The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 333 - 69: Devil’s Whisper

"Welcome to the live broadcast of the 1985-1986 NBA playoffs brought to you by CBS. Today is the first day of the games, and we are bringing you the match between the Portland Trail Blazers at home against the San Antonio Spurs. This is a battle between the Western Conference first seed and the eighth seed. I’m Dick Stockton, and joining me today is our guest, Tom Heinsohn."

"This season, the Portland Trail Blazers had a remarkable record of 63 wins and 19 losses. After the 1984 draft, they quickly rose to prominence thanks to that excellent second overall pick. Ah Gan had an astonishing, MVP-level performance and became another scoring champion big man following Bob McAdoo."

Dick Stockton’s calm and magnetic voice appeared on the CBS broadcast, as this year CBS would cover the entire NBA playoffs.

Tom Heinsohn immediately took over and said, "I think Larry Bird has a higher chance of winning the regular season MVP, considering the Celtics achieved the second-best historical record of 68 wins and 14 losses! Of course, we lost in the playoffs in 1973 despite having 68 wins, but that doesn’t affect the regular season awards!"

As a Celtics basketball legend, Tom Heinsohn was indeed the coach of the 1972-1973 Boston Celtics team.

They clinched an astonishing 68 regular-season wins, the second in history only to the Lakers’ 69 wins, yet they lost to the New York Knicks in the playoffs.

The injury to John Havlicek was a major reason, and not capturing the championship that year had always been a regret for Tom Heinsohn.

They were behind 1:3 but managed to force a Game 7 through sheer willpower, unfortunately, Havlicek’s injury greatly affected his performance.

In the final deciding game at the Boston Garden, an injured Havlicek came off the bench but only scored 4 points, and the Celtics were soundly defeated at home.

The following year in 1974, the Celtics successfully won the championship. And this year, with the Celtics securing 68 wins again, Heinsohn felt a bit anxious, hoping it wouldn’t be a repeat of 1973.

Stockton shifted the topic from MVP to this year’s Western Conference situation, saying, "In the past six seasons, the Lakers had reached the Finals five times, establishing an absolute dominance. However, this season there might be a chance to break the Lakers’ monopoly. When the Lakers don’t secure the Western Conference first seed, other teams get their chance, as was the case in 1981."

Upon mentioning the Lakers’ peril, Heinsohn quickly agreed, "That’s right! As defending champions, the Lakers have been playing well, but Morris Lucas hasn’t shown a satisfactory performance or chemistry. Jabbar is too worn out in the paint, and their regular-season record against the Trail Blazers is 2 wins to 4 losses, at a clear disadvantage."

Stockton and Heinsohn had been working together for a while and knew how to guide and adjust the atmosphere. Although commentators should remain objective and neutral, it’s impossible for them not to have any biases.

Especially those from the Celtics, the old Green Army, who have profound feelings for the team, which is not something ordinary team players can compare to. So it’s not surprising to have a leaning towards the Celtics and a natural dislike for the Lakers.

"It’s too early to say these things right now. The Trail Blazers are still playing their first round’s first game. Their opponent, the Spurs, may be getting long in the tooth, but you should never underestimate the power of veterans! Okay, let’s turn the camera to the scene, as the game is about to begin!"

After the opening ceremony, the players stood on the court.

The starting lineup for the Trail Blazers was Gan Guoyang, Thompson, Drexler, Vandeweghe, and Jim Paxson.

After a season of getting used to each other, this was the Trail Blazers’ most frequently used starting lineup.

Tall, strong, and full of energy, with Drexler serving as the point forward and Vandeweghe and Paxson providing the outside shooting.

This starting lineup had the most balanced offense and defense, with no significant weaknesses except in the backcourt defense.

The Spurs’ starters were Gilmore, Alvin Robertson, Mike Mitchell, Wes Matthews, and Dave Greenwood.

Their power forward Greenwood was acquired from the Bulls in the trade involving Gervin, a good friend of Michael Jordan.

Before the game started, Gan Guoyang asked Greenwood, "Are you double-teaming me tonight? Have you guys set up a strategy to double-team me?"

