The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 336 - 71 Twin Stars_2

Charles Barkley scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in this game, the highest for both points and rebounds on the floor.

He had become the decisive force determining the outcome of the match.

In another game where the Bucks faced the Nets, the Bucks, as expected, easily defeated the Nets, making Buck Williams’s 27 points and 14 rebounds in vain.

With that, the results for the first round of the playoff series were all in, and the rookies of 1984 began to shine on the big playoff stage, becoming the pillars of their respective teams.

Gan Guoyang, Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley, Stockton, Melvin Turpin, Sam Bowie, Sam Perkins, Kevin Willis—each had outstanding performances.

This group of players, who entered the NBA with David Stern, were destined to make a name for themselves in NBA history.

On April 20th, the second game of the first round began, with the Chicago Bulls continuing to challenge the Celtics at Boston Garden.

On the other side, Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers were preparing at the Memorial Coliseum. Just as the players were getting ready in the locker room, the team’s general manager, Buckwalter, suddenly came in and said, "I have news for everyone, Michael Jordan has scored 54 points at the Boston Garden, and the Bulls and the Celtics have gone into overtime."

Everyone looked at each other in disbelief.

However, Ramsay said, "What’s so surprising about that, Sonny has scored 60 ."

Buckwalter replied, "That’s true, just thought I’d mention it, but it’s definitely big news."

As the game was about to start, Buckwalter updated his scoop: the Bulls lost, but Jordan had scored 63 points.

Though Gan Guoyang had scored 60 points last season, it was against the defensively porous Denver Nuggets.

But Jordan, having rested for almost a season, scored 63 points against the league-leading Celtics at the Boston Garden, which was bound to drive the Boston sports media wild.

When Walton saw Gan Guoyang’s serious expression, he asked, "Sonny, how do you feel?"

Gan Guoyang said, "No big deal, I can score 60 too."

"You want to score 60 tonight?"

"No, I mean, I could score 60 in Boston."

"Then tonight..."

"Tonight, just go with the flow, the most important thing is to win the game."

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"Ladies and gentlemen, I have an update for you. On another court, at the Boston Garden, Michael Jordan scored 63 points in the match. They still lost, but the sophomore Jordan has already created a miracle by scoring the third 60-point game in NBA playoff history against the mighty Celtics, something not even Wilt Chamberlain had done. But Ah Gan had done it."

Inside the Memorial Coliseum, Bill Schonely received this news during the game commentary, as the match had already started.

In an era without cell phones or the internet, the news of Jordan’s 63 points spread rapidly through radio, telegraph, and phone waves.

"But let’s get back to this game, Ah Gan gets the defensive rebound, the Trail Blazers on the fast break, Drexler’s layup misses, Ah Gan with the putback dunk! Oh my, two rebounds and a score in one play, let’s see, Ah Gan has already got 19 points, and, 22 rebounds! With 2 minutes left in the first half, Ah Gan has just gotten... his 23rd rebound! Robertson’s shot misses, Gan Guoyang is like a vacuum cleaner!"

After the game began, Gan Guoyang displayed an amazing desire for control on both offense and defense, aggressively fighting for every rebound. By halftime, he had already grabbed 23 rebounds, including 8 offensive rebounds, and all 8 of those offensive rebounds were converted into scores.

The aging Gilmore simply couldn’t withstand Gan Guoyang’s assault, as continuous losses on the defensive boards nullified the Spurs’ defensive efforts, costing the Bulldog three personal fouls in the process.

However, after being knocked down by Gan Guoyang, Gilmore repositioned himself. Regardless of the circumstances, the veteran strived to hold his ground under the basket.

Tonight, aside from Gan Guoyang, others found it difficult to score against the Old Train, who kept sending back shots with blocks. Alvin Robertson made consecutive steals, and the Spurs’ defense was much better than the last game.

At halftime, the Trail Blazers led the Spurs by 11 points with a score of 42:53. Both teams were shooting poorly tonight, resulting in many rebounds.

The Trail Blazers could tell that Ah Gan was playing extremely dominantly tonight, with a strong desire for ball possession, such that even Drexler stopped going for rebounds and focused on fast breaks.

In the second half, the Spurs didn’t give up hope of catching up. Though this old car was repeatedly run over by the Trail Blazers’ tank, it could still get running, with Alvin Robertson, Mike Mitchell, and Gilmore all striving to keep up.

However, for a team trying to make a comeback, controlling the boards is crucial—securing defensive rebounds is key for fast offense, and hustling on offensive rebounds can create opportunities in the chaos. Otherwise, playing in a straightforward manner while trailing just makes the chase more arduous.

Gan Guoyang was like a rebound vacuum cleaner, gathering every ball that bounced off the rim into his arms, and in the fourth quarter, his one-on-one play began to explode, with Gilmore, who had been fighting with him for three quarters, starting to falter.

Now, the Spurs could only rely on the outside shooting of Mike Mitchell and Wes Matthews. Matthews, in particular, was performing exceptionally well tonight, having already scored 30 points.

"Gan backed down, shoving Gilmore aside, and dunked with both hands! The Spurs call for a timeout; Gilmore can no longer stop Gan. The 36-year-old veteran is clearly exhausted. Tonight, like a Bulldog, Gan is wearing down Gilmore, 36 points, 38 rebounds, just 5 minutes left in the game, Spurs trailing by 7."

points, 38 rebounds—these were Gan Guoyang’s stats up to this point, a playoff double-thirty, already shocking enough.

The game wasn’t over yet, and Gan Guoyang’s stats were still climbing.

After the timeout, Gan Guoyang continued to play, securing another defensive rebound, followed by a successful follow-up in fast break!

Tonight, Vandeweghe and Drexler became assist masters for boards, with Gan Guoyang reaching 40 rebounds.

The audience started to get restless, standing up one after another, because Gan Guoyang was just one rebound shy of the NBA record.

The playoff rebound record was set by "Great Dipper" Wilt Chamberlain with 41 rebounds—it was almost like a full game’s worth of rebounds for a team these days.

That was in 1967, during the playoffs against the Boston Celtics. In that great season, Chamberlain focused on rebounds and assists and finally conquered the Celtics.

"40 rebounds! Could this be a miraculous night? There are 4 minutes left in the game, and it seems unlikely they’ll go into overtime. Let’s see if Gan has the chance to break Chamberlain’s record... Robertson’s jump shot is off, and Gan pushes past his opponent to grab the rebound! The forty-first rebound!"

When Gan Guoyang got his forty-first rebound, the whole arena erupted. They were witnessing the second miracle of the night.

"Drexler, Thompson screens, Drexler shoots, a bit hasty... but Gan gets the offensive rebound! It’s like he knows exactly where each ball is going to land. He doesn’t pass, goes for a hook shot from 7 feet... and it’s good! 40 points, 42 rebounds! 40 points, 42 rebounds! Just as God finished his game in Boston, he rushed to the West Coast and put on the Trail Blazers’ number 11 jersey! A new playoff record!"

The Memorial Coliseum was jubilant, with Gan Guoyang raising both hands in the center of the court, his clothes soaked with sweat and his hair plastered to his forehead.

This one rebound and hook shot not only sealed the victory for the Trail Blazers.

Bill Schonely, watching the fiery scene, paused for a long while before slowly saying, "Tonight, the Sun God has illuminated the night sky, rip city~"