Chapter 851: Chapter 40 The Stolen Confidence_3
KC Jones might be old-school, but his emphasis on details, defense, and discipline often powers through in the playoffs.
Thus, the Trail Blazers didn’t have an easy time at home against the Supersonics in the first game of the series.
With a roster of young players, the bold and unafraid Supersonics, comprised of Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, and Glen Rice, formed a youthful iron trio.
Through their disciplined playing and savvy in-game performance, they tangled with the seasoned Trail Blazers in the first half, ending the half almost evenly matched, with the Trail Blazers leading by only 2 points.
In the third quarter, just when everyone thought the Trail Blazers would surge ahead and take the game from the Supersonics, the Supersonics withstood the pressure and used aggressive defense to disrupt the Trail Blazers’ offense.
Tonight, apart from Ah Gan, the other Trail Blazers were off their offensive game.
Luckily, Gan Guoyang was in heroic form, scoring 33 points by the third quarter, helping the Trail Blazers maintain the lead.
The young Supersonics played with confidence and bravery, launching a full counterattack with defense-led fast breaks in the fourth quarter and at one point narrowing the lead to just 1 point.
At that moment, Sabonis and Reggie Lewis joined forces with Gan Guoyang, using their individual skills to score consecutively and succeed on defense.
In the final stages of the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers went on a 10:2 run against the Supersonics, widening the gap and ultimately securing the victory.
Gan Guoyang alone scored 43 points in the first game, helping the team to a 112:104 victory over the Supersonics by an 8-point margin, smoothly securing a win for the playoffs’ opening round.
The Trail Blazers didn’t perform very well this game, but during the post-game interview, Gan Guoyang straightforwardly said: "It’s not that we played poorly, but that the Supersonics played great tonight; their defense pressured us, and I think given time, they’ll become a formidable opponent for the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference."
This generous praise from Gan Guoyang somewhat embarrassed the Seattle media.
After all, they were accustomed to Ah Gan’s psychological warfare, and this sudden change caught them a little off guard.
However, two days later, the Supersonics players realized that this was just a decoy from Gan Guoyang.
In the second game, an adjusted Trail Blazers team gave the Supersonics no chances, overwhelming the young squad 61:35 at the half, leading by as much as 26 points.
The game lost suspense in an instant; the third and fourth quarters became formalities, and KC Jones’s attempt to reignite the young players’ fighting spirit proved futile.
The Trail Blazers taught the youngsters a lesson with a 35-point victory, showing them that a close single game does not mean the teams are actually close.
The Supersonics had a chance to regain ground back at home in the KeyArena, where they played fiercely.
However, crucially, Petrović continuously hit shots over Payton and, with Payton repeatedly turning the ball over due to traps, the Supersonics lost the hope of snatching a victory.
The Trail Blazers conquered their first playoff away game and crushed the Supersonics 3:0, smoothly advancing to the semifinals—for Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers, sweeping the first round was as simple as eating and drinking.
In Gan Guoyang’s career, only in the playoffs of 1988 did it take four games and losing one away game to advance; in all other seasons, it was a clean sweep through the rounds.
He wouldn’t give a weaker team any chance to steal a win.
Because when your victory is stolen, what’s taken along with it is your confidence.
Confidence is more precious than gold.
Meanwhile, in another Western Conference showdown, the home-court advantage San Antonio Spurs, who logically secured the first game’s victory, were defeated in three consecutive games by the Golden State Warriors, and knocked out with a 1:3 loss!
The second-ranked Spurs thus exited the playoff stage for the season, while the seventh-ranked Golden State Warriors accomplished yet another "black seven miracle" in NBA history.
This defeat cost the Spurs more than just further progression opportunities; David Robinson also lost a lot of confidence.
Confidence that he never quite regained for many, many years.
However, the Christian-convert David Robinson sought his identity elsewhere.
Prior to entering the NBA in 1988, he dated a girlfriend named Valerie.
As life drastically changed upon entering the NBA, David Robinson felt lost.
While he tried to find guidance in the Bible, on the other hand, he decided to break up with his girlfriend.
He said some cruel words, but after the breakup, he was filled with regret, Valerie always on his mind.
After losing the playoff series to the Golden State Warriors, Robinson was deeply despondent.
He decided to call Valerie, pouring out his troubles from the last two years on the phone, along with his conversion to God.
Unexpectedly, Valerie too had turned to God after the breakup, overwhelmed by pain and in need of healing through religion.
With this newfound common ground, they reconciled, and that summer, Robinson proposed to Valerie.
He found the life he was searching for.