Greenwood looked at Gan Guoyang and was inexplicably reminded of Michael Jordan, possessing the same confidence and oppressiveness.

The difference was that Gan Guoyang’s eyes were colder, making his opponents feel a chill down their spine.

Everyone in the League knew that when Ah Gan started talking to you, it was often the beginning of the devil whispering in your ear.

"Answer me, Dave. How come after moving from San Antonio to Portland, you still haven’t adjusted? You didn’t double-team me last game. Will you let me off the hook this time too?"

Greenwood shrugged nonchalantly and said, "I’m not the one guarding you."

"The ’Old Train’ is getting on in years, he’s 36 now. Do you have the heart to let him guard me all by himself?"

"Oh, Sonny, don’t be like that, out of respect for Michael,"

The game hadn’t even started, and Greenwood was already feeling suffocated by the pressure from Gan Guoyang.

He had no idea how to answer Gan Guoyang’s question, double-teaming or not was both wrong.

Of course, Cotton Fitzsimmons had devised a defensive strategy against Gan Guoyang before the game.

Leaving Gilmore to handle Gan Guoyang’s onslaught alone was simply criminal.

But would Greenwood dare to say they’d double-team? Gan would immediately respond, "Then let’s wait and see." Who the hell could stand that?

Against the Trail Blazers, the Spurs knew they were at a definite disadvantage and understood that beating them was practically impossible.

In the 1980s, the gap between the super teams and the playoff fringe teams was significant.

Therefore, the Western Conference’s eighth seed facing the first had no suspense, don’t even think about a black eight miracle.

With the introduction of Stern’s salary cap and draft lottery system, the gap between teams slowly began to shrink.

Greenwood now just wanted to get through the first round comfortably and not die too embarrassingly.

But with Gan behaving like this, Greenwood knew there wouldn’t be any good days ahead.

It was better to avoid if possible, everyone knew it was best to steer clear of Gan.

At center court, Gan Guoyang and Gilmore jumped for the ball as the game began.

Gan Guoyang won the possession, and the Trail Blazers began their offense.

"Gan gets the ball in the low post, spins for the breakthrough! Passes to Vandeweghe, Vandeweghe shoots and scores, the first points of the game!"

Gan Guoyang used his speed to easily get past Gilmore, and Greenwood, face set in determined grimace, went forward to double-team.

Gan Guoyang promptly passed the ball to Vandeweghe, who caught it and swiftly made the shot.

The Spurs’ defense tightened impressively at the start, but their speed was insufficient; they couldn’t keep up with the Trail Blazers’ movement and passing.

If their speed had been sufficient, they wouldn’t have ended up eighth in the Western Conference during the regular season.

Mike Mitchell was the core of the Spurs’ offense, but on his first attack, he found that it wasn’t Drexler or Vandeweghe in front of him, but Gan.

"You’re the Spurs’ scoring champion, and I’m the best defender on the Trail Blazers, no problem with me guarding you, right?"

With Gan on defense, Mitchell immediately got disoriented, not knowing how to proceed and ended up passing the ball inside.

The pass intended for Greenwood was intercepted by Drexler, who led the counter-attack, with Gan receiving the ball to move hook and shoot, scoring!

Then the Spurs made another offensive mistake, with Drexler seizing the counter, and Vandeweghe slamming down a dunk on the fast break!

When Gan Guoyang blocked Gilmore on defense, Cotton Fitzsimmons was already ready to call a timeout.

Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post, took Sikma steps, surged past the slower Old Train Gilmore, and over the helping defense of Greenwood, completed a two-handed dunk!

The Memorial Coliseum erupted, the referee’s whistle sounded, calling a defensive foul on Greenwood, sending Gan Guoyang to the free throw line.

The bonus shot was good, giving the Trail Blazers a smooth 9:0 lead over the Spurs.

Cotton Fitzsimmons called a timeout, and Gan Guoyang said to Greenwood, "If you were going to double-team me, you should’ve said so earlier, you’re too dishonest, Dave."

Greenwood shook his head slightly, thinking that just like Michael, you crazy ones are all the same, all nuts. Playing basketball with you... isn’t it just a kind of torture!