The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 842 Growing Up
The first round is always a formality for the Trail Blazers; playing the Houston Rockets is not much different from playing in the regular season.

Before the series, the Trail Blazers coaching staff made careful preparations and arrangements. Bird also designed three contingency plans and four different rotation strategies to deal with unexpected situations.

Unexpectedly, the Rockets offered no effective resistance and lost their fighting spirit early on.

The Trail Blazers finished their games in three quarters, leading in the first half and then pulling away with a strong offensive surge in the third quarter.

All of the Rockets' preparations were futile in the face of such a significant difference in strength. All the Trail Blazers had to do next was wait for their semifinal opponent in Portland.

The Los Angeles Lakers, ranked fourth in the Western Conference, and the Phoenix Suns, ranked fifth, engaged in one of the most closely matched first-round series in the Western Conference.

Although the Lakers have achieved 60 wins, a record and roster that would be enough to make them a championship-caliber team in some years, the semifinals seem to be their ceiling in this year's Western Conference.

The Western Conference teams are extremely polarized in terms of roster and strength, with the top four being four teams with 60 wins, including an absurd 77 wins.

The bottom four teams are all under 20 wins: Grizzlies, Warriors, Clippers, and Nuggets. The Grizzlies have the best record with 19 wins and 63 losses.

The gap between strong and weak teams has reached its extreme. Of course, the NBA is always a place where things change every thirty years. In another 10 or 20 years, the situation will be completely different, and the order of teams in the standings may be reversed.

The Lakers have a strong roster, but the Phoenix Suns have also performed well this year.

The Suns traded Steve Nash to the Boston Celtics in the summer for Antoine Walker.

They built their roster around Kevin Johnson, Antoine Walker, Rex Chapman, Danny Manning, and McDyess.

With Danny Ainge as head coach, the Suns were transformed into an excellent team offense, following the team-building strategy of the former Celtics.

Therefore, the Suns had a very good record in the regular season, reaching 55 wins. In NBA history, any team that has won more than 50 games is a championship contender.

However, the Suns' roster has a very obvious flaw: their center position is too weak, with only veteran Holt Williams and former Trail Blazers player Mark Bryant holding their own.

In the regular season, they crushed their opponents with speed and a powerful frontcourt, but in the playoffs, facing the Lakers with their interior behemoth, the Suns were at a significant disadvantage.

In the first two games, the Lakers won by no means in their home court, including a 15-point victory and a 97-93 win, giving them a 2-0 lead in the series.

They were just one step away from advancing.

But after arriving in Phoenix, Phoenix rebounded from its lowest point.

They first swept the Lakers 110-92 in Game 3 with a sharp offense to win a game back.

In the fourth game, after trailing by 12 points in the first half, they completed a remarkable comeback in the second half.

In the final moments, Kevin Johnson drove into the paint and hit a buzzer-beating floater, giving the Suns a 101-100 victory over the Lakers!
The two sides tied 2-2, forcing a best-of-five series.

The Suns' home arena turned into a sea of ​​jubilation. Although everyone knew that making it to the semifinals was just a stepping stone for the Trail Blazers, success in the NBA is never solely determined by winning the championship.

For a player and a team, it is a success to deliver a wonderful performance, win a fierce game, bring joy to the fans for a night, and give them a few days of hope and anticipation for the future.

Many NBA players never win a championship in their entire careers, or even reach the Finals, and many teams never win a title.

But this doesn't stop many fans from loving them, supporting them, and regarding them as heroes of the city.

The Phoenix Suns have been in a state of turmoil since 1987, but they always manage to get back up quickly, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, continuing to shine and bring hope to Phoenix fans in the desert.

Of course, for Lakers players and fans, having the series dragged to a Game 5 and returning to Los Angeles is a very difficult situation.

Among them, Shaquille O'Neal received the most criticism and condemnation. Although the series was not over yet, his poor performance in the third and fourth games became the focus of criticism.

On offense, O'Neal remained unaffected, scoring over 25 points in each of the four games, demonstrating his exceptional dominance in the paint.

