The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 428 - 46: The Impressive Tactics

The Trail Blazers had a strong start, and their fluid offensive rhythm combined with their psychological momentum quickly allowed them to take the lead.

However, the Celtics swiftly made adjustments. Kevin McHale repeatedly attacked and scored in the post, utilizing his footwork and shooting over Mychal Thompson.

Having experienced a defeat in the 1986 Finals, where McHale was restrained by his senior, he reflected deeply over the summer and significantly improved his ability to handle physical confrontations in the paint.

He knew no matter how much he practiced his skills, they would only go so far; he had hit his limit. Many of his offensive habits had been ingrained since childhood and were unlikely to change now, making it inevitable that Thompson would read them.

So, instead of tweaking the software, he decided to simply upgrade the hardware, using improved physical strength to create offensive space and bluntly overpower Thompson.

At the same time, McHale overcame his psychological disadvantage; he no longer feared Thompson, and before the match began, he didn’t say a word to Thompson, allowing himself to swiftly enter a confrontational mindset.

After two consecutive years of losing in the Finals, KC Jones realized the team’s weakness in set-piece battles. Previously, their offense had relied too heavily on fast breaks.

Once the game was dragged into a prolonged set-piece battle, the Celtics’ offensive efficiency would noticeably drop. They would then get stuck in ineffective perimeter shooting and be unable to find good methods to break through the opponent’s defense.

This season, the Celtics underwent a tactical transformation. They also slowed down the pace and increased McHale’s role in the offense. He was no longer just a supplemental player in the low post, but the core of the team’s post offense.

Dennis Johnson’s role in the offense was reduced, as KC Jones asked him to decrease his number of perimeter shots and save them for critical moments.

Meanwhile, Bird’s three-point attempts reached the highest of his career.

Thus, although there was no change in the Celtics’ core lineup, there had been a shift in the tactical structure.

They evolved from a team with a frontcourt trio and a backcourt duo of An Ji and Johnson, to one centered around McHale and Bird within and beyond the arc, supported by Parish, An Ji, and Dennis Johnson inside and out.

The establishment of the twin cores made the Celtics’ set-piece offense more rhythmic. They slowed down the offensive tempo, with their average number of shots falling to the lowest since the 1981 season: 86 attempts.

Their defense became more tenacious, especially as McHale gradually became the heart of the team’s defense and offense in the paint, liberating Bird to some extent from the power forward position.

Last season, Bird’s average number of rebounds dropped below ten for the first time in his career, and this season it declined even further.

KC Jones did not want Bird’s fragile back to endure hits in the paint anymore, pushing Bird more towards the small forward position.

His once voluminous, lustrous blonde hair also started to thin and look dim. In the summer, Bird had his hair trimmed and thinned out to look more spirited.

Playing on their home court, the Celtics quickly narrowed the gap. Following the timeout, they responded with a 9:2 run, changing the score to 16:15, with only a 1-point difference.

Bird hit a three-pointer in the set-offense, and the atmosphere in the Boston Garden reached a small climax.

Jack Ramsay stood up, glanced at the court, and Gan Guoyang gestured, indicating there was no need for a timeout and the game could continue.

So Ramsay sat back down and continued to watch the players perform.

Nowadays, whether Ramsay called a timeout or not depended on Gan Guoyang’s cues.

Gan Guoyang often caught his opponents off guard by avoiding timeouts when they were expected.

Usually, when the opponents had a burst of success, they would think "you should call a timeout now," creating a slight psychological relaxation on their part.

Gan Guoyang would seize such opportunities to steal from them.

Sure enough, Gan Guoyang suddenly moved to the high post, attracting Parrish to step out.

After receiving the ball, Gan Guoyang passed a direct entry pass to the inside, giving it to Drexler.

Drexler easily made the layup and also drew a defensive foul from Dennis Johnson.

Johnson looked helplessly at the referee as boos filled the arena, but the foul was called nonetheless. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Drexler made the additional free throw, extending the lead back to 4 points and nullifying Bird’s three-pointer.

Another reason why Gan Guoyang did not take a timeout was his preference for the game to be dragged out, rather than broken into segments by pauses.

This would more effectively wear down the opponent’s stamina, especially for teams like the Celtics with a short rotation—the four quarters are still quite lengthy.

