The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 865 Generation Gap
At 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time on June 3, the 1999 NBA Finals began.

Portland once again became the protagonist of the Finals, and as an article in Sports Illustrated put it, "Once the Trail Blazers' war machine starts, they won't stop easily."

As the core engine of this war machine, Gan Guoyang is in good condition, operating at high speed day after day for more than a decade.

The rest of the past few days allowed Gan Guoyang to catch his breath. Although the Cox Report had put him under a lot of mental stress, all his worries would disappear as soon as he stepped onto the basketball court.

Throughout the lengthy opening ceremony, Gan Guoyang remained silent, chewing gum, while the television cameras were constantly focused on him, the only superstar on the field.

On and off the field, Gan Guoyang is the most dazzling focus; both those who love him and those who hate him cannot take their eyes off him.

He is a superstar among superstars; everyone else pales in comparison.

Wearing their blue jerseys, the Knicks players couldn't help but feel nervous as they stepped onto the floor of the Rose Garden Arena.

Madison Square Garden is a basketball mecca, but for the past 10 years, the NBA's basketball mecca has been Portland's arena, Memorial Arena, and Rose Garden.

In the previous eight NBA Finals, the Trail Blazers never lost a game if the first game was played in Portland.

No one can take the initiative against Portland.

With such a strong foundation and momentum, everyone at the Pioneer team is full of confidence.

Of course, the Cox Report still had some influence within the Trail Blazers.

Since the incident on May 7th, the atmosphere within the team has been quite delicate.

Although the whole team publicly expressed their support for Forrest Gump, it's hard to predict what they really thought.

Human nature is unpredictable. NBA players are ultimately just athletes, and teams are just teams, not revolutionary organizations.

Tang Jianguo, who had always stood firmly by Gan Guoyang's side, chose to remain silent this time and refrain from expressing his opinion.

He is reportedly looking for the Trail Blazers' next buyer to raise funds for his 2000 presidential campaign and, incidentally, to make a split.

The Trail Blazers and Forrest Gump have earned him immense prestige, and now it seems like it's time for him to use that prestige to take things a step further.

He was still observing whether he would climb over Forrest Gump's corpse to advance his own career, or use Forrest Gump's counterattack to further expand his influence.

The team only had hotheads like Kobe and Jermaine O'Neal, who privately told Gan Guoyang, "We definitely believe in you and support you."

Gan Guoyang immediately reminded them not to express their stance in any situation. If they supported something, they should keep it to themselves; if they opposed it, that was fine too.

"Shut your mouths and don't say anything. At a time like this, protecting yourselves is more important than protecting me, understand?"

The two remained obedient and did not make any statements in front of the media or the public.

But Gan Guoyang didn't expect that his opponent, Sprewell, would say before the fight, "Forrest Gump or America, I choose Forrest Gump."

Gan Guoyang really didn't know whether to say this guy was brainless or to thank him for daring to defy public opinion and support the opponent under such circumstances.

But thinking about it, it's not surprising. If this guy were just like an ordinary person, how could he do things like trying to strangle his coach or being indifferent when his daughter was bitten by a dog?
After the opening ceremony, before the match officially began, Gan Guoyang walked up to Sprewell and said, "I heard about your support for me, thank you."

Sprewell replied, "I wasn't supporting you, I was just saying what I wanted to say. Also, thank you for helping me back then, we're even now."

The madman remained arrogant, refusing to bow down in front of his idol and rival.

These Black people are quite interesting; their values ​​and behaviors often clash with modern society, making people think they have something wrong with their brains.

But sometimes, looking at them from a different perspective, they seem to have a strong traditional style, which may be largely due to their chaotic upbringing.

Sabonis and Alonzo Mourning stood in the center circle for the jump ball, and the game began the moment the referee tossed the ball.

With his height advantage, Older Sabonis managed to get the ball first, passing it to point guard Brelock, and starting the first offensive play of the series.

