The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 861 Like an Ordinary Person

Gan Guoyang has always had an honest and profound understanding of himself.

The one person you can't lie to in your life is yourself. If you can't be honest with yourself, you can easily become a joke.

After playing in the Western Conference semifinals against the Spurs, Gan Guoyang realized that he had declined to the level of Jordan, and this realization was correct.

While Jordan couldn't score 74 points in a single game, Gan Guoyang in the past wouldn't have performed mediocrely in three consecutive playoff games.

From Game 5 against the Spurs to Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Gan Guoyang played only moderately well in those three games, by his peak standards.

His stats are perfectly fine: 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, and a certain number of blocks, assists, and steals in three games.

However, Gan Guoyang himself could feel that he was no longer the absolute dominant force in these three matches, and the rhythm of the matches was not entirely under his control.

In Game 5 against the Spurs, the Trail Blazers' engine was Kobe Bryant.

In the first game against the Lakers, Jason Kidd was the one who decided the outcome. His post-up moves and playmaking inspired the entire Lakers team.

In the second game against the Lakers, the Trail Blazers won the game thanks to their overall performance and the improved shooting percentage of their outside shooters.

The Trail Blazers won two of the three games, and Gan Guoyang performed as expected, but regardless of the outcome, he was never the most decisive player on the court.

If it were an outsider, a fan, or a sports commentator, they wouldn't feel this so deeply.

Even the coaches wouldn't notice; in Bird and Harris's eyes, Gan Guoyang was still the best and most trustworthy player on the court.

Only Gan Guoyang himself knew that this was a performance that he had fallen short of his potential, as if that 74-point game had consumed too much of his energy and desire to win, leaving him feeling empty for a short period of time.

During his peak season, in the playoffs, in every game of the series, regardless of winning or losing, Gan Guoyang could be the key to victory and the absolute leader on the court.

Whether it's opponents or teammates, coaches, referees, or even fans on the sidelines, everyone is under Gan Guoyang's control; his influence on the game is unparalleled.

He is the only star, the most dazzling sun, and everything revolves around him.

This super control freak has unparalleled control over the game, including his subtle psychological manipulation, making him the most terrifying devil in the NBA.

In this year's playoffs, Gan Guoyang's influence has decreased. In some games, he is no longer the only Sun, but just one of the most influential figures.

In Gan Guoyang's view, isn't this just becoming like Jordan? In ten games, he can only absolutely dominate six or seven, whereas in the past he could dominate nine or all of them.

He became increasingly lenient with his opponents, perhaps due to his age. He always felt that "every fight is one less" when dealing with his peers, so he approached them with a sense of farewell and was no longer as ruthless.

When dealing with younger players like O'Neal and Garnett, they showed more of the magnanimity of seniors.

While beating you, they'll also teach you how to play. If you play well, they'll nod; if you play poorly, they'll offer some encouragement.

The thrill of tearing your opponent apart, both physically and mentally, is becoming increasingly rare.

Especially after Michael Jordan retired this season, his mischievousness in games has decreased significantly.

All the devil's whispers, pre-match psychological attacks, in-game trash talk, and shutting out opponents have disappeared.

He simply played the game normally, scoring points, grabbing rebounds, stopping the opponent's offense, and fulfilling his duties on the court.

The 74-point battle was for national and personal vendettas, for venting anger, not for his own sake.

The 98-99 season was Gan Guoyang's most normal year. He didn't throw a single punch or have any conflicts with his opponents in any of the matches.

He didn't even get a single technical foul. He became more pure, and therefore more like an ordinary player—he became Jordan.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang did not react much to Shaquille O'Neal's "See you in Los Angeles".

When asked by reporters about his opinion on O'Neal's remarks as he boarded a plane leaving Portland, Gan Guoyang simply shrugged and said, "I don't care."

As the plane entered the descent, the azure Pacific Ocean and the bright, clear Los Angeles came into view, slowly igniting Gan Guoyang's memories of victory and passion.

This is a beautiful city that holds so many wonderful memories for Gan Guoyang, memories related to basketball, championships, love, and friendship.

