Chapter 690: Chapter 60 Joker
April 22, the Trail Blazers played the final game of the regular season at Memorial Coliseum.
They swept the visiting Los Angeles Lakers with an astounding 46-point margin, 131:85, at home court, concluding the 1989-1990 regular season with an exclamation mark.
The Lakers had already given up the chase of the Trail Blazers’ record and therefore chose to forfeit the last fight.
Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Byron Scott, three of the Lakers’ main players, all rested and were absent.
Since it was the last home game, the Trail Blazers, aiming to tie the Lakers’ record of 69 regular season victories, did not rest any players.
Moreover, Gan Guoyang promised that as long as he was not injured or suspended, he would never rest, otherwise what about those fans who went through all the trouble to buy tickets to see him play?
Tickets for home games at Memorial Coliseum are not easy to come by; many fans can’t even grab one throughout the season, even if they have the money.
Therefore, for every fan at the home game, Gan Guoyang is committed to giving his all, bringing the best state into the game.
The Lakers who rested against the full roster of the Trail Blazers naturally met a ruthless defeat.
All 12 players of the Trail Blazers saw action, with 8 scoring double figures; Cliff Robinson scored the team’s highest with 21 points.
A rather perfect regular season came to an end. With a complete roster, along with Gan Guoyang’s strong desire for revenge, the Trail Blazers put up one of the best records in NBA history.
The Lakers also had a remarkable performance in the regular season, under the leadership of Johnson and Don Nelson, securing a record of 61 wins and 21 losses.
Such a record would be championship caliber in any other year, but it paled in comparison to the Trail Blazers’ 69 wins.
This season, the two teams faced off five times, with the Trail Blazers winning 4 and losing 1. It was the best record against the Lakers since 1985 for the Trail Blazers.
The tables had turned completely in both offense and defense.
Also, since the Trail Blazers and the Lakers were in the same Pacific Division, the Trail Blazers took the first spot, relegating the Lakers to third place.
Ranked second in the Western Conference were the San Antonio Spurs. The arrival of David Robinson turned the Spurs into a powerful team in the west, as they grabbed an impressive tally of 56 wins, also marking the best record in Spurs history.
The Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets ranked fourth to eighth respectively.
The West continued to be overshadowed by the two giants, the Trail Blazers and the Lakers, and while other teams could barely show their heads, the overall atmosphere felt rather oppressive.
In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons ended the regular season with a record of 60 wins and 22 losses, once again taking the top spot in the East.
With the loss of Vinnie Johnson, the Pistons’ offense weakened and their regular-season dominance declined slightly.
To compensate, the Detroit Pistons signed veteran Rickey Green from the Jazz and former Celtics championship contributor Gerald Henderson during the offseason to try and fill the offensive gaps left by "Microwave."
The Chicago Bulls won the best record in team history with 55 wins and 27 losses, showing the strength and confidence to contend for the finals and even a championship.
Michael Jordan retained his scoring crown with an average of 33.6 points per game, while Gan Guoyang continued to dominate the rebounding charts—with an average of 14.2 rebounds per game, he surpassed second-place Olajuwon by 0.2, becoming the NBA Rebound King for the sixth straight year.
Because of the division rules, the Chicago Bulls could only rank third in the East.
Ranked second with 50 wins were the Washington Bullets, with Charles Barkley as their sole core player.
Bernard King showcased his best performance since his injury comeback during the 89-90 season, with an average of 22.4 points per game, placing him back among the league’s elite scorers.
The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers took the fourth to eighth spots, respectively.
With the retirement of older stars and the aging of veterans, the landscape of the East was quietly changing.
The Atlanta Hawks, who thought they would greatly improve with the acquisition of Moses Malone, didn’t even make the playoffs this year.
The Boston Celtics still had their frontcourt trio and Dennis Johnson, but injuries and aging were diminishing their combat effectiveness.
In the first round, they will face the young Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks.
The Bucks, Cavaliers, and Pacers are likely to be first-round cannon fodder.
The difference is, the Bucks’ old structure has been shattered, and they are struggling on the edge of rebuilding; making the playoffs seems like a last flash of brilliance.
The Cavaliers, having traded away Harper, self-sabotaged. The loss of Kevin Johnson and Harper stripped the Cavaliers of a great opportunity to rise.
However, the core of the Cavaliers’ roster remains intact with young, stable key players, promising a bright future in the coming years.
The Pacers, on the other hand, offer a different story; this is their third time in franchise history entering the playoffs.
After the chaos of the 1989 season, the Pacers established a young roster centered around Reggie Miller, radiating vitality.
Though facing the Detroit Pistons in the first round surely means no chances of victory, playoff experience is undoubtedly significant for young players and will be an important lesson in their development.
Not every player is like Magic Johnson, Ah Gan, Bird, competing for championships on the grand stage while very young.
The vast majority of players grow step by step with their team, as did Michael Jordan, as did Reggie Miller, and many other talented players.
Entering the playoffs, experiencing the real intensity of the NBA, understanding the strongest basketball competition, is a required course for many young players.
