The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 87 - 26 King of California
[I was defending Ewing, pushing him as he pushed back, both of us watching Charlie Wardβthe Knicksβ point guardβbring the ball to the frontcourt. π§πππππ«π·π€πΏππ‘.ππ€πΆ
I said, "Hey, Patrick, you guys need a point guard who can get the ball past mid-court faster."
Ewing said nothing, just kept pushing and pulling fiercely.
Then I said, "Man, your point guards are Charlie and Chris Childs, by the time you get the ball, thereβs no time left to shoot."
He still didnβt say anything, but he stopped pushing me so hard.
Then I said, "My God, theyβve neglected you, Patrick. Theyβve turned you into a rebounder. Do you like that? Youβre now a role player. Youβve made a hundred million dollars but youβre a damn role player. Guy, do you still remember Gan? You donβt want to be dominated by him for the rest of your life, do you? Back in 1984, he wasnβt playing like you are now, and that was in college."
Then Patrick muttered to himself, "Damn, man, Jason, you know, youβre right. Damn."
At the next time-out, I glanced at the Knicksβ bench, and Ewing was shouting at his point guard to pass him the ball.]
ββββFrom "Loose Balls" by Jason Williams, published in 2000, excerpted.
The second half began, and the Georgetown team took the lead with the ball first on offense.
The trailing Georgetown still played very patiently, with no shot clock restrictions, they passed the ball inside and outside, left and right, looking for a scoring opportunity.
With zone defense in college games, the set offense indeed looked quite dull and monotonous.
If the individual offense is stymied by a zone defense, the attacking team is like facing a spider web, constantly passing the ball and finding gaps.
No wonder the NBA banned zone defense a long time ago to prevent the game from becoming tedious.
The audience prefers to watch players take on one-on-one challenges, scoring through individual talent.
After patient ball movement, Georgetown got a chance for a shot, took one from the outside, but missed.
Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound. Ewing didnβt get the ball but immediately disrupted Gan Guoyang, preventing him from starting a fast break.
Georgetown had suffered in the first half; whenever Ewing wasnβt focused, Gan Guoyang would exploit the opportunity to make a quick move.
The leading Gonzaga didnβt rush to counterattack but also played a patient set offense.
Unlike Georgetownβs wide-ranging inside and outside, left and right ball movement to stretch the opposing defense, Gonzagaβs set attacks were more focused, mainly revolving around Gan Guoyang and Stockton, getting creative on the strong side.
Gan Guoyang kept stepping out to screen and pass for Stockton, who cut into the key for a close jump shot that hit the mark!
Then, on defense, Stockton double-teamed Ewing, stealing the ball, Gonzaga launched a fast break, McPhie caught the ball and scored off the glass!
The situation grew increasingly dire for Georgetown, but the nationβs top defensive team was not so easily broken.
Georgetownβs extensive ball movement and stretching gave Ewing a chance under the basket, where he received the ball and easily laid it up for a score.
From the start of the second half, Ewing tried hard to focus and decided not to fixate on Gan Guoyang anymore.
He thought the guy must be chanting some Eastern spell, muttering something to curse me, preventing me from being in good form.
Then, Georgetown began to implement their signature full-court press and double-teaming the ball-handler defense, with Gan Guoyang coming out again to assist Stockton.
When Gan Guoyang had the ball, wherever he was on the court, a Georgetown player was sure to be clinging to him, not giving him any space to shoot.
Now everyone knew that Gan Guoyang, as a center, had the ability to shoot from a distance, and they absolutely couldnβt give him the chance to make an outside shot.
The teams began a series of unsuccessful attacks, with Georgetown dragging Gonzaga into a mire-like game.
Several times Georgetown disrupted Gonzagaβs passing, while Gonzaga players threw themselves to the ground fighting for the ball, desperately guarding their possession.
The television commentator exclaimed, "This has become like a football game, with both sides pushing forward on the field, struggling over every inch, just to control the ball."
Georgetownβs defense against Gan Guoyang became more intense. It was no longer the double-teaming of the first half but rather one player tightly marking him in advance and three players surrounding him as soon as he got the ball.
Once he passed the ball, Georgetown players quickly moved back to defend with a defense full of elasticity and untiring.
With such defense, even a deity would have a hard time finding an opportunity to attack for Gan Guoyang.
After 10 minutes in the second half, the score was 41:39, Gonzaga still leading by 2 points.
The single-digit scores of the two teams in the 10 minutes showed the intensity of the game.
Gan Guoyang didnβt even get good scoring opportunities, but he wasnβt impatient or forcing shots. Instead, he was quietly accumulating strength, patiently waiting for a chance.
Rest was impossible for even a minute; Beelman could only call time-outs to give his players a chance to catch their breath on the bench.
Because of the intensity of the game against Georgetown, everyoneβs physical strength was draining very quickly.
After the time-out and back on the court, Gonzaga had the opportunity to take a sideline ball. Gan Guoyang suddenly accelerated, shaking off his defender.
Stockton made a long pass down to the basket. Gan Guoyang caught the ball, faked a move to shake Ewing, then leaned in, hooking the ball lightly with his right hand, and it fell through the net.
The referee blew the whistle, calling a defensive foul on Ewing, and Gan Guoyang went to the line for an additional shot.
Ewing stood with his hands on his hips under the basket, speechless for a long time.
Since the start of the second half, he had focused almost all his attention on Gan Guoyang.
