The Golden Age of Basketball

For Gan Guoyang, the game hadn't truly started yet.

Since the pre-game warm-ups of both teams, Gan Guoyang had been observing their opponent, Lihua High School.

The team's average height wasn't high, but they were well-ordered and had uniform hairstyles, clearly a well-trained collective team that was likely to play fast.

To completely crush such a team, one would have to destroy their collectivism and preferably make them fall into fighting as individuals.

Five minutes after the game started, Gan Guoyang noticed that the opposing team's No.5 point guard, Wang Tianduo, was the offensive core of Lihua High School.

He was experienced in handling the ball, sharp in defense, and even used a behind-the-back pass during a break to make a fool of Gan Guoyang.

The others were all listening to his commands, he was the undisputed brain of the team.

Gan Guoyang had already set his sights on him.

However, before dealing with this Wang Tianduo, what Gan Guoyang did in the first five minutes was to build confidence in his teammates and eliminate their nervous mentality.

In those five minutes, he didn't take a shot himself; instead, he kept giving opportunities to Chen Xing, Xu Xun, and others, letting them shoot while he took care of the offensive rebounds.

With Gan Guoyang continuously controlling the boards inside, Chen Xing and the others gradually became less afraid and hesitant, shooting boldly without worrying about whether the shots would go in, knowing someone could rebound.

Gan Guoyang demonstrated his tremendous advantages in speed, strength, and agility.

He remembered when he was training his character in 2K, right after power, shooting, and blocking, the next thing he improved was rebounding.

Rebounding, besides physical fitness, actually relies most on intelligence and the desire to rebound.

Anticipating shots before they're taken, precise and flexible positioning, are more important than jumping reach and height.

Gan Guoyang seemed to be able to predict the direction of the ball, always managing to block out early and control the offensive rebounds over the hands of two or three opponents.

This was thanks to his observation of his own teammates, Chen Xing, Big Bear, Xu Xun, Gan Guohui... He was intimately familiar with their shooting characteristics.

Who tends to shoot long, who tends to shoot short, whose arc is relatively flat, who always hits the front rim.

All these factors affected the direction of the ball and, subsequently, Gan Guoyang's positioning.

All of this was quietly happening in his mind, with no one knowing how he found the landing spot of the ball.

Most people would think it was simply because he was the tallest, had the longest arms, and was the strongest.

Continuously losing defensive rebounds dealt a big blow to the morale of Lihua High School, and the advantage they had from two steals and fast breaks at the start quickly vanished after losing rebound after rebound.

The coach of Lihua High School kept reminding the players to secure rebounds, to block out early, and not to let No. 11 easily grab the boards.

But in their hearts, Lihua's two big men knew that No. 11 wasn't only tall and long-armed but also fast, highly agile, and had an unusual knack for rebounding.

"He's simply not on the same level as us; he's toying with us," they thought.

The experienced older players from Lihua High School had the foresight from watching and playing a lot of basketball that they simply couldn't win against Beiqiao.

In high school basketball, a potent inside player is decisive; it's very difficult to overcome such a player no matter how you resist.

Of course, the younger players, fiery and passionate, believed the game was still early and had just begun.

That's what Wang Tianduo thought. He was a sophomore, 15 years old, having played basketball since elementary school and becoming a core member of Lihua High School.

His dream was to play for the University of San Francisco and become a Chinese-American collegiate basketball player competing in the NCAA.

He had also recently heard about Gan Guoyang; he hadn't seen him play but knew everyone was amazed, calling him the hope of Chinese basketball.

Young players are defiant on the court. After hearing too much talk before the game, he was set on defeating Gan Guoyang.

After clashing on the court, he realized that Gan Guoyang was truly strong.

He had already been blocked twice inside by Gan Guoyang, who was impressive in shot-blocking, but that didn't mean he didn't have chances.

"Hey! Wang Tianduo, are you listening to me? We need to be more patient in our set offense," a voice called.

Wang Tianduo nodded, but he didn't really absorb what the coach said. He was merely thinking about how to deal with Gan Guoyang on the court.

The timeout ended, and the game continued; Xu Xun stepped onto the free-throw line and made both shots, putting Beiqiao ahead 10:6.

Wang Tianduo advanced the ball past half-court to set up the offense.

In the 80s, without a three-point line, the set offense was quite compact.

Perimeter players dribbled with a higher center of gravity, which was suited for pull-up jump shots and back-to-the-basket plays.

Their ball-handling skills were straightforward, typically side-on to shield the ball with their body against defenders who might reach in to interfere.

Driving to the basket was challenging; there was always a big guy camped out in the paint, and taking him on was no easy task.

Street moves like crossovers and exaggerated dribbling weren't brought into school games; coaches wouldn't allow players to play that way.

To Gan Guoyang, Lihua High School's players all seemed too slow, from the center to the guard; he could easily keep up with any of them.

He could even intentionally leave the paint open, tempting the opponent to break in, only to surge forward suddenly and serve them a rejection.

This was the strategy of "fishing defense."

However, when he showed vulnerability this time, Wang Tianduo took advantage of a screen to drive to the basket, using speed to shake off Gan Guoyang's defense and score on a layup!

After the basket, Wang Tianduo took a deep breath, seizing the opening and not cowed by Gan Guoyang's shot-blocking.

Gan Guoyang seemed calm, silently inbounding the ball, and then continued to work as the offensive rebounder in the offense.

Beiqiao's offense was simple, with Chen Xing and Xu Xun taking turns driving in with Gan Guoyang not posting up much.

If they made the shot, good; if not, Gan Guoyang was there to grab the offensive rebound, put it back or pass it out to a teammate.