On the defensive end, O'Neal repeatedly made mistakes, and the Suns used pick-and-roll plays extensively. Antoine Walker and McDyess repeatedly used pick-and-roll plays to break through the Lakers' defense.

Furthermore, the Suns grabbed offensive rebounds very aggressively, creating numerous second-chance opportunities, while O'Neal's defensive rebounding was criticized.

Actually, O'Neal's rebounding wasn't a big problem; it was just that the Suns' frontcourt performed better, while McGrady on the Lakers' side was still too inexperienced and unable to adapt to the intensity of the playoffs.

Without strong support from the forwards, O'Neal struggled in the third and fourth games. He wasn't the kind of super center who could excel on both offense and defense.

The team must provide him with a comfortable platform so that he doesn't have to invest too much in defense, so that his enormous offensive power can be fully unleashed.

In this respect, the system built by Del Harris is not sophisticated enough. Although he uses O'Neal as the absolute core, it does not fully match O'Neal's characteristics. He still expects O'Neal to be the number one star super center.

In reality, O'Neal's characteristics make him a powerful but expensive weapon that requires professional maintenance.

Just like the German Tiger II tank, which had the most powerful firepower, it had high requirements for logistical support, was picky about battlefield environment, and had a small production volume.

In comparison, the Soviet T-34 was inferior to German weapons in all aspects of power, but it was robust and durable, very well-balanced in all aspects, had low logistical requirements, strong environmental adaptability, and was produced in huge quantities.

Del Harris clearly failed to grasp the essence of the matter. He still followed the traditional coaching approach, demanding that the best players on the team do the most and strive for perfection.

O'Neal sensed something was off, but his personality had the hallmarks of a traditional superstar, even though he was a boy who never grew up.

If he doesn't perform well enough, he has to take full responsibility for the team's loss, and he can't say that just because his stats are the best, his teammates didn't play well and he has no problem.

Before the start of Game 5, the immense pressure on O'Neal made it difficult for him to calm down. He decided to call Forrest Gump and ask him what to do in this situation.

Surprisingly, among all the centers in the league, including retired superstars, the one with the best relationship with O'Neal was actually Forrest Gump.

Although the two didn't play together often, and although O'Neal was often tormented by Gan Guoyang on the court, O'Neal's favorite person was Gan Guoyang, because Gan Guoyang also liked him very much.

Last season, Gan Guoyang knocked out O'Neal with a punch, and the two became friends after the fight.

When Shaquille O'Neal filmed a Reebok commercial, he invited many legendary centers to appear in it as well.

Chamberlain, Russell, Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and others all made appearances, and Reebok paid them sufficiently high appearance fees.

The idea came from O'Neal, who wanted a sense of legacy.

In reality, apart from Bill Russell and Shaquille O'Neal becoming good friends, the other three superstars were not fond of O'Neal.

In particular, former Lakers legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain remained indifferent and unresponsive to Shaquille O'Neal even after he signed with the Lakers.

Clearly, Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar disliked and did not appreciate Shaquille O'Neal's lively personality, and O'Neal never received any guidance from Abdul-Jabbar during his time with the Lakers.

It's worth noting that when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had just retired, he frequently returned to the Lakers' training facility to coach the team's center, but this stopped abruptly when it came to Shaquille O'Neal.

Wilt Chamberlain was frequently seen in Los Angeles. Once, Shaquille O'Neal ran into Chamberlain at a restaurant, but Chamberlain pretended not to see him and didn't greet him at all.

Shaq is so petty. I paid you guys to shoot commercials to add income and fun to your retirement life, but you didn't care about me at all?
So later, O'Neal simply cut off contact with the Lakers' superstar center. He wouldn't attend events invited to him, and he certainly wouldn't ask them for help when he encountered problems or difficulties.

On the contrary, Russell, the Celtics' center and a long-time rival, admired O'Neal. However, much of Russell's experience was outdated for O'Neal.

Moreover, many things can only be truly understood through personal experience. Once expressed in words, they are difficult for the other party to comprehend, and this was especially true for Russell.

Ironically, Forrest Gump, the opponent O'Neal feared most in his career and the insurmountable mountain he faced, provided him with the most help.

