The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 366 - 100 Nightfall

The victory in the third game made Portland people even more fanatical.

Not just in Portland, across America, anywhere with Chinese or Asian communities, one could see the shadow of Portland Trail Blazers jerseys and flags.

In the distant land of China, the NBA Finals and the 1986 World Cup were broadcast on television at the same time, making basketball and football equally prominent for the first time.

In a land of China lacking in entertainment, and where professional sporting events had yet to appear, the pinnacle of basketball and football competitions brought a shine to the monotonous spiritual life of the people.

NBA’s China tour in 1985 made the league and Gan Guoyang known to his hometown people. Regular season and playoff games were sent by Stern to CCTV, where they were broadcast in recorded form, slowly cultivating a fan base.

By the Finals, in the cities of the land of China, in government offices, factories, schools, institutions, residential areas, and even some wealthier villages, wherever there was a television, people gathered in front of the TV at eight in the evening to watch the recorded games broadcast by Central Station.

Although live broadcasts were possible, considering the time difference and the habits of Chinese people, the Finals still adopted a recorded broadcast format.

In an era where information was not readily available, this did not prevent fans from watching the tense and exciting games with an air of the unknown.

Larry Bird did not know that in the remote homeland of Gan Guoyang, he had become public enemy number one for the nation, the target of curses from many young fans.

Of course, minorities always exist; a considerable number of fans admired this 33 jersey-wearing forward who was neither fast nor a high jumper, but a sharpshooter nonetheless.

The Celtics also played games in China in ’85. Among all the visiting NBA teams, apart from Gan Guoyang’s Portland Trail Blazers, the Celtics were the most beloved by Chinese fans.

Not because their play was the most attractive—the Lakers played the most attractive basketball, and Jordan was the most attractive player—but because the Celtics’ temperament and disposition resonated quite well with the Chinese people.

They valued teamwork, they were very disciplined, they appeared simple, and they adhered to certain traditions—this did not conflict with their pride and some inherent weaknesses.

On the contrary, it was precisely their devotion to tradition, discipline, and teamwork that gave them a special sense of superiority when facing other teams. In some cases, this sense of superiority was not a bad thing, as it could provide abundant confidence and strong cohesion.

To some degree, it was just like this ancient country of China.

At that time, the Celtics, like China, were facing the pressure to choose between tradition and emerging paths.

However, in 1986, Red Auerbach did not feel this pressure too deeply; his Green Army was at its peak.

Even after losing the third game, the team was still confident about securing victories in the fourth and fifth games and then winning the championship back in Boston.

After game three, in the locker room, Auerbach rarely blew his top or criticized his players. He knew how tough it was to fight away from home and did his best to comfort everyone.

Of course, comfort alone was not enough; they needed to make some responses and changes, so before the start of the fourth game, K.C. Jones adjusted the starting lineup.

He benched the crafty Danny Ainge and started Marques Johnson at Shooting Guard, with Dennis Johnson playing Point Guard.

The Celtics’ backcourt now boasted the Johnsons, and with Bird launching attacks from the outside rather than challenging Ah Gan in the low post, the Celtics suddenly claimed the league’s strongest backcourt firepower.

The Celtics, originally priding themselves on their formidable frontcourt, were compelled by Gan Guoyang to convert into a backcourt-driven team.

K.C. Jones came from a backcourt background, so he knew how to coach and arrange backcourt tactics.

For Marques Johnson, the Shooting Guard position was also where he excelled—before being traded to the Celtics, Don Chaney had been considering playing Marques at the two spot.

The purpose of this new starting lineup was clear; it was to target the Trail Blazers’ weak backcourt defense, avoid the strongest interior defense, and crush the Trail Blazers with the maximum backcourt firepower.

Starting Marques Johnson could maximize his abilities and liberate Larry Bird, allowing Bird to better engage in organizing and driving the entire team’s efforts.

On June 7, the fourth game took place in Memorial Coliseum. When the Celtics’ "five All-Star starters" entered, Jack Ramsay’s heart sank; he had a bad feeling.

Before the game, Ramsay had predicted the Celtics might use this five All-Star lineup, whose power was indeed formidable. This would surely cause the Trail Blazers’ backcourt to endure immense defensive pressure.

As a response, Ramsay did not have good backcourt cards in hand; Porter, Drexler, and Parkson were already the best he had, and Kolter was not up to the intense confrontation.

Peak Marques Johnson had played well in the first three games without having a decisive impact. As a substitute, his time on the court was short, making it hard to catch the rhythm.

