The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 438 Fortress
It's perfectly normal for the Pistons players to feel nervous; their run to the Finals was already unexpected.

Everyone sensed that the Pistons were on the rise, but no one expected that they would be able to overthrow the Celtics' dominance in 1987.

The acquisition of James Donaldson after the All-Star break was a significant trade, as he filled the Pistons' last weakness: rim protection.

Although Laimbeer was an excellent center, he lacked natural talent, and his shot-blocking ability was among the worst of all centers, averaging only 0.8 shots per game.

His strengths lie in rebounding, one-on-one defense, and drawing offensive fouls through help defense. His weaknesses in jumping ability and shot blocking force the Pistons to compensate with brute force and fouls.

James Donaldson, standing at 7'2", averages 2.1 blocks per game for the Clippers, making him a very good rim protector.

After Donaldson joined the Pistons, Melvin Tppin willingly returned to the bench to play as the sixth man.

With their three strong and tall interior players as the foundation, coupled with Dennis Rodman and John Salley, two young, energetic, and defensively-minded forwards, the Pistons' frontcourt defense reached an extremely strong level.

And they haven't reached their peak yet, because Dennis Rodman and John Sally are still developing rapidly.

This terrifying frontcourt combination strangled the Celtics' frontcourt trio that had plagued Eastern Conference teams for years in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Chuck Daly was unsure whether this still-developing frontcourt defensive system could withstand Agan's onslaught.

Gan Guoyang's offense is comprehensive and thorough, and he possesses formidable strength, leaving the Pistons' most fearsome weapon with little room to maneuver.

When Laimbeer stood in the center circle vying for the ball with Gan Guoyang, Gan Guoyang didn't say anything, just kept chewing gum with a focused gaze.

In fact, Lambiel really hoped that Gan Guoyang would say something threatening to him. He liked being threatened because it meant that his opponent was weak.

Just like weak animals that like to bluff and intimidate and threaten their enemies in various ways, it is essentially because they are afraid of conflict and want to resolve it in advance.

A true hunter lies in wait, silently waiting for the opportunity to strike his prey dead.

Aside from congratulating the Pistons on their runner-up finish, Gan Guoyang didn't say anything else, not even blinking.

Gan Guoyang jumped up and won the ball when it was thrown into the air, and the Trail Blazers began their first offensive play in the Finals.

The responsibility of guarding Gan Guoyang fell on James Donaldson's shoulders, while Laimbeer was responsible for help defense and keeping an eye on Mitchell Thompson.

The Trail Blazers started very clearly, with Gan Guoyang creating space for isolation plays in the low post, while the Pistons allowed Gan Guoyang to isolate and attack from the start.

James Donaldson is a great low-post defender. He originally wore number 40, but after joining the Pistons, he switched to his college number 52 because Bill Laimbeer also wore number 40.

In terms of height and wingspan, he is even better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and his weight reaches 275 pounds, making him a tall and heavy center. It won't be easy for Gan Guoyang to overpower him with his strength.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang did not launch an attack immediately, but observed for a while. As soon as he observed, the Pistons double-teamed him. Gan Guoyang immediately passed the ball to the outside and then squeezed towards the basket.

Van de Wesley made a through pass to the basket, and Gan Guoyang used his strength to overpower Donaldson, turned around and made a hook shot, the ball went into the basket steadily, and he scored two points.

The Trail Blazers scored the first point in the Finals.

The Pistons weren't too concerned about this; the series was going to be long, and everyone on the team was prepared for a long battle.

Gan Guoyang could sense from the first offensive play that the Pistons' defensive positioning was quite good and they were collapsing very tightly.

Almost all of them moved around the three-second zone, performing a disguised zone defense.

There will be plenty of shooting opportunities on the perimeter, but this is undoubtedly a defensive trap set by the Pistons, forcing you to take mid-range and long-range shots.

The Pistons' overall defense was inward-focused, tight inside and loose outside. The backcourt and forward players exerted a great deal of effort in helping, assisting, blocking, and disrupting the paint.

As a defensive team, the Detroit Pistons are unique; they have very few blocks and steals, with their steal stats even ranking near the bottom in the league.

It's not that the Pistons players can't steal the ball, but rather that their style is to stick together, not to extend their reach easily, not to make risky defensive plays, and at the same time, they have the best defensive rebounding protection in the entire league, ranking first in the league in defensive rebounding.

In this respect, they are quite different from the Seattle SuperSonics' aggressive defense. They have a more passive defensive style, but are very aggressive in their defensive approach.

Their defense was accompanied by a lot of dirty tricks, and as the game progressed, more and more non-basketball moves came into play. When the game was at its most intense, both sides were emotional and all sorts of big moves were about to be used.

If the opponent loses their composure and resorts to violence, resulting in a technical foul or ejection, the situation on the court will shift.

To put it bluntly, they're preventing you from playing well, while the Pistons can consistently play well, and there's nothing you can do about it.

In the first quarter, the Pistons played relatively conservatively. Gan Guoyang also did not attack aggressively with the ball, but instead played one-on-one while creating opportunities for his teammates.

James Donaldson is indeed a difficult low post player to deal with. He is tall, heavy, and has long arms, so simply forcing his way through is not a good strategy.

