The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 859 Time is running out for me

After crushing the Spurs with 74 points, the series was no longer in doubt.

The Spurs' spirit was completely crushed by the Trail Blazers, and when they returned to the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, they could no longer muster the will to fight back.

The fans at the scene also held up signs with "74" and cheered loudly. In Portland, Gan Guoyang is still a king-like figure.

Not to mention, on the other side of the ocean in China, Gan Guoyang scored 74 points against an American team, earning him the reputation of a national hero.

The Spurs only put up a fight in the first quarter, with the score tied at 24-24. After the substitutes came on in the second quarter, the Trail Blazers gradually widened the gap.

The Spurs were on edge, focusing their defensive attention on Gan Guoyang, as they were genuinely afraid of being shot at in the last game.

Gan Guoyang clearly came with a strong killing intent. The Spurs didn't want to be slaughtered by Gan Guoyang again in this game. As a result, it was Kobe Bryant who really performed in the second quarter.

Kobe seemed to be inspired by Gan Guoyang. He was the most excited after Gan Guoyang scored 74 points in the fourth game. Seeing his idol create another miracle, how could Kobe resist taking action?
Kobe was in high spirits and had a strong offensive attack. Fortunately, he was in good form and led the second unit to a scoring run in the second quarter.

Like Forrest Gump, Kobe used his mid-range jump shot to tear apart the Spurs' defense. His drives and pull-up jumpers were already showing promise, and his drives were also quite sharp, making it increasingly difficult for the Spurs to defend him.

Kobe scored 16 points in the first half, helping the Trail Blazers lead the Spurs by 7 points at halftime.

Gan Guoyang didn't contribute anything on offense, but the Spurs had no choice but to deploy a lot of players to contain him.

In the third quarter, the Spurs' defense gradually collapsed, and the Trail Blazers launched a series of highly efficient offensive possessions, gradually widening the gap.

The Spurs' strategy of slowing down the game's pace didn't work on the Trail Blazers. The more they slowed down, the lower their scoring efficiency became, and the more difficult it was for them to catch up.

This season, the vast majority of teams that have tried to slow down the pace and compete with the Trail Blazers have failed.

Even the Bulls couldn't stop the Trail Blazers' rapid advance, so it would be even more difficult for other teams.

Therefore, the best way to deal with the Trail Blazers is to go on offense. In the regular season, the Boston Celtics were the only team to sweep the Trail Blazers twice.

Under Berman's coaching, the Celtics achieved a good balance between offense and defense, and with a group of new players, they became one of the most competitive teams in the East.

Currently, the Celtics and the New York Knicks are tied 2-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the outcome of the series remains to be seen.

In the first three quarters, the Trail Blazers led the Spurs by 10 points. In the fourth quarter, the Spurs did not give up completely but continued to try to catch up.

Ten points was not an insurmountable barrier. The two sides were deadlocked until the last four minutes when the Trail Blazers, led by Gan Guoyang, suddenly launched a 7-0 offensive surge.

Gan Guoyang hit a three-pointer, Mullin made a layup on a cut, and Sabonis made a mid-range jump shot, widening the score gap to 17 points.

This blow sealed the Spurs' fate. They completely lost their will to resist, and Popovich's timeout felt like a perfunctory, death throes.

David Robinson sat on the bench with his head down, knowing that his 1998-1999 season was over.

Robinson is 33 years old this year, and in his tenth season in the league, his average points per game have dropped to 19.8, the first time in his career that he has fallen below 20 points, except for the season he missed due to injury.

He remains outstanding in rebounding, blocking, and assists, and his role on the court is becoming increasingly prominent due to his growing experience.

In the series against the Trail Blazers, except for Game 4, he spent a lot of time on defense against Forrest Gump, and his performance was actually quite good.

He and his teammates wove an effective defensive net, doing their best to limit Gan Guoyang's offensive performance.

Excluding his 74 points, Gan Guoyang's scoring and shooting percentage have reached a relatively low level in his career.

Robinson really caused trouble for Gan Guoyang, making Gan Guoyang deeply feel the power of time.

35 years old is really a watershed moment. When he was young, he could maintain a 60% shooting percentage for a whole season, but now he can only manage to stay around 50%.

He had to make some trade-offs on both offense and defense; he couldn't consistently score over 30 points on offense and grab 15 rebounds and 3 blocks on defense.

When he's on the offensive, the defense should be relaxed a bit, retreating to cover the three-second zone and leaving more help defense and rotation to teammates.

When he needs to contribute the most on the defensive end, he needs to delegate more responsibility on the offensive end to Kobe, Blake, and Sabonis.