He spent a lot of his time during the overlapping phases leading the bench offense, but when it came to crunch time, K.C. Jones trusted Ainge more—or perhaps Bird trusted Ainge more.

But Ainge, despite being cunning and playing with a smart fervor that annoyed opponents, was like a little white rabbit in front of Porter and Gan Guoyang’s defensive trap.

No matter how smart and cunning you are, when it comes down to physicality, Larry Bird at least had height and strength, what does Ainge have?

In the finals, when it all comes down to the wire, it’s about the hardware, and if your mind is sharp but you can’t pull up and shoot in front of a defender, can’t charge to the basket and challenge the opposing center, then you’re useless.

In this regard, Marques Johnson was much stronger, a true freak of nature, who could still dunk nearly at the age of 70 even after many years of retirement.

On the court, as a versatile player who could both attack and defend, go strong in one-on-one situations, and distribute the ball, he was essentially a diluted black Bird.

The Celtics having one Bird was scary enough, but add another black Bird to the starting lineup, unleashing their full power, and the Trail Blazers truly faced a formidable challenge.

At the beginning of the game, the Celtics stepped up their offensive and defensive game by a notch, with Marques Johnson’s double teaming being much more ferocious and effective than Ainge’s.

In fast breaks, Marques Johnson didn’t always stop to look for someone like Ainge did because Ainge had trouble attacking the rim directly.

When Marques got the ball, he just charged ahead, and Porter couldn’t stop him; he reduced the passing in fast breaks, becoming simpler and more brutal, fiercely pounding the Trail Blazers’ half-court defense.

The Celtics’ attack speed increased by at least one level, and their impact on the basket went up two levels, massively increasing the defensive pressure on Gan Guoyang under the basket.

With the increased defensive pressure on Gan Guoyang, Parish’s pressure dropped significantly, hitting several close-range high-arc jump shots in the first half.

In the first three games, Parish hadn’t scored in double digits, a clear sign of how much he had been suppressed by Gan Guoyang; Marques Johnson lightened his burden.

The Trail Blazers were on the back foot from the start, and although they mounted a fierce chase in the second and third quarters, the rhythm of the game completely entered the Celtics’ familiar style.

Both teams engaged in lots of fast breaks, extreme offensive and defensive switches, quick transitions after grabbing rebounds, lots of risky long passes, through balls, and chaotic fights during transition plays.

Bird and the Celtics were in their element in this style of play, and even though the Trail Blazers could also play fast, being dragged along like this was quite uncomfortable.

By the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers had lost their tactical target; everyone was fighting on their own, charging when they could and scraping points wherever possible.

Hoping that players’ individual abilities and outside shooting, as well as their tireless defense, could create a miracle.

The miracle was indeed close; Vandeweghe, Paxson, and Gan Guoyang hit consecutive threes in the fourth quarter, nearly closing the gap in the score.

The Celtics called a timeout, and when they returned, Dennis Johnson hit a critical mid-range shot and then intercepted Porter on the next defensive play, scoring on a fast break layup and drawing a foul from Porter.

Porter paid the price for his youth, and as Dennis Johnson made his additional free throw, the lead was stretched to 8 points, and the Trail Blazers lost any hope of a comeback.

The final score was fixed at 124:117, a typical Celtics-style score but the content of the game wasn’t quite like the Celtics of the ’80s. It was more reminiscent of the ’60s, the Green Army dynasty of Bill Russell and his guard crew.

Marques Johnson scored 25 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists, Bird had 24 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists, and Dennis Johnson contributed 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists.

The three backcourt players became the Celtics’ offensive engines, while Parish and McHale turned into the inside defenders and beneficiaries of easy baskets, only allowing Gan Guoyang 4 blocks.

Gan Guoyang’s 33 points and 21 rebounds were diluted by the total score of 117 points, a lesson previously summarized by Nuggets’ coach Doug Moe.

Avoiding Gan Guoyang, attacking more from the backcourt, and pressuring the Trail Blazers’ guards were strategies the Rockets team had figured out.

After the game, Larry Bird, learning from the Lakers’ experience, refrained from trash-talking Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers despite the victory.

Instead, he offered a famous quote to the reporters:

"Night falls, not because the sun is gone, but because the earth has turned to the other side."

He used this to illustrate that they won not because they contained Gan Guoyang, but because they switched strategies and successfully avoided his zone of influence.

The series was tied at 2-2, with the pivotal Game 5 set for June 10.

For the Trail Blazers, the bad news was that they had lost the home-court advantage and would need to win in Boston to secure the championship.

The good news was that due to the implementation of the 2-3-2 series format, the crucial Game 5 would take place in Portland.