The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 543 Ideas of Change

On June 27, 1988, a week after the NBA Finals, Michael Spinks and Mike Tyson faced off in Atlantic City for the heavyweight boxing championship belt.

Before this match, neither boxer had ever been defeated, and boxing promoters called it a "once and for all" showdown.

I love watching boxing matches. When I was young, nothing was more exciting than a thrilling boxing match.

Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Forman, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Seans, Evander Holyfield, and even Mike Tyson are all people you'll want to see.

Today, mixed martial arts has taken some of the attention away from boxing, but in the late 80s and early 90s, Tyson's boxing matches were what you wanted to see.

I met Tyson a few times before the fight. We weren't exactly good friends, but I knew his agent, Don King.

Mike has kept in touch with me, and I even visited him in prison a few years after the Spinks tournament.

In 1992, he was convicted of rape and sent to Plainfield Correctional Institution, about 20 kilometers from downtown Indianapolis.

When I go to Indiana for a fight, I visit him. For Tyson, having visitors is like a vacation.

At his peak, Tyson boxed like a lion that ate raw meat.

He never wastes time striking his opponent; his punches are so fast that he can finish off his opponent in the shortest possible time.

So if you've bought a ticket, all you have to do is get to your seat as quickly as possible before the first round starts, otherwise you'll miss the fight and miss the knockout.

Tyson isn't kidding.

In 1988, I will not miss this game held at the Atlantic Conference Center.

I came to the event with Michael Jordan and Richard Dante, the defensive end for the Chicago Bears.

Many celebrities were present that night, including Forrest Gump, who had just won the championship, Donald Trump, the new owner of the Trail Blazers, and many Hollywood stars.

I seemed unremarkable among them. Michael's eyes held a complex emotion when he saw Forrest Gump, who had already won three consecutive championships.

Besides celebrities, thieves, prostitutes, and swindlers also frequent this place, just like American society, where all sorts of people can be found.

Richard Dante's wallet was stolen before the match started.

We arrived at the competition venue on time, and it proved to be the right decision.

Because Tyson ended Spinks' career in just 91 seconds.

One round, a few beautiful punches, one knockout, and the match was over.

But I also got punched that night—not by Forrest Gump.

That same night after the game, I learned that I had been traded from Chicago to the New York Knicks.

When the news spread in Atlantic City, I don't remember who told me; I just told Michael directly.

Michael, who was traveling with him, was in a bad mood and immediately wanted to call Klaus to demand an explanation.

Forrest Gump was recruiting me, asking me to play basketball in Portland, but I knew he was joking.

I also joked with Forrest Gump, asking him when he would fight Tyson for the world boxing championship belt.

Forrest Gump told me very seriously, "If I were to fight in professional boxing, my first opponent would be you."

Shit, I'm not afraid of anyone in the NBA, but when it comes to fighting, Forrest Gump is a real fearsome guy.

I suspect that if wrestling were allowed, Forrest Gump might not necessarily lose to Tyson.

I don't want to fight Forrest Gump unless absolutely necessary.

—Excerpt from Charles Oakley's autobiography, *The Last Enforcer*, published in 2022.

Gan Guoyang's advice has always been effective, practical, and incisive.

With Sabonis's fists the size of a sandbag, if he landed a punch on Ewing, Ewing would definitely be out of the game tonight.

Without Ewing, the Knicks' offense and defense have collapsed by more than half, and they have no chance of winning this game.

But the Trail Blazers don't have Sabonis?
It doesn't seem to have a big impact. With Gan Guoyang playing center, it's easier to win the game.

Sabonis considered Gan Guoyang's suggestion for two seconds and said, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Faced with Sabonis's honesty, Gan Guoyang smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Focus on defense."

The first quarter was a close contest between the two sides, and Ewing played very well, scoring 8 points, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal in the quarter.

The Knicks lead the Trail Blazers 28-26.

Stu Jackson's strategy for Rick Pitino was a critical inheritance.

He retained his three-point shooting ability and overall agile offensive style.

At the same time, Jackson clearly increased Ewing's importance in the Knicks' offensive system.

In the first quarter, over 90% of the Knicks' offensive possessions involved the ball passing through Ewing's hands.

This is reminiscent of the Trail Blazers in the 1986-1987 season, where every possession in half-court offense was designed to be a one-on-one opportunity for Forrest Gump.

However, Ewing was two levels below Gan Guoyang in offensive efficiency, and the Trail Blazers insisted on having Sabonis defend him one-on-one most of the time.

It is foreseeable that Ewing will not have the same stamina as Gan Guoyang, who was able to relentlessly attack Sabonis in the low post throughout the game, forcing the Trail Blazers to change their defensive strategy.

Of course, if the Trail Blazers continue to play like this and bring out Ewing's form, then this game will be just as difficult for them.

In the second quarter, Gan Guoyang rested on the bench.

