The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 439: Prince of Darkness
Although Gan Guoyang left the bench and went onto the court to attack Rodman, the referee only gave Gan Guoyang a technical foul.

The league is so lax in its foul rules. If it were changed, a substitute player rushing onto the court to attack an on-court player would definitely be ejected.

The situation is serious, and he may face an additional suspension. If that happens, it would be a huge loss for both Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.

But it was 1987, and fights broke out frequently throughout the playoffs, yet no one was suspended.

It's highly unlikely that a superstar like Gan Guoyang would be ejected in the second quarter; otherwise, the fans at the Memorial Stadium would have torn the referee to shreds.

The TV station's live broadcast ratings will definitely plummet. What's the point of watching a game without Forrest Gump?

Therefore, it's impossible for Forrest Gump to be sent off.

As soon as Gan Guoyang made his move, according to Nielsen's post-match statistics, the live broadcast viewership skyrocketed.

People are just here to watch the show. If you guys fight in a civilized and hygienic way, who wants to watch?

The lack of excitement in the NBA Finals meant that NBA fans at the time missed out on a lot of fun.

Vinnie Johnson took the technical foul free throw, and then Jerome Kersey stepped up to the free throw line and made both shots, bringing the score to 33-29, with the Pistons leading by 4 points.

When Johnson was taking a free throw, Gan Guoyang returned to the court. Chuck Daly immediately substituted Dennis Rodman and brought Laimbeer back into the game.

Lambiel patted Rodman on the shoulder, muttered a couple of words, and swaggered onto the court, loitering in front of Gan Guoyang.

Rodman has already given Gan Guoyang a technical foul; if he does it again, Gan Guoyang will be ejected from the game.

At that point, the referee definitely wouldn't have shown any leniency, and wouldn't have cared about ratings or fan opinions; he would have been determined to expel Gan Guoyang.

Therefore, Lambiel was certain that Gan Guoyang wouldn't make a move at this point, so he decided to focus on defending against Gan!
This guy is still pretty clear-headed.

With Gan Guoyang back on the court, the Trail Blazers' defense has a backbone.

Walton anchored the paint, while Gan Guoyang swept across the top of the court, applying pressure and threatening the Pistons' ball handler.

The Pistons' offense relies almost entirely on their perimeter players, with only Timmermans having some low-post scoring ability in the paint.

The remaining scoring opportunities under the basket all depend on Dantley's one-on-one play.

Dantley's isolation plays were crucial to the Pistons' offense.

He handles the most ball possession and is responsible for the team's scoring output.

When the half-court offense is deadlocked, passing the ball to Dantley is the Pistons' top choice.

Gan Guoyang's defensive focus was on Dantley, who, like a ghost, constantly applied pressure on the strong side.

This resulted in the Pistons struggling to find effective ways to break down defenses in half-court sets, and like the Celtics, they relied heavily on fast breaks.

Dantley drove hard to the basket for a layup, but Gan Guoyang interfered and the shot missed. Walton grabbed the rebound and the Trail Blazers launched a counterattack.

The Pistons retreated very quickly, but Gan Guoyang was quick as well. He cut to the basket, and Walton received the ball at the top of the arc and made a pass straight to the inside.

Laimbeer knew he couldn't stop him, so he shoved Gan Guoyang hard—but it wasn't hard enough, and Gan Guoyang barely moved before the ball went in off the backboard.

The referee blew the whistle and called a foul, which counts as two points, plus an additional penalty!
"I didn't foul him, look, he didn't even move!" Lambiel complained to the referee, still feeling wronged.

"Stop acting. I'm not moving because you're weak," Gan Guoyang sneered.

Lambiel was furious. He had put all his effort into the ball, but Forrest Gump was as solid as a rock.

The free throw was made, making it 33-32, and the Trail Blazers were now just one point behind.

Subsequently, both sides made more mistakes on both offense and defense, resulting in a series of missed shots.

Both coaches began to make substitutions, bringing their starting players back onto the field one by one.

Thomas, Dumars, Drexler, Porter, and Thompson are all back.

Gan Guoyang once again took possession of the ball in the low post and isolated against Laimbeer, quickly turning around and driving along the baseline to the basket!
Lambiel couldn't keep up, and Melvin Tppin from the other side rammed into him.

Despite the impact from Teping, Gan Guoyang managed to keep his upper body steady and put the ball into the basket.

Then he leaned towards the bottom line, stood still, and turned to glare angrily at Teping.

Tepin turned his face away and raised his hand to the referee to acknowledge the foul.

Tepin has changed a lot this season; his appearance has changed from honest to increasingly cold and stern.

His previously unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened, revealing a chilling light.

Everyone hates Laimbeer, but many players say Melvin Tppin is even more terrifying.

Honest people who turn evil are often more terrifying than ordinary bad people.

After being tempered in Detroit, Turpin's wildest and darkest side was unleashed.

If Lambiel knew what he was doing—that he was provoking and stirring up trouble—then Turpin was simply hitting people for the sake of hitting people.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, Michael Jordan was almost killed by Turpin. He found enjoyment in the relentless attacks, realizing that basketball could be played in this way.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, Timmerman often guarded Kevin McHale, reducing the player who shot 60% and scored 26 points in the regular season to 57% and only 17 points.

