The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 911 Veterans will not die
Gan Guoyang only sat on the bench for two minutes before returning to the court after the start of the fourth quarter.

This is Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, not some regular season game. The Lakers will not give up easily, and Gan Guoyang must not relax either.

Trailing by a large margin, the Lakers launched a desperate counterattack, but at this moment, O'Neal's eyes were even more confused than the fans on the sidelines.

He only scored 7 points in three quarters, and was completely contained by Forrest Gump in terms of shooting attempts and scoring.

Then, watching helplessly as Gan Guoyang achieved a miraculous 21 out of 21, with 12 minutes left in the game, he had absolutely no idea how to play.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers missed their shot, Barkley's shot went wide, and Kidd grabbed the rebound.

The Lakers must score as soon as possible; if they can narrow the gap to 10 points within the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, the game will still be on their side.

O'Neal received the ball under the basket, paused, turned around, and Gan Guoyang decisively stole the ball, committing a foul and sending O'Neal to the free-throw line.

Gan Guoyang did this not to give away points, but to send O'Neal to the free-throw line to face judgment and put him under greater psychological pressure.

By the way, he also needs to rest. After a series of high-intensity attacks, his stamina is a bit depleted.

When O'Neal stepped to the free-throw line, taking the free throw was torture for him at that moment.

As expected, the first free throw missed, and many fans in the stadium held their heads in their hands. O'Neal's persistent problem with free throws is a real headache.

The second free throw missed again, and Barkley grabbed the rebound and passed it to Gan Guoyang.

As soon as Gan Guoyang gets the ball, the entire Lakers team goes on high alert, and Kidd has to come over to help defend.

In fact, Gan Guoyang had no intention of taking a shot. Firstly, he wasn't physically fit enough, and secondly, he wanted to maintain his perfect 21-for-21 shooting percentage.

However, he still needs to stay on the court as a deterrent, drawing the Lakers' defensive attention to him.

Gan Guoyang has the ball on the perimeter, and now the Lakers players are confused. They don't know whether Gan is a center, a forward, or a point guard.

He can appear anywhere, attack from anywhere, and use any means to his advantage, leaving the Lakers' defense helpless.

As the 24 seconds ticked by, Gan Guoyang made no move, and the Lakers' defense dared not make a move, all keeping their eyes on Gan Guoyang.

In the final seconds, Barkley suddenly drove to the basket, and Gan Guoyang made a lob pass to the basket. Barkley jumped up to receive the ball and made a layup!
O'Neal, who was defending the paint, was stunned. He didn't react in time to steal the ball; he just followed the ball with his eyes and failed to stop Barkley from receiving the ball and making a layup.

The situation was very dangerous for the Lakers. Phil Jackson kept whistling on the sidelines; he had noticed that the players' fighting spirit was waning.

Without fighting spirit and focus, one gradually becomes a walking corpse on the field, with slower reaction speed, and eventually collapses completely.

But there was nothing they could do. Gan Guoyang's 52 points had completely demoralized the Lakers. And this guy wouldn't leave the court; he just stayed on to intimidate them. How could they defend against that?
At this moment, what the Lakers need most is an outside ball-handler like Kobe, who can handle the ball and attack on his own regardless of anything else.

Let's put everything else aside for now and focus on breaking up the branches and narrowing the gap. There's still more to come.

But Kobe was with the Trail Blazers, not the Lakers, and Kidd and McGrady both tried to take on that role.

McGrady pulled up for a shot from the outside. He was in pretty good form tonight, but this shot was clearly too flat.

If they miss, Gan Guoyang and Barkley won't let the Lakers get the rebound, and Barkley grabs another rebound.

Barkley may not be tall, but he has a huge butt. His positioning and anticipation are top-notch, and his desire for rebounds is unparalleled.

One commendable aspect of Barkley is his superior rebounding performance in the playoffs compared to the regular season. In the intense battles under the basket during the playoffs, Barkley consistently gains the upper hand.

With Gan Guoyang playing like a god, Barkley was full of passion and high morale. So far, he and Gan Guoyang have combined for 58 points, which is the key to the outcome of the game.

With his confidence boosted, Barkley played even better on both ends of the court. Gan Guoyang faked a shot on the perimeter and passed the ball to Barkley who was cutting to the basket.

Barkley, facing a slightly slow defense from O'Neal, forced his way to the basket and scored again. After falling to the ground, he gestured to the referee, indicating that O'Neal had committed a foul on that play.

The fact that the referee didn't blow the whistle was already a huge concession to the Lakers; otherwise, their situation would have been much worse.

