The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 468 Keep your word

Gan Guoyang didn't even glance at Reggie Miller's provocative finger gesture.

He didn't tell Ramsey, "Get me on the field soon, I need to deal with Reggie."

What level are you in? Why would I need to argue with you?

Gan Guoyang didn't look down on Miller; it's just that Miller hadn't reached the point where he should take him seriously.

He plays normally, and if both of them are present, he gives them a small gift for being a newcomer.

You, a rookie, are coming to provoke me; I don't care to pay you any attention.

Reggie Miller was somewhat embarrassed by Gan Guoyang's disregard.

After the short break, Gan Guoyang did not return to the court, as Ramsey unusually allowed Gan Guoyang to rest more.

This season, Gan Guoyang's playing time has also decreased slightly, by more than two minutes compared to last season.

During the rotation, Ramsey increased the playing time of Hornacek and Dell Curry.

Sometimes the old man would even set up a three-guard lineup on the court: Hornacek, Drexler, and Terry Porter, or Hornacek would be replaced by Curry, as a tribute to Don Nelson.

The disadvantage of a three-defender formation is, of course, defense, but the advantage is a smoother attack.

A fluid offense helps make the regular season a bit easier.

Hornacek and Curry worked incredibly hard on defense tonight, after all, their leader had given the order to play good defense and block shots.

Reggie Miller just tried to provoke Gan Guoyang, but Gan Guoyang ignored him.

As his underlings, Hornacek and Curry couldn't stand it, and the two of them went up to teach Miller a lesson.

On defense, Hornacek and Curry kept elbowing Miller.

This was a common defensive move for perimeter players in the NBA at the time, because handchecks were allowed, even though the rules stated that "you can only put your hands on your waist, you can't exert force."

But referees don't have superhuman eyesight, so it's difficult for them to judge whether force was applied or not.

And the referee's eyes are mostly fixed on the player with the ball.

Miller excels at off-ball movement, so it's normal for defenders to push and headbutt him.

For the next decade or so, Miller would face such shoving and elbowing every game night.

Rookie Miller showed no fear, found an opportunity on the wing, ran over to receive the ball, and made a mid-range shot!

The Pacers kept closing the gap, but Hornacek responded by combining with Jones in the low post, handing him the ball off, and then cutting to the basket for a layup.

The Pacers' defense under the basket was truly terrible.

Hornacek then engaged Miller in another confrontation.

The two players are very similar in their playing styles; both are good at off-ball movement, have accurate shooting, and excellent positioning.

Miller has better physical attributes, with a huge advantage in height and wingspan, allowing him to complete offensive plays under high-intensity defense.

Hornacek is more well-rounded, especially in dribbling and attacking with the ball, where he has an advantage over Reggie Miller.

What they have in common is that both of them play very aggressively.

Hornacek may look harmless, but he frequently uses his elbows in actual matches.

They dare to challenge players who are taller than themselves during screens and defense.

Even when running pick-and-rolls, he dares to act as a screen to block the opposing center.

When blocking, place your arm in front of your chest and push against your opponent's chest.

His bravery and toughness earned him the appreciation of Jack Ramsey.

This season, he gradually replaced Jim Paxson as the team's number one backup in the backcourt.

It's inevitable that two tough players will clash during a match, especially since they are both young and impetuous newcomers.

Soon after, Hornacek got into a scuffle with Reggie Miller on defense. He grabbed Miller's jersey, and Miller turned and elbowed Hornacek in the shoulder.

This move was very subtle; it seemed like she was shaking off Hornacek's hand, but she actually hit him.

This technique was commonplace in competitions during the 80s.

Apart from a few players like Mark Price who have a strong sense of moral integrity and play very disciplinedly, most others will be somewhat disciplined.

Of course, there are also those like Gan Guoyang who don't resort to underhanded tactics and just go straight in and fight.

Hornacek was provoked by Miller's action and shoved him hard.

The two players clashed on the field, and the referee quickly came over to stop them.

Ultimately, a defensive foul was called on Hornacek, giving the Pacers inbounds possession.

At this point, Gan Guoyang entered the game, replacing Jones and partnering with Greg Anderson in the paint.

Miller was thrilled to finally see Gan Guoyang make his appearance.

In a sideline inbound play, Miller circled around, pretending to receive the ball, but suddenly cut inside and waved to his teammates.

This looked like a great opportunity, and a teammate made a long pass to the basket.

Gan Guoyang seemed a bit slow to react and didn't follow up immediately. Miller received the ball, didn't even dribble, and immediately went for a layup!

Gan Guoyang suddenly started moving and blocked Miller's ball with his left hand.

If Gan Guoyang had reacted quickly enough, he should have immediately turned around and gone to the basket.

Then he raised his hands, forming a barrier in front of Miller.

Even if Miller receives the ball, it will be very difficult for him to make a layup.

But Gan Guoyang didn't; he deliberately gave Miller space to receive the ball and make a layup.

Because he was confident he could block the rookie's layup.

The block was very light, just a tap, and Miller got the offensive rebound.

Unconvinced, he tried again, but Gan Guoyang blocked his shot once more!

The ball flew into Tisdale's hands, a left-handed floater.

Gan Guoyang jumped for the third time and blocked the ball.

This time he was careful with the force, only tapping lightly before jumping up and catching the ball.

With three blocks in one possession, Gan Guoyang treated the Pacers players to a hot pot feast in the paint tonight.