The Trail Blazers gritted their teeth and didn’t call a timeout, neither did the Celtics, as their offensive momentum was good, and KC Jones wanted to save his timeouts.

At that time, the NBA did not have official timeouts for the purpose of broadcasting advertisements, so both teams just kept going until the end of the first quarter.

Even the Celtics didn’t get a good opportunity to substitute players, both sides were playing smoothly with few mistakes. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 27:24, with the Trail Blazers leading by 3 points.

Into the second quarter, with Gan Guoyang off the court, the Celtics initiated a counterattack. Without Bird, An Ji took charge like a king, taking consecutive shots from outside.

Hitting a three-pointer leveled the score, then he broke through to the basket, made a floater, and helped the Celtics take the lead.

An Ji always had "a rebel bone in his head"; he was never as compliant as he seemed on the surface.

He was aware this was Bird’s team, but he never truly feared Bird deep down, always looking for a chance to showcase himself as he too had the traits of a leader.

This season, as the team’s overall shot attempts decreased, An Ji’s average shots per game reached a career high, as did his average scoring.

The lack of depth on the bench enhanced An Ji’s offensive role. At 27, he was entering the peak of his career, in great form.

In the Trail Blazers’ backcourt, whether it was Terry Porter, Curry, or Hornacek, none could contain An Ji in terms of skill and experience—Jim Paxson was absent from the game due to injury.

An Ji led the Celtics to a comeback in the second quarter. Ramsay called a timeout and pulled Curry, Hornacek, and Porter aside, took out the tactical board, and patiently explained to them how to deal with a crafty veteran like An Ji.

Gan Guoyang was listening by the side, ready to get back into the game after taking off his sports jacket.

A major difference between regular season and playoffs is the nature of training during regular season.

When the coach sees young players making mistakes, he’ll point out the errors and teach you the right way to play.

If it’s the playoffs and you make a mistake on the court, the coach will immediately take you out, and you can forget about playing again in that game.

"Dr. Jack wasn’t this patient before, was he?" Gan Guoyang asked Adelman.

"No, this year he’s very patient with the rookies," Adelman replied quietly.

In the past, Ramsay cared deeply about winning, and a player would inevitably get an earful if he messed up during a game.

After two and a half years of transformation, Ramsay became more patient. Initially, it was only Gan Guoyang he was patient with, but now Porter, Curry, and others also benefited from it.

It was quite rare for Dr. Jack to be instructing young players in how to play and how to correct their mistakes during a high-stakes game.

After the timeout, the game continued. Gan Guoyang entered the game while Porter took a break. The backcourt partners on the floor were Hornacek and Drexler.

As a "connection hire", many thought Hornacek wouldn’t last through the trials at first, but he managed to stay and got a one-year contract with the Trail Blazers.

After obtaining the one-year contract, everyone thought he would be unemployed in the NBA after that year, and if he wanted to play professionally, he’d have to go to Europe.

Yet, halfway through the season, Hornacek secured his spot on the team. Although only the ninth or tenth man on the roster, he managed to get a stable 15 minutes per game, just like Dell Curry.

For the Trail Blazers, already having Porter, Drexler, and Jim Paxson, securing those 15 minutes was not easy. That indicated Ramsay’s approval of their performance and potential for development.

Compared to Dell Curry’s defense and three-point shooting attributes, Hornacek was more well-rounded. His off-ball movement resembled Paxson, his offensive play was like Porter’s, and his passing was like Drexler’s—though all were a less potent version.

One might say that Hornacek, this unassuming, seemingly plain and honest farmer-like white guard, was actually a combination of the three rotating Trail Blazers guards, but when combined, all attributes averaged out and were downgraded.

And Gan Guoyang liked playing with Hornacek because he played with intelligence, made few mistakes, fed the ball timely, and you didn’t need to direct him—he would dutifully go to the designated spot and wait.

Playing with such a smart player reminded Gan Guoyang of the times he partnered with Stockton in college.

Hornacek’s main role in the second quarter was to feed Gan Guoyang, ensuring the ball was passed steadily and securely into Gan Guoyang’s hands.

Gan Guoyang opened up in the low post, scoring 6 points consecutively, allowing the Trail Blazers to turn the score around and take the lead, without much effort.

Giving the ball to the best player on the team was indeed a great tactic.