The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 896 A Slight Smile

For a 36-year-old veteran like Gan Guoyang, finding some enjoyment during the long regular season is an essential way to maintain motivation.

Michael Jordan likes to create enemies for himself, even if the other party has no ill intentions. Jordan still creates targets for himself to attack, keeping himself angry.

Unlike Jordan, Gan Guoyang doesn't like to seek out enemies in the dark. It would be best if someone came to his door to die, but such situations are becoming increasingly rare. Therefore, Gan Guoyang sets small goals for himself to achieve.

For example, there were phrases like "I won't let the opponent score," "Tonight I'm going to score with my left hand," or "Tonight I'm going to make 5 three-pointers," etc.

In this match against Nowitzki, Gan Guoyang received a task from Old Nelson: on the one hand, to give the young German a shock lesson, and on the other hand, not to be too ruthless, but to set an example for Nowitzki so that he would have a goal to strive for.

This requires Gan Guoyang to control the intensity and avoid developing a negative impression like he did against O'Neal, given that Nelson and Gan Guoyang have a good relationship.

Back in the Olympic training camp, Bobby Knight tried to pull a fast one by getting Don Nelson, the DNP, to keep him out of the game, fearing the Olympic team would lose.

Old Nelson firmly refused, insisting on sending Gan Guoyang to play and giving him important responsibilities. From that time on, Gan Guoyang admired Old Nelson, a coach with a strong personality.

If he were to defeat his carefully nurtured prodigy in World War I and send him back to Germany, it would be incredibly unfair.

The game began with a jump ball, and the towering Bradley scored the first point, marking the Mavericks' first offensive play of the game.

The Mavericks' tactics at the start were conventional, with Strickland controlling the ball and organizing the team's offense from the perimeter.

Facing the Trail Blazers' relatively loose defense at the start, Strickland broke through the middle and scored two points with a floater, taking the lead.

Strickland is a very talented player who entered the league in 1988 and played for several teams, always managing to find a job.

Although he couldn't achieve anything great because he was too undisciplined off the court—a typical Black player with drunk driving, fighting, disturbing the peace, and so on—he was able to stay in the league because he was indeed very capable.

There are quite a few Black players like this in the league. For them, the NBA is a high-paying job. They use their talents to earn dollars here and then live the extravagant life they dream of.

Strickland was able to average 18 points and 10 assists at his peak. As a point guard, he was very comfortable on the court and was a pure talent monster.

Gan Guoyang had faced Rod Strickland many times in the past, and he could clearly feel that this guy was very talented, as could be seen from his scoring.

As a point guard, when he wants to break the deadlock by scoring, it is difficult for opponents to stop him. He is not even afraid of Gan Guoyang's rim protection in the paint.

Even when facing the Chicago Bulls, Rod Strickland always dared to take on Michael Jordan in mismatches and repeatedly succeeded.

He is a typical gifted individual with excellent ball handling skills. As a point guard, he also has outstanding shoulder width and strong upper body. His finishing ability under the basket is quite strong, and he can always put the ball into the basket with difficult moves.

But he didn't achieve anything greater, never even making an All-Star team, because he lacked self-discipline and had no interest in becoming a great player.

For him, the NBA is just a job. He just needs to do well in the regular season and get a high salary. As for the playoffs? They don't pay much more in the playoffs, so why bother?

Therefore, Strickland only played in the conference finals once in his career, in 1990 when he was with the Spurs and was swept 0-4 by the Trail Blazers. At that time, he was a second-year rookie.

Later, no matter which team he played for, he could lead the team to the playoffs in the regular season, only to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He was economical and efficient, avoiding unnecessary waste of energy.

In terms of pure talent, Strickland is clearly superior to John Stockton. If he had Stockton's diligence and self-discipline, making the All-Star team would be a piece of cake.

But that's just Strickland's personality. If he entered the NBA to make money so he could live a more frugal life, then what was the point of joining the NBA? What was the point of making money?

The Trail Blazers' counterattack came quickly. Gan Guoyang received the ball at the high post and made a beautiful through pass to Porter, who was cutting inside.

Porter received the ball, shook off his defender, and drove to the basket for a layup, but was blocked by Bradley who came over to help defend – that guy was just too tall.

However, Jermaine O'Neal grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback, adding two points. Both teams scored quickly at the start of the game.

Both teams played fairly well and relaxed before the first timeout, in a warm-up state, attacking one point at a time, not yet reaching the intensity.

