The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 376 - 108 Killing Intent

On the morning of June 11th, the Trail Blazers were gathering in the VIP lounge at Portland Airport, ready to fly to Boston for the final two games of the NBA Finals.

If they could win Game 6, the series would end, and they would return to Portland with the O’Brien Trophy, clinching their second championship in history.

A large number of Portland fans came to the airport to see the team off, still deeply excited by the thrilling Game 5 the day before, which had infected the whole city and even the entire state, with many people staying up all night celebrating in the streets, by the river, and in parks.

One could imagine, if the Trail Blazers were to win the championship and return here, what a grand celebration would greet them, just the thought of it filled the players with excitement.

The close connection between the team and the city could ignite a strong sense of honor and a desire for victory in every player’s heart; the closer they were to the championship, the stronger this desire became.

It was almost time to board, and Gan Guoyang still hadn’t arrived, Jack Ramsay looked at his watch and said, "Clyde’s here, how come Sonny hasn’t shown up yet?"

Drexler rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that it didn’t matter if Ah Gan wasn’t here, what did he mean by "even Clyde’s here"? Am I a timetable or something?

Even if I were, you don’t have to say it out loud!

Vandeweghe said, "I guess he’s stuck at his front door, unable to get out. Recently, many people have been camping at Lake Mountain Park, most of them near Ah Gan’s house. His front door is piled high with loads of gifts every day. The fans must have gone crazy after yesterday’s game."

Vandeweghe’s guess was correct; this morning Gan Guoyang’s house was so full of various gifts that he couldn’t even open the door.

By the time Quentin Stephenson came over and cleared the gifts out of the way, Gan Guoyang, looking at the mountain of items, thought he had died and everyone had come to commemorate him.

The number of fans camping nearby was increasing by the day; this NBA Finals had turned into a wild celebration for many young people. They gathered to watch the game, chat, camp, have picnics, and of course, some indescribable things happened at night in tents and parks.

After a few days, the sanitary condition in Lake Mountain Park was worrying, with various kinds of trash everywhere, abandoned tents, and damaged lawns.

As he was about to leave, Gan Guoyang called on everyone to maintain public sanitation, to take their belongings with them when they left, and to restore the environment to its original state, meanwhile lamenting to himself that the quality of these Americans was lacking, and all the stuff he used to read like "Reader’s Digest" and "Yilin" had been deceiving.

Afterwards, he arrived at the airport on time and boarded the plane with his anxious teammates and team staff.

Before boarding, there was a lot of hassle as the crowd was so large that it affected the airport’s normal operations.

It was only with the assistance of the Portland Police Department that they were able to board their plane smoothly and take off for the East Coast city of Boston, ready for the concluding battle of the NBA Finals.

The atmosphere on the plane was one of light tension; with a championship point in hand, the Trail Blazers were only a step away from the title, but everyone knew that sometimes, a single step could be as wide as the sky.

No one knew what Game 6 would be like. Media predictions suggested there was a high likelihood of a Game 7. And if there was a Game 7 in Boston, the situation would be different.

Historically, the Celtics had never lost a Game 7 in the Finals. During the Bill Russell era, challengers like the Lakers had earned championship points before.

But each time, the Celtics were able to pull off a miracle, dragging the series into a Game 7 showdown, where they would triumph with an unyielding willpower, eventually claiming an eight-peat championship.

In 1962, the Lakers led the Celtics 3-2, with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor’s duo reaching the Finals for the first time. They were 23 and 27 years old, in the prime of their lives, and if they had won at home in Game 6, their basketball careers would have turned out very differently.

However, in Game 6 in Los Angeles, where they could have clinched the championship, they lost the match. Even with a combined 68 points from the duo, they couldn’t stop the Celtics from dragging the game to a Game 7.

In the decisive Game 7, Baylor scored 41 points, but Bill Russell grabbed 40 rebounds, and ultimately the Celtics won the championship on their home court with a 3-point margin over the Lakers.

From then on, the Celtics began their dominance over the Lakers, defeating them in ’63, ’65, ’66, ’68, ’69, a total of six times to claim the title.

In ’66 and ’69, the Celtics had battled through Game Seven to defeat the Lakers and claim the championship, especially in ’69, when the Lakers had two game points in hand, with the final game taking place in Los Angeles.

The Great Western Forum had been prepared for a victory celebration with balloons ready to be released, but the Celtics, barely clinging to life, still managed to win over the Lakers, and those balloons were ultimately donated to a charity.

After Russell retired, the Celtics also claimed victory in Game Seven during the NBA Finals of 1974 and 1984.

In short, once dragged into a Game Seven, the Celtics, with home-court and historical psychological advantages, would not easily surrender the championship.

Taking the momentum from their Game Five victory, winning Game Six would be the best outcome for the Trail Blazers.

Bill Walton joined the whole team in heading to Boston, but after the effects of his painkilling injection wore off, his ankle swelled and hurt; he would not be able to play in Game Six.

Jack Ramsay and Adelman were discussing rotation issues, debating whether to return Gan Guoyang to the center position or let Jones start and continue using the tall lineup.

Gan Guoyang sat in his seat, with Little Spoelstra beside him, analyzing Game Five.

This time Little Spoelstra came to Boston with his father, Joe, to experience the NBA Finals atmosphere in Boston.

Last night, he had worked overnight to edit the video of Game Five and then wrote a simple summary report.

This high schooler dedicated all his spare time to the Trail Blazers’ video editing room.

Whenever he had time, he would immerse himself in it, ceaselessly watching game videos and editing and analyzing footage of the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers were happy to use this free "child labor." His editing skills had reached a highly proficient level, and Ramsay always found his compilation very good.

Of course, his summary reports were a private endeavor, and the Trail Blazers’ coaching staff wouldn’t take strategy suggestions from a high school student, but Gan Guoyang was very interested in Little Spo’s ideas.

He believed Dr. Jack was certainly knowledgeable and highly capable, but the basketball court was ever-changing, and sometimes the old man’s ideas could be rigid and outdated.

Even though he was continually learning and updating, an old brain was never as good as a new one. Little Spo always managed to offer some creative insights, providing significant inspiration.

"Boston’s frontcourt is already very fatigued. I can tell from the video that their resistance to picks and rolls and the pressure under the basket is getting weaker. Kevin McHale and Robert Parish have played too much time. Although we have lost Walton, we still have Jones, we have you, Ah Gan, while Parish and Kevin are at their limits. I bet that in Game Six, the Celtics’ frontcourt defense will be a disaster. This is our opportunity!"

Little Spo was convinced by his analysis, which he determined through statistical data and video study of the Celtics’ frontcourt weakness.

They lacked a core substitute. Marques Johnson had performed very well in these games, but he was appearing on the court as a shooting guard.

The Celtics’ backcourt played comfortably, but their once-dominant frontcourt was on the verge of collapsing.

McHale had his best performance of the series in Game Five, but he and Robert Parish were increasingly struggling on the defensive end.

Gan Guoyang’s relentless attacks and the prolonged time on the court had left the big three both physically and mentally exhausted.

Gan Guoyang stroked his chin, pondering Little Spo’s words, and asked, "So what do you think I should do in Game Six? Keep attacking their frontcourt, go for 50 points again?"

Little Spo replied, "Of course it would be great if you could score 50 points, but that’s difficult; they will definitely guard you closely. If I were the coach, I would mobilize the whole team to strike at the opponent’s weakest point until we defeat them."

Gan Guoyang looked at Little Spo, and there was a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. Gan Guoyang patted the kid’s head and said, "When the old man retires, you can take over as coach."

Spo’s face immediately regained its youthful innocence as he said, "I’m still young..."