He still remembers the riots of 1992, when a fire devastated the place, but seven years later, it has returned to peace.

1992 was the pinnacle of Gan Guoyang's basketball career, when he delivered his best performance and had a revolutionary show in the finals.

At that time, O'Neal had just entered the league, and Michael was also at the peak of his physical and technical abilities.

When he got off the plane, Gan Guoyang suppressed the feeling that "this is no longer my era" and stopped reminiscing about the good old days.

When people start reminiscing about the past, it often signifies aging, and athletes do indeed begin to age around 35 years old in their professional careers.

Gan Guoyang was unwilling to fall into such a trap, so he forced himself to focus on the present moment and the ongoing match.

The Lakers are not an opponent that can be easily defeated; they have been developing tactics and roster strategies specifically to counter the Trail Blazers for years.

Jerry West is a deep thinker who knows the Trail Blazers and Forrest Gump very well. This lineup, with O'Neal and Kidd as the core and tall forwards and guards on the perimeter, is indeed very competitive.

Although their regular season record and performance were not as good as in the 1998 season, they clearly saved their strength for the playoffs, and their performance in the playoffs was quite dazzling.

After settling into the hotel, Larry Bird led the players to the training facility that afternoon for tactical practice and targeted drills.

Bird and Carlisle made one point clear in their conversation: the Trail Blazers must be able to win even when their three-point shooting is off.

If the Trail Blazers rely too much on their three-point shooting, they might suffer the same fate as in the first game against the Lakers' tall and strong wing players.

Moreover, with the Lakers playing at home in Los Angeles, the referees will definitely be biased, giving them an advantage. The Trail Blazers must win one of their two away games.

During the team's tactical meeting, Bird emphasized the importance of these two games and focused on defense.

Bird asked Kobe to primarily guard Kidd, and Blake to guard McGrady.

Although Blaylock is much shorter than McGrady, McGrady was not the dominant force in the Lakers' offense.

It's not a problem to let him score some points. Besides, Blaylock is quick and ruthless. It's hard to say whether McGrady can gain an advantage under targeted defense in the playoffs.

Chris Mullin was asked to drop back more to help defend the paint, while Gan Guoyang at the power forward position was to help defend the perimeter, especially Robert Horry, and also take care of McGrady and Kidd.

"We need to win one of the two away games and regain home-court advantage," Bird said, adding that this is their basic requirement for playing on the road.

"We have to win both of them. We'll win both of our home games in Los Angeles," Gan Guoyang said calmly, sitting there with his arms crossed.

No one spoke. The meeting ended, but everyone was filled with energy.

As Bird left the meeting room, he said helplessly to Carlisle and Hart, "All the words I said are not as good as one sentence from Forrest Gump."

Carlisle said, "I feel much more at ease now that he said that."

Bird rolled his eyes at Carlisle, though he himself thought the same thing.
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May 20, Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, Los Angeles, Great Western Forum Arena.

Hanging in the player tunnel of the arena is the famous rule sign: "Sonny Gan is prohibited from entering the arena during the morning hours on game days."

This was a little trick Riley pulled when he was coaching the Lakers, after being intimidated by Gan Guoyang's barrage of three-pointers.

Gan Guoyang was not allowed to enter the Great Western Forum arena in the morning to warm up, in order to prevent him from having an explosive shooting performance during the game and making the Lakers suffer.

This rule, specifically established for the greatest player in basketball history, has been in place for over a decade and has now become a unique feature of the forum's arena.

The management specially printed this rule on the metal sheet and posted it in a prominent place, where many people would come to take photos.

The master of this rule returned to this place once more, as if a king had returned to his palace.

Gan Guoyang knew that this season would be the last time the Great Western Forum would serve as the Lakers' home arena. After the season ended, the Lakers would move to the newly built Staples Center for the 1999-2000 season, embarking on a new journey.

Therefore, this series will also be Gan Guoyang's last game at the Great Western Forum arena, and then this rule, along with the past, will be buried in the memory of history.

Before the game started, Gan Guoyang, wearing a red and black jersey, stood on the court with his hands on his hips, gazing at the Forum Stadium stands, which resembled a classical colosseum, like an ancient Greek sculpture.

