The Golden Age of Basketball.

Chapter 764 Quitting Gambling
Bryant Rivers simply couldn't relax.

Since yesterday, he has been nervously trying to make others think he is not nervous.

Everyone knew he was going to be matched up against Forrest Gump, and Rivers thus became the center of attention.

Everyone is discussing how Rivers will perform against Forrest Gump, and how Forrest Gump will dominate this second-year rookie.

The latter is more common.

Rivers is no nobody; he has appeared in Sports Illustrated and led the University of Oklahoma to the Final Four in college.

He represented the U.S. College All-Star team in Europe, playing against teams in Italy, France, and Spain.

He is affectionately nicknamed "Big Country" by fans because his image and demeanor easily evoke images of a country bumpkin.

Indeed, that is true. He grew up in Gans, Oklahoma, a town of 346 people with one school, one post office, and that was it.

So he accepted the nickname readily, and his outstanding performance in the 1995 NCAA tournament convinced the Grizzlies to draft him with the sixth overall pick.

Unfortunately, Kevin Garnett was taken, and there weren't any particularly outstanding big men in the remaining draft picks.

As a new team, the Grizzlies need a good interior player to build their framework, which is what most teams would do.

His rookie season was decent, giving Grizzlies fans hope for the future.

In the summer, Bryant Rivers further enhanced his strength to compensate for his lack of agility.

Slowness is a common problem for all white big men, and the main way to deal with it is to improve strength and footwork.

That's exactly what Rivers did; he hopes to take it a step further in the new season.

But Rivers didn't expect to face Forrest Gump in the opening game.

After Gan Guoyang announced his comeback and the schedule was released, this shadow has been hanging over my head ever since.

Yesterday, Charles Barkley called the Grizzlies to say he wanted to speak with Doc Rivers.

"I taught him a lot of principles, such as not talking trash to Forrest Gump, not getting into physical fights, praising Forrest Gump a lot, preferably from the first minute of the fight, so that you won't die so badly. Oh right, and the most important thing is that you must go to church to pray before the fight, it works very well."

Barkley later said this as if he meant well and wanted to help Rivers.

The chaotic information kept Rivers from finding peace. He knew Forrest Gump was amazing, but he didn't think he was as terrible as people said.

"Forrest Gump is amazing, seven championships. We all grew up listening to and watching his story. He's a miracle, a legend. But now that I'm his opponent, I'll give it my all. And I think people always exaggerate their experiences. Once you've actually been through it, you'll realize you can handle it."

In a pre-game interview, Rivers tried his best to comfort himself and encourage himself.

What he said wasn't entirely unreasonable; people do tend to exaggerate their experiences.

Many people exaggerate when recalling their experiences, especially bad ones.

For example, if it snows and the roads are slippery, and you unfortunately slip and fall two or three times, you might tell your friends, "I'm so unlucky today, I've fallen so many times, my butt is all bruised."

In reality, it only happened two or three times. It wouldn't kill you, and your buttocks wouldn't be rotten. But the bad mood and pain would make you exaggerate your experience to get his sympathy and attention. This is a normal psychological phenomenon.

But when it came to actually facing Forrest Gump in the game, Bryant Rivers started to feel apprehensive.

People say Forrest Gump is like a god, but you only understand that it's true when you look at him face to face.

His muscles, his face, and the halo surrounding him—that is the idol.

When people face a statue of a god, they feel a sense of kneeling, and Rivers already felt his knees go weak.

When Forrest told him to "relax," Rivers felt deflated and had an urge to give up the game.

However, the referee had already tossed the ball into the air, and Rivers was a step too slow. Gan Guoyang won the ball, and the game began.

In the first two minutes of the game, many players experienced some physical discomfort.

For example, shortness of breath, chest tightness, numbness in the limbs, dry throat, etc.

This is because the brain and nerves have entered a state of tension and excitement, but the body has not.

After running back and forth a few times, about two minutes later, the discomfort will disappear because your body is getting into the zone.

Gan Guoyang has been competing for so many years and he has never experienced this kind of discomfort. He always gets into the game very quickly.

