Chapter 793 - 21 Desert Storm_2

Before the game, Beelman checked the air pressure of the basketball, which was pumped up quite sufficiently, indicating the Mavericks intended to play a fast-paced offensive game.

Apart from Eddie Johnson, the Mavericks’ backcourt also had Blackman, Derek Harper, and the "big-name" Alex English, who was signed from free agency in the summer.

English had spent the most glorious days of his career with the Nuggets, and even though they couldn’t advance further due to the obstruction of the Lakers and Trail Blazers, they had nevertheless left a significant mark in history.

After the 1989-1990 season ended, Doug Moe left his position as head coach of the Nuggets. During the summer, the Nuggets management decided not to renew the then free agent English, marking the end of an era for the team as they entered a rebuilding phase.

Still not considering retirement, English, at the age of 36, believed he still had gas left in the tank as he could still average 17 points per game in the ’90 season.

However, signing with the Dallas Mavericks seemed like a questionable choice, since the Mavericks weren’t a championship-contending team, but another team in the midst of rebuilding.

The well-maintained English still managed to deliver some fine performances, like this game against the old nemesis, the Portland Trail Blazers.

With the Trail Blazers short on outside shooters, the starting English made 13 out of 22 field goals, securing his season-high of 28 points.

This was one of the few 20-point performances he contributed while playing for the Mavericks that season.

Together with Blackman, Eddie Johnson, and Harper, these sharpshooters leveraged their accurate barrage to defeat the Trail Blazers 111:104 at home with a 7-point advantage.

Apart from injuries, another reason for the Trail Blazers’ loss was the chief referee of the night, Jack O’Donnell.

The relationship between O’Donnell and the Trail Blazers’ players had further deteriorated, as he refused to communicate with the players or even speak to them during the game.

Although his officiating was generally fair, at critical moments, his calls seemed to always disadvantage the Trail Blazers, which greatly infuriated the entire team.

Last year in the finals, the Trail Blazers had suffered an unfortunate loss to the Pistons in a game officiated by O’Donnell, and now the entire league was aware of the bad blood between him and the Trail Blazers.

All this was the "aftermath" left by Drexler, who had initially conflicted with O’Donnell. O’Donnell’s resentment extended beyond Drexler to the entire Trail Blazers team.

Among the games the Trail Blazers had lost this season, two were officiated by O’Donnell.

Gan Guoyang was already thinking, if this kid kept showing bias, he might have to send him to enjoy the VIP ward.

After all, Bavetta was treated to a Portland Hospital VIP package by Gan Guoyang, and afterwards he became more neutral in officiating the Trail Blazers’ games.

In another lost game, the Trail Blazers were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in an overtime battle away from home.

Lacking outside firepower, the Trail Blazers dug themselves a hole from the start, with the Princeton System deforming under the Pistons’ tough defense.

In the first quarter, the Trail Blazers fell behind the Pistons by 11 points, and from the second quarter on, it turned into a low-post war led by Gan Guoyang, who with heavy ball-handling slowly clawed back the score.

However, due to Bobby Beelman’s management of Gan Guoyang’s playing time, every time Gan sat down to rest, the Trail Blazers started losing points, unable to sustain their offensive rhythm.

Even so, Gan Guoyang still led the team in a counterattack in the third and fourth quarters, and hit the game-tying buzzer-beater to send the game into overtime.

At the end of regulation time, Gan Guoyang had already scored 48 points, while the Trail Blazers had only managed 91 points, making his score more than half of the team’s total.

In overtime, with everyone else underperforming, the Pistons resolutely triple-teamed Gan Guoyang, collectively thwarting him.

Porter and Sanders each missed key open three-pointers, ultimately causing the Trail Blazers to lose the game 97:99 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Gan Guoyang scored a total of 51 points for the game, having only two shooting opportunities in overtime, and he uncharacteristically missed one of his free throws.

This left him somewhat dejected after the game, and in the locker room he communicated with Beelman, stating, "Coach, I think I can play for longer periods. I can totally hold the fort when others are injured. I should’ve played the entire third and fourth quarters, instead of resting off the court."

Beelman said, "I know your stamina is incredible, and you could play the full 48 minutes of the game, you want to win every game in the season, but that’s not possible, Sonny. Sometimes you’re tired too, take it easy, there’s a long future ahead, save the energy for when you’re most needed. Like in June."

Beelman tried to console Gan Guoyang, having worked with him for so many years, he knew Gan’s competitive spirit, and also how much weight he carried as the team leader and the league’s top player.

The loss of a game is certainly hard to bear, and now every time the Trail Blazers lose, the news media would widely report it.

Especially since Gan Guoyang scored 51 points and the team still lost, this kind of defeat is the media’s favorite, perfectly suited for a round of criticism on Ah Gan.

In earlier years, Jordan often faced such criticism, scoring high points but losing the game, with experts saying that this was not a way to achieve success.

Later in 1987, Gan Guoyang proved everyone wrong, as he carried the Trail Blazers to a championship with high scoring and tough defense.