home game, and Bavetta had to give Gan Guoyang some face no matter what, so he didn't say much.

The game continued, and the Supersonics began to double-team Gan Guoyang on defense.

They double-teamed Gan Guoyang relentlessly, giving him absolutely no chance for a one-on-one low-post game.

As for the rest of the Trail Blazers, whether it's Drexler, Vandeweghe, or Porter, let them shoot or dunk as they please; they'll just have to accept being beaten to a pulp.

They simply wouldn't give Gan Guoyang a chance.

Bickerstaff believes that being killed by Forrest Gump is the most demoralizing way to lose, and the way to boost the Trail Blazers' morale the most.

Forrest Gump is the soul of the Trail Blazers. Even if they lose, if they can contain the soul of the Trail Blazers, they will still have a chance when they return to Seattle.

In the first quarter, facing frequent double teams, Gan Guoyang did not force his way through, but instead kept passing the ball to create opportunities for his teammates.

However, he was called for an offensive foul by Bavetta during one offensive possession, which annoyed him greatly.

His movements weren't significant, but the referee seized on a small loophole.

Bavita shrugged at him and said, "This is my job. You fouled."

"Why didn't Strom knock your mouth out?" Gan Guoyang added fuel to the fire, getting into a fight with Bavita.

Baveta was extremely angry, and Hugh Evans came over to persuade him to calm down and not get carried away.

Subsequently, Gan Guoyang suddenly lunged outwards during defense, intercepting Dale Ellis's pass.

A very clean interception; Baveta didn't even have a chance to call a foul.

Gan Guoyang launched a fast break, with no one in the frontcourt, and easily dunked the ball.

Despite not having a chance to play one-on-one, Gan Guoyang still managed to climb the ranks smoothly.

The scoring champion is not so easy to contain, and the contest between the two sides has just begun.

(End of this chapter)