Chapter 671 - 54 I Don’t Quite Understand_2

Magic Johnson grabbed the rebound and fast-break layup for a basket, then he stole the ball from Terry Porter, passed it to Cooper, and directly hit a three-pointer, instantly bringing the score difference back to 5 points!

The basketball court is such a place where things change in an instant, advantages and disadvantages can turn around in a blink of an eye.

Tactical advantages don’t necessarily translate into victory because many factors decide a game.

And the primary factor is the players.

Superstars can turn the tide, making the impossible possible.

It was time to test Gan Guoyang’s critical abilities again, Beelman clenched his teeth and didn’t call a timeout, believing Ah Gan could solve the problem.

The Lakers would inevitably press full court, and the entire crowd stood up, using noise to disrupt the Trail Blazers’ offense.

If the Trail Blazers’ offensive failed this time, or any mistake occurred, they would face a thunderous counterattack from the Lakers.

Once the Lakers scored another basket, closing the gap to 3 points or 2 points, the game would become suspenseful again.

Gan Guoyang didn’t go to the low post, knowing it was easy to be double-teamed; instead, he came directly to receive the ball outside the three-point line.

Duckworth stepped up to defend Gan Guoyang, the Trail Blazers spread their formation wide, giving Gan Guoyang ample space.

Gan Guoyang faced the basket holding the ball; he posed a threat for a three-pointer and for passing, forcing Duckworth to close in.

Gan Guoyang dribbled with his left hand towards the middle, not moving fast, then he used his strong body to push against Duckworth slightly, after judging the center of gravity and angle, he followed with a spin move that took him past Duckworth!

Michael Cooper reached out to steal the ball from Gan Guoyang, but Gan protected it, taking two big steps with rhythm change and charging towards the basket.

Under the basket, Sabonis firmly blocked Edwards behind him, clearing a path to the basket, and Gan Guoyang dunked it easily!

A crucial one-on-one, the score came to 108:101, the Trail Blazers expanded the gap to 7 points.

This play completely sealed the victory for the Trail Blazers; by the time Don Nelson called a timeout and reorganized his tactics, it was already too late.

Even though Johnson hit a three-pointer, Edwards also made a mid-range shot, the final score was still 110:106, the Trail Blazers with a 4-point advantage, defeating the Lakers at the Great Western Forum and winning the first matchup of the season.

Gan Guoyang finished the game with 37 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 blocks; with his all-around performance, the first quadruple-double was just around the corner.

Magic Johnson had a standard performance with 17 points and 13 assists.

Watching the flow of the game, it was evident that at certain moments, Gan Guoyang completely locked down Johnson, causing the Lakers to be on the back foot offensively.

For Nielsen, finding a second steady ball-handler for the Lakers, a tactical second playmaker, was urgent.

James Worthy was merely a closer, destined to be the team’s third option, sufficient against ordinary teams but clearly not enough against epic teams like the Trail Blazers.

The rest, like Byron Scott and Duckworth, were at the level of the team’s third or fourth options.

Maintaining this lineup level, facing the Trail Blazers in the playoffs would almost certainly spell doom unless the Trail Blazers imploded or suffered significant injuries.

Like if Ah Gan fell ill and retired or something.

Otherwise, Don Nelson could foresee that facing the Trail Blazers would be hopeless.

Just like other teams facing the Lakers in the early to mid-1980s.

Tonight, the Trail Blazers were not even at full strength, Ah Gan was only operating at 70 to 80 percent of his playoff energy.

The Eastern European trio also hadn’t fully realized their potential; if they could perform as they did in Europe, then the Trail Blazers would dominate for many years to come.

At the end of the game, Magic Johnson still came over and hugged Gan Guoyang, and the two exchanged praises.

The NBA is a place of fame and fortune; when you are just a small fry, nobody cares about you.

When momentum starts to build, some praise you, and some who dislike it will suppress you.

Once you breakthrough that suppression and achieve real success, most people will come close to you, try to establish good relations, while a small part watches quietly, ready to step on you when you fall.

No one can escape such a fate.

In 1989 Gan Guoyang fell, but he quickly got back up.

For him, life was still at the foot of the mountain, and he had a massive motivation to continue climbing.

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Defeating the Lakers was very important for boosting the confidence of the entire Trail Blazers team.

When leaving Los Angeles, the usually serious Jerry West had noticeably more smiles.

After the game, Jerry West refused interviews from the Los Angeles media and did not accept Jerry Buss’s invitation to the evening’s dinner.

He followed the Trail Blazers’ team and left Los Angeles overnight, diving into planning for the rest of the season.

So far, the Trail Blazers firmly held the first place in the league, leading the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The team was in good health, with a reasonable age range, and the team atmosphere was very harmonious—the most significant unstable element was the owner Tang Jianguo.

In 1989 and 1990, Tang Jianguo suffered complete failures in all his businesses.

Tang Jianguo made his fortune in real estate development; in the 1980s, he invested, built, and acquired many real estate projects.

Including acquiring the Plaza Hotel, opening a casino in Atlantic City, acquiring Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida State.