As Nowitzki ran back and forth, he gradually calmed down. It wasn't his first time playing against the Trail Blazers or Forrest Gump, so there was no need to be so afraid.

So far, Nowitzki has received the ball twice, and after probing, he chose to pass rather than attack, because at the start of the game, the Mavericks' offensive focus was not on him, but on Strickland.

In just a few minutes, Strickland went 3-for-4 from the field and had 2 assists, energizing the Mavericks' offense.

On the other hand, the Trail Blazers' offense was somewhat sluggish, but they managed to keep the score close thanks to three offensive rebounds.

The two sides traded points back and forth, and the score went from 2-2 to 12-12. The game was very smooth and there were no dead balls.

The referee then blew the whistle, the game was officially paused, and the television station was going to broadcast commercials.

That's how the NBA is now. A quarter of a game can't be played smoothly. If you're playing too well, the officials will intervene and interrupt it.

Otherwise, how would TV stations recoup their advertising revenue? And why would they be willing to sign such a large broadcasting contract with the NBA?

On the Mavericks' bench, Mark Cuban pointed and said, "Smash them! Smash them with offense!"

Nelson wanted to shut Cuban up, thinking, "If you're so capable, why don't you try?" But the Mavericks really need to start increasing their offensive firepower.

"Dirk, increase your ball-handling offense. Don't be afraid to challenge Forrest Gump, he's no big deal. Remember, take him down. You did well just now."

Nowitzki thought to himself, "Get it done my ass. Forrest Gump didn't even exert himself. He was just running back and forth for the past few minutes."

In several rebounding contests, Nowitzki felt like a paper doll, about to fall over the moment he made physical contact with Forrest Gump.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang didn't exert himself or resort to dirty tricks. Nowitzki was aware that the rest of the match wouldn't be easy.

After the timeout, it was still the Mavericks' offensive possession, and they had already made personnel adjustments.

Bradley, the "bamboo pole," was substituted off for a rest, and he was replaced by small forward Ceballos.

It's obvious that the Mavericks are starting to act strangely and are no longer playing by the rules.

Theoretically, Nowitzki should be playing center at this point.

But instead of heading towards the three-second zone, he ran to the top of the arc to receive the ball.

Instead, Strickland went to the right corner to crouch and act as the top pitcher.

This style of play would leave anyone bewildered for a moment. Are you going to make Nowitzki the point guard?

The Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang are familiar with each other, because Gan Guoyang plays like this in a few games.

Gan Guoyang has that ability, but Nowitzki doesn't seem like the big man who can orchestrate an offense from the perimeter.

Nowitzki didn't seem to be planning an attack. After receiving the ball, he faked a shot and immediately dribbled low to break through the middle!
The Mavericks created space for Nowitzki to break through, and Gan Guoyang cleared the way for Nowitzki to drive.

The 7-foot-tall Nowitzki dribbles with his left hand very smoothly and has excellent ball control. After driving to the basket, he makes a smooth left-handed layup!

Gan Guoyang slapped him away with a big hat.

This level of breakthrough might be okay against big bears like Ostertag and Bryan Rivers, but against Gan Guoyang, it's just suicide.

Gan Guoyang's block swatted the ball to Kobe, who immediately launched a fast break, but the Mavericks retreated quickly on defense.

Kobe slowed down, Gan Guoyang ran to the low post to box out, Kobe passed the ball to Henderson, and Henderson passed the ball to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang easily secured his position at the 45-degree angle. Nowitzki tried to hold off the ball while attempting to steal it, but it was to no avail.

Gan Guoyang pinched the ball with one hand, pushed it back slightly, then dribbled and shrugged, gently bumping Nowitzki away.

The moment he bounced off, Gan Guoyang gave Nowitzki a charming smile, then easily launched a mid-range jump shot, scoring two points.

Nowitzki is far inferior to Gan Guoyang in terms of physical strength. Nelson's decision to have him guard Gan Guoyang is like giving him a free pass.

The commentators at the scene were saying, "Is Nelson trying to kill Dirk? Sending him to guard Forrest Gump one-on-one?"

What Nowitzki felt was not only the gap in physical strength, but also Gan Guoyang's unparalleled composure and confidence in attack.

He just smiled at me. What did that mean? Was he laughing at my weak physique and terrible defense? Nowitzki didn't have time to think. The Mavericks quickly inbounded the ball and swiftly moved across half-court to organize their offense.

Strickland continued to pass the ball to Nowitzki instead of attacking, and Nowitzki distributed the ball to Finley on the wing.

