The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 370 - 103: Be Careful Not to Burn Yourself

Chapter 370: Chapter 103: Be Careful Not to Burn Yourself

The timeout was brief, and the game quickly resumed.

On the Trail Blazers’ bench, Jerome Kossie handed Gan Guoyang a bottle of water.

Gan Guoyang shook his head and did not take it, wanting to touch nothing but the basketball at this moment.

He was always precise in sensing his own condition, knowing he was in good form tonight, but unsure when it would fade.

He intended to seize the time, to snatch as much advantage as he could in the finals, never relaxing or showing courtesy to the opponent.

Defensively, Gan Guoyang didn’t plan to exert too much energy. He roamed mainly outside the three-second zone, leaving the tiring task of rim protection to Walton, Thompson, and Drexler.

Before the game, Gan Guoyang specifically instructed Drexler to move inside more, to participate in rim protection and rebounding efforts. The Glider’s ability to steal and block had always been solid.

Glider, who had a clear understanding of his role, did well. He stopped Marques Johnson’s drive, blocking his layup attempt.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the ball and passed it to Porter, "Remember to get the ball to me."

Gan Guoyang instructed Porter, who nodded, sensing Gan’s strong desire to attack tonight.

High post pick-and-roll management, Porter feigned a drive, then turned to pass the ball back to Gan Guoyang, who took a mid-range jumper from the top of the arc!

A high-arching cannon shot, two points scored!

Bird slapped the ball hard, hesitating whether to respond.

Gan Guoyang was signalling a kill from the start, giving Bird no room to breathe.

Bird was now in a dilemma. According to the game plan, KC Jones hoped that McHale and Marques Johnson could get going early.

Especially McHale—if he could get started, it would be easier for the Celtics later on with the backcourt’s firepower.

McHale called for the ball in the low post, and Bird, following the plan, passed it to McHale. McHale backed down Thompson, repeatedly spinning and using footwork to try to shake Thompson for the layup, but was met with Walton’s help defense, leaving no space for the shot.

He passed the ball to Parrish, who took a high-arc shot, but Gan Guoyang blocked it from behind!

Cheers erupted in the Memorial Coliseum as Gan Guoyang dribbled over half-court and passed to Drexler.

He then sealed off Parrish in the low post, Drexler passed the ball, Gan Guoyang swiftly moved to the free-throw line, and cut to the basket for a forceful layup.

Confronted by three Celtics, Gan Guoyang’s layup missed, but he grabbed the offensive rebound and went up again!

He drew a defensive foul from Bird and headed to the free-throw line.

Bird grew increasingly frustrated and complained to the referee, questioning how that was a foul.

"Trust my call, Larry, you really did foul him there, you used your legs to prop him, I saw it, watch your little actions."

The head referee for tonight’s game was Jack Madden, someone who made Bird feel uneasy the moment he saw the name.

This referee started working in the NBA in 1963, and called a technical foul on Bill Russell during his first game officiating the Celtics.

At that time, Russell was already a well-known and formidable force in the league, and most referees dared not provoke the champion center. However, Jack Madden didn’t care.

In terms of making calls, he was relentless, a merciless whistle-blower, meaning there was little room to negotiate with him, especially here in Portland.

Moreover, Madden hadn’t always liked the Celtics. In November 1985, Madden broke his leg during a game at the Boston Garden.

It was Dennis Johnson who ran after an out-of-bounds ball and bumped into Madden, leading to his fall while Dick Bavetta finished the remaining game solo.

It was an accident, but it undoubtedly added to Madden’s distaste for the Celtics. As a referee, he wouldn’t deliberately make it hard for the Celtics, but one couldn’t expect favorable calls from him toward the Celtics.

Gan Guoyang made both free throws. He was becoming unstoppable.

Bird replied with a mid-range jumper, granting the Celtics a brief respite.

Gan Guoyang immediately called for the ball in the low post again, and the Celtics doubled quickly this time.

They didn’t give Gan a chance to turn around, Parrish blocked the baseline, opening up his other side and forcing Gan to step to the free-throw line.

And as Gan did, Bird came over to trap, but Walton cut down the middle. Gan lobbed a high pass, Walton caught it and slammed it home with one hand!

After the shot, the two players lightly high-fived each other. By the finals, their understanding of each other’s play had improved.

With the Celtics’ two big men double-teaming Gan, Walton was completely left open—opportunities he wouldn’t miss.

With 4:14 remaining, the lead extended to 10 points for the Trail Blazers, gradually increasing their advantage.

But Gan knew this lead was nothing, as the Celtics could catch up quickly if they wanted to.

Dennis Johnson drove, using his strength to push past Porter and hit a layup inside.

Porter tried to counter Dennis with a mid-range shot but missed, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound.

He dribbled the ball, charging into the paint to draw the defense before passing to Thompson on the baseline wing.

Thompson received the ball and easily dunked it! 6:16.

The Celtics’ inside defense seemed jittery, collapsing and double-teaming at the slightest movement, focusing on Walton, but then leaving Thompson wide open.

Gan Guoyang was eerily calm now. Whether to shoot or pass, his thoughts were crystal clear, as if he couldn’t hear the cheers of the crowd.

