The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 545 Outwardly Strong but Inwardly Weak
Sabonis is usually very low-key with the Trail Blazers, always smiling and kind to everyone.

He dislikes cameras, reporters, and interviews, and always quietly competes, trains, and goes home after get off work.

No one, including Gan Guoyang, expected Sabonis to do something like that to Ewing.

This was the same tactic Gan Guoyang used against McDaniel. In the first game of the 1986-1987 regular season, he knocked X-Man unconscious with a headbutt.

As Ewing fell to the ground, Knicks players quickly surrounded him.

Charles Oakley was the first to grab Sabonis by the collar.

Gan Guoyang didn't rush forward immediately, not because he was disloyal, but because he was afraid of being attacked in underground boxing matches.

During his rookie season, he was punched for no apparent reason while trying to break up a fight with the Rockets, and he still doesn't know who hit him.

This punch made Gan Guoyang very cautious when trying to break up fights afterward, and he tried to avoid going to crowded places.

Gan Guoyang went over and helped You Yin up. After all, the two were good friends, and You Yin had clearly taken a bad hit.

Sabonis yanked his hand away from Oakley's. Sabonis's strength was astonishing, and Oakley had to consider whether he could win.

With three referees now in an NBA game, the team has greater control over the court. Referee Jess Kossie came over to separate Oakley and Sabonis, preventing them from escalating the conflict.

Ewing had already been pulled up by Gan Guoyang. The headbutt had been quite heavy, and he was dizzy and unsteady on his feet.

He wanted to settle scores with Sabonis, but Forrest stopped him. After thinking about it, he decided against it, figuring that Forrest would definitely side with his teammates if a fight broke out.

Ultimately, Sabonis was ejected from the game midway through the third quarter for headbutting Ewing, just like in 1986.

Everyone else didn't make a move, but you were the only one who did. Shouldn't you be punished?

When Sabonis left the field, the fans in the stadium erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Those who dare to take a shot on the basketball court will always be respected—even though hitting someone is wrong.

Sabonis's headbutt was perfectly timed, hitting Ewing in the chin, leaving him stunned but not mentally injured.

After a slight adjustment, Ewing stayed on the court to continue playing.

At this point, the Knicks trailed the Trail Blazers 67-72 by 5 points, but they still had a chance.

After Sabonis was sent off, Berman replaced him with Divac.

Ewing realized that this bastard Bellman was using him as a practice subject.

Two Eastern European centers took turns guarding him, preventing Agan from coming.

Ewing, of course, didn't hold back, first blocking Divac's jump shot on the defensive end.

Then, on the offensive end, he turned and made a jump shot from the baseline, narrowing the score to 69-72, just 3 points behind.

The recent clash between Sabonis and Ewing has escalated the intensity of their confrontation to a new level.

Role players' shooting percentage is declining; it's time for star players to decide the game's outcome.

Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post, and the Knicks quickly double-teamed him with three players. Gan Guoyang then passed the ball to the outside.

Terry Porter drove to the basket, but Ewing interfered too much and his shot missed. Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back in for a layup.

The difference remains at 5 points.

The Knicks tried to speed up the game and catch up with the score using sharp offense.

The Trail Blazers slowed down the pace, and every ball went through Gan Guoyang's hands.

With Sabonis out, Gan Guoyang returned to the low post, and Oakley simply couldn't stop Gan in a one-on-one situation.

Gan Guoyang turned and drove to the basket from the baseline. Ewing came over to help defend and block the shot. Gan Guoyang suddenly made a left-handed hook shot and scored two points.

Gan Guoyang uses his hook shot less often in games now. With the changing pace of NBA games, the hook shot is not keeping up with the times.

In some crucial rounds, Gan Guoyang will still use this special skill to catch his opponent off guard.

Most centers who turn and cut to the basket like this, either to shoot directly or to drive to the basket for a layup, will be blocked by Ewing.

But Gan Guoyang hooked the ball directly, leaving Ewing helpless and forced to watch the ball fall into the net.

