The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 465 Fun
Kevin Johnson certainly remembers the Northern California Championship semi-final in San Jose in 1982.

Unaware of his own limitations, he boasted that he would score 40 points over Gan Guoyang.

In the semifinals, Gan Guoyang completely dominated the game, easily scoring 40 points and taking control of the match.

From that moment on, Kevin Johnson knew that Forrest Gump was a player on a higher level.

I just didn't know it would be that high, so high that when he first entered the NBA, Gan Guoyang was already a two-time league champion, a demon king-like figure.

Kevin isn't the kind of hot-headed, aggressive Black player.

On the contrary, he was very well-mannered and educated. The talk behind his back about "scoring 40 points off Forrest Gump" was just for fun.

Who knew that he would be held captive by Gan Guoyang, that vengeful guy, until now?

When Forrest Gump brought up the old story again, Kevin Johnson just smiled slightly and said, "It's all in the past. Tonight, I'll try to score a point against you."

Faced with Johnson's concession, Gan Guoyang did not press the issue. He patted Johnson on the shoulder and said, "I've been eyeing the Price hat because I wanted you to get on the court as soon as possible."

Johnson said, "Don't go easy on me, there's no need."

"Of course not, I'm going to keep blocking your shots tonight."

"Then I'll really drive into the paint and give you a few more blocks."

The two chatted for a while on the sidelines, but the game had already resumed.

Kevin Johnson orchestrates the Cavaliers' offense with the ball.

Unlike in high school and college, Johnson is not a core player for the Cavaliers.

If Harper hadn't been sidelined with injury tonight, Johnson wouldn't have been able to play until the second quarter.

He plays the role of a traditional point guard on the court, organizing the offense from the top of the key, distributing the ball, handling the ball, and playing cautiously.

The Trail Blazers' defense in the first half was not tight, even sparser than usual, but their one-on-one defensive intensity increased.

The objective is clear: to create an opening to force you to break through, thus giving Gan Guoyang an opportunity to block the shot.

Such a move is rarely seen in most teams.

Because the inside line is the last line of defense, it needs layers of protection from the outside.

If the perimeter players frequently leave their players open and get exposed, the defensive pressure on the interior players will be immense.

Centers are prone to foul trouble under repeated attacks from opponents.

Only when you have top-tier rim protectors like Gan Guoyang, Eaton, and Russell do you have the courage to deliberately expose weaknesses and let your opponent get blocked under the basket.

Mark Price scored three goals in the first quarter alone.

Kevin Johnson wasn't that foolish; instead of charging in with the ball, he patiently orchestrated the offense.

Even if Hornacek moves to the side to give Johnson some space to break through, Johnson doesn't easily get going.

He knew there were tigers inside, and Forrest Gump was waiting for him.

After the first quarter, a composed Kevin Johnson contributed two assists and hit a mid-range shot.

开拓者31：26，领先骑士队5分，甘国阳单节4个盖帽，还有6分4个篮板球进账。

This season, Gan Guoyang's scoring has declined, but his blocks have improved for the first time in four years.

After his rookie season, as Gan Guoyang's offensive responsibilities increased, his points and assists increased, while his rebounds and blocks decreased.

His rebounds and blocks in his rookie season were the highest in three seasons.

However, this season, Gan Guoyang's blocks reached a career high of 4.2.

If the current trend continues, this number will continue to rise.

During the break, Gan Guoyang went off the field to drink water, and Gilmore came on as a substitute, replacing Gan.

After a summer of hard training with Gan Guoyang, Gilmore looks more fit and muscular than last season.

His task with the Trail Blazers is simple: defense. When Gan Guoyang is not playing, or when Gan Guoyang plays the power forward position, he needs to protect the rim.

For this former All-Star and basketball prodigy, contributing about 15 minutes of high-quality defense per game is still acceptable.

However, right from the start, Kevin Johnson suddenly accelerated towards the basket, and facing Gilmore, he made a floater that went in off the backboard for two points.

Gan Guoyang immediately realized that Johnson was a cunning fellow, bullying the old man.

When he was on the court, he was always organizing the offense, drifting around on the perimeter.

When the old train came on, Johnson used his speed to attack the Trail Blazers' interior.

Doherty also stayed on the court, along with 6-foot-11 Williams.

The Cavaliers have good height on the court, and unlike other teams, they are a team with two interior offensive players.

A typical team that uses a center as its offensive core usually has a reliable point guard, a small forward who can fast break and attack the basket, a shooting guard with good shooting accuracy, and a power forward who does the dirty work and is good at defense.

However, both Williams and Daugherty on the Cavaliers are very talented offensive players, but Williams is not cut out to be a blue-collar power forward.

Therefore, the team's dirty work, such as positioning, loose balls, and defensive help, is all left to veteran Phil Hubbard.

He is 6 feet 8 inches tall, a standard small forward, but on the court he has to take on the role of power forward.

John Williams, a power forward, is a well-rounded offensive player, proficient in everything from low post shots and hook shots to turnaround jumpers, dribble drives, and mid-range jumpers.

