The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 916 Staying in Portland

The sky is clear in Boston, and the sky is clear in Portland.

According to the weather forecast, both cities should have sunny skies throughout the entire finals.

However, Portland's players have always been cautious and skeptical of weather forecasts.

When rain is forecast, it often doesn't rain at all; then when it's supposed to be sunny, a cloud suddenly drifts in and a torrential downpour occurs.

Gan Guoyang still remembers the 1993 Finals, the season when they won four consecutive championships, when it rained all the time in Portland.

However, recently, Oregon TV started replaying the Trail Blazers' previous championship memories. When they got to the sad chapter of 1993, the weather in Portland was always sunny in the footage.

"Holy crap, is there something wrong with my memory? I remember it raining all the time that year, for a really, really long time."

At home, Gan Guoyang watched TV while eating a large bowl of fruit and vegetable salad to supplement his vitamins and dietary fiber.

This was perhaps the most relaxed finals of Gan Guoyang's career, not because his opponent was weak or he was strong, but because after announcing his retirement in the first game, he really let go of all the burdens.

He could let go of all the heavy and joyful things about the past and focus solely on the game, treating it as just another series.

The Trail Blazers' miraculous yet tragic championship run in 1993 was naturally made into a documentary for people to remember, but Gan Guoyang, the central figure in the event, has never dared to watch it.

Gan Guoyang has reviewed the official and unofficial records of other championship years, such as 1986, 1988, 1992, and 1998 with 77 wins, many times, but he dares not touch the record of 93.

This time, when the TV station broadcast related programs and replayed various images from that time, Gan Guoyang did not shut himself off from watching and listening. Instead, he calmly followed the program and reminisced with a normal mindset.

In the future, people will definitely remake the documentary about the year the Trail Blazers won the championship. These people will return to the camera, back to the place where they fought, and tell the story of victory, championship, friendship, team and destiny.

This time in 2000 must have a special meaning. Theoretically, this will be Gan Guoyang's last dance with the Trail Blazers. Regardless of the outcome, everything will be settled.

When the program showed footage of Reggie Lewis suffering an unexpected illness on the court and Petrovic dying in a car the next day, Gan Guoyang felt extremely sad. He almost wanted to grab the remote and turn off the TV.

After closing his eyes, raising his head, and calming down for a while, Gan Guoyang ate a bite of salad and was able to continue watching. He told himself that Reggie and Pete were living their ideal lives in another time and space.

After watching the documentary, Gan Guoyang finished a large bowl of fruit and vegetable salad, and then he began training.

The training consisted of watching game footage, including the footage from the previous two games, as well as other Celtics and Trail Blazers games this season, which we watched repeatedly.

Since the previous two seasons, Gan Guoyang has been reducing high-intensity physical training and using medium- to low-intensity training to maintain his physical condition.

Midway through the season, Gan Guoyang resumed high-intensity training for a period of time to adjust his condition. By the time the playoffs came, he had said goodbye to high-intensity physical training.

On the contrary, he engaged in more and more high-intensity mental training. In addition to visual exercises, watching videos, looking at data, and reading battle reports were essential courses for Gan Guoyang.

At his age and skill level, investing a lot of time and energy in his physical and technical aspects would have a very low return on investment, and there really isn't much room for improvement.

Moderate to low intensity training is sufficient to maintain physical condition; if high-intensity training damages the body, it is even more counterproductive.

However, Gan Guoyang believes that he still has potential to be explored in terms of awareness, tactics, and basketball IQ. In particular, given the decline in physical ability, figuring out how to use his brain more in basketball and how to rationally allocate his physical energy is an important and meaningful task.

After the second game, Gan Guoyang boasted to Berman that the series would not return to Boston.

Since we've made that promise, we should strive to deliver. If we lose Game 3 back in Portland, the series will definitely have to go back to Boston.

If Bobby gets any trash talk material, things will get tough.

If they lose three straight home games and hand the championship to the Celtics 1-4, then the series will indeed not return to Boston.

Bobby Bellman could keep telling this joke until he dies. Even when he's old and lying in a hospital bed, forgetting his family, friends, daughter, and grandchildren, he'll still remember Forrest Gump's words: "Forrest said the series wouldn't go back to Boston. Haha, it didn't. We won 4-1 in Portland."

Gan Guoyang absolutely cannot accept this situation, so he must do everything in his power to fulfill the promises he has made.

Of course, Gan Guoyang wouldn't make wild claims; he wouldn't assume the Trail Blazers could lift the trophy in Portland without any certainty.