O'Neal knew that if he won this series, he would have to go to Portland to suffer, but he still couldn't help but call Forrest Gump before the game for some guidance.

Gan Guoyang was somewhat surprised to receive the call, but instead of taking the opportunity to mock O'Neal, he carefully pointed out various problems O'Neal had in the series.

"The key issue isn't with you, but with Del Harris for letting you do too many things you're not good at. He should be protecting you more on the defensive end."

"I understand what he means. He wants you to be at your best on both offense and defense, which is the ideal situation. But times have changed. Playing to your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses is the key. If the coach doesn't realize this, then you need to understand it yourself." "Your offense is more important than your defense. You need to get your teammates moving at the center position instead of just focusing on scoring yourself. How many points can you score in a game no matter how many? You must completely break down the Suns' defense. I believe you understand this principle. Game 5 will be no problem."

"I'll be waiting for you in Portland."

Gan Guoyang's words helped O'Neal regain his confidence.

In the subsequent fifth game between the Lakers and the Suns, O'Neal displayed his strongest performance.

With 40 points, 17 rebounds, and 8 assists, he single-handedly destroyed the Suns' fragile paint defense.

湖人主场112：91，21分的优势大胜太阳，大比分3：2成功晋级第二轮。

It is worth mentioning that Hu Weidong, who came off the bench, made 3 of 4 shots in this game, contributing 8 points and 2 rebounds.

This was Hu Weidong's first field goal in the playoffs, and he became the second Chinese player in NBA history to score in a playoff game.

The victory over the Suns temporarily quelled the criticism against O'Neal, but after the initial excitement, O'Neal calmed down and realized he was about to face even bigger trouble:
In the second round, they will face Forrest Gump and the Trail Blazers.

He suddenly wondered if this was a trap set by Forrest Gump for himself.
Is the plan to encourage oneself to win in the first round and advance to the second round, and then thoroughly humiliate oneself in the semifinals?

Upon realizing this possibility, O'Neal's initial ambition immediately waned.

Anyone who has played against the Portland Trail Blazers knows what level of strength and skill they possess this year.

77 wins and 5 losses? The Lakers have no chance of winning the series; winning even one game would be considered a victory.

However, just as people predicted before the game, no team can withstand the Portland Cavaliers' dominance this year.

The Lakers had no hope. Their roster structure was good, but it was far from mature, and they were unable to put up any effective resistance against the formidable Trail Blazers.

In both games in Portland, the Lakers suffered heavy defeats, getting completely crushed by the Trail Blazers.

On the defensive end, they couldn't stop the Trail Blazers' sharp offense, and on the offensive end, O'Neal, their strongest point, was completely contained by Forrest.

Although he gave O'Neal some pointers in the first round, Gan Guoyang showed no mercy on the court, guarding O'Neal one-on-one throughout the game.

O'Neal scored 19 points in one game and 15 points in another, completely shut down by the defense.

In the second game, the Lakers were swept 78-119 by the Trail Blazers, returning to Los Angeles with a 0-2 deficit.

In the crucial Game 3 that would determine whether the Lakers would be swept, just when everyone thought the Lakers could at least put up a fight and not lose by too much, the Lakers collapsed again at their home arena, the Great Western Forum, losing 86-114, another 28-point deficit.

O'Neal scored 28 points, but it did nothing to help the Lakers, who couldn't stop the Trail Blazers' fierce offense in the playoffs.

The Trail Blazers have hit their shooting touch at its best, and so far in the playoffs, they haven't missed a single game or had a single bad game.

They not only have advanced playing style, but also abundant logistical support, the best medical team, and the most relaxed and united team atmosphere.

With the score at 3-0, Game 4 was simply a face-saving battle for the Lakers.

The game was quite intense, with the Lakers finally finding their rhythm and keeping pace with the Trail Blazers for the first three quarters.

But in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers, trailing by one point, suddenly unleashed a "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic, constantly fouling O'Neal and sending him to the free-throw line.

