The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 91 - 29 Knocking on the Stone

Beelman called for a timeout, but he hadn’t figured out what to say during the break.

Truth be told, Beelman was not a coach known for his ingenuity in making on-the-fly decisions during games; first, it wasn’t his style, and second, the cards in his hand were never that great.

Whether at Shui Zhong or with the Bulldog, Beelman excelled at building a stable system, and his harsh coaching methods during regular training were able to rapidly enhance the players’ combativeness.

He was good at getting along with the players, and although he constantly used profanity, he managed to earn their respect with his daily actions, ensuring they followed his commands.

He had robust pre-game preparation skills and once he devised his strategy before the match, he would execute it as decisively as possible during the game.

If adjustments were needed, he would mostly leave it to the players to figure out.

For a long time, Gan Guoyang was excellent at making adjustments; he was the team’s second brain, the true commander on the court.

They also had a third brain in Stockton, and with these two on the court, Beelman didn’t need to make any special adjustments.

In the majority of previous games, Gonzaga had almost never started off on the back foot.

They always managed to suppress the opposition, and even when facing top teams like Georgetown, they were still able to maintain the lead all the way to the final moments of the game thanks to Gan Guoyang’s efficiency and intelligence.

Gonzaga’s control over games was underestimated; in the NCAA national championship, not everyone has enough samples and energy to study a team’s style, and coming up against Gonzaga could easily put you at a disadvantage.

But there are exceptions to everything, and the most special and rarest circumstances often arise during the most critical games.

Tonight, Gonzaga didn’t start well. Their defense wasn’t the issue, and their offense was half-hearted as ever, still behaving in its unique manner. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The problem was that the Cougars started with overly accurate shooting from beyond the arc; Michael Young took three forced shots and made them all, and even Franklin’s long-distance shot hit its mark, bringing their shooting percentage over seventy percent.

Beelman knew it couldn’t last, but what if it did?

This was the finals, where exceptional performances were commonplace.

The Houston Cougars clearly had a great hunger for the championship, having unexpectedly lost to NC State by two points last year; this game was their chance for a comeback, and they started it aggressively.

After pondering for a while, Beelman decided to implement a full-court press defense to disrupt the Cougars’ passing and ideally force turnovers to counterattack and change the situation on the court.

The Bulldogs’ full-court press and half-court trapping defense were their trump cards.

Different from Georgetown’s intense pressure, the strength of Bulldog’s press was its persistence. While the White players lacked speed and explosiveness, their positioning was precise, and their teamwork solid.

In several regular-season games when the team was plagued with injuries, it was Gan Guoyang alone who handled the offense while the whole team executed full-court pressing defense, overwhelming their opponents and securing an undefeated record.

"Pressure them, force their mistakes, don’t fucking let them easily create opportunities from the outside. Remember, we need to crush them!"

Beelman gave the command, still as fiery as ever, swear words coming out effortlessly.

However, when the players went back onto the court, he felt uncertain, as any change in strategy represents the unknown.

On the basketball court, coaches are always searching for a one-size-fits-all system that could fit any player and make any team strong.

But in practice, they find that in the chaotic competitive system of basketball, it’s impossible to find a perfect answer, or even come close to one.

In reality, the court is full of flaws, randomness, and the unknown. In high-level competitions, luck plays a more significant role than many would imagine.

Tonight, the Cougars were fortunate; facing the Bulldogs’ ferocious defense, they experienced a brief moment of panic, almost turning the ball over, when Franklin unexpectedly made a bank shot from way beyond the arc!

This shot sent the Houston crowd into a frenzy, while the Gonzaga players were notably discouraged, having defended to their utmost only for the opponent to score a fluke, leaving them helpless.

Subsequently, Gan Guoyang got triple-teamed by the Cougars, he passed the ball, and an opportunity arose from the outside, but Stockton’s mid-range jumper didn’t go in.

The Cougars counterattacked once more, the Bulldogs pressed hard across the entire court, yet a defensive gap appeared under the basket, Franklin sent a super long pass down low, and Olajuwon quickly moved in for the layup.

Gan Guoyang blocked Olajuwon’s shot from behind, but the ball had already touched the backboard, and goaltending was called, giving the Cougars two points.

21:12, the Cougars extended their lead to nine points, a considerable advantage.

The situation was not favorable for the Bulldogs, and Beelman on the sideline was extremely anxious, tormented by the immense pressure.

Clearly, the full-court press had not had an immediate effect; instead, it exposed vulnerabilities, allowing the Cougars to widen their lead.