After playing the first two games, along with regular season matchups and the statements made by Celtics players and coaches at post-game press conferences, he had roughly figured out the Celtics' strengths and weaknesses.

They are very talented, disciplined, have a well-balanced roster, and outstanding tactical skills. Their three core leaders are destined to be the best in the league and true superstars.

However, their biggest problem is that they are too young and have too little experience. Judging from the strategies in the first two games, Bobby Berman wanted them to play with a mature and composed feel, which made them lose the sharpness of a young team.

Moreover, the Celtics' bench lacks veterans who can change the game. Cliff Robinson is experienced, but he was unlucky to face the Trail Blazers and Forrest Gump, and he couldn't bring out his strengths.

Although the 1986 Trail Blazers were also young, apart from Gan Guoyang, the team had quite a few experienced veterans, and Bill Walton on the bench played a key role.

Of course, the most important point is that Tim Duncan did not play the same dominant game that Gan Guoyang did in 1986, nor did he display the amazing spirit of "daring to change the world".

Berman was too cautious; in order to avoid Gan Guoyang's sharp edge, he was even unwilling to design enough tactics for Duncan to one-on-one against Gan Guoyang in the game.

From a data efficiency perspective, this approach is correct, because no one can be efficient in trying to take on Forrest Gump alone; not only is the success rate low, but there is also the possibility of being humiliated.

The Utah Jazz did just that in the 1997 season and won the series. Other teams followed suit, and Bobby Bellman was no exception.

However, Bellman overlooked the fact that with Kobe, Blake, and other excellent perimeter players, it was no longer possible to replicate the miracle of 97 where the interior players dodged Forrest Gump and the perimeter players exploded to defeat the Trail Blazers.

The 1998 Jazz were no worse than the 1997 Jazz, and were even stronger, but they were swept by the Trail Blazers.

To beat the Trail Blazers now, if your core player is also an inside player, a power forward, you need to go all out against Forrest Gump.

One reason why the Lakers were able to battle the Trail Blazers for seven games in the Western Conference Finals was that O'Neal did not avoid Forrest Gump.

On the contrary, Agan avoided O'Neal's sharp edge in the first six games, fearing that O'Neal would wear him down, and kept saving his strength until the seventh game, when he finally defeated the Lakers.

If Gan Guoyang had gone head-to-head with O'Neal from the very first game, and with the referees' help, it wouldn't have been impossible for the Lakers to beat the Trail Blazers in seven games.

Because Gan Guoyang will be heavily worn down, the Lakers' advantage will become more and more obvious as the series progresses. If the Trail Blazers are exhausted by Game 7, the Lakers will have their chance.

Unfortunately, the Lakers failed to capitalize on their opportunities. Their crushing defeat on the road and their failure to recognize that the veterans, led by Gan Guoyang, were conserving their energy led to a brutal loss in Game 7.

O'Neal had a smooth run in the first six games, but collapsed in the seventh game against Forrest Gump. He was defeated both physically and mentally, and once again became a victim in Forrest Gump's path.

Duncan faced the same crisis. This talented center possessed talent comparable to O'Neal, and Bellman's coaching of him was quite successful.

But Gan Guoyang remained a huge dark cloud hanging over Duncan's head and Bobby Bellman's heart. After the second game, the entire Celtics team flew to Portland the next day, the city where Bellman had risen to the pinnacle of glory.

Playing here during the regular season feels completely different from playing here for the Finals in June.

For the past 15 years, Portland has been a true NBA basketball mecca and a championship hometown. This generation of Portland fans is happy and proud.

They are more fanatical and loyal than fans elsewhere. The Trail Blazers are Portland’s one and only god, a basketball faith like a religion.

As Forrest Gump held a press conference in Boston to announce his retirement at the end of the season, the entire city of Portland was plunged into a frenzied yet sorrowful atmosphere.

As the Celtics players left the airport and boarded a bus to their hotel, the entire city was covered in posters, logos, portraits, and giant images of the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang. Even the lampposts along the roadside had signs that read "Thank you, Forrest Gump."

Upon arriving at the hotel, a Black man sweeping the lobby recognized Bellman and the Celtics, and went over to him, saying, "You can't win a single game here. Forrest Gump, bless you."

Hotel staff who behave this way will be warned. The Celtics wanted to appeal, but Bellman stopped them, saying, "Just focus on the game, don't bother."

“This is Portland. Even if Forrest Gump killed someone, the cops would cover for him. If we appeal, the end result would be that this guy gets fired, the whole of Portland would be outraged, and we might even have to apologize.”

