The Golden Age of Basketball

In the post-match interview after the first game of the Western Conference Finals, Olajuwon promised in front of reporters that he would win an away game in the next game and return to Houston with a score of 1:1.

In the ever-changing NBA arena, the gutter may turn over at any time, not to mention the highly competitive playoffs and division finals. Everyone wants to win, but few people dare to say that they will definitely win the game. To be severely slapped in the face.

The reason why Moses Malone's fo, fo, fo in 1983 is so classic is not only that he did what he said (although he still lost a game), but also because he showed his extraordinary confidence in his own strength and unparalleled arrogance.

Now, Olajuwon has spoken harshly because he thinks the Rockets are stronger than the Trail Blazers, and because he thinks he can surpass Gan Guoyang.

Regarding Olajuwon's remarks, some people think it is a manifestation of self-confidence and strength, while some people think that he is too arrogant and may suffer a loss in the end, while most people are watching silently, waiting for the next game After the results come out, you can choose what kind of face you should put on.

The Blazers didn't really care about Olajuwon's remarks. During the team training on the 12th, everyone joked about Olajuwon's words. The victory in the first game gave the players a lot of confidence, especially It was the bench players who played a key role in the first game, not only saving energy for the main force, but also breaking through the opponent's defense and scoring consecutively.

Jim Paxson scored 12 points in the first game, shooting 7 of 6 shots at an astonishingly high rate. Compared with last year, his mentality has been adjusted very well, and he has fully accepted the role of the substitute. Qi's injury made him feel deeply guilty, and he was using actual performance to make up for what he had done wrong.

Since there was a game at night, Ramsey did not arrange a lot of exercise, but just let the players do some simple shooting training. Paxson, Vandeweghe and Gan Guoyang played a three-point shooting game on the court.

During the All-Star Game, Paxson had the idea of ​​participating in the three-point contest, but was stopped by Gan Guoyang. Judging from Bird's performance later, it fully proved that Gan Guoyang's decision was correct.

As a center forward, Gan Guoyang likes to practice long-range shots during training. This has started since he first came to the Trail Blazers training camp. Up to now, the shooting competition after each training has become a regular content.

In the past, it was difficult to find a victory, and now, in terms of the middle distance, Gan Guoyang has been able to compete with Paxson and Vandeweghe in training. In the competition, the middle distance has gradually become an unconventional weapon in Gan Guoyang's arsenal. .

However, the three-point shooting competition is purely a game, and Gan Guoyang doesn't take victory as seriously as he usually does in the mid-range shooting competition.

After all, in the real game, it is impossible for Gan Guoyang to shoot a three-pointer. He is not so sure yet, but he never gave up his technical accumulation.

"11 out of 7, 12 out of 7, 13 out of 8...25 out of 20! My God, Kiki, you feel so good today!" Gan Guoyang stood on the sidelines and counted Vandeweghe's shots. In the first shot, Vandeweghe made 5 shots, which is also a very high shooting percentage in training.

But then, on weekdays, Vandeweghe and Gan Guoyang are always pulled over to make up the numbers. Paxson, who lost the treat, made 1 of 25 shots in 21 minute, and hit one more three-pointer than Vandeweghe. up.

Now the pressure on Gan Guoyang has increased sharply. His most accurate shot is only 25 of 16. This is already smoke from the ancestral grave. It's not like you didn't enter or you didn't pass.

When Gan Guoyang stood in the bottom corner and threw the first ball under referee Kexi's shout of "start", he felt that his hand felt surprisingly good, and the ball flew straight into the field as if he had eyes. in the basket.

For shooters, maintaining the shape of the shooting hand is very important. Gan Guoyang's shooting posture is still very standard, but the requirements for maintaining the opponent's shape are very high for consecutive three-pointers in one minute. For a center like Gan Guoyang, shooting at the top of the arc At that time, the shape of the hand began to change.

But even if the hand shape is not standard, Gan Guoyang can still throw the ball into the basket, no matter how he shoots.

"23 for 20! 24 for 21! 25 for 22... 10 for 8! God, are you crazy? Wow, it's fucking incredible, Mr. Ramsey should give you a three-pointer tonight, I believe the Rockets You must have been caught off guard, and then you made [-] of [-] three-pointers, setting a record for three-pointers in the playoffs!"

Kexi saw that Gan Guoyang made 25 of 22 shots, and he was already happy to the side, and he started talking nonsense.

Gan Guoyang was also incredulous about his surprisingly good touch. No matter what, lunch at noon today is settled. The three people who lost the bet are invited to eat. According to the previous hit rate of Paxson and Vandeweghe, Gan Guoyang's meal was originally Please decide, who knows that Gan Guoyang can throw in 23.