Sabonis is 34 years old this year, but he is in very good condition. His years of rest and recuperation in Europe, along with good maintenance, have kept him in good form.

At the start, the Trail Blazers focused their offense on Sabonis, who received the ball in the low post with his back to goal, preparing to attack Mourning.

On the weak side, Shawn Kemp desperately tried to front Gan Guoyang to prevent him from cutting inside. Kemp's task in this final was to mark Gan Guoyang.

Kemp knew it was a nearly impossible task, but he was determined to give it his all.

Compared to his time at Supersonic, Kemp gained a lot of weight in 1999, not to improve his competitiveness, but because he lacked self-discipline.

In the Big Apple, it's incredibly easy for a player to live a life of luxury.

At 29, Kemp has shown remarkable self-discipline by holding back until now, which is why his physique has only started to deteriorate slightly.

The benefit of gaining weight is that he is more resilient in interior battles and can withstand Forrest Gump's dominance to some extent.

Kemp started the game with great effort, Van Gundy encouraged him to exert himself, and Thomas was available as a substitute on the bench.

Sabonis received the ball, and the two sides repeatedly double-teamed and battled in the low post, until the referee suddenly blew the whistle.

The referee called an illegal defensive call on the Knicks, as they clearly exhibited signs of a 2-3 zone defense in their first defensive play.

Jeff Van Gundy shook his head on the sidelines. He had tried to play a defensive flank at the start of the game, but the referee saw through his plan.

The first violation is a reminder, with no penalty. A second violation will result in a free throw.

Van Gundy's dark circles revealed a deeper worry: if the Knicks couldn't improve their defense, the Finals were destined to be a very difficult game.

As expected, the Trail Blazers inbounded the ball to organize their offense, and the Knicks switched to one-on-one man-to-man defense. Gan Guoyang easily shook off Kemp's entanglement and received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the wing.

Facing Kemp, Gan Guoyang easily took a mid-range pull-up jumper, which Kemp couldn't interfere with at all, and the two points went in, scoring the first point of the finals.

The crowd erupted in cheers; the Finals felt like a festival for Trail Blazers fans.

For more than a decade, they have spent many Junes during this holiday, and it has become a habit for many fans.

Many young fans, especially those who were just kids in 1986, would go out with their parents and sit on their fathers' shoulders to celebrate the Trail Blazers winning the championship.

More than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye. They have grown up and some even have their own children. They continue to bring their children to the stadium to watch Forrest Gump play in the Finals.

When Gan Guoyang scored at the start of the game, it indicated that his form tonight wouldn't be too bad.

Allan Houston quickly responded with a mid-range jumper from the baseline.

As the other player in the backcourt duo, his offense primarily relies on shooting.

The standard and graceful shooting form is considered the textbook for mid-range shooting.

Mullin was tasked with defending Houston, and he was clearly struggling to keep up with their pace, but he quickly responded with his offense.

The Trail Blazers launched a fast break, and after a series of screens and passes on the perimeter, Mullin received the ball and hit a three-pointer!

The Trail Blazers remain the team with the most decisive and sharpest three-point attempts in the entire league.

Mullin's overall performance has declined significantly this season, but his three-point shooting percentage and number of attempts remain at a high level.

He has degenerated from being an important small forward and playmaker last season to a quality three-point shooter—which is good enough for the Trail Blazers.

A significant portion of his responsibilities were delegated to Kobe, who took on more outside shooting duties.

In the Knicks' offensive possession, Shawn Kemp attempted to challenge Agan in the low post. After a series of dribbling, drives, and spins without finding any openings, Kemp passed the ball to Mourning, who was cutting inside.

As a result, Mourning's dunk was interfered with by Sabonis and missed, the ball went out of bounds, and it was still the Knicks' ball.

"This is a dilemma the Knicks must solve in this series: how their interior defense will deal with Portland's twin towers. This will be a big problem."

