Chapter 803: Chapter 24 Secret Weapon_3
Ford and Beelman both deployed their troops and rotated fresh forces continuously, trying to gain the upper hand in the chaotic battle.
On the court as on the battlefield, many times there’s no need for any fancy tactics, just a ceaseless influx of fresh forces to the frontline.
Whoever has higher-quality troops and more intense firepower is likely to win the battle. Resorting to strategy is often a last resort.
Clearly, the fully-equipped Trail Blazers possess higher quality players, but the experienced Kevin McHale, leading the reserves, has managed to keep a tight grip on the score.
Petrović made the pace of the game very fast, and he’s much stronger than last year. Facing Dee Brown who defended him, Petrović repeatedly used his body strength to push through the defense, then pulled up for mid-range jump shots to score, or drove to the basket, drawing fouls from the defense.
It seems as if to forget the troubles off the court, Petrović has become more focused on basketball this year.
So focused that, apart from games and training, his life scarcely includes anything else.
A rift has already appeared in his relationship with his girlfriend, who cannot accept such a monotonous lifestyle.
In just one season, Petrović has won the much-coveted Championship Ring that many dream of, and the Trail Blazers have given him a lucrative contract.
Why then does their life seem more and more dull and isolated?
Though Portland is not a big city like New York or Los Angeles, it still has a rich variety of social activities.
Petrović is not short on invitations, yet he refuses them all, confining himself to the world of basketball.
The fame, fortune, and handsome appearance which he possesses seem to matter not at all to him; he just wants to play basketball.
In this respect, he’s even more extreme than Sabonis, who still frequents social and commercial events, making him very popular in Portland.
Petrović, however, is like a hermit, retreating from the world. He has equipped his new house with a complete set of gym equipment, spending much time in the gym every day.
In the past, his girlfriend used to come to the sidelines to cheer for Petrović every home game night, but lately she’s often absent, either hanging out with friends or attending some parties.
In short, the two are growing apart, and Petrović is indifferent to this, concentrating wholeheartedly on basketball, striving for true achievement.
Even with a Championship Ring, Petrović is aware that the gold content on it that belongs to him is pitifully small.
Last season, the Trail Blazers bulldozed their way through the playoffs; even without Petrović, the Championship would still have belonged to Portland.
After sinking free throws, Petrović scores 6 points on his own and also delivers an assist, connecting with Lewis for two points.
The Trail Blazers have expanded their lead in the second quarter.
However, in the paint, the young Antonio Davis is treated like a toy by the wily and experienced Kevin McHale.
In one-on-one defense in the low post, Davis is outmatched in height, wingspan, and experience and just can’t guard McHale.
Indeed, against McHale’s offense, even Ah Gan would have to give his all on defense, let alone the rookie Davis.
The best defender against McHale, Mychal Thompson, is still on the injury list, and he can only watch the game from the sidelines for this match.
During a timeout, Thompson gives tips to Antonio Davis on how to defend.
Antonio Davis has good physical attributes but is too impulsive; he jumps at the slightest feint.
Youth means lack of experience, they react too eagerly at a mere provocation, no match for a crafty veteran.
Leveraging Kevin McHale’s extensive experience and low-post offense, the Celtics’ second unit withstands the blow from the Trail Blazers.
And as Kevin McHale gets into the swing, he seems somewhat unstoppable in the low post.
Seeing the grim situation, Beelman calls a timeout, takes out Davis, and brings Gan Guoyang back in to deal with McHale.
Once Gan Guoyang is on, he immediately halts McHale’s free reign in the low post.
The Celtics still attempt to feed the ball to McHale, but it never reaches its destination, as Gan Guoyang gets ahead of the pass and pokes the ball away.
Interception successful, Gan Guoyang passes the ball to Lewis in the frontcourt, Lewis shakes off the defense and scores with a two-handed dunk!
Bill Schonely bestowed Rip-city on Lewis, while criticizing that "the quality gap between Trail Blazers’ backup big men and their starters is simply too vast."