Behrman knew this place too well. The city's fervor and faith in Forrest Gump were deeply ingrained in its very bones and genes. To be honest, deep down, Behrman didn't have the courage to challenge that faith.

Because he himself was once a believer, and the one with the deepest and most loyal faith.

No, not just in the past, but even now, this belief is still deeply engraved in the deepest part of Behrman's heart.

You can tell from the book he published that it lacks genuine feelings and is not from the bottom of his heart. Who could write such words?
Behrman knew in his heart that everyone was saying this was a battle between Forrest Gump and Behrman, a reunion of former close comrades on the battlefield.

But in reality, who is the master and who is the disciple is really hard to say.

Did Bellman really mentor and guide Forrest Gump? Yes, he did.

After all, he was a coach, and from high school to college to professional teams, he could be considered Forrest Gump's mentor.

But looking back, on the path they walked together, who guided whom more?
Berman had the answer in his heart. In fact, Forrest Gump was more like his mentor, a benefactor on his basketball journey and even in his entire life.

At those pivotal moments in his life, it was always Forrest Gump who stepped forward to enlighten Behrman and provide him with tremendous help.

In 20 years, he has climbed very high, to a height that even he finds incredible when he calms down and thinks about it.

He stood on the high ground and looked down. The path up the mountain was very steep, and every step was difficult. Looking back, he realized that without Forrest Gump by his side, he would never have been able to climb those steps.

He couldn't even take the first step.

Therefore, in the so-called master-disciple showdown, Forrest Gump was the master, and Behrman was the disciple.

Forrest Gump is a true guide, a mentor in life and spirit, a prophet like Moses who led the way by parting the Red Sea.

Bellman was eager to defeat him and made extensive preparations, including mental ones.

But deep down, he knew he didn't have the courage to kill Forrest Gump.

Because that would mean the shattering of faith and a betrayal of one's own path of growth.

Behrman hasn't reached that point yet, as evidenced by his book "The Sun Rises in the West" published this season; he still hasn't fully emerged from Forrest Gump's shadow.

If even he can't do it, how can Tim Duncan possibly make it?
Perhaps the best news is that Forrest Gump is finally retiring.

Neither Duncan nor Bellman will have to face this terrifying enemy anymore.

But once such thoughts take hold, the courage to fight to the death and fight with one's back to the wall is gone.

This might also be a psychological tactic of Gan Guoyang, using his retirement to boost the morale of the home team and undermine the will of the opponents.

In short, the Celtics spent two nerve-wracking days in Portland awaiting the start of Game 3.

Under the 2-3-2 format, the entire Celtics team will inevitably have to stay in Portland for more than a week, which is a huge psychological test.

The young players were experiencing the Finals for the first time, and the pressure was difficult for them to adapt to and manage. Berman did not handle this issue well.

He attempted to address the psychological and morale issues through numerous tactical changes and rotations.

In other words, use tactical diligence to correct strategic errors.

The competition will provide the final answer to how effective it will be.
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On June 12th, the third game of the finals was held at the Rose Garden Arena.

Before the game, the Trail Blazers' opening performance was extremely glamorous and grand, and the atmosphere at the scene was extremely lively.

Moreover, the Rose Garden Arena was merely the eye of the storm in this grand celebration.

With this at the center, the entire city of Portland is engulfed in the annual "Trailblazer Fever".

Crowds thronged the banks of the Willamette River, near the Paramount Theatre and Memorial Stadium, and in the Rose Garden Square.

Actually, you can watch the live stream at home, but when you go outside you can only listen to the radio. However, many people prefer to come out and enjoy the joyful atmosphere of gathering together.

This fervor, which began in 1984, has never cooled down, and as everything comes to an end this year, the final heatwave is astonishing.

It wasn't that no one tried to persuade Forrest Gump to keep fighting, but the people of Portland knew Forrest; he was a man of his word.

Many fans say, "Instead of hoping that Forrest Gump won't retire, we should think of a way to bring him back in the future."

After all, having experienced a retirement and comeback before, it doesn't seem impossible to do it again.

So if Forrest Gump decides to retire this time, let's all be happy and say a nice goodbye to him.

In the night sky, a helicopter towed a giant portrait of Forrest Gump over the Rose Garden Arena.

The large screen in the stadium showed footage of a helicopter, and the stadium erupted in cheers. Gan Guoyang couldn't help but shed tears as he watched.

He told himself once again that he must keep his tenth championship in his loyal Portland!
(End of this chapter)