The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 844 Survive

"Welcome to Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Western Conference Finals, brought to you by NBC. Hello everyone, I'm Mike Breen."

The two teams facing off are once again the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz. This is a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals, and the 12th time the Portland Trail Blazers have appeared on the Western Conference Finals stage since 1985.

They've appeared in the Western Conference Finals more times over the years than most teams have ever reached the Conference Finals in their entire history.

Tonight, I'm commentating on the game with Bill Walton, a former Trail Blazers player, MVP, and Finals MVP. Hello, Walton.

NBC sent Mike Brin and Bill Walton as the commentators for this game.

Since retiring, Walton has remained active in sports commentary, working for CBS since 1992 as a guest commentator for NBA and college basketball.

Before the age of 28, Wharton had a stutter.

At the age of 28, he overcame his psychological barriers and corrected his stutter with the help of legendary broadcaster Martin Glickman.

From then on, he became a eloquent and witty commentator, and was very popular with audiences in the sports commentary world.

“Hi Mike, it’s a pleasure working with you. There’s nothing more enjoyable than chatting with you while watching the Trail Blazers play,” Walton said casually.

There's no doubt that Walton is a die-hard Trail Blazers fan and a fan of Gan Guoyang.

Because his bias was too obvious when commentating on the game between the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang, NBC would often deliberately arrange for him to commentate on other games.

But in the conference finals, the Western and Eastern Conference games were staggered, leaving the television stations with no choice but to send Walton back to his beloved Portland to provide commentary from the sidelines of the Rose Garden.

"You feel comfortable because you think the Trail Blazers are bound to win, right?"

“Oh Mike, as a commentator I should remain neutral. But you know, the Jazz won’t have any chance.”

"But the Jazz beat the Portland Trail Blazers last season."

"Because the Jazz beat the Trail Blazers last season, they won't have any chance this time."

Walton said with certainty, because he knew Forrest Gump and the Trail Blazers.

Gan Guoyang will never fall twice in the same place, nor will he be defeated by the same opponent repeatedly.

Losing the Western Conference Finals in 1997, even if it wasn't exactly unforgettable, was definitely a huge regret, wasting Gan Guoyang's most heroic season.

Many people, including Bill Walton, felt it was a pity. This was the most heroic year of Gan Guoyang's career. He made a triumphant return, put up amazing super statistics, and led his team to the division finals again.

If they can reach the Finals, even if they lose to the Chicago Bulls, it will be more legendary than failing in the Western Conference Finals.

The Jazz deserve praise, but fans still yearn more for geniuses and heroes.

This season, the Trail Blazers have made a comeback, shifting from extreme individual heroism to extreme teamwork.

Furthermore, Gan Guoyang's burning desire for revenge lasted from November to May, and continued until June.

Can the Jazz withstand the scorching sun? Expectations are quite pessimistic.

Before the game officially started, the NBA officially announced that Gan Guoyang had won the 1997-1998 regular season MVP.

This is Gan Guoyang's second MVP award since his comeback. After the opening ceremony, the MVP award ceremony was held on site.

Gan Guoyang received the trophy from David Stern and raised it high; this was his sixth MVP award.

In his award citation, Stern said, "Forrest Gump's performance showed people what a true MVP is. Congratulations, Sonny."

Gan Guoyang's speech was quite simple, without much emotion, because he had won this trophy so many times that he was tired of it.

Actually, the voters were getting a bit tired of the same old thing, but there was no way around it; it would be a real shame not to give the MVP to the core player of a 77-win team.

Statistically, Gan Guoyang's average points, rebounds, assists, and blocks this season are 27, 15.2, 6.8, and 2.9, all of which are significantly lower than last season.

But his record was so outstanding that even with his stats reduced, he was still among the best in the league, making this MVP award well-deserved.

"This year's MVP award belongs to every player on the Trail Blazers; I'm just a small representative. In a few weeks, we will bring the MVP trophy, the Larry O'Brien Trophy, to everyone."

After Gan Guoyang finished speaking, the entire Rose Garden erupted in cheers. Gan Guoyang raised the trophy high, confident that he could make a promise to become the champion.

On the other side of the court, on the bench, the Jazz players watched the awards ceremony in silence, no one speaking.