During this period, Antonio Davis had quite a number of chances to play, with performances fluctuating between good and bad. Beelman gave him quite a lot of time and trust.
Given his draft position and college level, his performance at the Trail Blazers is considered quite satisfactory, very active, aggressive playstyle, solid fundamentals, and unafraid to confront.
In a weaker team, like the Magic or Hornets where talent is in desperate need, someone like Antonio Davidson, if well-developed, could be a starter.
But this is the Trail Blazers, with Ah Gan and Sabonis in the frontcourt, and past substitutes like Gilmore and Bill Walton, Davis simply doesn’t measure up.
When he’s on the court, the quality of the Trail Blazers’ interior offense and defense dramatically declines, the contrast with Ah Gan is just too striking, too apparent.
This puts immense pressure on Davis. From commentators to media, the critiques and doubts abound, questioning the wisdom of investing too much in him.
"Can you imagine the Chicago Bulls still trying to develop a young shooting guard?" an unsparing critic from the Oregonian lashed out at the Trail Blazers coaching staff’s personnel strategy.
They believe the Trail Blazers should trade away those young but less talented big men, like Davis, Pinkney, Mark Bryant, for a seasoned veteran who could help the team clinch the championship.
Every year in the NBA, there are such veteran resources available, like the Celtics’ Robert Parish, the Lakers’ James Edwards, the Tree Rollins, former Trail Blazer Wayne Cooper and so on, all good choices.
But Jerry West and Bobby Beelman both believe that the Trail Blazers frontcourt needs young power, and among them, Antonio Davis has the highest potential.
Of course, the two have different considerations. Bobby Beelman is thinking of grooming a high-quality substitute and enforcer for Ah Gan, and after Mason was poached, the Trail Blazers needed this kind of new blood.
On the other hand, Jerry West has a longer-term vision. He believes the team needs to cultivate some high-quality potential players to always have enough chips in hand, hoping to trade for better prospects in the future.
After Gan Guoyang reentered the game and Sabonis took a rest off the court, Beelman deployed an experimental lineup with strong offensive capability.
Gan Guoyang, Cliff Robinson, Lewis, Petrović, and Terry Porter.
All five players have mid to long-range shooting abilities, with Porter, Petrović, and Gan Guoyang being particularly strong from the three-point line.
This aggressive lineup had the Celtics’ defense at sixes and sevens, trailing whether in set plays or fast breaks, as if they were a step slow, hounded by the Trail Blazers.
However, the lineup is quite vulnerable defensively on the perimeter, and with Ah Gan the only one inside, the pressure is enormous.
After the Trail Blazers quickly extended the lead, the experienced Bird held the tempo.
He first passed to McHale in the low post, taking advantage of Gan Guoyang with a foul and making both free throws.
Then Bird himself starts backing down with the ball and uses a fake move to lift off Cliff Robinson.
The shot goes in, and he gets fouled by Robinson, with an additional free throw, Celtics chase down 5 points in succession.
But the Trail Blazers’ offense is truly formidable; this lineup doesn’t bother with any slow Princeton plays.
In the half-court, once Gan Guoyang gets in position at the low post, if you double-team, then I’ll pass it out. The other four players are all capable of driving and shooting, each an individual offensive threat.
Not going to double-team? Then prepare to hand over points, with Gan Guoyang hammering it down low, there’s always a way to put the ball in the basket.
This simple and brutal talent-driven playstyle yields an offensively efficient surprise, scoring on 9 out of 10 possessions.
But after only five minutes and leading the Celtics by 7 points, Beelman made a substitution adjustment.
Petrović and Lewis went off for a rest while Kossie and Sabonis came onto the floor, restoring the team to its normal set offense and defense.
On the bench, Adelman was puzzled and asked Beelman: "We were playing so well just now, we were about to finish the Celtics."
Beelman replied: "I know, but this is our secret weapon, to be used sparingly, we can’t let the opponents figure it out."
Beelman keeps experimenting with lineups, secretly using certain combinations and plays, to bring them out during playoffs, even the finals, to deliver a fatal blow to the opponents.