The Knicks have plenty of strength in the paint, but lack height.

Moreover, both Mourning and Kemp are the kind of tough, straightforward big men who lack flexibility and fancy moves.

Whether attacking or defending, they excel at head-on confrontations. In high-level games, relying solely on brute force without adaptability and skill will lead to significant losses.

Especially against the Trail Blazers' twin towers, who are intelligent and have a very high basketball IQ, the Knicks' interior defense is likely to suffer a great loss.

This is why, despite having two All-Star players in the paint, the Knicks' core engine is Sprewell.

The Knicks reorganized their offense, and Sprewell used a screen to pull up for a jump shot and made two points, with the Knicks keeping close behind.

Following up on their defense, the Knicks used their tight defense under the basket to stop Sabonis's one-on-one play and get the ball on a fast break.

Sprewell received the ball again, set a screen on the outside, and took a three-pointer, but missed.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the long rebound, and the Trail Blazers sped up their counterattack. Kobe drove to the basket and drew a foul from Kemp, going to the free-throw line.

Both sides started with great intensity and speed, vying for the rhythm of the game.

Unlike their Eastern Conference Finals game against the Pacers, the Knicks didn't start by grinding out the opponent in a half-court game.

This was a strategy devised by the Knicks coaching staff. Van Gundy believed that grinding out the Blazers in half-court sets would not be enough to defeat them.

Think about it, no matter how well you grind on the defensive end, can you be as good as the Bulls?

No matter how good Sprewell's offensive playmaking ability is, can it be better than Michael Jordan's?

The Knicks must capitalize on their strength, which is their interior defense.

Making good use of the inside game doesn't mean grinding out the game in one half. Both Mourning and Kemp are short, straight-legged inside players.

They absolutely cannot outlast Portland's twin towers by letting them settle into their positions and wear them down.

We must leverage our youth and speed, accelerate the pace, and launch a full-scale attack.

Van Gundy's idea was correct; this bald guy really knows how to prepare for the game.

The Trail Blazers are the fastest team in the league, but they are also one of the oldest teams in terms of core roster.

The Knicks are younger, and they must demonstrate defensive energy and offensive impact to battle the cunning Trail Blazers.

Kobe made one of two free throws, Mourning grabbed the rebound, the Knicks quickly advanced, and Allan Houston received a pass from Sprewell and made another mid-range jump shot!
Houston's mid-range shot is indeed reliable; not only is his form aesthetically pleasing, but it's also very consistent.

Faced with the Knicks' high-intensity offensive pace, the Trail Blazers slowed down and started attacking from the low post.

Gan Guoyang finally received the ball in the low post and launched a strong attack. The Knicks did not hesitate to triple-team him. A double-team is useless.

Gan Guoyang passed the ball to Sabonis, who cut to the basket and attacked, but his layup was blocked by Mourning!
The Knicks launched another counterattack. Sprewell dribbled like lightning, shook off Kobe, passed Mullin, and drove to the basket for a layup!

The Trail Blazers called a timeout, which was unexpected. At the start of the first quarter, the Knicks caught the Trail Blazers off guard, with Bird pressing the timeout button first.

The Knicks players were excited, and Jeff Van Gundy breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed his strategy at the start of the game was successful; now it was up to the Trail Blazers to respond.

Bird first made a personnel adjustment, substituting Chris Mullin for Riddell to strengthen the perimeter defense.

The Knicks exploited Mullin's defensive weakness, having a backcourt duo that Kobe alone couldn't handle.

DeKarl Hart picked up the whiteboard to set up the defense; the Trail Blazers' first priority is to address their defensive issues.

Bird pulled Gan Guoyang aside and asked, "How are you feeling? Nervous?"

"Are you kidding me? You think I'd be nervous?"

"I don't know, I'm afraid things off the field will affect you."

"There will be a little, but it won't affect the victory in this game."