His body was different from ordinary people. When he stepped on the maple wood floor, he felt like a running gazelle—a gazelle weighing more than 250 pounds.

As if he had returned to the familiar grassland, he couldn't wait to run and jump. After winning the ball, he immediately ran towards the basket after landing.

Terry Porter got the ball and, with perfect understanding, lobbed it to Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang received the ball, pushed past the Grizzlies player who was defending him, spun around, and drove to the basket, dunking the ball into the hoop with one hand!
His first point since his comeback came very quickly, a thunderous dunk that symbolized the return of the former king to his kingdom like lightning.

The fans in the stadium cheered, while reporters on the sidelines and under the basket snapped away with their cameras, securing today's headline photo.

Gan Guoyang still remembers when he first came to the NBA, his first opponent was also an away game, against the Kings in Kansas City, where there were very few fans in the arena.

He scored his first career point with a left-handed gliding dunk early in the game, a truly memorable goal.

Gan Guoyang's first goal after his comeback was also a dunk. He likes to dunk, even though it hurts his hands and requires a lot of physical exertion than a layup.

But the feeling of releasing emotions and energy is fantastic.

The rims at the Vancouver arena have been reinforced and will no longer be damaged by powerful dunks from players like Gan Guoyang and Shaquille O'Neal.

The Grizzlies are indeed a weak team. They got the third overall pick and selected Rasheed Wallace, but the team is essentially unchanged from last season.

It's still an unknown player in charge. Head coach Brian Winters was brought in rather than his former role; he had previously worked as an assistant coach for Pete Carell at Princeton.

He's trying to replicate the Princeton offense with the Vancouver Grizzlies, using some ordinary players to create impressive offenses and establish himself in the NBA.

As it turns out, Princeton is nothing in the NBA without star players. To survive in the NBA, you need players with strong individual abilities; otherwise, any system will struggle to function.

After scoring the first goal, Gan Guoyang did not immediately return to defend, but instead cooperated with Porter and Riedle to press and defend in the attacking third.

This was Bird's pre-game strategy: to start with a two-minute full-court press, both to warm up and to put pressure on the Grizzlies early on to gain an advantage.

Actually, there's a third point: Bird wanted to see how well the starting players could press the defense and whether they had any chemistry on the defensive end.

As a result, a tight defensive press was successful. Porter and McGee surrounded the opponent near the midline, successfully stealing the ball and passing it to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang received the ball and drove to the basket again, this time Bryant Rivers was in a good defensive position.

He reacted too slowly on the first play; by the time he reached the basket, Gan Guoyang had already completed the dunk and was greeted with cheers.

This was his head-to-head matchup with Forrest Gump. He lunged at him, jumped to block, and got dunked on!

Another dunk! Gan Guoyang adjusted his steps, then completely ignored Rivers' defense, leaped up and dunked over Rivers!

He channeled the pent-up frustration and passion from two seasons of not playing into two powerful dunks, announcing his return.

Unfortunately, Bryant Rivers from Big Country became the sacrificial lamb; after being dunked on, he was completely stunned.

It felt like he'd been hit by a tank; his vision went black, and he saw a few stars. Suddenly, he had a ball in his hand, and his teammates were urging him to serve.

He inbounded the ball based on instinct and habit, and ran towards the frontcourt on instinct. It wasn't until he was almost at the center line that Rivers' mind came back online.

He then remembered that his name was Bryant Rivers, an NBA player, a 7-foot center, a Grizzlies player, and tonight he was playing the Trail Blazers, matched up against Forrest Gump…

At this point, the Trail Blazers' full-court press defense failed, their defense in the middle was broken, and point guard Greg Anthony drove to the basket and made a layup.

Bryant Rivers turned and ran back to the paint to complete his defensive play.

Gan Guoyang also came to the three-second zone, a familiar place for him. At the beginning of the game, when everyone had not yet found their rhythm, passing the ball to the inside was a common choice for NBA teams at that time.

The Trail Blazers were no exception. Gan Guoyang boxed out Rivers in the low post to get the ball. Rivers, who had caught his breath, thought to himself, "Finally, it's my area of ​​expertise. My strength and weight will come in handy."