Furthermore, the Pistons' defense was very compact, with timely double-teams and interference. While their defensive tactics weren't as aggressive as the SuperSonics', their system was mature and their roles were clearly defined. If Gan Guoyang relied solely on brute force to open the way, his efficiency wouldn't be high. The two teams traded tentative passes until the end of the first quarter, with the Trail Blazers leading the Pistons by one point at home, 26-27.

Gan Guoyang politely scored 6 points, and both teams seemed a bit restrained, leaving the fans at the stadium and viewers watching on television feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

"Why haven't they started fighting yet?"

This is a question many fans watching on TV have.

The first quarter was played way too civilly. Laimbeer, why don't you use your legs? Melvin Tping, where's the energy you had when you wrecked McHale in the Eastern Conference Finals?

A significant number of fans came specifically to see a clash between the two teams, but the first quarter ended rather uneventfully, leaving the audience and fans feeling quite bored.

During the break, Gan Guoyang was substituted off, and Bill Walton and Jim Paxson came on as substitutes. For the Pistons, Chuck Daly replaced Dennis Rodman, Melvin Tppin, and John Salley.

Looking at height alone, the Pistons' frontcourt is quite terrifying. Donaldson is 7'2", Laimbeer is 6'11", Tpin is 6'11", and Salley is 6'11". It can be said that the reason why the Pistons can play a group defense is because they have too many tall players, and each of them has a very wide defensive coverage area.

Especially Salihamidzic, who, despite being the height of a center, can switch freely between small forward and power forward positions, making him a veritable Spider-Man.

Known as the "Eastern Forrest Gump" on the defensive end, and Charles Barkley on the offensive end, both are seen as Forrest Gump's counterparts in the East.

Contrary to popular belief, although the Pistons employ a lot of dirty tricks and fouls on defense, their defensive pressure is only average compared to other teams in the league.

Their defense was never the suffocating pressure, but rather a solid fortress-like presence.

When attacking the Pistons' defense, the ball handler doesn't need to worry too much about being suddenly double-teamed and losing the ball, nor do they need to worry about someone suddenly appearing to steal the ball, or being blocked when rushing into the paint.

The Pistons' ability to force turnovers, like their steals and blocks, ranks among the lowest in the league, further confirming that their defensive approach lacks offensiveness.

But they are very solid. With big men like Sally and Tpin, they built an ironclad defense, maximizing the opponent's shooting percentage and threatening the opponent with their rough physical play, making the ball handler hesitant to enter the three-second zone.

Therefore, the Pistons' overall defensive efficiency is very high, and they are very good at suppressing the opponent's shooting percentage, especially their inside scorers, who are severely disrupted.

At the start of the second quarter, Vinnie Johnson made a layup, and then the Pistons successfully defended the Trail Blazers' offense, giving them the lead.

Johnson missed another shot on the counterattack, but Sally grabbed the offensive rebound, drew a foul from Bill Walton on a layup, and made both free throws.

The Pistons took the lead, putting the Trail Blazers in a somewhat unfavorable position.

Then, on defense, Tpin backed down Mitchell Thompson. When Paxson was about to set a pick-and-roll and cut inside with Thompson, Tpin suddenly tripped Thompson with a leg extension.

The move was subtle and no foul was called. Paxson had already passed the ball, and Thompson, who was lying on the ground, obviously couldn't receive it. Tpin intercepted the ball and scored.

The ball was passed to Johnson, and the Pistons launched a counterattack. Tpin rushed to the three-second zone, received the pass from Johnson, jumped, and slammed the ball down with both hands!
The crowd booed, and some agitated fans yelled at the referee, asking if he was blind. Thompson struggled to his feet and rejoined the offense.

The Pistons went on a 6-0 run against the Trail Blazers. The Pistons gradually found their rhythm on defense and, most importantly, gained confidence. They were no longer nervous.

The Trail Blazers scored a layup against the Pistons through clever teamwork, with Bill Walton orchestrating the play from the high post and delivering a through ball to the basket.

Jerome Cahill received the ball and went for a layup, but Sally came over to help defend, raising his arms to block Cahill. Cahill dribbled past Sally and went for a layup.

Dennis Rodman slapped Kossie across the forehead from behind, and Kossie clutched his head and squatted on the ground.

The referee immediately called a foul on Rodman. Rodman raised his hand and looked indifferent. He came up there just to stir up trouble and commit a foul.

Just as Rodman was enjoying the boos from the crowd, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, a sense of danger washing over him.

Before he could turn his head, a large hand grabbed the back of his head and held him firmly in place. Rodman looked up and saw Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang gave Rodman a hard shove on the head, just like some teachers would do to a student. There was no hitting or throwing, but Rodman was pushed back several steps.

Young Rodman immediately flew into a rage and rushed forward, wanting to fight Gan Guoyang, but Gan Guoyang stood there motionless, waiting for him to come.

Rodman's teammates rushed over and pulled him away, and players and referees from both sides swarmed over.

Rodman writhed like a worm as his teammates pulled him along, while Gan Guoyang stood motionless in the crowd.

He pointed at Rodman and said, "Don't worry, Dennis, I have at least four games to play with you."

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang received a technical foul, slowly walked back to the bench, sat down, took off his sports jacket, and prepared to enter the game.

The fortress of Portland is about to be built.

(End of this chapter)