Others took mid-range shots when they had the chance, but if they missed, Gan Guoyang was still there to rebound.

It was straightforward and aggressive, yet it kept pressuring Lihua High School, maintaining around a 5-point lead.

Gan Guoyang appeared to be working hard, constantly fighting for rebounds while his teammates' shooting efficiency was not very high.

On Lihua High School's side, Wang Tianduo became the player with the highest offensive success rate.

Repeatedly driving to the basket for layups, he scored 8 points in a row, helping Lihua High School keep the score close.

During a timeout in the first half, Beelman asked Gan Guoyang, "Stick to number 5; he's broken through you several times, where's your speed?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "He can pass the ball; I have to watch his teammates."

"Completely lock him down, you have the ability!"

"I know, I'll do it, don't worry."

Beelman felt like he was punching cotton when facing Gan Guoyang.

It was his first time coaching such a player, who seemed to listen to everything you said, but in reality, didn't listen at all.

He couldn't understand why Gan Guoyang wouldn't go on the offense himself, why he didn't lock down his opponents on defense.

At the Excel in basketball camp, during team practice, whenever he wanted, he could completely halt the opponent's offense.

Li Hua High School was indeed well-trained, and the players were not bad, but they were third- or fourth-tier level in San Francisco, with no exceptionally talented players.

A glance from Beelman was enough to know that not one among them would make it to the NCAA Division I, let alone the NBA.

Oh, if number 5 grew a bit taller, maybe he could play in Division II college basketball.

By the end of the first half, Beiqiao High School led 29:24, with a five-point lead over Lihua High School.

Gan Guoyang alone had scored 11 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, including 12 offensive rebounds...

In the shabby locker room, clutching the stats sheet, Beelman said to Gan Guoyang, "If you had attacked the basket directly with those 12 offensive rebounds, you'd have twice the points you have now!"

Gan Guoyang shrugged and said, "What about my teammates, then? Besides, what's the difference between winning by 100 points and winning by 1 point?"

Beelman was left speechless; he felt like the game was under Gan Guoyang's control.

Just then, a mouse scurried out of the locker, startling everyone.

Those afraid of mice even started screaming, but Gan Guoyang stepped forward and stomped on the mouse's tail.

After letting it struggle for a while, he picked it up and threw it out of the locker room.

"Just let it go; I'm not going to eat it," said Gan Guoyang.

And a thought flashed through Beelman's mind:

Gan Guoyang was playing with his caught mouse, just like a cat.

Li Hua High School was that mouse.

And this was just the first official game of his career.

The second half began, and Gan Guoyang decided to end this game.

He once again revealed a gap in his defense, leaving the paint open to entice Wang Tianduo to go for a layup.

Wang Tianduo had scored a team-high of 13 points in the first half, two more than Gan Guoyang, but with only one assist.

He believed the game was a duel between the two of them, a fierce battle like Jabbar versus Irving.

When he drove to the basket with the ball again, this time his layup was firmly blocked by Gan Guoyang.

The ball had not even left his hands before he was pushed down from the air, crashing hard onto the floor.

The referee did not call a foul; it was a clean block, and Gan Guoyang snatched the ball.

This time Gan Guoyang didn't pass to Chen Xing, but dribbled past half court himself.

He was fast, like a revving heavy truck, and no one dared to block him.

He broke through the whole court with his dribbling and slammed a one-armed dunk right into the basket!

Cheers like thunder erupted from the Kezar Stadium, even the Lihua High School students couldn't help but exclaim.

After the score, Gan Guoyang quietly ran back to the backcourt, directing his teammates on defense.

Wang Tianduo's head was buzzing; he didn't believe in superstitions. Seeing a gap beneath the basket, he charged in again, this time slowing down, adjusting his body, and performing consecutive shooting feints, but he couldn't fake out Gan Guoyang.

The ball was dead; Gan Guoyang immediately closed in, and Wang Tianduo had no choice but to pass the ball out.

His teammate took the shot but was completely off, hitting the iron without scoring.

Their collective offense had been disrupted, with hardly a few decent positional battles in the first half.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Chen Xing, signaling that he wanted a play.

After crossing half court, Gan Guoyang sealed his defender in the low post, received the ball, and got deep near the basket.

Chen Xing sent a timely lob, Gan Guoyang caught it, turned around, and dunked it with both hands, the defender offering no resistance.

There was no resisting, the difference in strength was too great.

Although Gan Guoyang stopped training his strength after practice sessions to prevent excessive strength training that could result in the closure of his growth plates and stunt his height.

But his talent meant his strength was second to none; it was at this moment that the person defending him realized that the first half had been nothing but a game.

Wang Tianduo was not giving up. He had not realized this point, so for the third time, he drove towards the gap.

This time, he opted for a short-range jump stop shot, but then a big palm got closer and closer, tapping his shot away in mid-air.

As the ball fell, it landed in Gan Guoyang's hand, who then sent a one-handed long pass downcourt; Chen Xing rushed beneath the basket to catch the ball and scored an easy layup.

At the start of the second half, Beiqiao High School hit Li Hua with a 6:0, prompting Li Hua to call for a timeout!

It was only then that Wang Tianduo understood; his continuous breakthroughs in the first half were nothing but traps set by his opponent, a psychological trap.

He thought he could match his individual abilities against his, but he neglected team organization.

Their team, which had once been in tune, started to crumble without coordination, becoming a disarray.

With one exertion of power, one gesture from Gan Guoyang, and they would be blown away like dust in the wind.

For a 15-year-old boy, his psyche was starting to crumble.

He realized that number 11 on the court was a monster far beyond his reach.