From this play, Ewing knew that Forrest Gump was playing with ease and holding back.

From the start of the game until now, Gan Guoyang has not come over to help defend or double-team.

Every summer, Gan Guoyang would take time to train in New York for a period of time, and You Yin always took care of his food and accommodation.

Ewing would train with Forrest for a few days, just a few days, because he knew the intensity of Forrest's training and that he couldn't handle it for too long.

Whether Forrest Gump had given it his all or not, Ewing knew best. He knew he was no match for Forrest, but he just wouldn't accept it.

Back on offense, Ewing once again isolated Divac, turned and drove to the middle, taking a mid-range jump shot and making it again.

After scoring, Ewing still looked at Gan Guoyang, as if to say, "When are you going to mark me, Gan?"

Gan Guoyang ignored Ewing and continued to assign the task of defending Ewing to Divac.

In a head-to-head contest, Divac is no match for Sabonis, but Divac has his own defensive methods.

That's faking a fall.

At the end of the third quarter, when Ewing tried to score against Divac again, he turned and bumped into Divac, who fell to the ground.

The referee blew his whistle and called an offensive foul on Ewing.

Before Ewing could even argue with the referee, Divac scrambled to his feet and immediately launched a long pass.

Gan Guoyang understood immediately and rushed to the frontcourt. He jumped high to catch the ball, landed, turned around to get past his opponent, cut into the middle and easily dunked.

The Trail Blazers played beautifully on both offense and defense, while the Knicks played very tenaciously.

Kenny Walker, who came off the bench, took advantage of Ewing's interior defense to receive the ball in the middle and shoot three consecutive mid-range shots, keeping the score close.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 77-81, with the Trail Blazers maintaining a 4-point lead, and the two teams entered the fourth quarter for a decisive battle.

During the break, the Trail Blazers had a cheerleading performance, which was another major change Tang Jianguo made to the team after becoming the owner.

Tang Jianguo demanded that the cheerleaders dress beautifully and attractively, so that the fans at the stadium and the viewers in front of the television could enjoy a visual feast.

Tonight, Portland's cheerleaders, dressed in black sports bras and red capri pants, bounced around the court, enlivening the atmosphere and captivating the eyes of many fans. Back then, cheerleading aesthetics were more conventional; the girls were tall and slender, unlike many years later when they all resembled sprinters.

The cheerleaders left the court, and at the start of the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang took off his sportswear and entered the game.

Ewing remained on the court to decide the outcome.

The Knicks initiated the attack, passing the ball to Ewing.

At this moment, Ewing was no longer facing Sabonis, nor Divac, but Forrest Gump.

In the first three quarters, Ewing had already scored 33 points, a truly outstanding performance.

Gan Guoyang only scored 18 points, along with 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

As soon as Ewing received the ball and was about to make a move, Gan Guoyang immediately reached out and snatched the ball from Ewing's hand.

Ewing reacted quickly and retrieved the ball, but the attack had already been disrupted, so he had to pass the ball out.

Mark Jackson missed a shot from the outside, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound.

The Trail Blazers didn't rush to counterattack; Porter slowly dribbled the ball across half-court.

Gan Guoyang quickly positioned himself on the left flank, and Porter passed the ball to him.

Gan Guoyang received the ball, faked a shot, and immediately broke through the baseline. Facing Oakley's help defense, he slammed the ball down with his left hand!
Oakley did his best; with that kind of shot that got Forrest to the basket, there was nothing that could stop him except by fouling.

Then, Mark Jackson and Ewing executed a pick-and-roll at the high post, and Jackson immediately took a three-pointer after the pick-and-roll, which went in!
A beautiful and bold three-pointer, and the Knicks closed the gap even further.

Porter tried to retaliate, but his pick-and-roll stop-and-shoot attempt missed.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound, but the Knicks' defense was tight under the basket, so Gan Guoyang passed the ball to the wing.

Petrovic received the ball and made a mid-range jump shot.