The fierce energy I felt on the plane seemed to disappear. But once I arrived at the Rose Garden and experienced Forrest Gump's spirit up close, the feeling was completely different.

Having endured years of relentless training, coupled with the Trail Blazers' unparalleled fighting spirit this season, the Jazz players are already showing considerable courage by not surrendering before the game even begins.

Especially for someone like Malone, even after reaching the peak of his skills and defeating the Trail Blazers last season, he was still often at a disadvantage in matchups, and his mentality had developed a conditioned reflex of fear.

Stockton could tell that Malone was unusually nervous before the match.

For example, he would remain silent, have a blank stare, and look lifeless when the coach was giving instructions.

Stockton called out to Malone, but Malone didn't respond. He called again before Malone snapped out of it, and so on.

This is clearly abnormal. When he played in the finals last year, Ma Long was not distracted or nervous.

Most of the time he can stay focused, but only at the most crucial moments does Malone sometimes get a little nervous, though not often.

For example, during a free throw, Scottie Pippen said to Malone, "The Mailman doesn't work on Sundays," and Malone missed the free throw, leading to the Jazz being defeated by a buzzer-beater.

If this were Forrest Gump, Gan Guoyang would be making the free throw while yelling at Pippen, "Bullshit, it's Monday in China!"

At the most crucial moment, Ma Long's mental fortitude was indeed lacking, but today is only the first match, and the game hasn't even started yet.

After the MVP award ceremony ended and the two teams were about to take to the court, Stockton nudged Malone and said, "Hey, relax, relax!"

Malone glanced at Stockton. His old partner really knew how to see through him. Relax, he really needed to relax, but it was so hard to actually do it.

"Being a little nervous might do me a good thing," Malone reassured himself.

Being a little nervous before a major competition does have its benefits; it can boost adrenaline and greatly enhance focus and explosive power.

However, excessive tension can be detrimental, causing weakness in the legs, difficulty breathing, and slowed reactions, significantly impacting performance on the field.

A person's true nature is not easily changed. No matter how many years have passed and how many layers of time have passed, the core will still be the same as before.

No matter how hard Malone trains in the gym, how disciplined he is to maintain his form during the off-season, or how he does hard-working sports like driving trucks, fishing, and hunting bears, his fundamental character traits are already formed and difficult to change.

As Gan Guoyang sarcastically put it, Malone has always been that timid little boy from the Louisiana countryside, crying in his mother's arms.

When Gan Guoyang saw Ma Long walk onto the field with somewhat stiff steps, he could tell at a glance that the kid was definitely nervous.

Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn't let go of such an opportunity to suppress his opponent. This is the playoffs, not the regular season, so there's no need to hold back.

"You look extremely nervous, Karl! So, Jerry Sloan sent you to guard me tonight?"

"Stop talking nonsense, Sonny. You've said enough already," Malone retorted stubbornly.

"I bet you won't score in double digits tonight. A $10 game, wanna play?" Gan Guoyang didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

Both of them could afford $10, and since Gan Guoyang had made the offer, he would definitely keep his promise.

Ma Long was stunned. How could he respond? Logically speaking, scoring 10 points in a game would be as easy as eating and drinking for Ma Long.

So far this season, Malone has never scored less than double digits in a single game.

Even when he didn't perform well against Forrest Gump in last year's Western Conference Finals, he still scored in double figures in every game.

So as long as you accept the offer, the $10 is yours for the taking, regardless of whether the team wins or loses.

If it were Jordan, he would have accepted without even blinking, and wouldn't have even asked whether it was by card or cash.

But if it were Jordan, Gan Guoyang wouldn't gamble like that; what's the difference between that and giving away money?
Ma Long is different. He knows that Ma Long will hesitate because he is not confident enough in himself.

If the Jazz had won the championship in last year's Finals, Malone might have broken through the personality constraints of his teenage years and reached a new level.

Unfortunately, they were facing Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and Karl Malone continued to linger in the same position. Until the start of the game, Malone didn't respond to Gan Guoyang's bet, simply laughing it off.

Gan Guoyang didn't press further; the competition was about to begin, and there was no time for conversation.

But he already knew in his heart that Malone had not changed much after winning the Western Conference Finals last year.