Bird still passed the ball to McHale, who, posting up low, forcefully attacked and scored with a hook shot, keeping the score close.

Walton set the screen up high, Gan Guoyang got into position on the right block, received the ball and quickly spun using the Sigma Step; he dribbled with his left hand, then suddenly changed direction to the right, bursting past Parrish to slam the ball home with one hand! 8:18.

"Damn it..."

Parrish couldn’t help but curse. How was this guy so fast?

Turning, dribbling, changing direction, bursting forward—all done in one fluid motion—Parrish had never defended against a center like this.

What kind of center plays like that? His ball handling, changes of direction, and bursts of speed were just like a guard’s.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang was truly in the zone, as he started using offensive moves he wouldn’t normally utilize.

Bird handled the ball at the top of the arc, taking Gan Guoyang one-on-one, then suddenly passed behind his back to Parrish inside, who caught the ball, turned around, and hit a left-handed hook shot.

Gan Guoyang immediately responded. This time, he received the ball at the arc, burst down the middle, then suddenly stopped, collected himself, turned around, and shot a right-handed hook shot, scoring! 10:20.

Parrish was getting dizzy from Gan Guoyang’s footwork. Gan Guoyang was unstoppable in the first quarter, putting enormous pressure on the Celtics’ offense and defense.

Marques Johnson caught the ball, drove to the basket, stopped abruptly to shoot but missed due to Walton’s interference, and Thompson secured the defensive rebound.

It was still a half-court game, and at this moment, the fans in the stands could see a hint of fear on Parrish’s face. He was scared of defending Gan Guoyang one-on-one.

Just like last season against Jabbar, Parrish eventually collapsed mentally and physically. At 32 years old, he was past his prime.

Still at the left low block, Gan Guoyang was determined to launch an endless series of attacks from there. In an NBA that didn’t allow early double-teaming or zone defense, this kind of one-on-one play was almost unstoppable, as long as you had the stamina and skill.

The Trail Blazers players understood that tonight was all about Ah Gan; therefore, they cleared out the left side completely. Bird, for playing too close, was called for a defensive violation by Jack Madden.

Gan Guoyang stepped to the free-throw line, made his shot, and then continued backing down Parrish. He used a shoulder fake, then turned around, slightly fading away as he shot and scored!

Watching the game from his home in Houston, Hakeem Olajuwon couldn’t restrain himself and yelled, "You’re not that soft, Ah Gan! Son of a bitch, stealing my moves!"

10:23, more than half of the first quarter played, and the Celtics had only 10 points.

It wasn’t so much that the Trail Blazers’ defense was especially tight but that their offense was just too efficient, barely giving the Celtics any chance for a fast break.

Unable to mount a fast break against the Trail Blazers’ three big men and a ’big spider’ sweeping around the perimeter, the Celtics could only grind it out, which hardly improved their offensive efficiency.

KC Jones called another timeout, needing to figure out how to stop Gan Guoyang. The momentum he was carrying seemed like that of Michael Jordan aiming for 60 points.

The Trail Blazers were much stronger overall than the Bulls, and it was crucial for McHale to get going; KC Jones issued a firm command during the timeout.

Moreover, they couldn’t let Parrish defend against Gan Guoyang any longer; it was just free points. Parrish’s mindset was crumbling, unable to contain Gan Guoyang one-on-one.

"Larry, you guard Ah Gan. Front him and don’t let him get the ball. Now we have one goal on defense: don’t let Ah Gan touch the ball! If Ah Gan gets it, Kevin, you help on defense."

In the first quarter, Gan Guoyang put up 17 points. Charged with the task, Bird began to tirelessly harass Gan Guoyang, fronting and sticking close, not giving him a chance to receive the ball.

Meanwhile, McHale finally got going inside, hitting consecutive shots, allowing the Celtics to claw back some points.

The pace of both teams’ offense was slow, with Gan Guoyang’s low-post game dragging the match into a half-court battle.

In the last offensive play of the first quarter, Bird used off-ball movement to get to the right corner, where he caught a pass from Marques Johnson and released a three-pointer!

The ball grazed Gan Guoyang’s fingertips and went in! The score was now 21:29; the Celtics had closed the gap to eight points.

That left only two seconds on the clock for the Trail Blazers, an eight-point deficit the Celtics could still accept.

Little did they know, the Trail Blazers quickly inbounded from the backcourt, Gan Guoyang leapt to receive the ball, dribbled past the midcourt line, then launched a deep three-pointer.

The ball flew over half the court, swishing through the net!

The Memorial Coliseum erupted in jubilation, 21:32, the Trail Blazers leading by 11 points.

The Celtics players were stunned. Could that really go in? They thought they could have closed the gap to within 10 points.

Gan Guoyang ended the first quarter with 20 points, missing only one shot, completely dismantling Parrish in the low post.

Gan Guoyang, who scored a half-court three-pointer, appeared very composed. As his teammates rushed up to celebrate, he urged everyone to stay calm.

"Calm down, keep it cool. Don’t touch my hands, don’t touch them, careful you don’t get burnt!"