The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 86 - 25 Control

"Patrick, what are you thinking about? Snap out of it, Patrick!"

During a timeout, on Georgetown’s bench, John Thompson used his authoritative voice to remind Ewing to wake up.

Ewing seemed somnambulant at the start of the game, which worried John Thompson.

The start of the game is incredibly important, in an elimination round, losing the initiative can mean being on the back foot for the entire game.

Before the game, Ewing’s fighting spirit was high, but once the game started, he seemed a bit lost.

He didn’t jump for the ball at the tip-off, lost offensive rebounds, and let Gan Guoyang score consecutively—such things rarely happened with Ewing.

"It’s okay, I’m fine." Ewing wiped his face with a towel, indicating he was alright. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Stay angry! We must win this game! Don’t let that number 11 score on you so easily anymore!"

Thompson patted Ewing’s shoulder forcefully, his round face a bit ferocious, as he tried to rouse Ewing.

The outside world compared Ewing to the second Bill Russell, but John Thompson, who had been Russell’s backup, knew very well that Ewing was nothing like Russell; their temperaments were worlds apart.

Bill Russell and Auerbach together constructed the skeleton of the Boston Celtics dynasty—one on the court and one off, they formed absolute "control".

"Control" was the most useful thing Thompson learned during his brief Celtics career.

He incorporated the strategies he learned from Auerbach and Russell into his coaching, and as a college coach, he had absolute control over his team.

Georgetown was a predominantly White private elite school, but as coach, he built a team primarily with Black players, who played with a rough, savage style, and were even described as undisciplined.

Like Auerbach, he was Georgetown’s top "Patriarch," with every detail of the team under his control, including the players’ hairstyles, attire, and daily behavior. The children were restrained by their parents until they grew up.

Yet, Ewing was different from Russell. Russell almost had equal footing with Auerbach at the Celtics, with the team listening more to Russell during games; he was the "secondary Patriarch" of the team.

Ewing wasn’t a patriarch, he was just a kid—the most talented, capable kid, yet also the most fragile, the one who needed the most protection and guidance.

John Thompson had always carefully sheltered him, using silence, violence, and anger to forge a hard shell around him, to enhance his power on the court.

But just within a few minutes, that shell was at risk of being shattered by that number 11 center.

"Number 11, Sunny Gan... Sunny Gan..."

Thompson repeated the name in his mind, a voice deep inside him telling him that, compared to Ewing, Gan was the one more like Russell.

From the warm-up at the start of the game, where he joked around with his teammates, Thompson felt it.

It wasn’t a playfully carefree nature, but rather his way of getting his teammates to relax.

Russell did the same before a game, even though he was so nervous he would vomit, he would pull pranks during warm-ups, keeping the mood light and easy.

When they were teammates, Russell would discuss philosophy, politics, and the history of Black people with Thompson, but Ewing knew nothing about these topics. Like most young Black men, his mind was filled with basketball and pretty girls.

Dick Vitale called yesterday, saying he had interviewed Gan and described him as sharp as an obsidian blade—that Aztec warriors’ weapon that could easily behead a horse.

John Thompson had reviewed some reports about Gan Guoyang before the game, almost single-handedly, he had taken an upstart high school and a mediocre college to the summit of California and All-America, it wasn’t just about his skills; it was more about his powerful influence in all aspects of a team.

This kind of influence is often overlooked by those basketball experts who play with data and list achievements; as outsiders, they never grasp the heart of a champion.

Of course, Gan’s statistics were just as impressive; his offensive technology was so diverse it could compare to a small forward, and so far, he hadn’t yet shown his smooth, swift turnaround jumper.

Thompson grew more and more anxious as he thought about it, but the game had to go on. Georgetown was superior in overall strength, and basketball is a team sport; they still held the greater odds of winning.

After the timeout, Georgetown adjusted their strategy, reducing their pursuit of offensive rebounds to further slow down the pace of the game, attempting to use their defense to strangle Gonzaga.

In a game without a shot clock, they could slow the pace indefinitely, holding opponents to an average of 57.4 points per game. Georgetown’s control and pressure on the game’s pace were evident.

Georgetown also firmly decided to double-team Gan Guoyang, with Graham, the power forward, defending in front, and Ewing collaborating from behind, trapping Gan Guoyang in a hamburger sandwich, determined not to let him easily receive the ball and shoot inside.

Georgetown’s defense was effective, Gan Guoyang couldn’t receive the ball, and they missed on two consecutive offenses.

Ewing then moved to a higher position to receive the ball, clearing out Gan Guoyang’s defense and passing down to the post with high-low coordination, allowing other players to exploit Gonzaga’s defenders one-on-one.

They scored consecutively and soon tied the game.

During a Gonzaga baseline inbound, Graham slapped the ball onto Stockton’s body and provocatively stepped toward the baseline, applying pressure on Stockton.

Seeing this, Gan Guoyang hurried over, picked up the ball from the ground, and pressed it directly into Graham’s face.

A severe confrontation almost erupted between the two sides, which was only averted with the intervention of the referees.

Gan Guoyang received a technical foul, but he didn’t care at all, warning Graham, "If you pull any more bullshit provocations, I don’t care about the Final Four, but I will let you taste what a fist feels like."

After this play, the confrontation remained intense but there were no more intentional provocations.

Immediately after, Gan Guoyang received the ball at the high post and, facing Graham, hit a mid-range jumper to help Gonzaga regain the lead.

So far, Gan Guoyang had not missed a single shot. In the face of Georgetown’s tight, high-intensity defense, his outstanding condition was apparent.

As the game progressed, Georgetown began to extend their half-court trapping defense to full-court, constantly pressuring Gonzaga’s ball handlers.

But Stockton withstood the pressure, displaying the basic quality of an excellent point guard, by ensuring no turnovers and still managing to make good passes, organizing the team’s offense.

During a timeout, Beelman reminded Stockton to decrease his passing and playmaking, increase his own offense.

"Too much passing can lead to mistakes, John, take the offense yourself, take the shot when you have the opportunity, don’t hesitate!"

This strategic adjustment in the first half once again improved Gonzaga’s offensive situation.

With Gan Guoyang’s screening help, Stockton hit consecutive top-of-the-arc mid-range jumpers.

At the end of the first half, Gonzaga held a 34:31 lead, three points ahead of Georgetown.

During the halftime break in the locker room, the Gonzaga players were drenched in sweat, but everyone was spirited and even excited.

Leading Georgetown by three points at halftime showed that the team could fully measure up against the opponent in terms of strength.

In the locker room, Gan Guoyang continuously encouraged his teammates and told them, "Don’t conserve your energy, go all out, take shots, make offensive plays, I’ll strive for the offensive rebounds."

"And don’t be afraid of Ewing. Three hundred sixty-five days a year, twenty-four hours a day, I can handle him at any minute."

Gan Guoyang was 8 for 8 from the field, and 1 for 1 from the foul line in the first half, scoring 17 points over Ewing.

Ewing was the fearful core of Georgetown, the key to "Hoya Paranoia."

But this core was completely dominated by Gan Guoyang, diminishing other players’ fear of him.

Meanwhile, in Georgetown’s locker room, Ewing still wondered what exactly Gan was saying.

This question would haunt him, forever.