The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 919 Confusing
After three games, the situation in the finals took another turn.

After the Celtics won the first game, Bostonians were already dreaming of a Celtics dynasty.

As a result, after the third game, people found that this young team still had too many problems and too many details that needed to be polished.

As the series progresses, the players' on-court performance and instincts will play an increasingly important role in determining the outcome.

The Trail Blazers' veterans understood this much better than their opponents. In these two games, almost everyone on the Trail Blazers had a chance to contribute, and anyone who stepped onto the court could do so.

The rotation of up to 11 players was astonishing, and the advantage of having a group of veterans was fully demonstrated in these two games. No matter who played, they could cause trouble for the opponent.

The Celtics have been playing around their usual structure in these games, with Duncan, Nash, and Pierce forming the core, while other players play supporting roles and don't have a significant impact on the game.

With such a weak team, they naturally have no chance of winning against the Portland Wolves.

However, the good news for the Celtics is that in the second half of Game 3 they finally realized that playing freely and leveraging their youth was the best way to counter the Trail Blazers.

Having determined this, the situation isn't all that bad for the Celtics.

If they can win Game 4, the series will definitely be brought back to Boston, which would be a victory for Berman.

Even if Game 5 is a pivotal game in Portland, dragging the series back to Boston would be a huge boost to the young players' confidence.

Furthermore, if the Finals go to a sixth or seventh game, the Celtics' physical advantage will become apparent, and the situation will change again.

Therefore, Game 4 is a must-win game for the Celtics, and the team is prepared to go all out.

On the other hand, for Gan Guoyang, as the series progressed game by game, in addition to fatigue, he also felt reluctant to leave the arena.

After the third game, he spent over an hour signing autographs for fans at the stadium, obliging everyone who came to him.

Besides that photo, there are many other mementos related to memories and the past, such as T-shirts and basketballs he once signed, and tickets from past games that fans have kept. Of course, what is most unforgettable is the enthusiasm of the fans and their support for him.

Although Gan Guoyang resolutely signed "1984-2000" on the photo to express his firm decision to leave, it's impossible to say that he wasn't sad and reluctant to part with it.

Especially when the night is deep and quiet and the whole city is asleep, Gan Guoyang lies in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He asks himself from time to time, is this how it all is going to end?
When Gan Guoyang first retired, he didn't feel this way because he really couldn't hold on any longer, and his father also needed medical treatment.

Moreover, he told himself that he would definitely come back, and that he was just taking a temporary rest.

This time is a little different. Gan Guoyang is not sure if he will come back, especially if he will return to the Trail Blazers.

Gan Guoyang is not a person who overthinks things. He is straightforward and decisive when it comes to relationships, and he is a man of steel.

Even the most steely person cannot suppress their emotions when faced with this separation.

He didn't sleep all night, and went out for a run early the next morning. He played some ball at the gym to exhaust himself before taking a shower and going to bed alone.

Gan Youwei, Wang Fuxi, and their son and daughter were all a little worried about Gan Guoyang's condition, but Gan Guoyang said he was fine and the championship was his biggest concern right now.

Before they knew it, it was Game 4. For the entire week, the people of Oregon only cared about one thing: the NBA Finals.

The top news story in other states was the verdict in the Microsoft antitrust case. Microsoft lost the case and was ordered to break up the company. Microsoft immediately appealed, which will lead to a long legal battle and has had a significant impact on the current dot-com bubble.

But television stations across Oregon are focused on only one thing: the finals and Forrest Gump's impending second retirement.

On days without games, the TV station kept broadcasting documentaries and video footage of the Trail Blazers' previous championship wins.

These shows are broadcast one episode a day, with no repetitions throughout the week. After all, they've won so many championships, and each one has something memorable about it.

Portland is holding various events around Forrest Gump every day. Unlike his sudden departure last time, this time everyone seems to realize that Forrest Gump may not be coming back.

At 7:30 p.m., the Rose Garden Stadium was illuminated by bright searchlights, and a helicopter flew over the stadium again, with a huge portrait of Gan Guoyang passing through the air.

Fans gathered around the arena cheered with their arms raised like believers, and the NBC commentator exclaimed, "Sonny is the faith of this city, Portland's yellow Jesus."

Inside the stadium, after the opening ceremony, both sides were ready.

Neither team made any changes to their starting lineups. The Celtics still fielded their twin towers, with Nash and Paul Pierce in the backcourt.

The Trail Blazers still have the stable combination of Sabonis, O'Neal, Gan Guoyang, Kobe and Blake.