As a result, O'Neal only made 1 of 6 free throws, and the Trail Blazers seized the opportunity, scoring on consecutive possessions and taking the lead.

Faced with this predicament, Del Harris had no choice but to substitute O'Neal, but the Lakers' offense and defense collapsed even more severely after O'Neal left the game.

The Trail Blazers seized the opportunity and built a strong lead, ultimately defeating the Lakers 99-92 by 7 points, sweeping their opponents 4-0 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Gan Guoyang's record of never missing a Western Conference Finals game in his career continues, and he once again steps over the Lakers' corpse to continue his journey, about to begin his 12th Western Conference Finals appearance.

On the other hand, O'Neal suffered a mental breakdown after losing Game 4 in this manner and being swept in the series.

Sweep, another sweep. At least win one game, right?

Back in the locker room, O'Neal knew what kind of public opinion he would face after the series ended, and he went berserk.

What drove him even crazier was that McGrady and Kidd were already discussing going to Las Vegas after the season ended, which made O'Neal even angrier.

He couldn't understand why some players didn't care about winning at all? Why did they freeze up and fail to make shots in crucial moments?
"What are you guys thinking? Don't you have any competitive spirit? Don't you want to win?" O'Neal yelled at each of his teammates, something he rarely did.

Then, he ripped the television off the wall and smashed it to pieces on the ground.

He then walked to the locker, opened the door, and pulled out all his belongings, tearing his clothes to shreds and throwing away all his shoes.

He went into the bathroom, ripped off the doorknob and threw it on the floor, then pulled the urinal off the wall and smashed it to pieces!

O'Neal was like a raging monster, wreaking havoc in the locker room, terrifying his teammates.

At this point, someone asked Jerome Cahill, a veteran in the locker room and the leader of the locker room, to step in and stop O'Neal.

Although his skills are not what they used to be and he can never return to the glory days of the Trail Blazers, his experience gives him a voice in the Lakers.

But Kexi said, "Let him vent. He'll be back to normal in just 30 seconds. Trust me, it'll be better if he vents."

Just then, Jerry West heard the commotion, walked into the locker room, grabbed O'Neal, and angrily demanded, "What are you doing?"

O'Neal said, "I'm tired of losing, tired of being swept. I work hard every night, but why does it always seem like it's my fault!"

Jerry West reassured O'Neal, saying, "So you think you can win like this? Before I won a championship, I went to the Finals eight times and didn't win once. Think about how that felt. Eight times, nine times including 1973, and you lost the Finals. I was very frustrated, but I never did what you did because it didn't help. What you need to do is be a real leader, not throw garbage around. Go back to your seat, sit down, and listen to the coach review our season."

Jerome Koch was right; O'Neal calmed down in 30 seconds.

Heeding Jerry West's advice, he returned to his seat. Del Harris gave a brief, dry summary that offered little insight.

The Lakers' 1997-1998 season came to an end. O'Neal, who was usually the most carefree and nonchalant person on the team, was the saddest and most frustrated one at that moment.

As everyone was packing up to leave, O'Neal stopped Koch and asked, "Jerome, how did Forrest Gump become a leader back in Portland?"

Kexi thought to himself, "You've already been eliminated and you're only asking me this question now? You should have asked it sooner!"

But he still said, "Forrest Gump was a leader from day one of training camp. He was a natural leader. He was incredibly strong, but that's why he allowed his teammates to be less strong. So, we all admired him and were willing to follow him."

O'Neal seemed thoughtful and said, "You mean Forrest Gump didn't blame his teammates for losing the game?"

"That's right. He can be harsh on his teammates, but he will never blame them for a loss. And he will help everyone solve problems and make them better, instead of teasing them."

When Kessy said that, O'Neal blushed a little; some of his pranks had indeed gone too far.

Kossie added, "He's the best leader, bar none. Without him, I'm nothing. You have to make your teammates unable to live without you, not want to leave you, Shaq."

O'Neal nodded, understanding much more.

Of course, human nature is hard to change, and O'Neal's personality won't change drastically because of a single series.

But compared to the past, he has matured a little bit.

The young centers in the West are thriving under the sunshine.

(End of this chapter)