The fierce battle is coming soon, and the San Antonio Spurs visited Portland on the 13th. Before the game, it was generally believed that the Spurs should not pose too much threat to the Trail Blazers. After losing George Gervin and Gilmore one after another, the Spurs are no longer the Spurs.

In the 1987 draft, the Spurs, who had the No. 1 pick, chose David Robinson, who was already famous all over the United States at the time. However, because Robinson had to serve in the Navy, he had to postpone his entry into the NBA for two years. Even so, the Spurs did not hesitate when choosing Robinson. In this era, an excellent center is really important.

Since 1983, for five consecutive years, the NBA draft No. 1 picks have been centers, which is enough to show the status of inside players in this era.

Because Robinson was unable to participate, the expected sequel to the grudges and love between Sabonis and Robinson at the Olympics must be postponed. Although Robinson performed better than Sabonis in the Olympics, the team led by Sabonis ended up laughing.

But Sabonis has not been in good condition recently, and he has hit the "rookie wall".

Although Sabonis doesn't play much time after the start of the season, his performance is amazing. His delicate hands and smart playing style bring a fresh look to NBA audiences who are used to hand-to-hand inside players. His No. 12 jersey was quickly out of stock in the Portland area.

But with Williams being injured and Sabonis was pushed to the starting position, his performance began to decline. Obviously, Sabonis, who lacks NBA experience, is not very adaptable to the starting position. Not only does Sabonis not adapt, but other starting players are not adaptable.

The main problem lies in defense. When Gan Guoyang is the starting center, no one needs to assist in the three-second zone in the defense. But Sabonis becomes the starting stage, Gan Guoyang comes to the power forward position, and the defense range expands. Then the three-second zone often requires occasional help from outside players. Drexler and Cauchy are not very used to this.

Once the defense is not good, the NBA's outside players are often scored on the head and he has to lose fouls. Sabonis's confidence on the offensive end is also affected.

Moreover, NBA teams have also begun to study Sabonis's playing style. At that time, NBA insiders were getting stronger and stronger, and their defensive movements were getting more and more rough. Once Sabonis was taken seriously by the opponent's muscular men, he would be very uncomfortable. Unlike Gan Guoyang, he had been struggling in the NBA for a long time and regarded wrestling as part of the game. Sabonis' delicate skills need space to ensure. At present, he still lacks such ability and experience to deal with those blue-collar muscular men.

So in the game against the Pacers and Bullets, although Sabonis continued to start, his performance was mediocre. He made a little progress on the defensive end since he was taught a lesson by Ma Long, but his position needs to be improved. His gorgeous passes on the offensive end are getting fewer and fewer. He undoubtedly had certain psychological problems. This is a process that most NBA rookies will go through, but Sabonis seems to have come earlier.

Against the Spurs, Sabonis continued to start, and the Spurs' starting center was Frank Brikowski, who was only 6-foot-9. This is a white inside player with a strong style. He was selected by New York in 1981, but he did not enter the NBA in 1984 and played as a substitute at the Supersonics.

Last season, he reached the peak of his career with the Spurs, averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds per game. The Spurs also regarded him as a transitional player before David Robinson's arrival. When Robinson returns to military service, he can directly play as a power forward.

One is 6-9 and the other is 7-3. No matter how you look at it, Sabonis has an absolute advantage, but in the match between the two, Sabonis was fooled by this cunning old fox. After being a brukowsky made an offensive foul at the beginning, Sabonis began to be restrained. His steps at the basket could not keep up with Brikowsky, and his opponent stole three times in the three-second zone.

Adelman couldn't sit still on the court, but Gan Guoyang still encouraged Sabonis on the court, and at the same time he gave Brikowski a big hat and a malicious foul in the matchup, which taught this guy a lesson.

But Sabonis cannot always rely on Gan Guoyang to stand out. As the starter, he undoubtedly messed up the opening tone of the Trail Blazers. The rhythm of the entire team was destroyed, and the players played very hard on the court.

Deluxler, who was sent off for elbowing Pesson in the last game, became the Trail Blazers' first offensive point in this game. Gan Guoyang's defensive burden increased greatly due to Sabonis's poor performance and Williams' absence.

In this game, Gan Guoyang sent 9 big hats and 5 steals on the defensive end, but the two sides still fought to the last moment of the game. The reason is very simple. The Spurs' starting shooting percentage was too high tonight, with four people's shooting percentage exceeding 55%. Some difficult goals have wiped out many of the Trail Blazers' defenses.