During the regular season, Gan Guoyang's average points dropped to 25, while his average rebounds remained the highest in the league, but had shrunk to 13.8, the lowest of his career.

He still played all 82 games, and in some playoff games he could unleash amazing energy, but he knew that his form was slowly declining.

The buzzer sounded as the fifth game ended, and the Trail Blazers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 101-90, an 11-point lead, at home, winning the series 4-1 and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

Gan Guoyang's record of never missing the Western Conference Finals continues. In his 13-year career, he has reached the Western Conference Finals 13 times. For Western Conference teams, the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang are an inescapable nightmare.

As they left the court, Gan Guoyang and David Robinson embraced, showing that the two have a good relationship off the court.

David Robinson has always been the vice president of the players' union and Gan Guoyang's designated successor. If Gan Guoyang can no longer continue in his position, he will hand over the chairmanship to Robinson.

Robinson, with his military background, kind character, impressive resume, meritorious service in labor disputes, and bloodshed for the union, is an excellent successor.

During the labor negotiations in the summer of 1998, while other superstars stood against Gan Guoyang, David Robinson stood firmly by the chairman's side, refusing to collude with the other superstars and giving Gan Guoyang strong support.

“David, you played a beautiful series. I have to admit, I’ve declined into Michael.” Gan Guoyang said to Robinson.

Gan Guoyang's tone held a hint of helplessness; his worst fears had come true. Under the ravages of time, he had become Michael Jordan.

"Which year was Michael?"

"1992."

Robinson was clearly the one who was more helpless.

He patted Gan Guoyang on the shoulder and said, "See you next season, Sonny. I won't give up on you easily."

The Spurs' failure to secure the number one draft pick in 1997 dealt a major setback to their rebuilding plans.

However, Chauncey Billups is a good option and deserves the Spurs' careful investment and development.

Popovich left the court with a cold expression, already planning the Spurs' new future in his mind.

The Trail Blazers have always been a role model for Popovich, who hopes to acquire Duncan in 1997 and then capitalize on overseas drafts to replicate the Trail Blazers' glory.

Unfortunately, they failed in the first step and didn't get Duncan.

However, the Spurs can still use the overseas draft strategy, and it might even be effective.

Given the rapid development of the NBA's overseas market, NBA teams still have great potential in scouting and developing overseas players. There are many untapped areas waiting for American scouts and coaches to discover.
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The Eastern and Western Conference semifinals concluded in the following week.

In the Western Conference semifinals, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 4-2.

After being eliminated by the Jazz in 97 and 98, the Lakers finally got their revenge in 99.

O'Neal averaged 32 points and 14 rebounds per game in the series, dismantling the Utah Jazz's defense.

The tall defensive lineup of Jason Kidd, Robert Horry, and Tracy McGrady on the perimeter rendered the Jazz's aging wing players ineffective.

The Lakers and Trail Blazers meet again in the Western Conference Finals, suggesting their rivalry in the West will continue for a long time. The Eastern Conference situation is surprising: the Celtics and Knicks are tied after four games, with the Celtics leading for most of Game 5 and seemingly poised to take a 3-1 lead.

Unexpectedly, the Knicks staged a remarkable comeback, erasing a 7-point deficit in just one minute and forcing the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Knicks, with their unstoppable momentum, defeated the Celtics at the Fleet Center and took the series lead.

With this impressive comeback, the Knicks have taken control of the series.

Back in New York, the young Celtics got lost in the frenetic Madison Square Garden arena.

The core lineup of Duncan, Steve Nash, and Paul Pierce is still too young.

The New York Knicks dominated the Celtics in the first half, ultimately winning 98-90 at home.

This marks the Knicks' first appearance in the conference finals since the 1973-1974 season.

That was back in the 70s, when the Knicks were still the era of Walter Frazier and Willis Reed.

Ewing failed to achieve greater success with the Knicks and, under pressure from Jordan, went to the SuperSonics.

Today, by assembling a strong roster, the Knicks have gained an opportunity to compete for the highest stage in the post-Jordan era in the Eastern Conference.

The New York Knicks' opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals was the Indiana Pacers, a team that surprised many.

The Pacers faced the New Jersey Nets, who boasted a super team of four, in the semifinals.

The Nets had a surprisingly good regular season, finishing second in the Eastern Conference, behind only the Celtics.

Under the guidance of rookie head coach Doc Rivers, the Nets' stars came together, shared responsibilities effectively, and achieved a record of 56 wins in the regular season.

Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and others remained healthy, while Richmond and Pippen delivered a tough defensive performance.

It is widely believed that the Nets have a great chance of making it into the Eastern Conference and reaching the NBA Finals to challenge the Trail Blazers.