Gan Guoyang never delivers a powerful block in volleyball; his blocks always look forced, barely touching the ball. Yet, these blocks always manage to keep possession of the ball.

It's not that he can't block a volleyball shot; it's just that he knows how to control the timing and height of his jump.

Jumping too hard makes it easy to be faked out and unable to adjust, which is not conducive to his ability to defend against two opponents at once.

Gan Guoyang passed the ball to Hornacek, but did not launch a fast break.

Hornacek muttered, "You took all the money."

Gan Guoyang then said to Reggie Miller, "Welcome to the NBA, Miller."

"Miller? I'm Miller!"

“Okay, Miley.”

Gan Guoyang deliberately mispronounced Miller's name, which infuriated Miller.

On defense, Miller tried to double-team Gan Guoyang, but Gan Guoyang made a beautiful low-post pass to Hornacek who was cutting to the basket.

Hornacek received the ball and made a layup, giving the Trail Blazers control of the game again.

After Gan Guoyang entered the game, the Trail Blazers' defense immediately improved by two levels.

Hornacek stopped arguing with Miller and let him go.

Forrest Gump is inside. If you're so capable, go in and challenge him.

Miller actually went in to challenge me; he thought I wouldn't go for a layup, but would instead pull up for a jump shot.

However, Gan Guoyang had anticipated Miller's thoughts.

Miller runs around a screen, receives the ball on the baseline, and drives to the basket on the left side.

Gan Guoyang was three steps away from him, and he wanted to stop abruptly and jump shoot.

As a result, Gan Guoyang took a big step forward, jumped high, and knocked Miller's shot away in mid-air.

This prediction was spot on, while Miller's experience was too limited.

If he passes the ball inside, the paint will be open, giving his teammates a chance to score a layup.

John Williams couldn't help but complain, "You should have passed the ball, rookie!"

Miller didn't say anything, and the Trail Blazers regained control of the ball.

Gan Guoyang made a long pass to the frontcourt, where Jerome Kossi received the ball, drove across half-court, and scored a layup.

The point difference widened again, and Miller got blocked three times in a row.

He was far too inexperienced and lacked attention to detail, and was completely suppressed and targeted by Gan Guoyang.

His teammates stopped passing the ball to him in the next few rounds.

Lacking explosive drives and low-post offense, the Pacers can only score through outside shooting, which is very inefficient.

Gan Guoyang dominated the paint, making it very difficult for the offensive team.

Miller knew that if he continued playing like this, the coach would call a timeout and he would have to leave the court to rest.

He didn't want to end up with a humiliating defeat after being slapped three times.

He continued to make active runs and seized an opportunity to shake off Hornacek.

He cut into the three-second zone from the middle, received the ball, and tried to use his speed to get past Agam.

Gan Guoyang's defense in the middle was quite different from that of other centers of the same period.

Without the three-second rule, most centers would choose to camp under the basket, waiting for their opponents to come to them.

The advantage of this defense is that it allows you to control the situation calmly and wait for the opportune moment. The disadvantage is that it lacks pressure and flexibility, making it vulnerable to floaters and jump shots.

Gan Guoyang is different; he likes to expand outwards and start putting pressure on his opponents from a more outward position.

The task of posting up inside was previously given to Thompson, Walton, and Jones; now it's Anderson and Gilmore.

This high-pressure defense puts considerable pressure on the player with the ball.

Last year in the Finals, whether it was Thomas, Dumars, or Johnson, they all had a hard time playing against this kind of defense.

If Miller were to break through normally, his lack of speed and physical strength would prevent him from shaking off Gan Guoyang's beast-like defense.

So the moment he received the ball and dribbled, Reggie Miller elbowed Gan Guoyang in the stomach!
The elbow is the hardest part of a person's body, while the stomach is the softest and most vulnerable.

Even if Gan Guoyang has a strong core and well-developed abdominal muscles, he can't withstand being pushed like that.

He suddenly bent over, slowing his pace, and then Miller shook off the defense and made a layup!

After scoring, Miller even jumped up in front of Gan Guoyang and stared at him for a while.

The referee didn't call a foul on Miller. Gan Guoyang rubbed his stomach and said to the referee, "He just elbowed me, didn't you see that?"

“This is a normal action, but if he deliberately bumps into you, I will foul him if he does it again.”

The referee was giving Gan Guoyang face; there are many such plays in league games, and it's difficult to catch every one.

Gan Guoyang neither argued with the referee nor looked directly at Miller, completely ignoring his provocation.

Subsequently, Gan Guoyang took the initiative to step out and run a pick-and-roll with Hornacek.

The Pacers switched on defense, and Miller was one-on-one on the perimeter, trying to tough out Gan Guoyang!
The fans in the stadium all stood up, thinking to themselves, "This kid number 31 is a tough nut to crack."

With his physique, would he dare to switch onto Forrest Gump one-on-one?

Gan Guoyang catches the ball with one hand, leaning back against Miller.

Miller felt as if he were being crushed by a mountain, and he struggled to hold on.

Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball and squeezed in, and Miller was immediately bounced away.

Gan Guoyang immediately dribbled and turned, dribbling with his left hand and raising his right elbow, delivering a spinning flying strike that hit Miller in the eyebrow bone!

Miller felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and then he collapsed.

When he woke up, he felt that his left eyeball was bright red, and blood had soaked into his eye.

He really taught Gan Guoyang a lesson.

He's a man of his word.

(End of this chapter)