He looked serious, chewing gum as he pondered how to deal with the Lakers' possible tactics in tonight's game and how to maintain control of the game as much as possible.

When you acknowledge that your power is declining, you must use your brain more, instead of resorting to old methods.

Gan Guoyang tried his best to think like Jordan, considering how ordinary people deal with games.

"Score 10 points in the first quarter, another 10 in the second quarter, and 12 in the third quarter... less in the fourth quarter, just 10. 40 points, that should be enough to win."

"Two two-pointers, two free throws, one three-pointer... Nine points, that's about enough, no big problem."

"On the defensive end, cutting off the connection between the inside and outside is not the problem. Allowing Shaq to score more points is not the issue. The key is to prevent Kidd from connecting the offense."

Gan Guoyang was carefully considering his options and had already developed a preliminary plan and concept for the competition.

He thought that's how Michael planned his games: control the pace, focus on key points, and ultimately win.

In the past, Gan Guoyang didn't plan things this way. He wanted to control and suppress every aspect and every detail, and he only felt satisfied when he tortured and crippled his opponents.

Now, it's time to make some choices.

The match officially began at 7:30 p.m.

Before the match, a large number of Hollywood stars attended to watch the game.

The sidelines were filled with stars, all hoping that the Lakers and Trail Blazers would put on a spectacular show.

After the jump ball, the Lakers gained possession and began their attack, with Jason Kidd continuing to lead the Lakers' offense.

Tonight, facing Kobe's tenacious defense, Kidd's low-post offense was definitely ineffective.

They returned to tradition, starting by having O'Neal receive the ball in the low post and attack aggressively, opening up the game from the inside.

The Trail Blazers insisted on having Sabonis guard O'Neal without double-teaming him, and O'Neal scored three consecutive baskets.

Although Sabonis was tall and strong enough, he was still inferior to O'Neal in terms of power.

Once you're trapped in a low position and forced to squeeze in, there's basically no way to stop the shark's attack.

Bird didn't plan to have Forrest guarding O'Neal from the start, and he knew he had to use Forrest sparingly.

The Trail Blazers also started by attacking the paint, but Gan Guoyang played more flexibly compared to O'Neal's low-post bombardment.

He knew that the Lakers' wing defense was very flexible, and that they could quickly double-team when attacking in the low post, and also quickly recover the ball when passing it out.

Holly, McGrady, and Kidd are all tall, long-armed, and extremely fast, so you can't play too rigidly.

Gan Guoyang actively coordinated with Kobe and Blake to run pick-and-rolls, capitalizing on O'Neal's defensive weakness and hitting consecutive mid-range jump shots.

Once O'Neal moves outwards, Gan Guoyang will pass the ball directly to Sabonis under the basket for offense, and the two sides quickly tied 8-8 at the start.

At this point, the game reached its first turning point. The Lakers tried to change the pace and started to launch attacks from the outside, relying on the cooperation between Kidd and the forwards to create space and attack the Trail Blazers' relatively old starting lineup.

However, Gan Guoyang's defense was impeccable. His excellent lateral movement and precise positioning made Kidd's several breakthroughs and passes futile.

McGrady attempted to use his height to overpower Blaylock, but was intercepted and then committed a turnover after being double-teamed, allowing the Trail Blazers to launch a beautiful counterattack.

Kobe scored on a layup, Mullin hit a three-pointer on the fast break, and Gan Guoyang added a putback dunk on the fast break, resulting in a 7-0 run that forced the Lakers to call a timeout.

Gan Guoyang's precise control of the court on the defensive end exploited the weaknesses of the two tall forwards, Horry and McGrady: insufficient strength and average ball-handling attacking ability.

That's Horry's role, while McGrady is still young and needs to work out; he's clearly not used to the intensity of the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers called a timeout, and Del Harris readjusted the game. At this point, he had no choice but to continue relying on O'Neal as the primary offensive option.