Gan Guoyang's performance at the start was lackluster, and Bird was worried that off-court news would affect Gan Guoyang's performance.

After all, there aren't many people who can remain absolutely calm under such problems and pressure.

Gan Guoyang was unaffected, but his own game plan was to play conservatively in the first quarter and exert his strength in the third.

The Finals are different from the Western Conference Finals, so we need to be more cautious. We don't need to rush to pressure a tough team like the Knicks at the start.

The plan in Gan Guoyang's mind was to find his rhythm by pulling each other along, and to make a decisive move in the third quarter, a time when he was more familiar with the game.

The Knicks did start well, but the Trail Blazers weren't without a way to deal with it; Hart rearranged the team's defense.

The Trail Blazers did not rush to try to overwhelm the Knicks with a barrage of attacks.

After the timeout, the Trail Blazers relied on Gan Guoyang's screens and defensive distraction to pass the ball to Kobe. Kobe then drove to the basket and passed it to the wing, where Blake received the ball and made a jump shot.

After scoring, Blaylock immediately countered and began a full-court press against the Knicks.

Of the Knicks' starting five, the point guard is the weakest and has the biggest weaknesses.

Chris Childs is at best a competent starter; his abilities in all aspects are insufficient to fully support the Knicks' offense.

Therefore, Sprewell was often the Knicks' perimeter ball handler, directly leading the offense by bringing the ball across half-court.

Blaylock and Kobe double-teamed Sprewell, and since the "Madman" wasn't a professional point guard, he was suddenly subjected to intense double-teaming and lost the ball.

Kobe stole the ball, and it looked like a simple score would be achieved by passing it up the court, so the Knicks had no choice but to foul.

In another offensive possession for the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang received the ball at the high post and passed it directly to the basket, where Riddell cut to receive the ball and scored a layup!
After scoring 4 consecutive points, the Knicks called a timeout.

In a finals-level competition, timeouts were called very promptly whenever a problem was detected.

Van Gundy pulled out a note he had prepared before the game and decided to make a substitution.

He substituted Kurt Thomas for Shawn Kemp, requesting a slowdown in pace and more positional attacks.

"Success rate, we must focus on success rate. Success rate is our lifeline. We cannot let the Trail Blazers take the lead."

Van Gundy knew that if the Trail Blazers gained a significant lead, the game would be very difficult.

After the timeout, the Knicks became more cautious on offense, passing the ball repeatedly and only shooting when there was an absolutely perfect opportunity.

After Kurt Thomas entered the game, he took a mid-range shot from the right baseline—with one second remaining on the Knicks' possession.

A last-second shot, a buzzer-beater! Their repeated passing attempts were aimed at breaking down the Trail Blazers' solid half-court defense.

In the few possessions after the timeout, this strategy worked well, and the Knicks players were indeed in good form at the start.

But as the number of rounds increased and time passed, the Knicks' offense gradually began to falter.

The Trail Blazers protected the paint very well, and the Knicks scored almost nothing under the basket, relying entirely on inefficient mid-range shots.

The Knicks are one of the teams that shoot the fewest three-pointers and prefer mid-range shots among the 16 playoff teams.

The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, took the most three-pointers out of the 16 teams, and relatively fewer mid-range shots – mainly dominated by Kobe and Gan Guoyang.

The efficiency gap became increasingly apparent as the game progressed. The Knicks went from leading by one or two points to being tied, and then in the last minute of the first quarter, Kobe and Blake's two three-pointers pierced their heart, leaving them trailing by 6 points!
With the score at 29-23, the Trail Blazers led the Knicks by 6 points after the first quarter, and the two teams went into the break.

Bill Walton, summarizing the first quarter, said, "I think there's a generational gap between the New York Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers."

"If the Knicks want to win, they must play to their strengths."

What are their advantages?

"Um...maybe being young is an advantage? Or...they're from New York."

(End of this chapter)