At the critical moment, Drexler, who contributed 41 points in the whole game, received a pass from Gan Guoyang, cut into the basket from the left and made a layup, scored and caused Brikowski's foul. He made a free throw, and the Trail Blazers narrowly defeated the Spurs at home with a 2-point advantage.

After the game, different voices began to appear in the locker room. Some players, such as Kevin Duckworth, Richard Anderson, began to privately hope that Adelman could replace Sabonis from the starter, continue to let him take the bench, and then select the starting inside from other players.

Adelman still suppressed these objections. He did not want conflicts in the team due to the starting issue, but Sabonis did not perform well after starting but was a real dilemma that he had to face.

I thought Sabonis could liberate Gan Guoyang to a greater extent, but I didn't expect that the burden on Gan Guoyang's shoulders would be heavier. Sabonis himself was also very anxious about this. From his performance on the court, he could see that he was very positive and eager to contribute to the team, but it was often counterproductive.

In international arena, Sabonis has always been known for his calm handling of balls and strong interpretation skills on the court. Now his condition is not what he deserves. He has lost his calmness, lost his interpretation skills, and is not used to the NBA whistle and the life that often flies around. All kinds of problems have begun to be exposed.

After playing against the Spurs, Sabonis was the first to be earlier than Gan Guoyang during the training the next day. He arrived at the Jewish Community Training Center at four o'clock to start the day's training, which surprised Gan Guoyang.

"You actually got earlier than me? Not having enough sleep is not a good thing." Gan Guoyang said in surprise after arriving at the training hall early.

"I don't have time anymore. I know the team has opinions about my starting lineup. I don't like this feeling. I want to prove to everyone that I can start." Sabonis said while practicing defensive footwork with obstacle posts on the court.

"This is not like you, Avidas, you are not such an impatient person. You should be calm. I think Mr. Adelman was a little too hasty to send you to the starter. In fact, you have more things to learn, such as learning how to bear the humiliation of others, endure those violent pushes, endure the booing of the audience, and endure the other party dunks on your head. You have to find your own advantages. Avidas, your advantage is your height and passing. Believe me, do what you should do, and your teammates will make up for the missing ones, because we are a team." Gan Guoyang picked up the ball and walked to Sabonis and said to him.

Sabonis's defense is indeed a big problem, so Sabonis wants to improve his defense level too much, and he abandoned all his strengths. However, how could the defense level be improved by improving? In the end, Sabonis's performance on the court became a walker and forgot his steps.

"But Mr. Bellman told me that if you want to survive in the NBA, you must first defend..."

"Oh~ Don't listen to that old antique. This guy has been coaching me since high school and likes to fiddle with his defensive formation. Listen to me, tomorrow's game, focus your energy on offense and passing the ball, and leave the rest to me." Gan Guoyang said to Sabonis confidently.

…………

Just as Sabonis and Gan Guoyang were sweating profusely on the training ground and preparing for the next game, at noon on December 12, 1988, Soviet leader Gorbachev arrived in Washington on a special plane. This was another Soviet leader who visited the United States after Khrushchev visited the United States in 1959 and Brezhnev visited the United States in 1973.

But compared with the two visits to the United States 30 years ago and 15 years ago, the situation in the United States and the Soviet Union in 1988 had undergone a huge change. 1959 was the rising period of the Soviet Union. The Red Empire continued to expand their strength around the world to compete with the United States. In 1959, the Cuban Revolution was successful, the United States' back garden changed its flag and the red socialist flag was planted on the American continent. At that time, Khrushchev went to the United States with a winning attitude.

In 1973, the Soviet Union was strong, but the United States was trapped in the quagmire of Vietnam War. The powerful polar bear showed an overall offensive advantage against the United States. At that time, the United States was in a low position. Nixon went to the Soviet Union first, and then Brezhnev visited the country.

But now, the situation in the Soviet Union is in jeopardy.

The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and other socialist camp countries experienced serious economic recession. Gorbachev's several reforms ended in failure. Socialist countries began to show signs of turmoil in general, and a dangerous atmosphere permeated the eastern part of Europe.

Gorbachev, who failed economic reform, began to turn his attention to the political field and gradually abandoned the leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. At the same time, he also began to seek easing with the United States in international affairs. This visit to the United States was a return visit to Reagan's previous visit to the Soviet Union.

President Reagan's term will expire this year, and his position will be handed over to the new president in January next year, George Bush, the father of future President Bush Jr.

According to the original plan, after Gorbachev arrived in Washington, his second stop would be New York, the largest city in the United States, which is also the second city that most leaders visiting the United States will go to after arriving in the United States.
Chapter completed!