The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 863 Facing the Twin Towers
When the series returned to Portland, it meant that the Los Angeles Lakers' 1998-1999 season was almost over, with only 48 minutes left.

Before the game started, Shaquille O'Neal seemed a little better in the Lakers' locker room than when they were on the verge of elimination last season, perhaps because he had gotten used to it.

He joked with Hu Weidong, "After this game, you can stay in Portland and watch the Finals with your big brother."

Hu Weidong smiled and said, "I hope I can go back to Los Angeles again."

Compared to last season, Hu Weidong has become much more cheerful, and he smiles and talks much more.

Environmental factors played a role, but more importantly, he established himself with the Lakers and truly became a part of the NBA.

This season, his injuries have decreased, his attendance has become more consistent, and he has become an important member of the Lakers' bench.

Hu Weidong followed Gan Guoyang's advice, improving his physical fitness on the one hand, and striving to enhance his strengths on the other.

This is done in order to adapt to the intensity of NBA games and at the same time make himself a useful tool player.

Hu Weidong's strength lies in long-range shooting. He has excellent three-point shooting talent, with a fast release, soft touch, and high accuracy.

Despite being severely nearsighted, Hu Weidong has managed to shoot quickly without looking at the basket, since he can't see it anyway.

Gradually, Hu Weidong became the Lakers' bench microwave; whenever the second unit needed to create space and score, Hu Weidong would be sent onto the court.

Hu Weidong also lived up to expectations, with a three-point shooting percentage of 41% and an average of 1.2 three-pointers per game, making a contribution every time he stepped onto the court.

Hu Weidong's average number of three-pointers made and his shooting percentage are higher than those of Robert Horry and Jason Kidd.

Although Hu Weidong's playing time decreased sharply in the playoffs, his three-point attempts and made numbers also dropped significantly.

But with such contributions during the regular season, Hu Weidong could easily secure a decent contract in Los Angeles.

In the summer of 98, Hu Weidong returned to China and started a relationship. Although the two are now separated by the ocean, their relationship is still very good.

If the season ends in Portland, Hu Weidong doesn't want to stay in Portland to watch the finals; he wants to rush back to China to see his girlfriend.

Anyway, watching the finals on TV is the same, but the feeling of meeting your girlfriend face-to-face and talking on the phone is completely different.

The Lakers' young players are already prepared for another disappointing season, with the Trail Blazers crushing them once again.

The game unfolded as expected. The Lakers put up a brief resistance at the start, but the Trail Blazers quickly widened the gap with a smooth offensive run.

In the later stages of the game, although the Lakers struggled and narrowed the score several times, it was clear to everyone that the Trail Blazers were simply controlling the pace of the game.

The first half was fairly evenly matched, with the Trail Blazers leading by 4 points at halftime.

In the decisive third quarter, the Trail Blazers stepped up their game, with Kobe scoring consecutive points to ignite the first wave of scoring.

Sabonis then capitalized on the Lakers' defensive lapses, scoring repeatedly in the mid-range and low post to solidify the Trail Blazers' lead.

The Lakers have lost the will to continue fighting. A notable characteristic of teams centered around O'Neal is that they are not good at playing from behind.

This is largely related to O'Neal's technical characteristics and his mental fortitude.

In recent years, whenever O'Neal's team is at a disadvantage in terms of overall strength and the series goes poorly, they are very likely to collapse.

It's either 0-4 or 1-4; sweeps and gentlemanly sweeps have become O'Neal's standard tactics, making him highly controversial in the media.

The inability to perform well when behind has become Shaquille O'Neal's trademark, and it seems he still has a long way to go to shed this label.

It's not enough to just smash a few lockers or break a couple of urinals in the locker room; he needs a more comprehensive improvement, from technique to mindset.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers held a 12-point lead, giving the Lakers one last chance to fight back.

However, just like in the fourth game, Gan Guoyang, who had been on standby for the first three quarters, did not rest at the beginning of the fourth quarter and immediately started to exert himself.

With Gan Guoyang receiving the ball in the midfield and scoring repeatedly, the Trail Blazers launched a 6-0 offensive surge, widening the gap to as much as 18 points.

The Lakers found themselves in a frustrating predicament. O'Neal received the ball under the basket and drove towards the basket, but the Trail Blazers fouled him, sending him to the free-throw line.

Midway through the fourth quarter, when the Lakers were making a strong comeback, the Trail Blazers started sending in expendable players to foul O'Neal in rotation.

This dirty tactic has been used by the Trail Blazers in almost every game from last season to this season's series.

Even if it didn't work, they still wanted to mess with O'Neal's mentality, and as expected, O'Neal didn't miss the free throw.

As long as Forrest Gump is on the court, the Trail Blazers' defensive rebounding is excellent during crucial moments in the fourth quarter.

By gaining possession of the ball and slowing down the pace, the Lakers' hopes of quickly closing the gap gradually faded over time.

Gradually, the Lakers stopped struggling, and the fans at the Rose Garden began to cheer. The 1999 Western Conference champion was about to be born.

Since 1986, Gan Guoyang's Portland Trail Blazers will reach the NBA Finals for the ninth time—they won the championship in all eight previous appearances.