He now rests for a longer period in the second quarter to give younger players more opportunities to practice.

He sat down with Sabonis and analyzed some of the mistakes Sabonis made in defending Ewing in the first quarter. Sabonis listened attentively; this was an essential step for him to improve, and there was always much to learn in every game.

Guiding Sabonis also allowed Gan Guoyang to organize his defensive strategies.

No one's defense is perfect. Just because Gan Guoyang can handle Ewing doesn't mean he'll have an advantage every time he's matched up against Ewing.

He makes mistakes, suffers setbacks, and sometimes becomes just another background character.

The key is to find the optimal solution and make things as difficult for the opponent as possible.

The process of two people explaining and communicating is also a process of mutual adjustment.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle rang out from the referee on the court, and a conflict broke out between Trail Blazers and Knicks players.

Gan Guoyang quickly stood up from the bench, and a referee rushed to the sidelines to stop him: "Calm down, Gan, calm down, it's okay, nothing happened."

It turns out that Petrovic was pushed out of bounds by Charles Oakley while making a breakthrough.

Petrovich was furious. He got up and rammed into Oakley, but Oakley pushed him away with his arms.

The referee stopped the two from fighting. Charles Oakley didn't even look at Petrovic, instead glancing at the Trail Blazers' bench.

Seeing the referee stop Forrest Gump, he felt a little relieved.

Oakley is a tough guy, but he's not brainless.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang seemed calm, and was just talking to the referee on the sidelines.

When Gan Guoyang returned to the court to face Oakley, he simply told Oakley, "Be polite to our newcomers, play seriously, and don't bully them."

Oakley defended himself, saying, "I was just playing normal defense, normal physical contact."

"Really? Then how about I give you some normal defense and physical contact?"

Oakley remained silent, avoiding a direct confrontation with Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang didn't make a move. If it were two years ago, he would have found an opportunity to elbow Oakley to vent Petrovic's anger.

As he gets older and his position in the league rises, Gan Guoyang will restrain himself and use other methods to deal with conflicts.

Violence will not be used unless absolutely necessary.

The most crucial reason is that Larry Fleischer has repeatedly advised him not to resort to violence.

Now that Fleischer has passed away, Gan Guoyang feels very sad whenever he thinks of Fleischer's advice.

So whenever he felt like he was going to lose his temper, he would remember Fleischer's words and calm himself down.

Oakley and Gan Guoyang had a good relationship off the court, so Gan Guoyang only gave a verbal warning.

The match, which had been escalating into a heated conflict, was calmed down after this incident.

Oakley had his reasons for ramming Petrovich.

After entering the game in the second quarter, Petrovic made consecutive drives to the basket and scored 6 points in a row with jump shots and layups.

Not only that, he also assisted Cliff Robinson on a layup, and the Trail Blazers went on an 8-3 run against the Knicks, widening the gap.

With Ewing out, the Knicks' interior defense struggled to contain Petrovic, which is why Oakley resorted to this tactic of physically attacking Petrovic.

Petrovic played very smartly tonight. After coming off the bench, he used pick-and-roll plays with Divac to cut into the paint and attack the basket.

He and Petrovic have worked together in the national team for many years and have a great understanding.

Petrovic heeded Berman's advice: since he couldn't improve his physical strength in a short time, he had to learn to play with his brain.

He needs to seize the opportunity and make the most of his limited playing time to showcase himself as much as possible.

Instead of correcting his playing style, Berman let him continue to play like he did at Real Madrid, handling the ball and attacking the basket.

Berman clearly wants to develop Petrovic into a sixth man.

At halftime, the score was 51-58. After Petrovic came on, the Trail Blazers launched an attack, giving them a 7-point lead over the Knicks.

Ewing was the best player in the first half, scoring 17 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, blocking 2 shots, and dishing out 3 assists.

Sabonis was suppressed by Ewing, and he devoted most of his energy to defending Ewing one-on-one.

With only 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 assist, Ewing seems to be a tougher opponent than David Robinson.

Sabonis' height, weight, and playing style mean he can hold his own against a power forward like Robinson.

Ewing is a technical player with excellent mid-range shooting, good post-up skills, and the ability to pass the ball and cut to the basket, which prevents Sabonis from taking advantage of his height and weight.

Tonight is the biggest test Sabonis has faced since joining the NBA.

During halftime in the locker room, Sabonis, who had played 16 minutes in the first half, had a slight swelling in his knee.

He recalled the first half's confrontation with Ewing, and his heart was filled with frustration.

He didn't defend Ewing well and made many mistakes, and Forrest Gump gave him a lot of reminders.

On the court, most decisions are made not based on rational judgment, but on instantaneous muscle memory.

He hasn't played enough games, hasn't trained enough, and his muscle memory isn't good enough.

For a moment he thought, "Maybe Forrest Gump's advice was right, I should just punch Ewing."

People's thoughts are always changing with time and circumstances.

(End of this chapter)