Last year, Williams scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Bird's defense in a game against the Celtics, causing a minor stir in the media. Of course, scoring high against Bird is nothing unusual.

Bird was, after all, the best player in the East, and the Celtics were also the best team in the East. His outstanding performance at Boston Garden was enough to prove his offensive talent.

Before joining the league, his role model was none other than Gan Guoyang.

In terms of their early playing styles, he and Gan Guoyang do have similarities.

With his all-around offensive skills and towering physique, he would have been expected to be a top-three pick in the 1985 NBA draft if it weren't for the match-fixing scandal.

However, as time went on, the gap between Gan Guoyang and those players who were 6 feet 10 inches tall and claimed to be similar to him widened.

In the opening minutes of the second quarter, the Cavaliers launched a beautiful counterattack.

Gilmore was somewhat overwhelmed in the paint, while Kevin Johnson used his speed and movement to effectively orchestrate the team's offense.

His presence is a nuisance to Lenny Wilkens, who, like Price, has the ability to start.

However, Wilkens, whose style is more traditional, prefers white defender Price.

Although Kevin plays well, you can see that he is suppressing his offensive desire and trying to make himself look like a traditional point guard.

But in reality, he is not.

The Cavaliers narrowed the gap to 37-36, just one point behind, prompting Jack Ramsey to call a timeout.

Gan Guoyang returned to the game, replacing Mitchell Thompson, and moved to the power forward position.

At this point, Lenny Wilkens made a substitution, bringing on Mark Price and replacing Kevin Johnson.

When Price saw Gan Guoyang go up, he followed suit, and a thousand Satans ran through his mind.

Why should I go up and down with Forrest Gump? Can't I just create transitional sections and avoid talking about Forrest Gump?
Price is a devout Christian who plays very cleanly on the court, never swearing or resorting to dirty tricks—a stark contrast to John Stockton.

Gonzaga was also a Christian school, but it was clear that Stockton did not receive enough of God's blessing.

Price knew that Forrest Gump was targeting him tonight, and he tried to adjust his mindset.

However, when Gan Guoyang switched to the power forward position at the start of the second quarter, Price's situation became even more difficult.

Gan Guoyang's defensive range has expanded, and he will frequently come out to interfere.

Don't underestimate the impact of a big man spreading out to disrupt the defense.

A well-trained center with excellent defensive habits can slow down the opponent's offensive flow by 0.5 to 1 second every time he extends his arm out to delay the ball handler.

As long as he can quickly regain his position, this constant outward harassment and delay will make it very difficult for the ball handler to organize.

Price is only a sophomore and doesn't have enough experience on the field.

Gan Guoyang's constant harassment prevented him from finding his rhythm on the offensive end.

Moreover, that scoundrel Gan Guoyang deliberately created an opening after coming out to delay the attack, allowing Price to pass the ball straight in.

As a result, John Williams' layups after receiving the ball were twice blocked from behind by Gan Guoyang. This guy came prepared and deliberately set a trap.

After being blocked twice, the Cavaliers were caught off guard and launched a counterattack.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Gan Guoyang used low post combinations and screens to create opportunities for Kexi and Porter, and also grabbed offensive rebounds, allowing them to score continuously.

The Trail Blazers responded with an 8-0 run against the Cavaliers, widening the gap again and forcing the Cavaliers to call a timeout.

During the timeout, Gan Guoyang yelled at Lenny Wilkens, "Why not try Kevin? Maybe he'll be more effective at organizing the offense."

Wilkens ignored him, thinking that Forrest Gump was just playing mind games again.

This kid's got some inside information; he knows there's competition between Price and Kevin Johnson on the Cavaliers, and he's trying to sow discord.

Actually, Wilkens was overthinking it. Gan Guoyang was just playing against the Cavaliers; why would he need to sow discord among the opposing team?

He just wants to have a head-to-head matchup with Kevin Johnson.

Price is too flat-chested; it's not fun to defend him.

Kevin Johnson sat on the sidelines, his heart pounding with excitement.

But his personality and upbringing prevented him from telling Lenny Wilkens that he wanted to get on the court sooner and play a little longer.

Kevin Johnson did not get another chance to play in the first half.

Lenny Wilkens appears to be intentionally limiting Johnson's playing time.

This is to prove that he will not change the team's rotation strategy or the starting point guard selection because of Gan Guoyang's interference.

Ultimately, Kevin Johnson only played 15 minutes and had no chance to contribute to Gan Guoyang's shot-blocking efforts.

Two months later, Kevin Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he began a new chapter in his basketball career.

Gan Guoyang delivered 8 blocks throughout the game, and Gilmore 2 blocks, for a total of 10 blocks for the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers managed to put up a fight in the first half, but in the third quarter, when the Trail Blazers tightened their defense, the Cavaliers, whose offense was ineffective, collapsed and suffered a crushing 118-97 defeat at home to the Trail Blazers.

Gan Guoyang kept all the money in the bucket for himself and boosted the team's defensive morale with 8 blocks.

"In this away game, whoever makes a block will get $10 from the bucket until the bucket is empty."

Money isn't important; what matters is the fun this little prize brings.

(End of this chapter)