They were an invincible team in the NBA, the second Boston Celtics, the unparalleled red and black dynasty.

Moreover, things are different now compared to the 60s. Back then, there were fewer than 10 teams in the league, the players weren't the best in the world, and the playoffs only took two rounds to reach the championship.

The NBA's influence has not even extended to the entire United States; for most of the time, it has only had an impact in the Northeast and a small area on the West Coast.

Currently, the NBA has nearly 30 teams, encompassing the world's best players, and its reputation extends globally, making it the world's premier basketball league.

The Portland championship is of a completely different value.

Portland fans believe that neither the Knicks nor the Pacers will be a match for the Trail Blazers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

With the Bulls and Michael Jordan gone, no one can pose a threat to the Trail Blazers and Forrest Gump anymore.

When the buzzer sounded, the score was 110-101. In the end, both sides played with abandon, and the score soared.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers by 9 points, winning the series 4-1 and advancing to the NBA Finals.

Gan Guoyang and his teammates lifted the silver Western Championship trophy together, their expressions calm, having done so many times before.

Terry Porter stood at the edge of the line without even considering touching it; his face was expressionless and he even looked somewhat tired.

He's already won eight of these, this is his ninth. Most importantly, he still has eight gold medals left. A Western Conference title is really nothing special.

Portland fans remained calm; the cheers and applause lasted for about thirty seconds before everyone began to disperse.

It's like going through the motions; time to go home and rest. The expected Western Conference champions, let's get ready for the NBA Finals.

Because of the grand and great championship they won in 1998, the players weren't very excited about winning the Western Conference title this time.

After a brief celebration back in the locker room, Bird told everyone that they would have a day off and would train at the gym the day after tomorrow to prepare for the Finals.

After this game, the Trail Blazers still don't know who their opponent will be in the Finals, as the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are locked in a close battle.

They are tied 2-2 after the first four games, and the pivotal Game 5 will be played tomorrow in Indiana.

The winner will have a match point in the series and a high probability of advancing to the Finals to face the Trail Blazers.

Although these two teams are not the best performing teams in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, they are both quite strong.

Unlike the Celtics and Nets, two rapidly rising stars with one veteran and one young player, the Pacers and Knicks had been battling the Bulls for many years.

The two teams have a deep-seated rivalry, having met multiple times in the playoffs, each time resulting in a fierce and exciting match.

After acquiring Sprewell this season, the Knicks have become more aggressive and fierce.

In the semifinals against the Celtics, they shattered the Celtics' twin towers lineup centered around Duncan.

The Pacers, having narrowly lost to the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, are looking to make a comeback this season.

They retained their core roster and added newcomer Al Harrington and veteran Sam Perkins to the forward line, strengthening their bench depth.

Logically, their overall strength should have improved, but unexpectedly, Reggie Miller's performance fluctuated.

Miller's scoring and shooting percentage both declined during the regular season. More importantly, his ability to make crucial shots in key moments was significantly lower than in the 1998 season.

In 98, Miller consistently made crucial shots at critical moments in games. However, this season, whether due to fluctuating form or other reasons, his clutch performance has declined significantly. The playoffs are highly competitive, and unless there's a clear advantage in skill, many games will be extremely intense.

When it comes to the crucial moments, it all comes down to whether the key players can make the crucial shots.

Sometimes a crucial goal can determine not only the outcome of a single match, but also the course of an entire series.

On May 25th, Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, a crucial pivotal game, will be played at Indiana's home court.

Gan Guoyang watched the game live at home with his father. The winner is very likely to be the Trail Blazers' opponent in the Finals.

Gan Youwei not only watches the Trail Blazers' games, but also other important games. He is now a true "veteran" fan.

For this reason, Gan Guoyang specially bought a huge TV and put it in the living room for his father to watch the game.

Gan Youwei would always wear glasses and lay a small notebook on the table, taking notes as he read.

He would occasionally write a comment or two, using it as his memory bank to slow down the rate of forgetting.

He has filled dozens of notebooks with such notes, which he has carefully organized and placed on his bookshelf according to time.

The battle was quite intense, but the match itself was not very entertaining.

Both teams started off hitting terribly, making the game incredibly slow-paced with a lot of poor mid-range shots.

Five minutes into the first quarter, the score was 2-3, with the Pacers leading by one point.

Gan Youwei was furious and slammed his fist on the table: "Is this some kind of football game?! Only two goals in half a day!"

"Hey, hey, watch your manners, don't swear."

Did I swear? No, right?

"You just swore at someone."

"I forgot what I said? I have Alzheimer's."

"Don't pretend, I don't believe you. Don't you remember you have Alzheimer's? Just watch the game."

Gan Youwei often jokes about his Alzheimer's disease with those around him, and this positive attitude is actually very helpful in slowing down the progression of the disease.

However, the game was indeed somewhat boring. The slow pace and overly intense competition made it extremely difficult for both teams to score.

In the previous four games, none of them scored more than 100 points, with the highest score being 93 points and the lowest being 78 points.

It wasn't until the second quarter that the pace of the game gradually picked up, the players got warmer, and the score gradually increased.