The Jazz may seem like a team that plays as a team, but they rely on Karl Malone much more than you might think.

Especially this season, with Stockton sidelined due to injury and Jeff Hornacek getting a year older, Malone's importance has become even more prominent.

During the regular season, he single-handedly held the team back, pulling them up from fourth or fifth place to second, achieving 60 wins for two consecutive years and securing home-court advantage in all cities except Portland.

On offense, Karl Malone is the Jazz's most reliable, and arguably only, solution.

In the intense playoff offensive and defensive battles, the Jazz's UCLA system failed far more often than in the regular season.

Therefore, the Jazz often have to rely on Malone's isolation plays to ensure a high success rate. Without his ball-handling isolation plays, the Jazz's offense collapses by more than half.

In this respect, Gan Guoyang is not as good as Ma Long, because if Gan Guoyang doesn't play, the Trail Blazers will only be crippled by 30%-40%, and will still retain 60%-70% of their fighting strength.

The data shows that the Jazz averaged 101 points per game in the regular season, but have averaged 91 points per game in the playoffs so far, a drop of 10 points, and their assists have dropped from 25 to 21 per game.

Malone averaged 27 points per game in the regular season, and he also averaged 27 points per game in the playoffs. His scoring remained the same, but the team's total points and assists decreased, which greatly increased Malone's scoring share and importance.

Furthermore, Malone's average field goal attempts increased from 18 in the regular season to 21, indicating that the team's reliance on him significantly increased in the playoffs.

Walton said at the start of the game, "Actually, if the Jazz had made it to the Finals this year, I think they would have had a chance to beat the Bulls, because Malone is better this year than last year. And the Bulls have a tough time dealing with Malone. But unfortunately, the Jazz faced the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals, an even better Trail Blazers than last year. I don't think Malone will have a good performance when facing Forrest Gump. And if the Jazz don't have Malone's good performance, they will have a very, very tough time. Unless you expect Stockton to have another breakout performance like last year."

Walton is a die-hard Trail Blazers fan, but that doesn't mean he blindly supports the Trail Blazers.

His analysis was very accurate; on paper, the Jazz were at a huge disadvantage this year and had no chance whatsoever.

Stockton has not only suffered from injuries and a decline in performance this year, but the Trail Blazers have also added Blaylock specifically to counter Stockton.

On the bench, Kobe has become more mature, and it seems unlikely that Stockton will have the same explosive performance as last year.

On paper, they've already lost 90% of the battle. The Jazz's remaining 10% chance of winning depends entirely on luck and their own hard work.

But in terms of survival instinct, the Jazz were not as good as the Trail Blazers.

From the very start of the game, the Trail Blazers played aggressively, with Gan Guoyang repeatedly driving into the paint and drawing fouls on offense.

Ostertag and Malone each received a foul, and Gan Guoyang made both free throws, giving the Trail Blazers the lead.

Entering the playoffs, Gan Guoyang was clearly much more aggressive than in the regular season, with a lot of ball-handling offense, starting early to establish an advantage, forcing the opponent to start a long chase, and then running all over the court to exhaust the opponent.

That's how the Lakers and O'Neal were exhausted. They never took the lead from the first game to the last in the entire series, and were eliminated due to both physical and mental fatigue.

So it's no wonder that McGrady and Kidd wanted to go to Las Vegas to relax as soon as the game ended. They were exhausted after four games.

After taking the lead, the Trail Blazers' defensive strategy was very clear: Gan Guoyang closely guarded Karl Malone one-on-one, not giving Malone any easy scoring opportunities.

If Malone can beat Gan Guoyang in a one-on-one matchup and score efficiently, the Trail Blazers' defensive strategy will fail. They need to change their approach, and the Jazz's offense will come alive.

If that doesn't work, the Jazz won't even be able to find a second point to initiate the offense, and will have to rely on passing and screens to find gaps in the high-intensity playoffs.

Ma Long was under immense pressure, and the tension before the match made the pressure even greater.

After two missed shots, the Jazz opted to let Malone post up for a third time.

As soon as Ma Long received the ball, Gan Guoyang poked it away from behind, stealing the ball and making a mistake.