Vandeweghe made 20 shots in the end, and I have to ask Gan Guoyang and Paxson to rub their hands. It’s really a bit of a backlash. Usually, in three-point shooting games, Vandeweghe always wins more than loses. Today, scoring 20 is also very high level up.

Depression is depression, but this is enough to show that the entire team of the Blazers is relatively relaxed. Such a fiery touch also gave Paxson and Vandeweghe a little more confidence in the game tonight, and they also wanted to bring a 2:0 victory Advantage goes to Houston.

Only Gan Guoyang was a little worried. 25 out of 22 is a good thing, but this is training and a game after all. This does not mean that they will still have such a good touch in the game. The night's contest is not a game.

In addition to Gan Guoyang, Behrman also felt that the Trail Blazers seemed a little too relaxed. After all, since the playoffs, except for the first game against the Spurs, the Blazers have won eight consecutive victories. The team's state should be said to have reached reached the peak value.

"Gan, do you still remember the state of the team before the NCAA Finals? I mean the Bulldogs?" Behrman asked Gan Guoyang before the evening game.

"Of course I remember. Everyone was very nervous. I didn't sleep well that night. I remember that Stockton got up and went to the toilet several times. I was very nervous." Gan Guoyang recalled the finals two years ago, and his memory is still fresh.

"It's right to be tense. Being tense can make you feel better. But I think you guys are too relaxed, don't you, Gan." Behrman patted Gan Guoyang on the shoulder and said.

At this time, the game was about to start, the stadium was very noisy, the appearance ceremony was over, the teammates were doing simple warm-up activities, and Drexler was talking and laughing with Coulter.

Gan Guoyang looked at the stage subconsciously, Wang Fuxi did not come, the school curriculum was very tense, she could only watch his game in front of the TV.

Gan Youwei didn't come either, because the business in San Francisco made him unable to leave, but Gan Youtang had already called and said that if the Trail Blazers made it to the finals, they would close the shop and watch the game with the whole family. Now Gan's restaurant is open every day Watch the live broadcast in front of the TV at night on the game day.

Although he knew that his family was watching him, Gan Guoyang was still inexplicably agitated. He seemed to be unable to find a balance between relaxation and tension.

When the game really started, this sense of anxiety became more obvious, because compared with Olajuwon's calmness and fierceness on the court, Gan Guoyang was a little frizzy.

Less than 5 minutes into the game, Olajuwon finally swayed Gan Guoyang away with complicated steps in an attack, and then deliberately rubbed against Gan Guoyang, which resulted in Gan Guoyang's defensive foul.

Immediately after a fast break by the Blazers, Gan Guoyang followed up to catch the ball for a layup, but Olajuwon had already established his position in advance. Gan Guoyang knocked down Olajuwon, the referee blew his whistle again, and Gan Guoyang fouled again.

The two fouls were solid, and there was nothing too controversial. Gan Guoyang could only helplessly spread his hands and went down to rest early.

Gan Guoyang has not committed such a problem of too many fouls in the first quarter for a long time. At that time, when he was playing in the NBA in his rookie season, Gan Guoyang often made such mistakes and was always scolded by Ramsey.

Now in the playoffs, he made such a mistake again. In fact, it is not entirely his fault, but Olajuwon's two fouls are so beautiful. The basket, but Olajuwon is so steady, and the nba at that time did not have the rules of a reasonable collision zone.

"Put some pressure on yourself, you are very lifeless tonight, I don't want to see you like this." Ramsey patted Gan Guoyang, who was substituted, and said to him.

Without Gan Guoyang, the Trail Blazers immediately fell into a disadvantage, that is, immediately, in fact, the Trail Blazers' inside line is really not very strong without Gan Guoyang. Jones is old, Kenny Carr is short, and he has no talent. It is enough to play the Nuggets , It's really too far away to hit the Rockets.

Mitchell Sampson entangled Ralph Sampson in the last game, and Gan Guoyang beat Olajuwon in the second quarter. The Rockets' inside line did not really have an advantage, and they always played alone. Fighting is the main thing.

But Gan Guoyang, the situation in the first quarter was completely different. Olajuwon was like a tiger that escaped from the cage, and Old Jones was basically eaten alive by Olajuwon.

At the same time, Olajuwon's performance also drove Ralph Sampson. The two people's internal pass and internal cooperation forced the Blazers to shrink the defense line. In this way, the Rockets gained more room for movement on the outside. .

The series of chain reactions caused by Gan Guoyang's exit made the Blazers fall into a great passivity, and the situation of the game fell into a disadvantageous situation for the Blazers from the very beginning.