The Golden Age of Basketball

"Why did you stand there at the end of the game? That's not where a center should stand. Is this Coach Adelman's tactic? Or do you think you should stand there?"

"Well, this is not a tactic. Of course, Coach Adelman has a tactic. After I serve the ball, I should go around the bottom line to the left low post to catch the ball. This is the first option of the tactic, but this tactic was destroyed by the Lakers. , So Porter implemented the second option, broke through the middle and then scored the ball, but Clyde missed the shot. I saw Sabonis at the time, and then I thought he must be able to grab this offensive rebound. Smell was good, so I just dropped to the three-point line, and I believe he saw me, and he ended up pulling the ball out, and I ended up making that shot."

This is the question and answer when the reporter asked about Gan Guoyang's last shot after the game. Gan Guoyang's last three-pointer can be said to be overwhelming, and the entire Great Western Forum fell into a dead silence. He hugs.

But from a tactical point of view, no one would have thought that a center would stand outside the three-point line in the bottom corner at the last moment, receive the offensive rebound from his teammates, and then hit a three-pointer to kill the opponent. If Gan Guoyang shot If the result of making a three-pointer is very magical, then the process of making a three-pointer is a bit magical.

However, Gan Guoyang is clear in his mind. Although this ball has a lot of luck, any accident contains inevitability. Riley relied on Green and Cooper to successfully block Gan Guoyang's attempt to make a low-level request. Drexler's mid-range shot won't go in, because Drexler's mid-range shot rate was horrible tonight.

In fact, it's not just Drexler's mid-range shot that is terrible. Before Gan Guoyang hit the last three-pointer, he made two zero-point mid-range shots and zero three-pointers. He can fight inside, and the extremely fierce physical confrontation makes his muscles tense and it is difficult to hit mid-range and long-range jumpers.

At the moment Drexler made the shot, Gan Guoyang realized that the ball might not be scored. With everyone on the Lakers stacked up around the basket, he bets Sabonis could grab the ball because Sabonis also knows Drexler's path.

Sure enough, the ball was flying towards the right side of the basket, with a very flat route. Sabonis just took advantage of the situation to turn the ball to the right. Gan Guoyang was already ready outside the three-point line, received the ball, and adjusted slightly One hit.

"In my impression, the last time I saw a center lore was Bill Lambiel. Compared with him, which one of you two has better three-point skills?" The reporter suddenly asked this question again. In the current league, the centers who shoot three-pointers from the outside are mainly Gan Guoyang and Lambiel. Lambiel also staged a miraculous performance of three-point lore in the game.

"Lambir? His three-point skills first surpass Sabonis and then compare with me." Gan Guoyang said to the reporter, full of disdain, Sabonis's three-point level is also very good, the Blazers can shoot three-pointers on both insides, It's just that the three-point tactics were not popular at that time, otherwise other teams would suffer.

Anyway, after several seasons of tempering, Lambiel has become a complete public enemy. Gan Guoyang teased him and everyone had no opinion, but then a reporter raised a sensitive question.

"After you succeeded in the lore, no, it should be said that before you landed, you seemed to be pointing at Riley and said something. Can you tell me what you talked to Riley?" Finally, I said "who-is-mvp?" to Riley. Except for a few Lakers players and Riley himself, no one else could hear him, and at that time most people's attention was on the ball. It is difficult for anyone to pay attention to Gan Guoyang talking to Riley without watching the video afterward.

Besides, it's too arrogant to run to talk to the opponent's coach before the ball is scored. In the past, only Larry Bird did this kind of thing. He said it before the shot and he said it after the shot.

Gan Guoyang hesitated for a moment, he knew that it was fine to say that on the court, it was purely rubbish talk to Riley, and if he said it off the court, it would undoubtedly be an excuse for others, so Gan Guoyang said: "I said to him at the time, 'It's over for a drink'!"

The reporters at the scene laughed after hearing Gan Guoyang's answer. Of course, everyone knew that Gan Guoyang was joking. No matter how the reporter asked Gan Guoyang, he would not answer this question directly. Gan Guoyang also started to chat with other questions. Impatient, the Blazers staff who accompanied Gan Guoyang to the press conference also ended the post-match interview in a timely manner.

Afterwards, Gan Guoyang left the Great Western Forum and got on the team bus. When he got on the bus, he felt that everyone on the bus was in great spirits. People's depression is all washed away.

"My guys, I can go to Hollywood to have fun tonight. Based on my performance today, can I get my handprint on the Avenue of Stars?" Gan Guoyang joked after getting in the car.

The teammates laughed when they heard this, and Danny Yang, who was sitting behind, said: "I bet, you have already been blacklisted in Hollywood. Next time you go to Hollywood, you have to wear sunglasses and a hat."

Gan Guoyang has a good relationship with some Hollywood filmmakers. He invests in a movie every year. This year, Raiders of the Lost Ark 3, which he participated in investing in, has been completed and will be released in North America soon. But these two days, Gan Guoyang has no doubts It is the public enemy of Los Angeles, and the lore of the Los Angeles team in two consecutive games may also create a piece of history.

"We will go back to Portland in the evening. After we arrive, everyone will rest early. We will start training tomorrow morning and have a game tomorrow night. Don't wander around anymore." Adelman came out at this time to "spoil the fun". The Blazers will fly back to Portland immediately, because they still have a game to play tomorrow, which is a back-to-back game.

Having said that, Adelman finally agreed to postpone tomorrow's training time to noon under the "encirclement and suppression" of the whole team, but he also stated that everyone can go there earlier if they want.

As a result, the next morning, when Adelman, who returned to Portland, went to the training center in the early morning, he found that all the players had arrived at the arena and started basic training on the field. The most active training of the players who arrived.

Adelman understands that the victory against the Lakers is of great significance. This is not just a reversal. The Blazers' performance in the second half is a return of self-confidence.

In the second half of the game in January, although they only lost 4 games, the opponent's targeted tactics and difficulties on the field caused a small problem in the players' self-confidence. The team, the Blazers can no longer chop melons and chop vegetables like they did at the beginning of the season. The players began to wonder if they were seen through, and do they need to change their style of play?

Adelman withstood the tremendous pressure and insisted on not changing his tactics. However, if he lost the game against the Lakers yesterday, and it was a big-score rout in the first half, then changes would be inevitable, and such changes would give No one knows what kind of damage the Blazers will cause.

Gan Guoyang finally saved the team. What he saved was not only a game, but also the confidence of the team. In the second half, the Blazers insisted on their own tactics under his leadership, but the intensity was doubled. The Lakers bite point by point, and whenever there is a critical moment, Gan Guoyang can stand up and stabilize the situation with goals or defense, and then chase points with his teammates until the final dedication.

Such a tough battle is very important for improving the cohesion and self-confidence of a team. Many strong teams can make great progress at the beginning of the season, but after half of the season, various problems will appear. Lost the momentum of the start.

As an inexperienced head coach, Adelman is very good at sticking to tactics and not easily wavering, but he has not yet learned how to let the team overcome such psychological difficulties. He was also at a disadvantage, but Gan Guoyang helped the team with his persistence and leadership, as well as his outstanding personal performance.

Los Angeles battle, the Blazers successfully survived.

Adelman looked at the players who were seriously training on the court, and suddenly his heart was full of pride. He recalled the moment when Gan Guoyang hit the lore shot, and the impact brought by basketball and victory surged in his chest. Not only yelling at the players: "assemble! time-to-fight! (Assemble! It's time to fight!)"

Adelman's reaction was indeed a bit slow.