After two games, especially the third game where they were thoroughly defeated by the veteran Trail Blazers, the young Celtics underwent a mental baptism.

This is a failure that is truly worth remembering and learning from. In fact, apart from a very few chosen ones, most people in this world, even geniuses, have to experience many setbacks, let alone ordinary people.

Failure is the main theme of life. The key is to find the possibility and opportunity to get back up after failure and persevere for victory.

In NBA history, there are only two almost undefeated chosen ones: Bill Russell and Gan Guoyang.

The Celtics are lucky to have one, but also unlucky to face another.

However, the Celtics' young players are truly exceptionally talented. After the crushing defeat in Game 3, they did not lose heart but instead seriously discussed many issues during training.

There are tactical issues, detailed issues, and strategic issues.

They used their rest time to carefully review the game, watch match videos with the coaching staff, and discuss various solutions.

They made progress through rigorous training, and at a very rapid pace.

Although the starting lineup remained unchanged, the Celtics have made changes to their playing style.

At the start of the game, the Celtics significantly intensified their double-teaming of Gan Guoyang on the defensive end.

Nash, Pierce, and Fox would double-team Gan Guoyang almost before he even got the ball, risking a defensive violation.

Although Gan Guoyang theoretically wouldn't take many shots in the first half, his decision not to shoot to conserve energy is different from the fact that he was being defended so badly that he had difficulty getting shots.

In the former case, you are in a passive position. Only Gan Guoyang can exert his strength at any time in the first half. Just like in the third game, you thought he would exert his strength in the fourth quarter like in the second game, but he crushed you in the third quarter because he had the initiative and could change whatever he wanted.

The latter takes control of the defense, and whether you shoot or not, I'll make you suffer. I'll make you suffer in the first half, and you won't have an easy time in the second half either.

Regardless of the results, this line of thinking is undoubtedly correct.

The Celtics' defensive strategy forced the Trail Blazers to focus their offense on the perimeter at the start of the game, reducing their inside-outside coordination.

Unfortunately, the Trail Blazers' outside shooting was off at the start of the game tonight, lacking the accuracy they displayed in Game 3.

Both Blaylock and Kobe missed their three-point attempts.

During one offensive play, Jermaine O'Neal was left wide open on the right baseline, with no one paying attention to him.

Jermaine O'Neal hesitated for a moment before choosing to drive inside, only to be forced into a turnover by Duncan's defense, who made him step out of bounds.

The Celtics had a much smoother offensive game, with Duncan using his speed to score repeatedly at the start.

He didn't settle for a one-on-one fight; there was no future in trying to outmuscle and confront Gan Guoyang like that.

He moves around constantly, frequently setting screens and plays with perimeter players. If he receives the ball and is well-positioned, he attacks the basket directly without adjusting his position.

If the position is bad, just pass it out, reorganize and fight again, anyway, don't confront Forrest Gump head-on.

In this way, Duncan neither completely avoided Gan Guoyang as he did in the first and second games, nor confronted him head-on as he did in the third game.

Instead, they cleverly utilized Nash's passing and playmaking skills, ran plays, found gaps, and seized opportunities, resulting in a 6-point run.

To counter Gan Guoyang's aggressive defense, the Celtics also changed ball handlers, allowing Paul Pierce to control the ball more and organize the offense, thus relieving Nash of the ball-handling pressure.

These were all detailed changes made based on the situation in the second and third games, and the results were remarkable.

After taking an 8-2 lead, the Trail Blazers called a timeout. After the timeout, Gan Guoyang attempted to attack from the 45-degree angle and in the low post, trying to break through the Celtics' double-team defense.

Gan Guoyang scored two consecutive baskets to narrow the gap, but Steve Nash immediately responded with a three-pointer. Nash was more decisive on offense tonight.

Subsequently, Gan Guoyang attacked with the ball. Ilgauskas defended him in a mismatch position. Gan Guoyang turned and headed the ball, and Ilgauskas fell to the ground. The referee called an offensive foul on Gan Guoyang.

Tonight's referee is Steve Javier, another expert in balancing calls.

After being called for a foul, Gan Guoyang asked Jia Wei directly, "When are you going to call me out?"

Javi took the whistle and said, "It's just work, Sonny. Don't make things difficult for me. I'm just doing my duty."

The league referees were very polite to Gan Guoyang, but their work still revolved around the will of the NBA office and the commissioner.

Game 4 is destined to be a tough game for the Trail Blazers.

However, Gan Guoyang has played many tough matches, so he doesn't care about this one.

No championship can be won without a hard-fought victory.

At the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers were contained by the Celtics.