At this point, the Pacers capitalized on their home-court advantage, playing with overwhelming momentum and quickly widening the score gap.

They took a 10-point lead in the first half, which is a significant advantage in such a defensive battle.

"Dad, have you placed your bets? Who do you think will win?"

"I don't bet on games that aren't yours... I don't think the Pacers are any good."

"The Pacers are up by 10 points, and they still can't win? The score will be very low."

"They started too early, which is not their style. Playing a game is like running; everyone has their own rhythm and pace. Trying to be fast and overtake your opponent will disrupt your familiar rhythm and cause problems later on."

Gan Youwei often watches the games carefully. Although he doesn't understand the specific technical and tactical details, he has summarized some key points.

He can observe the momentum of the game and make basic judgments about its direction through intuitive analysis of that momentum.

This judgment is certainly not always accurate, as there are too many factors that affect the outcome of a game, but sometimes it is indeed very predictive.

As expected, the Knicks launched a fierce counterattack in the third quarter.

This year, after the Knicks traded Sprewell for Rice, their offensive aggression has become much stronger.

In the past, they always relied on Mourning and Kemp as the core of their offense, with Rice and Houston as the outside shooters.

Van Gundy's offensive arsenal consists of only three main weapons, which are used up and then gone. He relies entirely on extreme pressure on the defensive end to gain an advantage.

The problem is that basketball is ultimately a scoring game. You can focus on defense, but in the playoffs, your offense can't be too simplistic.

Sprewell's arrival provided ample versatility; his ball-handling, fast breaks, and incredible one-on-one plays filled the biggest gap in the Knicks' original roster.

He averaged 16 points per game in the regular season, but his average score rose to 21 points per game in the playoffs, making him the team's leading scorer and most important offensive force.

His free throw percentage and number of free throws made both reached career highs.

Sprewell spearheaded the Knicks' comeback in the third quarter, outscoring the Pacers 28-14, a 14-point margin in the quarter, and taking the lead into the fourth.

Gan Youwei is right. The Pacers released their energy too early, which caused them to be unable to cope with the Knicks' comeback in the crucial third quarter.

Adelman was pacing anxiously on the sidelines, but there was nothing he could do. Miller just couldn't make the shot when he needed to put in the effort, and this wasn't the first time.

The Pacers fans at home kept cheering for their team, but at this stage of the series, whether it was home or away was no longer that important.

Do you think home fans can just storm down the court and drive the away team out? For true playoff contenders, winning on the road is a given.

In the first game of the series, the Knicks conquered Indiana. Back here, they were unaffected and focused solely on winning and advancing to the Finals.

In the decisive fourth quarter, Miller regained his form, hitting consecutive three-pointers, but Sprewell was always able to respond.

Having weathered the Pacers' fiercest comeback, the Knicks began to score steadily thanks to their inside advantage, with Kemp and Mourning consistently grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring on second-chance opportunities.

The Knicks have gained the upper hand over the Pacers in terms of momentum, and the New Yorkers are getting closer and closer to victory.

With one minute left, the Knicks had extended their lead to eight points, but they dared not let their guard down.

Because Miller always manages to deliver a fatal counterattack at these moments, turning the tide with a series of three-pointers.

But Miller couldn't pull off a miracle this time; the Miller Time didn't come, and the Knicks held onto their advantage.

Ultimately, they defeated the Pacers 98-92 on the road, taking a 3-2 lead in the series and securing a point in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The entire city of New York City was in a frenzy, so you can imagine how crazy the next game at Madison Square Garden will be.

Fans in New York City are hoping that the Knicks can return to the top stage after 26 years.

The Trail Blazers also considered the New York Knicks as their primary hypothetical opponent, and the coaching staff began studying their game footage and tactical strategies.

Just as Gan Guoyang was calmly preparing for the finals, on May 26, the U.S. House of Representatives released a secret investigation report, causing a huge uproar.

The report, authored and named by Representative Christopher Coster, points out that the United States has been engaged in extensive espionage activities since the 1980s.

These espionage activities mainly revolve around state secrets such as military operations and nuclear weapons technology, with the manipulators behind them pointing directly to countries across the Pacific.

One point was specifically mentioned: "Our military operations in Kosovo were leaked and affected, which is likely related to a professional athlete who has been in the United States for many years and has a great reputation."

With the release of the Cox Report, Gan Guoyang is facing a major crisis in his career.

The phone kept ringing at Gan Guoyang's home, with all sorts of calls: some were comforting, some were inquiring, some were probing, some were trying to distance themselves, and some were attacking him...

Gan Guoyang remained calm. He had been prepared. He made a special call to Bird and asked, "Larry, are you still on my side?"

On the other end of the phone, Bird was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I told you, I'll always stand with you. I don't believe that bullshit report at all."

Gan Guoyang said, "Me too. I'm really looking forward to going to New York. The Knicks will most likely make it to the Finals."

"No matter who it is, we will win. But if you go to New York, you need to be mentally prepared; the fans there are all lunatics."

“It’s okay, I was just thinking of going to see the Petronas Towers. You know, I like facing the Twin Towers.”

(End of this chapter)