The Pistons' collective defense and Laimbeer's efforts certainly played a part, as did McHale's foot injury. However, Terpin's relentless physical contact and brutal collisions took a toll on McHale. Even Laimbeer was speechless about this. After the foul, Laimbeer said to Terpin, "Melvin, control yourself, don't commit unnecessary fouls."

Turpin nodded, looking at Forrest Gump who was preparing to shoot a free throw, and said, "I'm not afraid of him."

Lambiel patted Teppin on the shoulder and said, "I know, but I'm scared. Why don't you come and defend me?"

Laimbeer knew that if he completely enraged Gan Guoyang, Gan would dominate him on the defensive end.

Tepin's eyes cleared a bit, and he shook his head. "The coach told you to defend, I'm only responsible for help defense."

"Fuck you...you're all spineless cowards."

Even when facing Forrest Gump, Terminus remained clear-headed; he vividly remembered the fall from the center of the silver dome.

That fall was like a breakthrough for Teping; he suddenly understood how to play.

Forrest Gump and Bill Laimbeer provided him with good role models. When playing basketball, you should be brave and not be afraid. At worst, you'll get a beating.

So Teping became more and more violent on the field, but more and more energetic off the field. He lost weight and got rid of his bad habit of overeating.

He weighed a reasonable 255 pounds, had a strong muscular physique, and sported a completely shaved head, a style that was quite rare at the time.

He realized that being disliked by many people is not terrible; the most terrible thing in life is to hate yourself, because then you really can't go on living.

So don't be a repressed person, and don't be someone who pleases others at the expense of your own well-being.

I'd rather go crazy on the field and be pointed at than suffer in silence and swallow all the pain myself.

On this point, the team's rookie Dennis Rodman and Turpin are kindred spirits, both feeling that it's great to do things their own way.

Gan Guoyang just pushed Rodman, and Teping is going to come on and retaliate.

But Forrest Gump is really strong; even if you bump into him hard, he can still put the ball in the basket.

And it must have hurt him a lot when he bumped into himself; his chest feels tight. He really needs to be careful later.

Gan Guoyang made the free throw again, completing two consecutive three-point plays, demonstrating his outstanding core strength.

His massive core muscles played a stabilizing role at this moment, making it 33-35, with the Trail Blazers taking a 2-point lead.

The Pistons desperately needed to score, so Thomas used a screen to cut to the basket, drawing the defense before quickly passing to the perimeter.

Dumars receives the ball, fakes a move, dribbles inside, pulls up for a jump shot and makes it – a very consistent mid-range jumper.

The battle between the Pistons and the Trail Blazers is not limited to the paint; the backcourt is also a crucial battleground.

Whether Drexler and Terry Porter can withstand the test from Thomas and Dumars remains to be seen.

Thomas is already a seasoned superstar, while Porter, lacking experience, is far inferior to Thomas.

Dumars, on the other hand, is mature beyond his years; in his second year, he has already become the core of the Pistons' backcourt offense and defense.

Dennis Johnson was limited to a 39% field goal percentage by Dumars in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Dumars himself scored a remarkable 14.9 points with an impressive 59% shooting percentage.

Although he wasn't the primary scorer, Thomas shouldered most of the ball-handling pressure.

But Dumars' efficiency remains extremely high; his smooth and even finishes always provide the team with the necessary help.

The score was tied at 35-35.

The match was not a one-sided battle as many had expected.

On the contrary, the Pistons played very well, with a solid defense and a patient and methodical offense.

Meanwhile, the Detroitians' ferocious claws are gradually being revealed.

Gan Guoyang can intimidate them for a while, but as the series progresses, when Gan Guoyang is off the court, in areas where Gan Guoyang's reach is out of the question, the Pistons will definitely resort to underhanded tactics.

Dressed impeccably, Chuck Daly sat calmly on the bench, offering no objection to the referee's decision to only issue a technical foul to Gan Guoyang without ejecting him from the game.

He knew that giving Forrest a technical foul was already a success. He had the patience to gradually erode Forrest's influence and use the team's strength to deal with him, just like he did with Larry Bird.

In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Bill Laimbeer tackled Larry Bird under the basket, and Bird, unable to tolerate it any longer, punched Laimbeer and was then ejected from the game.

One strange thing is that the Pistons are notorious throughout the United States, but Chuck Daly has a good reputation.

It seems that the Pistons' brutality and violence are all spontaneous actions by the players and have nothing to do with the coach.

It can only be said that Daly has done a good job of maintaining his personal image. After all, as long as fans and the media don't see the coach personally telling the player, "Get rid of that guy," they won't associate the player's bad behavior with the coach.

Moreover, Daly is not a crazy, unruly man like George Carr; he is very careful about his words and actions and has a good relationship with the media.

This leads to a situation where everyone knows the team's style is entirely influenced by the coach, yet most of the blame is placed on the players, while the coach receives little criticism.

Daly lurked like a viper, waiting for the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.

But Daly certainly didn't know that when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

(End of this chapter)