The Celtics led 27-23, and both teams entered the second quarter's rotation period.

The Trail Blazers continued their large rotation, which yielded good results in the first two games.

However, the same tactic is unlikely to work consistently in a series.

The Celtics also responded to the Trail Blazers' large rotation.

Bellman isn't stupid enough to just do the same thing as you do; that would be insane.

Bellman made a very decisive choice to reduce the rotation, removing Bruce Bowen, who was not strong in individual offense and had only average defensive performance, from the bench.

Bowen is 28 years old and has played in Europe. He was a very strong scorer in the lower leagues.

However, in a high-level league like the NBA, his offensive talent and skills are not enough.

After joining the Celtics, his position was already precarious, and he was not considered a good candidate and was about to be cut.

Berman, however, had a keen eye and believed that Bowen had the potential to become an excellent perimeter defender.

So they signed him to a contract and then developed him into a defensive stalwart and spot-up pitcher.

This season has shown promising results. Bowen has performed well in the regular season and has occasionally filled in for Fox in the starting lineup, with good results.

However, his effectiveness declined significantly in the Finals against the Trail Blazers, especially since he lacked ball-handling and attacking abilities. Once he was on the court, the Celtics' offense was weakened.

Based on his years of experience coaching the Trail Blazers, he knew that simply relying on defense would definitely not be enough to beat the Trail Blazers.

In the Trail Blazers' several defeats in the Western Conference Finals, their opponents were all offensively strong teams, such as the Lakers, Suns, and Jazz. These were all top-tier offensive teams with no obvious offensive weaknesses, requiring every player to pose an offensive threat.

Only with this combination of a solid defense, a strong will to win, and a bit of luck can they possibly defeat the Trail Blazers.

The Celtics reduced their rotation to seven players, using Cliff Robinson inside and Dee Brown outside, making the team's rotation much tighter and the pace and intensity on the court much higher.

During the break, Berman kept encouraging his players, "You'll have plenty of time to rest after you die, you bunch of New England wimps! Fuck you, stay on the court and keep going! Anyone who tries to stop, I'll take your XXXXXXXXX!"

At times like this, forget about conserving energy and playing it safe; just burn with all your might, young man!

Regardless of who the opponent is, or whether we win or lose, this will be a valuable experience.

The premise is that you must go all out and do your best.

In the second quarter rotation, the Trail Blazers brought on Barkley, Ben Wallace, Terry Porter, and Henderson.

As a result, Ilgauskas and Cliff Robinson used their height advantage to grab offensive rebounds repeatedly in the paint.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas was on fire, hitting a three-pointer and two long-range two-pointers, sparking a 9-2 run for the Trail Blazers and widening the gap to 11 points.

The Trail Blazers had to call a timeout to make substitutions. At that moment, Bellman decisively brought Duncan back into the game after a short rest, forcing Rick Carlisle to replace Gan Guoyang with Gan Guoyang.

Because the situation was different in Game 2. In Game 2, the Celtics played a passive game, and even though they had the opportunity to extend their lead, they were cautious and hesitant, unwilling to take risks to expand their advantage.

This game was different. Bellman was clearly going all out. Duncan would rest for a few minutes and then come on immediately. If you don't play, I'll beat you to a pulp in the next three minutes.

If the point difference widens to more than 15 points, or even approaches 20 points, it's impossible for you to replicate the miracle of the second game's comeback and catch the Celtics off guard.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang had to come on early to keep up with the Celtics' tight rotation and didn't have much rest time.

Without a doubt, the Celtics took the initiative and suppressed the Trail Blazers, who could only make passive adjustments.

The starters returned to the game, and with a deficit of 11 points, they engaged in a half-court offensive battle with the Celtics.

The Celtics players are now more confident and in better form.

Duncan, who hadn't scored more than 20 points in the first three games, had already scored 14 points halfway through the second quarter.

Facing Gan Guoyang's defense, he moved skillfully, looking for gaps and seizing opportunities to launch attacks.

When you're in a good shooting streak, just shoot; when you're not, just dribble inside. Tonight, the referees are favoring the Celtics.

Gan Guoyang quickly received his second foul, and then his third foul near the end of the first half.

The crowd booed, but that couldn't stop Steve Jave from blowing his whistle. In a contest where a foul was neither a call nor a penalty, he called a foul on Gan Guoyang, sending Tim Duncan to the free-throw line.

Duncan made both free throws, and the Celtics led the Trail Blazers 56-48 at halftime.

Judging from the performance in the first half, the situation has become unpredictable again, with the young Celtics putting up a fierce counterattack.

(End of this chapter)