That year's Finals will be a feast for the 1984 interior, the final twilight of the gods.

The first four games of the semifinals followed the Nets' script for advancing, with the Nets taking an early 3-1 lead.

Just when everyone thought the series was over, the Pacers launched a desperate counterattack.

They rallied to defeat the Nets in Game 5 in New Jersey, forcing a Game 6 back in Indiana.

Upon arriving at the Pacers' home court, the exhausted Nets lost their previous sharpness, with the aging Olajuwon and Barkley frequently missing shots.

Pippen and Richmond were unable to carry the Nets' offense, and under the Pacers' strong defense, the Nets only scored 72 points in Game 6.

The series is now tied 3-3, and the Nets will return home. They are not without a chance; if they regroup, they can still win the series in Game 7.

However, the Nets were not united. From a 3-1 lead to being tied, the whole team became agitated instead of working together.

In particular, Charles Barkley and Pippen frequently clashed on and off the court during the regular season.

Pippen always looked down on Barkley, subtly accusing him of being a bootlicker of Jordan and Forrest Gump, saying, "This guy has been kissing Michael and Forrest's asses all along."

Pippen also believes that Barkley is completely undisciplined. His so-called "great season" declaration lasted only a week before he started indulging in Big Macs and Coca-Cola again, and he was often late for practice.

In short, in Pippen's eyes, Barkley was just a clown who rose to fame by flattering others. His abilities were overestimated, and he relied entirely on riding on the coattails of Forrest Gump and Jordan to gain public attention and make money through advertising and endorsements.

Barkley was furious, of course. He believed Pippen was simply jealous, jealous of his friendship with Jordan and Forrest Gump, and the huge sums of money he was making from endorsements and advertisements.

Barkley's contract with the Nets wasn't large, much smaller than Pippen's, but Barkley earned just as much money in a year as Pippen, mainly due to endorsements and advertising deals.

When the team was doing well, the conflict between the two was not obvious, and Hakeem Olajuwon and Doc Rivers were able to keep it under control.

With the game hanging in the balance, Rivers hoped they could put aside their differences, unite, and secure the victory to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

As a result, Pippen seized the opportunity to complain, saying that he could have been an excellent three-point shooter, but the team gave Olajuwon and Barkley too much ball possession, which prevented him from taking advantage of his three-point shooting ability.

The Nets were disorganized, and Van Horn bluntly stated that he didn't really admire Pippen. He told reporters privately, "This guy thinks he's Michael Jordan, and he comes to the team wanting to be the dominant force in every aspect. But honestly, he doesn't have that ability; he's not Michael."

In his second year as a rookie, Van Horn was forced to sit on the bench due to the presence of veteran players.

In contrast, the Pacers were very united, and they were not intimidated at all by the fact that Game 7 would be played in New Jersey.

Instead, they united and went all out. At the Continental Airlines Arena, the two sides fought hard for four quarters, and Miller hit a crucial three-pointer at the last moment.

There was a communication breakdown between Pippen and Barkley on this play, which left Miller unguarded, allowing him to receive the ball and shoot a three-pointer that went in.

The Pacers ultimately defeated the star-studded New Jersey Nets 95-91 on the road, a four-point victory.

Trailing 1-3 in the series, they staged a remarkable comeback, winning 4-3 and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Nets thus became yet another team to lead 3-1 in the playoffs only to be overturned and eliminated.

Ironically, before the game started, Doc Rivers had won the Coach of the Year award for the 1998-1999 season due to his outstanding rookie season coaching record.

For Rivers, it was a season that was both a failure and a success.

The team lost; a super team suffered a devastating defeat in the playoffs.

He won personally, received the Coach of the Year award, and has established himself in the league.

The brief collaboration between Barkley, Pippen, and Olajuwon, a final push in the later stages of their careers, has most likely come to an end.

Back in the locker room, Barkley angrily threw a chair against the wall, while Pippen continued to berate Barkley for fighting with him to defend Miller in the final moments.

"Because you didn't even try to defend!"

"You're the one blocking my defensive line!"

The two attacked each other, reaching a point of irreconcilable conflict.

Pippen delivered the fatal blow to Barkley, saying, "You should have gone and latched onto Forrest Gump long ago, instead of pretending to chase your own championship! Your time is running out!"

When Barkley heard Pippen's words, he was as if he had been doused with cold water and suddenly calmed down.

He stared at Pippen's horse-like face, feeling his heart pounding with indignation, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Perhaps you are right, Scotty, I don't have much time left."

After saying that, Barkley stripped naked and went to the shower room to take a bath.

After that game, Barkley left New Jersey and never returned.

(End of this chapter)