The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 360 - 94 Overlord_2

But no matter what, Marques Johnson still fitted in well with the Celtics, especially when Bird was not on the court, he could make significant contributions.

In the second quarter, Marques Johnson took control of the Celtics’ game, playing more freely and aggressively.

In response, Jack Ramsay substituted Kenny-Carl, with the interior still anchored by Gan Guoyang and Thompson, and the backcourt consisting of Drexler and Parkson.

This was a lineup with tough defense and slightly rigid offense; there were many physical collisions, and the referees began blowing the whistle frequently to control the game.

"Damn it, the Trail Blazers are constantly dragging out the pace; do they think they can hold up our offense?"

Bird sat on the bench resting, observing the Trail Blazers’ intention not to allow the Celtics to play a fast offense, not letting them run.

The Trail Blazers had consistently used this strategy during the regular season to good effect, winning two years in a row at the Boston Garden, dealing the Celtics their only home defeat of the season.

The Celtics had not lost a home game in the playoffs.

"Push it, Marques, push it!" Bird shouted from the sidelines, reminding Marques to speed up.

Marques sped up, but his layup was blocked by Gan Guoyang from behind.

Parrish, who followed up, tried to score on the rebound but was again blocked by Gan Guoyang.

When Danny Ainge grabbed the ball, he didn’t dare drive to the basket again, instead opting to go back out and reorganize the offense.

The Trail Blazers played loose on the outside but tight inside; ultimately, Marques Johnson’s forceful outside shot missed, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound.

Gan Guoyang was also dissatisfied with his teammates’ defense; tonight, they had given up quite a few offensive rebounds, offering the Celtics too many second-chance opportunities.

But he still held the fort under the basket, not letting the Celtics’ rebounds easily translate into points.

"Secure the defensive rebounds, fools! We don’t have fast breaks, everyone needs to go for the rebounds!"

Drexler and others, used to fast breaks, had forgotten to protect the defensive rebounds.

On offense, Gan Guoyang finally got a chance to attack from the low post.

Drexler passed the ball quickly; Gan Guoyang caught it and immediately turned around, overpowering Parrish to score with the shot.

"That’s how you pass, it has to be quick, it must be quick!"

Gan Guoyang wound up every teammate, urging everyone to tense up as quickly as possible.

In regular games, Gan Guoyang always encouraged his teammates, but the finals were truly different.

Both teams’ leaders kept yelling at their teammates, but no one objected; the players knew that these two guys were the coaches on the court.

Bird didn’t sit out for too long; he returned to the floor, replacing Kevin McHale at the power forward position, matched against Mychal Thompson.

Bird, with his back to Thompson at the 45-degree angle, used fake moves and continuous turns to create a shooting opportunity at the baseline, and his fadeaway jump shot connected!

And Gan Guoyang, receiving the ball at the free-throw line, dribbled towards the baseline, using his speed to shake off Parrish before his move-his hook shot hit its mark!

The leaders of both teams began to take over the game with difficult shots.

At the same spot, Bird got the ball, this time opting for a turn-around inside cut floater.

Before Gan Guoyang’s block could arrive, he tossed the ball toward the hoop, scoring off the backboard and drawing a foul in the process.

"I didn’t even touch him! He fell on his own!" Gan Guoyang complained to the referee.

He rarely complained to the referee, but in the finals, every ball was contested fiercely, and a single free throw could decide the outcome.

The head referee tonight was Bavetta, who explained to Gan Guoyang, "It’s a cylinder issue, I’ll be fair, don’t worry Sonny, just play your game." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Bird made the bonus free throw, and the Celtics were pulling away, but Gan Guoyang knew not to get flustered at this moment; he calmly observed the situation on the court.

He stood high, drawing the defense, then suddenly passed the ball under the basket with a direct feed to the cutting Parkson, who caught the ball and went up strong for the layup, drawing a foul from Bird.

Gan Guoyang and Parkson high-fived, an infrequent collaboration between the two, catching the Celtics unprepared. Parkson made both free throws, stabilizing the situation.

"Nice shooting," Gan Guoyang said to Parkson after the successful free throws.

Parkson had the chance to score directly, but he deliberately waited a moment to draw the foul on Bird.

Not only were the free throws more reliable, but they also slowed down the pace of the game, preventing the Celtics from accelerating.

Bird desperately tried to speed up the game, quickly inbounding the ball and himself rushing past half court.

Marques Johnson received the ball mid-court and cut beneath the basket, attacking the Trail Blazer’s unstabilized three-second zone.

Gan Guoyang dashed over and delivered another block to the Celtics, his fifth block of the night!

On the perimeter, both teams tangled in a scramble, Kenny-Carl almost wrestling Bird to the ground, until the referee finally called for a jump ball.

After enduring the adaptation of the first quarter, the competition heated up intensely during the second quarter.

Stamina was a test for the Trail Blazers players, but the good news was that the depth of their bench was solid.

Plus, they had an almost endlessly energetic beast, Gan Guoyang, who could keep performing on the court without rest.

With agility during the jump ball, Ramsay subbed out Drexler for Vandeweghe.

At the same time in the paint, Mitchell Thompson sat down for the veteran Jones, all to ensure that Gan Guoyang stayed in the game.

When Gan Guoyang saw Jones entering, he thought Jones was coming to relieve him, but to his surprise, Jones pointed at Thompson instead.

Ramsay was watching McHale who had sat down, resting Thompson in preparation for McHale later.

And since Walton was saved for the more crucial moments of the second half, it was Jones’ time to shine.

"You old fart, you really won’t let me sit down, huh," Gan Guoyang took a deep breath and continued to immerse himself in the game.

Kenny-Carl won the jump ball over Bird, and Gan Guoyang charged forward to snatch the ball.

He dribbled past half court himself, dodging Bird’s stealthy steal attempt, then suddenly accelerated down the middle, driving hard to the basket!

With both hands, he performed a dominating slam dunk!

As a result, the forceful dunk brought down the entire backboard of the old hoop at the Boston Garden.

The timer’s cables were torn, and the entire tempered glass backboard crashed onto the parquet floor.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang dodged in time, or else he would have been hit by the board.

The courtside audience was stunned, with Auerbach, seated in his exclusive spot, watching the game with his mouth wide open, swearing at Xie Te.

Television viewers were immensely shocked, and the commentators didn’t know what to say. This was the second time Gan Guoyang had broken a backboard during an official game.

The last time was at Memorial Coliseum when he shattered a tempered glass backboard, prompting the League to reinforce all the backboards.

But this time, instead of the backboard shattering, the whole assembly was yanked down, interrupting the intensely fierce game that had to be paused to replace the hoop.

Bird shook his head looking at the pitiful hoop, muttering, "Beast, this guy is a real beast."

CBS commentator Brent Musburger slowly came to his senses, jokingly said, "The NBA should really investigate their equipment procurement department, there might be some corruption there."

Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang went back to the bench for a brief rest and said to Ramsay, "Coach, if you won’t let me take a breather, I have to find a way to take one myself."

Ramsay sighed and said, "Next time you want a rest, just tell me, don’t take it out on the hoop, it’s not good."