Seeing Barkley getting better and better under the basket, Phil Jackson had no choice but to call a timeout and try to make a final stand.

In fact, the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt. The entire Lakers team was listless and couldn't find any way to turn the tide.

Especially with O'Neal, the team's primary scorer and absolute core, completely outmatched in a head-to-head confrontation with Forrest Gump, the game was unwinnable.

O'Neal was completely devastated and numb; he no longer knew how to face the outcome of the game.

They fell to the Trail Blazers and Forrest Gump once again, and lost so badly in Game 7 at home.

The MVP of the regular season was outscored, failing to score in double digits and having his defense completely torn apart. It's fair to say he was sleepwalking the entire game.

During the timeout, he just sat there, staring blankly, looking lost. Phil Jackson tried to encourage him, but to no avail.

Once back in the game, Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn't leave the court to rest. As long as the Lakers didn't surrender, he would continue to stay on the court as a deterrent.

O'Neal finally seized an opportunity, receiving a pass from Kidd under the basket and dunking with both hands.

The Trail Blazers relaxed their defense on that play; they weren't afraid of O'Neal wreaking havoc in the paint, as long as the Lakers didn't rain down three-pointers from the outside.

On offense, the Trail Blazers slowed down the pace, stalling for time while looking for scoring opportunities.

Gan Guoyang continued to operate at the top of the key and at a 45-degree angle, drawing the Lakers' defensive attention, but control of the ball remained in the hands of Kobe and other perimeter players.

At this point, the Trail Blazers players were very relaxed. Kobe started showing off his fancy crossover dribbling skills, and then made a beautiful mid-range jump shot!
Blacksmithing!

But Barkley grabbed the offensive rebound, threw the ball out, and reorganized the offense.

This rebound deepened the atmosphere of despair in the arena, as time was ticking away.

The ball was passed to Gan Guoyang, who dribbled and broke through, his skillful ball handling and footwork confusing the Lakers players.

What was he going to do next? Nobody knew, but he managed to break through the encirclement of three people all by himself.

After reaching the middle, he made a bounce pass to Chris Mullin who was cutting to the basket, and Mullin made a left-handed floater!
The veterans still have a very strong ability to seize opportunities in the final moments.

McGrady missed another three-pointer, O'Neal grabbed the offensive rebound, and Barkley fouled.

With one of two free throws made, O'Neal at least reached double figures in scoring, making it less of a disaster. But the Lakers have already slipped into the abyss; their defense has lost its offensive edge.

As soon as Gan Guoyang got the ball, the Lakers' defense fell into chaos. They were unable to form a tight formation and lacked enthusiasm, which was the most fatal flaw.

Kobe made a mid-range shot, maintaining the point difference at 20 points, and some fans began to leave the arena.

This was another sad night for Los Angeles fans, thanks to Forrest Gump once again.

The TV cameras kept focusing on Gan Guoyang, who stopped shooting in the fourth quarter, maintaining a 100% shooting percentage.

But as long as he stays on the court, just standing there, he is a huge threat, making the Lakers players tremble with fear.

As a result, the other Trail Blazers players played better and better, and the defense no longer collapsed all the way down. The two teams scored one and then another, and the time just passed by.

With four minutes left in the game, the Lakers finally gave up; the 18-point deficit was no longer a possibility of catching up.

After a dead ball situation, Phil Jackson substituted his starters, including Shaquille O'Neal, who scored 12 points, as well as Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady, and others.

Seeing this, the Trail Blazers substituted their key players, including Gan Guoyang, Barkley, and Kobe, with their reserve players.

The stands at Staples Center were already partially empty, and die-hard Lakers fans knew they had been hurt by Forrest Gump once again.

When Gan Guoyang left the court, the remaining fans still gave him a warm round of applause, just like the applause he received at the Great Western Forum last year.

This is what he deserves. His 21-for-21 performance is unprecedented and it's hard to imagine that this is the performance of a 36-year-old veteran.

Gan Guoyang once again proved his status as the greatest player in NBA history with his performance, a position that is unshakeable and unmatched.

The moment the final whistle blew, all the Trail Blazers players raised their arms and went over to hug Gan Guoyang one by one.

For the third consecutive year, and the tenth time since 1985, the Trail Blazers have made it to the NBA Finals, once again dominating the Western Conference.

