Chapter 973 - 19: Going for the Big Score_3

Karl showed some skills with the Knight and the Warriors, but ultimately, due to external factors and his own personality, he couldn’t fully showcase his talents.

After wandering and settling down, George Karl finally found a suitable lineup in Seattle, with players that suited him, giving him the opportunity to show his full potential.

After taking over the Supersonics, Karl led the team to an impressive record of 27 wins and 15 losses, pushing the team to fifth place in the Western Conference and advancing to the playoffs.

Defeating the Warriors in the first round was Karl’s proud achievement, avenging the time he was ousted by the Warriors.

Unlike the no-suspense matchup between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers, the game between the Warriors and the Supersonics was thrilling and intense.

Under George Karl, the Supersonics transformed from KC Jones’ old team style to one filled with passion, much like Karl’s personality, with an aggressive approach on both defense and offense.

In the third game, during the crucial final moments, Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp completed an alley-oop connection, dunking the ball and drawing a foul from The Warriors with a bonus free throw.

This shot helped the Supersonics overtake the score, and they eventually won the third game by 1 point, gaining a match point in the series, and crushed the Warriors in the fourth game, successfully beating the higher seed to enter the semifinals.

This victory was significant for George Karl and the Supersonics, holding even greater importance as they were set to face the Trail Blazers, the king of the league, a super boss.

Madman Karl wasn’t afraid to face the Trail Blazers; he was the type who didn’t fear treading bare-footed, having previously locked horns with the Trail Blazers while with the Warriors.

Now, after years of honing his skills and returning to the NBA, the Trail Blazers still stood atop the mountain, and such a matchup was exactly what Karl wished for.

Unlike his arrogant attempts in 1988 to influence the Trail Blazers with off-court tactics, years of wandering had made George Karl much more composed.

Though he was still fervent, arrogant, and unpopular at heart, at least on the surface, he understood how to rein in his sharpness, focus on coaching his team, and face powerful opponents.

"I was surprised that, before I left the NBA, the Portland Trail Blazers were chasing a three-peat. When I returned to the NBA, people told me, ’The Portland Trail Blazers are chasing a three-peat.’ What’s going on? Has time stood still? Or did I never leave the NBA?"

Before the semifinals began, George Karl expressed his respect for the Trail Blazers with such a jest in an interview, but in reality, he was constantly thinking about defeating them.

In 1988, it was Gan Guoyang’s cold three-pointer that ended George Karl’s coaching career with the Warriors, setting him off on four years of wandering.

Of course, Karl held no grudges against Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers; survival of the fittest is normal in basketball.

In Karl’s mind, the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan were a benchmark, a mental knot, an abyss he needed to cross.

Actually, for other teams and coaches in the league, it was the same.

Before the series started, Karl and his team arrived in Portland early for pre-game preparations two days in advance.

In the regular season, the Supersonics and the Trail Blazers played five games, with a record of 1 win and 4 losses, which showed a significant gap in strength between the two sides.

Karl and his coaching staff carefully studied the Trail Blazers’ game footage over the years, especially in the playoffs.

No team had been able to slightly hinder the Trail Blazers’ progress these past few years.

With new teams diluting talent in the 90s, no team in the Western Conference could match the Trail Blazers.

Since the 1990 season until this year, the Trail Blazers had a 21-game winning streak in the playoffs at home.

For more than two whole seasons, no team in the playoffs had won a game in Portland.

Portland became a veritable devil’s home court, where Portland fans rarely tasted the bitterness of defeat.

Especially in May and June, they were undefeated; it was simply incredible.

George Karl didn’t believe in this evil, thinking that most teams lost one game as soon as they arrived in Portland and immediately fell behind in momentum.

Then the entire series’ initiative was completely in the hands of the Trail Blazers, ultimately leading to an easy elimination.

Karl was determined to break the myth of the Trail Blazers’ 21-game home winning streak, setting a distinctly different tone for the series.

He focused his attention on Ah Gan, and those passing the ball to Gan Guoyang.

"It’s cold at the top; it’s time for them to come down and warm up."

Karl said on the training ground, along with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, and Glen Rice, who were all young players with talent and ambition.

Young people always want to accomplish something big.