Gan Guoyang fought hard for an offensive rebound under the basket and drew a foul from Olajuwon.

Standing on the free-throw line, Gan Guoyang made both shots, helping his team to stop the bleeding.

But on defense, the Bulldog’s pressing still didn’t work. The Cougars’ players played confidently, moving the ball quickly and nimbly, with skilled coordination reopening the Bulldogs’ defense.

Michael Young received a pass from Olajuwon and, from the right corner, hit another mid-range shot. He had already made three baskets from the same spot, his shooting hand as hot as fire.

Gan Guoyang clapped his hands toward Stockton and the Bulldogs quickly inbounded the ball, with Gan Guoyang jogging to the frontcourt.

Catching the ball high, he drove forward rapidly. This time he chose not to go for the hook shot, but instead charged under the basket, drawing a foul from forward Richie Winslow.

With Olajuwon already burdened by one foul, he dared not reach out. Winslow blocked Gan Guoyang’s drive for a layup.

In that era, for centers to drive for layups was a rare offensive choice, especially under a zone defense system; even guards struggled to get through, let alone centers.

Gan Guoyang took the Houston Cougars by surprise and found himself at the free-throw line once again.

Coach Lewis held his red polka-dot towel, cursing silently as he watched Gan Guoyang make both free throws. He stood up, prepared to put a little pressure on the referees, as they couldn’t allow Gan Guoyang to keep drawing fouls like this.

Coach Lewis knew well that in a situation of adversity, Gan Guoyang’s choices were absolutely correct.

Using the most reliable free throws to stabilize the game for his team, while also causing damage inside for the Cougars, could well lay the groundwork for potential trouble in the second half. It was the right choice for a mature and intelligent player.

"Where the hell did this genius come from? Should I consider recruiting some Asian players next year?"

In the 1960s, Coach Lewis was one of the representative figures in basketball advocating for the end of racial segregation. He believed that to develop, the team needed to bring in talented Black players.

He recruited the first Black players for his team, Irving Hayes and Don Chaney, ushering in the Cougars’ first glorious era.

Afterwards, he looked towards Africa with great foresight, scouting Olajuwon from Nigeria.

Of course, he could not have predicted the great achievements that the raw African prospect would eventually attain.

Today, he had witnessed another interior player with even higher maturity and exceptional talent.

But he knew that now was not the time to appreciate his skills; he needed to squash number 11, by any means necessary.

The Houston Cougars employed ruthless defense against Gan Guoyang, with more severe double-teaming than Georgetown and more vicious fouling than Duke, all aimed at stopping him from scoring.

It was similar to Michigan’s defense against Bird in 1979. Without the ball, two men were always in front of him. When he shot, there were at least three.

Bird’s problem was that he had to take too many forced shots. Difficult mid-range and hook shots reduced his efficiency, and he was suppressed from the start and never managed to turn it around.

However, Gan Guoyang didn’t force mid-range shots, nor did he use hook shots in dense defense—it was easy for the opponent to intercept the ball that way.

He played fiercely, relentlessly crashing the boards for offensive rebounds. After getting the ball on the rib, he accelerated and broke inside, drawing fouls from the Houston interior.

His large hands could firmly clamp down on the ball. No matter how the Cougars’ guards tried to steal, he maintained control and then threw the ball towards the hoop.

In previous games, Gan Guoyang had won many fans for his elegant style of play.

But tonight he abandoned elegance and turned to savageness to help the Bulldogs cling to the score and not let the gap widen too much by halftime.

As time went on, the Bulldogs gradually stabilized their footing. They ended the first half with a 6-point deficit at 40:46 and went into the halftime break.

By halftime, Gan Guoyang alone had scored 19 points and snatched 6 offensive rebounds, going 7 for 8 on free throws. After the timeouts, nearly all his points had come from free throws.

Back in the locker room, Beelman wanted to readjust the defense strategy, changing the seemingly futile full-court press from the first half.

But Gan Guoyang, wiping sweat from his brow, shook his head and said, "No, we need to stick to the press defense. If we don’t apply pressure, what are we saving our stamina for, fishing? We must persist, like hammering away at a rock. The first or second blow may not show any change, but with persistence, cracks will form. We have to continue to bite at them. Don’t worry about offense; I will take care of it. Defense is the key to our victory tonight. Bobby, you have to believe in us."

Looking into Gan Guoyang’s determined eyes, Beelman decided to maintain the full-court press until the very last moment of the game.