The Mavericks cleared the left side, giving Finley a one-on-one post-up against Kobe. Kobe held off Finley in the low post, and Finley couldn't find a good rhythm to score. Kobe defended very aggressively.

But Nowitzki on the weak side sensed an opportunity. He suddenly moved from beyond the three-point line, running at a 45-degree angle to the vicinity of the corner position. Finley immediately made a wide pass to Nowitzki.

Nowitzki received the ball and took a mid-range jump shot, but Gan Guoyang was incredibly fast on defense. He stretched out his long arm and knocked the ball away as Nowitzki lifted it.

Nowitzki stumbled in the air, the ball was stolen, and Gan Guoyang made a steal. He slowed down and passed the ball to Porter, who slowly crossed the half-court line to set up a positional play.

Actually, if someone else had been on defense, or if Nelson hadn't given him a heads-up before the game, Nowitzki would have made the shot, or at least the ball wouldn't have been stolen.

In recent matches, Gan Guoyang has not gone all out to block his opponents on the defensive end; he has only played normal defense and has been willing to let the ball pass when necessary.

But Gan Guoyang shook his head at Nowitzki, saying, "You need to observe carefully, rather than rush into a fight."

During the Trail Blazers' offensive possession, Gan Guoyang called for the ball with his back to the basket at the 45-degree angle. The Mavericks came over to double-team him, and Gan Guoyang passed the ball to the basket again.

After receiving the ball, Gan Guoyang quickly turned around and walked towards the baseline to avoid the double team. Nowitzki obviously couldn't keep up, and the area under the basket was wide open.

However, Gan Guoyang did not choose to rush to the basket for a dunk. Instead, he took a step back, stopped abruptly at the baseline, and launched a mid-range jump shot, which went in again.

"I heard your mid-range shot is pretty good, why don't you give it a try?" Gan Guoyang said to Nowitzki as he returned to defense.

Nowitzki had been aroused and didn't respond, but he didn't back down either. Instead, he came out to receive the ball beyond the three-point line.

The Mavericks have gone further than the Trail Blazers in terms of spacing; when Nowitzki plays center, they have no one under the basket.

All five players moved the ball around the three-point line, driving, passing, and receiving. In this respect, Don Nelson was indeed very experimental.

Even a team like the Trail Blazers, which places great importance on three-pointers early on, always has at least one player guarding the paint.

Moreover, the more they shoot three-pointers, the more they emphasize building up their inside game. From 1984 to the present, Gan Guoyang has never lacked good inside partners and substitutes.

Nelson's reforms were undoubtedly more thorough, going all the way down the line and having all five players shoot from the outside, leaving no room for defense.

When Nowitzki faced Gan Guoyang's one-on-one defense on the perimeter, he dribbled to adjust his rhythm and would shoot a jump shot when he saw the right moment.

Nowitzki has used this move a lot this season and it's worked very well, including against Malone, where he was able to make the shot. His rhythm and the softness of his release are excellent.

Most importantly, Nowitzki's height is a solid 7 feet, no exaggeration, which is a significant advantage.

But Gan Guoyang is not Ma Long. His defense has declined the least. By observing Nowitzki's rhythm, he can predict Nowitzki's next move.

Just as he was about to shoot, Gan Guoyang closed in. If Nowitzki shot, he would get blocked; if he didn't shoot... the ball was already dead.

With intense close defense, Nowitzki was unable to pass the ball, which was intercepted by Gan Guoyang, leading to a Trail Blazers counterattack!

No one on the Mavericks could stop Gan Guoyang's tank-like speed. Strickland simply gave up, watching Gan Guoyang glide and slam dunk, scoring 2 points.

With the first quarter nearing its end, Gan Guoyang easily scored 10 points, and the Trail Blazers took the lead, forcing Nelson to call a timeout.

When asked by Nelson on the bench, Nowitzki honestly replied, "I can't handle him, not at all."

Nelson said, "I know you can't handle it, but you still have to keep trying. And learn more."

Nowitzki was smart; he realized that Nelson wanted him to learn more skills and methods from Gan Guoyang.

Indeed, after just a few rounds of exchanges, Nowitzki realized that he hadn't done enough in many areas, especially in the details.

You think you're a great shooter, but the problem is that good defenders don't give you a chance to shoot at all; they interfere with your shot before you even have a chance to fire.

For tall players who can shoot, height is naturally an advantage, but if not used properly, it can become a disadvantage, especially when you need to combine inside and outside shooting.