NBC commentator Bill Walton couldn't hide his excitement, saying, "Forrest Gump has led the Trail Blazers back to the Finals with an incredible performance! Fourteen years have passed, and Forrest is still standing on the highest stage, still at the top of the league. This time, their opponent is the same as when he first reached the Finals: the Boston Celtics! I was on the Portland Trail Blazers back then, and those are my most precious championship memories. Even after all these years, thinking back on them still makes me incredibly excited. But I never imagined he could be so persistent, so powerful, leading the Trail Blazers to such a great achievement."

Walton is a die-hard fan of Gan Guoyang, but even he, a die-hard fan, doesn't know how to praise Gan Guoyang tonight.

21中21，比尔-沃顿在1973年的NCAA总决赛中，曾经创造了22中21拿下44分的伟大记录。

Walton was like a god descending to earth in that game, his low-post turnaround shots and hook shots were almost always infallible, single-handedly destroying their opponent, the University of Memphis.

"If Forrest Gump had missed another shot in the fourth quarter, that would have been a perfect tribute to me, hahaha," Walton joked happily.

“But I must say, what Forrest Gump did tonight was much harder than what I did in the 1973 final,” Walton added sincerely.

As the game ended at Staples Center, the Trail Blazers players returned to the locker room to celebrate their hard-fought Western Conference title.

David Stern entered the locker room with a smile on his face and handed the silver Western Conference championship trophy to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang felt nauseous at the sight of Stern's fake smile. This guy clearly wanted the Lakers to win the Western Conference championship, but now that Gan Guoyang had single-handedly destroyed the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, he must be feeling terrible.

After receiving the trophy, Gan Guoyang immediately turned around and went to celebrate with his teammates, completely ignoring Stern's outstretched hand, which made Stern quite embarrassed.

In just one season, the two have gone from "thank you for your cooperation" to ignoring each other. One wonders if Stern regrets betraying them so quickly.

There was no other way; Stern was just too eager to complete the transition between the old and the new, to have the new power step over the old king and usher in a new era.

However, he underestimated the tenacity of the old forces and Gan Guoyang's resilience and forbearance. After such a terrible season, he still retained such enormous energy.

Stern admired Gan Guoyang's strength but was also disappointed with the Los Angeles Lakers and shook his head. O'Neal's humiliating 12-point performance in Game 7 would be ridiculed for another summer.

Of course, nothing is completely settled yet, and there is a new force in the Finals: the Boston Celtics.

If the Celtics can defeat the Trail Blazers to win the championship, it will also signify the beginning of a new era.

When David Stern took office in 1984, the Celtics were the NBA champions.

Back then, the Celtics, led by Auerbach, were riding high, seemingly poised to recreate their Green Dynasty in the 80s.

Unexpectedly, the 84 golden generation, including Gan Guoyang and Jordan, quickly overthrew the old dynasty and set about establishing the magnificent "Red and Black" era.

The Celtics faced strong pressure from the league at that time, with various new rules and new-era trading regulations rendering Auerbach's old methods ineffective.

The Celtics once built up a network of relationships with nearly half of the management teams in the league, but after repeated eliminations and purging, it all turned to ashes.

Ultimately, the Celtics could only cling to their ancestral glory, huddled in the northeast corner of New England, playing a supporting role in the league's era of rapid expansion since 1986.

In 1997, David Stern made an exception and gave the Celtics a favorable draft pick.

While the league is unlikely to admit any foul play in the draft lottery or that teams relied entirely on luck, many believe that the Celtics would never have gotten the number one pick in 1997 if Stern hadn't been willing to do so.

With the arrival of Tim Duncan and the strong leadership of Bobby Bellman, the Celtics quickly rose again, returning to the NBA Finals in just three years.

More importantly, like the Portland Trail Blazers in 1986, their core players are young, all in their early 20s, with a bright future ahead.

The current Trail Blazers are similar to the 1986 Celtics, but in fact they are much older than the Celtics of that time, with a large number of 35-year-old veterans.

In this playoffs, the most important players were still these veterans. With Gan Guoyang around, it really is true that veterans never die, they just gradually fade away.

With the Western Conference Finals title in hand, the entire Trail Blazers team flew back to Portland that very night, and after a short preparation, they were to fly to Boston.

According to the schedule of the finals, the first game will be held at the Fleet Center on June 6th, leaving the Trail Blazers with only two days of rest.

This is a huge physical test for the Trail Blazers' veterans, especially Gan Guoyang, whose stamina was significantly affected by Game 7.

He fell asleep quickly on the plane back to Portland, holding his tenth Western Conference championship trophy as he drifted off to sleep.

On the plane, he had a dream in which a lion wandered on a white beach and then, facing the sun, plunged headlong into the sea.

(End of this chapter)