Rivers tried to push Gan Guoyang away from the basket. He tried very hard, using almost all his strength, but it was no use; he didn't budge.

Gan Guoyang easily received the ball, turned around and pressured Rivers, and made a hook shot to score another 2 points. Gan Guoyang had already scored 6 points at the start of the game.

But there was no triumph or joy on his face, because the team's full-court press defense failed again, and was broken by the Grizzlies' poor passing.

They lost control of the middle again, and the ball was passed to the basket. Abdul-Rahim caught the ball and made a close-range bank shot, making it 4-6 for the Grizzlies, who were only down by 2 points at the start of the game.

When Gan Guoyang inbounded the ball from the baseline, he glanced at Bird sitting on the sidelines. Their eyes met, and Bird gestured for them to stop the full-court press. The Trail Blazers used a starting lineup of Gan Guoyang, Porter, PJ Brown, Riddell, and Aaron McGee, a slightly conservative lineup.

To better coordinate with Forrest Gump, Larry Bird benched Van Exel, but he wouldn't be on the bench for long.

After a few possessions, Bird realized that Porter's offense had deteriorated significantly and he was almost no longer a threat on the court with the ball.

At the same time, this lineup's defensive cohesion is very problematic. Their full-court press was broken twice out of three attempts, giving the Grizzlies relatively easy scoring opportunities.

Returning to the offensive end, for the fourth goal, Porter still passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, who positioned himself in a relatively shallow position.

Rivers was firmly pinned behind him, and by this point, he had completely forgotten what he had said to the media before the game.

The game has only just begun, and the thought of having to face someone like that for the entire game ahead is making Rivers feel a bit overwhelmed.

At that moment, he remembered what Forrest Gump had told him at the beginning: "Relax." It seemed he wasn't joking; Forrest really was a good person.

Gan Guoyang wasn't in the mood to play games with Rivers at this point; he could gauge his opponent's strength in a round or two.

He's a big white center with some ability, but overall mediocre.

Throughout Gan Guoyang's basketball career, this type of center has posed the least threat to him.

From college to the NBA, he has dominated countless white centers like him.

They completely destroyed the market value and draft prospects of many big white centers.

Rivers was selected sixth overall because the Grizzlies simply didn't have any other players.

Since the new team is dirt poor, let's just get an inside player from a semifinal team.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang was observing his teammates' positions and directing their movements.

The Grizzlies' defense is unremarkable; it's just one-on-one man-to-man defense.

Gan Guoyang directed PJ Brown to cut inside, and then saw Riddle run to the baseline, overlapping with PJ's movement.

Aaron McGee hesitated at 45 degrees, unsure of what to do.

Gan Guoyang wanted to pass the ball, but found no good passing opportunities.

Only Porter ran to the top of the arc and crouched down after passing the ball to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang passed the ball back to Porter, who faked a breakthrough and then passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, who had cut out from behind.

Gan Guoyang faked out Rivers, and even the dumbest Grizzlies players would know to come over and double-team him at this point.

Three players surrounded Gan Guoyang, forcing him towards the baseline. Gan Guoyang had no choice but to pass the ball to Porter, who was cutting in.

Porter received the ball and went for a layup, but was blocked by Rasheed Wallace. The Grizzlies completed a good defensive play.

Ultimately, the Trail Blazers' half-court offense was terrible, and their positioning was a complete failure.

With the ball on the strong side, no corresponding tactics emerged on the weak side, and the players' teamwork and form were lacking.

There was no time for further communication as the Grizzlies launched a counterattack, and Gan Guoyang quickly ran back to the three-second zone to defend.

He first rushed out to disrupt Greg Anthony's drive, then blocked Rasheed's shot with a big block.

After gaining possession of the ball, Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball across half-court, thinking and observing the situation.

After the initial excitement of two spectacular dunks, the real challenge arises: the Trail Blazers need a consistent offensive and defensive strategy.

The regular season and the preseason are very different. In the preseason, you can play however you want and rely on your experience and intuition to perform freely.

In the regular season, teams need to win, but good teams also need to use the regular season to find their form and develop chemistry.