As the big man who best combines inside and outside play, Gan Guoyang knows best what the advantages and disadvantages of big men who handle the ball on the perimeter are.

Nowitzki is still too inexperienced in this area, and Gan Guoyang completely dominated him. Moreover, Gan Guoyang was clearly not putting in any effort at all, and was just playing around with Nowitzki in the mid-range on offense.

When Nowitzki returned to the court in the second quarter, Gan Guoyang also took off his sportswear and returned to the game. The score was 47-43, with the Trail Blazers leading by 4 points. Both teams had smooth offense.

After the first quarter, Gan Guoyang rested on the bench for a considerable period of time. Now, on average, Carlisle limits Gan Guoyang's playing time to around 36 minutes per game.

This was the season with the least playing time in his career. The downside was that it increased the team's instability, but the upside was that Gan Guoyang's offensive efficiency was higher.

When the second units of both teams were battling it out, Mike Finley and Eddie Jones scored consecutively, especially Finley, who had already scored 16 points by halftime, suppressing Kobe.

The nearly half-quarter break did not cool Gan Guoyang's hands down. As soon as he came back, he received the ball and made a long-range jump shot from the three-point line.

Before Nowitzki could score, he returned to the court and tried to receive the ball for a strong attack, but he didn't catch the ball properly and was almost disrupted by Gan Guoyang.

Although he wasn't dispossessed, his rhythm was disrupted, and Nowitzki could only pass the ball back to his teammate, wasting an attacking opportunity.

Nowitzki experienced what the NBA's top-level defense was like: not only was the physicality intense, but the subtle details and small moves were everywhere, making it extremely uncomfortable for you.

Gan Guoyang had almost predicted every detail and point of Nowitzki's movements, which was extremely difficult for Nowitzki, who relied on rhythm and feints to score points.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang focused his attention on Nowitzki, which left the Trail Blazers with one less barrier protecting the rim, allowing Eddie Jones to score two points with a pull-up jumper.

Gan Guoyang received the ball again at a 45-degree low position, and Nowitzki reluctantly came up to defend, but his defense was completely passive and lacked any offensiveness.

However, Gan Guoyang missed the shot. Nowitzki thought to himself that he was lucky. After grabbing the rebound, he dribbled the ball across half-court and made a long pass to Mike Finley, who was rushing ahead.

Finley received the ball and was about to drive to the basket, but Gan Guoyang, who was quickly retreating on defense, jumped up from the side and blocked his shot!

Nowitzki exclaimed in amazement, "How did this guy get back on defense so quickly? And did he predict that I would make a long pass to Finley?"

It was a good opportunity for the Mavericks to close the gap, but Gan Guoyang blocked the shot, and the Trail Blazers regained possession and launched a counterattack.

The ball was passed to Gan Guoyang at the top of the arc. Gan Guoyang received the ball and paused. Nowitzki stopped the ball, and Gan Guoyang suddenly accelerated and broke through the middle.

Nowitzki had no chance to react at all and was completely outmaneuvered, then watched as Gan Guoyang drove into the paint and dunked the ball with both hands.

Nowitzki also uses this move, but not with the same smoothness and naturalness as Gan Guoyang. When a big player starts his drive, it's very difficult to stop him under the basket.

After scoring, the Trail Blazers solidified their lead. Nowitzki wiped the sweat from his brow with his jersey, but his score remained zero. What should he do?

At this moment, Gan Guoyang came over again with earnest advice, saying, "Do you know how to score 30 points in a game?"

"In each quarter, make two mid-range shots, one drive, and two free throws, which is 8 points per quarter. Add one or two three-pointers, and you'll have 30 points."

“It’s not that simple, it’s just that it’s easy for you,” Nowitzki replied.

"Yes, it's a bit easy. So in this game, I'm aiming to make 15 mid-range shots. That should give me 30 points, right?"

Nowitzki's face darkened. Was he going to sink 15 mid-range shots over my head? How many had he already made?

Oh my god, how am I going to get through the rest of the matches?
Without time to think, Finley hit a three-pointer, helping the Mavericks close the gap again.

But immediately, Gan Guoyang received the ball at a 45-degree angle, facing the basket, and Nowitzki came right up to defend his mid-range shot.

But Gan Guoyang squeezed through the crowd, took a step back, and gave Nowitzki a charming smile.

A mid-range jump shot goes in! That's my sixth mid-range shot tonight, almost halfway through.

Clearly, for a long time to come, Gan Guoyang's smile will be a persistent nightmare for Nowitzki.

(End of this chapter)