In the decisive fourth quarter, Berman put Petrovic on the court first.

He played quite well tonight.

Mark Jackson then turned and made a layup.

He seemed to know that it was no longer realistic to let Ewing play one-on-one.

If Forrest Gump were to defend Ewing one-on-one, it would be very difficult for him to make a move.

Ewing, refusing to believe it, signaled to Jackson to pass him the ball while on defense.

Petrovic's pull-up jump shot after the breakthrough was an airball, and the ball went out of bounds.

Gan Guoyang said to Petrovic, "If you're not feeling good, you can throw the ball onto the backboard, I can grab it, but if you miss all three shots, there's nothing I can do!"

Petrovich was very embarrassed and apologized repeatedly.

The intensity of the game in the fourth quarter made Petrovic somewhat uncomfortable.

After a few more rounds, Berman called a timeout and substituted Petrovic with Hornacek.

The score was now 88-92, with the Trail Blazers leading by 4 points.

After the timeout, Gan Guoyang's layup attempt missed, as the Knicks' defense under the basket was very tight.

The Knicks countered, and Ewing drove to the basket, calling for the ball, but his layup was blocked by Gan Guoyang.

The Trail Blazers' offense involved perimeter movement, and Cliff Robinson caught the ball and made a mid-range jump shot.

Then, Ewing gritted his teeth and made a turnaround shot over Gan Guoyang, bringing the score to 90-94, a difference of 4 points.

This was Ewing's first basket in the fourth quarter against Gan Guoyang, bringing his total to 35 points.

Berman called another timeout, replacing Cliff Robinson with Jerome Kossie.

At the same time, Berman reminded Gan Guoyang: "Gan, win the game, time is almost up."

Gan Guoyang looked up at the timer; four minutes left.

"Bobby, are you playing a video game? You just press a button when the time is up, activate Superman mode, and we win?"

Berman said, "I know you, Sonny. I don't know about other games, but you can definitely do it tonight. You've had enough rest."

Berman has known Gan Guoyang for almost 10 years, and he knows Gan Guoyang's condition and performance level very well.

Gan Guoyang smiled, knowing that his coach understood him best.

The Knicks' defense is outwardly strong but inwardly weak; their one-on-one defense is decent, but their rotation and help defense are terrible.

The best way to deal with Gan Guoyang has always been through strong coordinated defense and multiple people surrounding him.

The Knicks did a terrible job tonight. The reason the score was so close was because Ewing was in good form and Gan Guoyang was playing conservatively and didn't exert himself at all.

After the timeout, Gan Guoyang scored a 2+1 against Ewing and made the free throw, widening the score gap.

Although Oakley responded with a 2+1 play and drew a foul from Divac with a mid-range jumper, Gan Guoyang responded with a three-pointer from the top of the arc!

The Trail Blazers then collapsed their defense, allowing Mark Jackson to shoot a long-range shot, which missed, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound and launched a counterattack.

He dribbled the ball all the way into the paint, drew the defense, and then lobbed it to Divac, who caught the ball and slammed it home!
That wasn't all. Gan Guoyang then teamed up with Porter to double-team Mark Jackson on defense, successfully stealing the ball and speeding down the court. Gan Guoyang then easily scored another layup.

In just three minutes, Gan Guoyang scored 8 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal, leading the Trail Blazers on a 10-2 run that widened the gap to over 10 points and secured the victory.

Stu Jackson had to call a timeout, but the Knicks were already powerless to turn the tide.

Ewing played well for three quarters, but could only score 2 points in the fourth quarter against Forrest Gump.

Then, Agan scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, finishing with a triple-double of 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, securing the victory.

At the end of the game, Gan Guoyang did not forget to thank Ewing: "Thank you Patrick for helping us train our new players. You've been in good form this year, just like I was in my rookie season."

Ewing knew Forrest was a good guy, and the two had a good relationship off the field.

What a pity, such a perfectly healthy person, with a mouth.

(End of this chapter)