Once O'Neal takes the lead in attacking, the Trail Blazers continue to defend him one-on-one without double-teaming him, allowing O'Neal to score against Sabonis and preventing the Lakers' offense from connecting inside and outside.

The Lakers have started to score again, but in the long run their offensive efficiency is declining, their inside-outside coordination is lacking, and the pressure they put on the Trail Blazers is decreasing.

In the first quarter, the Trail Blazers led the Lakers 29-24 by 5 points. Gan Guoyang scored 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block, just as he had planned.

In the second quarter, the Trail Blazers used a younger lineup, with Gan Guoyang active at the small forward position, continuing to exert strong pressure on Horry and McGrady.

Kidd struggled to cope with Kobe's relentless one-on-one defense. He couldn't pass the ball as easily as he could in the first and second games, and had to be wary of Kobe's steals and fast breaks.

As a result, the Lakers' perimeter offense gradually collapsed, unable to execute coherent and fluid plays, and could only rely on the individual abilities of their players to score piecemeal goals.

If all else fails, just throw the ball inside and let O'Neal handle it. O'Neal had a blast, scoring 21 points in the first half and tearing Sabonis to shreds.

However, looking at the score, the Trail Blazers led the Lakers 51-43 at halftime, an 8-point advantage. Neither team was scoring much, which put the Lakers at a significant disadvantage as their offense was effectively shut down.

The reason the Trail Blazers only scored 51 points in the first half was mainly because... Gan Guoyang scored 10 points in the second quarter and then refused to score any more. He was strictly following the plan to advance the game and saving his energy for the second half.

If it were the Lakers in the past, given their performance, he would have led them to a 15-point lead in the second quarter, effectively ending any suspense in the game.

Alternatively, they could shut down the Lakers' wing players while also keeping an eye on O'Neal, preventing him from having too much of a comfortable game.

Now he plays with more strategic thinking, more like Jordan.

As the game entered the third quarter, both sides began to increase their intensity, with the Lakers launching a furious counterattack.

As expected, the Trail Blazers had a terrible time from beyond the arc, missing several three-pointers in a row, allowing the Lakers to close the gap to just 2 points.

Gan Guoyang stepped up, repeatedly driving into the paint to draw fouls and making free throws to stabilize the situation.

Then, on the defensive end, they singled out O'Neal one-on-one, causing O'Neal to miss one shot and then hesitate to shoot, bringing the Lakers' comeback wave to an abrupt halt.

After stabilizing the situation, Gan Guoyang backed down O'Neal and Thorpe in the low post, scoring even when triple-teamed, widening the gap back to 10 points.

In the third quarter, Gan Guoyang scored 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, helping the Trail Blazers suppress the Lakers' fierce counterattack on both ends of the court and enter the fourth quarter with an advantage.

In the fourth quarter, during the Lakers' final struggle, Del Harris suddenly fielded a backcourt duo of Fisher and Kidd, and Fisher's two three-pointers gave the Lakers hope of a comeback.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang immediately responded with a three-pointer and a strong drive to the basket for a 2+1 play, extinguishing the Lakers' hopes of closing the gap.

This was the final turning point of the game. After the Trail Blazers suppressed the Lakers' surprise player's struggle, they firmly held onto the advantage.

With two minutes remaining, Bird started Hack-a-Shaq, fouling O'Neal and sending him to the free-throw line, forcing Del Harris to substitute O'Neal.

Without O'Neal, the Trail Blazers' twin towers became even more unrestrained, relying on offensive rebounds to stall for time on offense.

Each offensive rebound earned the Lakers 24 seconds of offensive time, gradually eroding their hopes of a comeback.

Ultimately, the Trail Blazers won Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals 102-94 on the road, securing an 8-point victory in a classic Trail Blazers-style shutout.

Gan Guoyang scored 41 points, grabbed 21 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots, shining once again in Los Angeles.

O'Neal scored 36 points in a losing effort, but in the fourth quarter he was hampered by free throws and his inability to break through Gan Guoyang's one-on-one defense, managing only 2 points.

The balance of the series has shifted back towards the Trail Blazers, and Gan Guoyang is gradually adapting, playing like an ordinary person.

(End of this chapter)