Gan Guoyang, having successfully intercepted the ball, ignored it and dribbled directly from the backcourt towards the frontcourt to launch an attack.

No one in the Jazz could stop them; Stockton could only foul them, and the Jazz went into foul trouble very quickly.

The Trail Blazers' offense was not smooth sailing. They started off with a poor touch, with Mullin and Blake missing long-range shots.

But the Jazz had a bigger problem: they couldn't find any good offensive opportunities under the Trail Blazers' strong, tight defense.

Five minutes into the first quarter, the score was 9-0, with the Jazz failing to score for a full five minutes.

Is this still a top-three offensive team in the league? Jerry Sloan had to call a timeout to make adjustments.

At this point, Jason's mask was useless, because the real Jason was on the field.

Malone was unable to break through Gan Guoyang's one-on-one defense, and Sloan tried to use pick-and-roll plays to penetrate the Trail Blazers' three-second zone.

But the Trail Blazers' strategy was clear: allow Stockton to shoot or drive, while Gan Guoyang kept Malone under control and prevented him from getting easy baskets.

Stockton made two shots, but his offense lacked consistency and lethality. Instead, the Trail Blazers relied on fast breaks to get the game going.

In the first quarter, the score was a shocking 21-8, with the Jazz scoring a paltry 8 points, setting a new record for the lowest single-quarter score in Western Conference Finals history.

The Trail Blazers didn't score many points, but their 21 points established a 13-point lead, a lead that is very difficult to catch up in the current pace of basketball.

"Unbelievable! The Jazz only scored 8 points in a single quarter. And Karl Malone didn't score a single point. This shows just how vengeful Forrest Gump is; he wants to kill Malone!"

Walton realized that Gan Guoyang wanted Ma Long dead tonight and didn't even want to give him a chance to score a single point.

Ma Long went 0-for-3 in the quarter, with two turnovers and one foul. He even had a hard time getting a shot off against Gan Guoyang.

Considering how many opponents Gan Guoyang has shut out defensively this season, Ma Long has reason to believe that he is unlikely to score tonight.

Thinking about it this way, the tension became even more persistent, and the gloom of more than ten years weighed on my heart like a mountain.

To him, the cheers of the fans in the stadium sounded hazy and indistinct.

In the second quarter, the game continued to take a sharp turn for the worse. The good news for the Jazz was that they slowly started to score, breaking their scoring drought.

The bad news is that the Trail Blazers' offensive rhythm has returned, and they've launched a relentless barrage of attacks.

Kobe Bryant replaced Riddle, which boosted the Trail Blazers' offensive pace even further.

Mullin, Brelock, and Gan Guoyang all hit consecutive three-pointers from the outside.

The Trail Blazers have enough players on the perimeter who can handle the ball and attack; almost everyone can dribble and drive or pass.

With Rick Carlisle's coaching of the fluid offense, the Trail Blazers' offense truly flowed like water.

The Jazz's defense is collapsing. They are not a defensive team to begin with, and once their offense is blocked, they are repeatedly attacked and simply cannot withstand it.

Because their backcourt lacks height, strength, and athleticism, but their offense is very strong, and opponents rarely have counter-attack opportunities, this weakness is well concealed.

If their offense stalls, the Jazz will be in trouble.

A notable characteristic of the Jazz during the regular season is that when their offense is off and they score low, they often lose by a large margin.

For example, if you score 70 points or more, you might collapse and let your opponent score 90 points or more, losing by 20 points, especially if your opponent has a strong counterattack ability.

There have been instances in regular season games against the Trail Blazers, Hornets, and Suns where they couldn't stop the opponent's fast breaks.

The Jazz showed this trend tonight; their offense and defense collapsed rapidly as their offensive efficiency declined.

This is one of the reasons why offensive teams are less consistent than defensive teams in the playoffs; defense is always reliable, while offense is not.

Seeing that things were about to fall apart, Sloan reminded Malone again to go on the court and stabilize the situation.

But Ma Long entered the arena with a buzzing in his head, and Gan Guoyang followed him in.

Malone vaguely saw a killer wearing a celluloid mask walking towards him.

At that moment, the thought of "losing less is winning" was no longer in his mind; instead, his only thought was: to survive.

(End of this chapter)