Of the starting five, Porter is a veteran with rich experience, but his overall ability is not what it used to be, and he can no longer carry the team on the offensive end.

PJ Brown is a typical defensive role player, much like Mitchell Thompson, who played alongside Gan Guoyang in the past. He is a reliable supporting power forward.

However, compared to Mitchell Thompson, his offensive talent and ability are much weaker, and second-chance points and easy baskets are his main scoring methods.

Moreover, his field goal percentage under the basket is not high; as an inside player, his two-point field goal percentage is less than 45%.

It's not worth designing offensive tactics for him or expecting him to handle any possession of the ball.

As another inside player, Gan Guoyang will have to shoulder more and heavier offensive responsibilities.

On the perimeter, Aaron McGee's offensive talent is mediocre, while Riddell plays a lone wolf style, preferring to post up and play in the low post as a shooting guard.

Before the game, when Bird was setting up the offense, he only made one request: everyone should play to their strengths.

Gan Guoyang said, "I have a special talent in every area, what should I do?"

Bird replied, "The more capable you are, the more work you should do. You should do everything. You'd better become a coach too."

Thinking of this, Gan Guoyang waved to Riddle, signaling him to take a shot from the right flank.

Riddle, that UNLV bastard, quickly became a good boy after joining the Trail Blazers.

Gan Guoyang's warning was only one aspect; on the other hand, Gan Guoyang would bring his teammates to participate in activities and act as spokespeople for Portland brands and stores.

Riddle always got a share, and he received a considerable amount of money from it, which quickly made him appreciate the benefits of being Forrest Gump's teammate.

Others also benefited; for example, Jermaine O'Neal got a new car, Chris Dudley was introduced to bigwigs in Oregon's political circles, and the media criticism and attacks on Van Exel all disappeared in September and October.

A leader cannot be good if they only offer verbal warnings and threats without providing any tangible benefits.

Seeing Agan wave, Riddell immediately moved to the right low post to establish position, and Gan Guoyang's pass was easily received.

Riddle has a bad temper, but his skills and physique are undeniable. He is very strong, with broad shoulders and excellent flexibility.

Anthony Peele, who was defending him, was too thin to withstand Riddell's back-to-the-basket attack. Riddell turned and drove to the basket, scoring a layup.

After Riddell scored, he high-fived Gan Guoyang, and the Trail Blazers quickly took the lead in the first quarter, ending the first quarter 31-25.

The Trail Blazers' offense is not a problem; they can easily break through the Grizzlies' weak defense with their individual abilities alone.

However, their defense also had many problems, allowing a weak team like the Grizzlies to score 25 points in the first quarter, which was really too much.

Gan Guoyang fully demonstrated his all-around abilities in the first quarter, scoring 10 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists, and blocking 1 shot. There was nothing he couldn't do.

During the break, Bird expressed his dissatisfaction with the team's defense, but he refrained from yelling at the players.

When he was a player, he hated it when coaches yelled at the players, but when he actually became a coach, he found it was really hard not to yell.

In some moments and rounds, especially on the defensive end, Bird's shouts were practically in his throat, but he managed to suppress them.

The only one who satisfied him was Gan Guoyang, whose performance was still perfect, without missing a single shot.

As much as he hated him as a player, he loved him as much as he did as a coach. Bird didn't even want Forrest to sit out of the game.

They are still in the process of getting to know each other and need a flag bearer and leader like this on the field, whose ball control inspires confidence.

But Gan Guoyang was dissatisfied with Bird, saying, "Are you the coach or did you come in here without a ticket? I didn't even hear you shouting!"

Bird said, "I told you I hate yelling, and I'll try not to yell at you."

“You have to shout it out. If you don’t, I’ll feel like you’re not really engaged.”

“I put in the effort, but I’m not Bellman, I don’t want to swear.”

"Just you wait, Larry. I bet you'll be yelling about it later, maybe even today."

"I don't believe it. I'm not sure about the later matches, but I'll stay calm tonight and bet $20."

“No problem. Remember, Larry, you already owe me 20.”

Later, after coaching the Trail Blazers for three seasons, Bird completely quit gambling.

(End of this chapter)