The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 14 Are You That Old?

After leaving the restaurant, turn left and walk a few steps; you will see a wire gate.

Walking inside, you find yourself in a concrete open space with a basketball hoop standing in it.

On a sunny summer midday in San Francisco, the weather is not very hot; on the contrary, it is pleasantly mild.

The sea breeze blowing from the Pacific Ocean dispelled the summer heat, bringing freshness and moisture.

This is perfect weather for playing basketball.

Gan Guoyang followed the others to the simple field, put down the ball, and began to warm up.

Nate took off his shirt, revealing his extremely muscular physique, changed into a pair of sneakers, and did some light exercise.

His friends drank and smoked, watching the game with great interest from the sidelines.

For a moment, Nate felt dazed, wondering what was wrong with him and why he was playing bullfighting with a kid who was delivering takeout.

If I win, what will I get? Nothing, that's for sure.

What if they lose? Oh God, that's impossible. But if God plays a joke on them, they'll become the biggest joke in basketball in 1981.

He, Nate Thurmond, the NBA's best one-on-one interior defender, a legendary center who participated in the Finals twice, and a future Hall of Famer, celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Rifield Miracle with his Cavaliers teammates on his 40th birthday. Because his restaurant, The Beginning, was closed, he had to order takeout from a Chinese restaurant to entertain his friends. Then he played a basketball game with the delivery guy and lost.

Look at Dick Snyder, Jim Crismond, and Bing Smith sitting there; these big mouths will definitely embellish this whole thing and spread it throughout the entire league.

Jim Jons is still playing for the Lakers. If he tells Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about this, things will get really interesting.

He will be ridiculed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for at least two years, and he might even write about it in his upcoming book.

Thinking about this, Nate felt a little regretful, but he was already on the court, so how could he back down?
The young Chinese player had finished warming up and was standing under the basket. His expression was very determined, and he had the air of an inside player.

He is a little over 2 meters tall with a very good arm span. After taking off his jacket, his muscles are firm and well-defined, and his legs are also quite powerful.

Upon closer inspection, this kid's physical attributes are quite good.

Moreover, judging from his bone structure, he still has the potential to grow taller, and is clearly a promising inside player.

So Nate put aside his regret and decided to teach this overconfident little guy a lesson, and also test his limits.

"Sorry, I'm getting old, so my warm-up takes a bit longer. Hey buddy, don't you really recognize me?"

"I love the NBA, but... I don't know you."

Gan Guoyang frankly admitted that he was watching the NBA 20 years from now, so how could he possibly know the NBA stars from the 60s and 70s?

Thurmond, of course, did not understand what Gan Guoyang meant. He thought to himself, "Why is this guy talking in such an annoying way?"
You like watching the NBA, but you don't know me?

Okay, very good, I'll introduce you to him today.

“Remember, my name is Nate, Nate Thurmond.”

Gan Guoyang looked completely unfamiliar with the name and showed no reaction whatsoever.

He held the ball, looked at Thurmond's mountain-like body, and took a deep breath.

Thurmond is 6 feet 11 inches tall, a solid 2.11 meters, not an exaggeration.

Just standing there creates a tremendous sense of oppression.

Thurmond didn't adopt a defensive stance for the first goal, which was basically saying, "Come on, kid, I'll only defend seriously if you don't."

Gan Guoyang didn't hold back and took a jump shot from 18 feet away from the basket.

Thurmond symbolically extended his hand. For most people, a 2.11-meter giant extending his hand at you would disrupt their shooting rhythm.

But Gan Guoyang's shot was very steady, and he scored two points.

Thurmond's friends on the sidelines went wild, a group of them screaming and even clinking glasses to cheer on Gan Guoyang.

Thurmond was a bit of a headache. This kid's shooting was pretty good, but it would be interesting to see how many more he could make.

For the second shot, Thurmond stood two meters away, hands on hips, letting Gan Guoyang shoot. Gan Guoyang, of course, didn't hold back, shooting again from the same spot and making the basket; he has a real talent for shooting.

Thurmond was a little embarrassed, but if he were to stick close to him and defend himself properly, he would feel even more embarrassed.

As a result, he let Gan Guoyang try to shoot for the third time, and Gan Guoyang's hand was really strong, and he made it!
He seemed to be saying, "If you let me shoot, I'll keep shooting until I win."

Thurmond's teammates on the sidelines were ecstatic. Thurmond finally couldn't hold back and started to actively defend on the fourth goal.

The moment Thurmond moved closer, Gan Guoyang felt a sense of being enveloped.

This is one of the most famous giants in NBA history, with an astonishing wingspan of 2.35 meters.

He might be the best player to defend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Although the 40-year-old suffered a severe knee injury that prevented him from gliding and jumping with agility.

However, relying solely on his size, skill, and experience, Thurmond still managed to block Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang attempted to dribble past his opponent, but under intense pressure, his shot was stolen.

In combat, different intensities of combat require completely different technical maneuvers.

These are the details that Gan Guoyang is missing.

Thurmond, who had successfully intercepted the ball, was not smug; in fact, he increasingly regretted agreeing to this absurd bullfight.

There's no benefit in beating this kid, and his knee is a little sore.

The injury to his right knee was the direct cause of his retirement; two surgeries prevented him from jumping and blocking opponents every night.

When it was Thurmond's turn to attack, Gan Guoyang was ready to defend under the basket.

Although Thurmond is a center, his dribbling skills are quite good, so don't even think about stealing the ball.

Upon entering the three-second zone, Thurmond turned around and used his back to push Gan Guoyang inwards.

After retiring, Thurmond gained some weight, reaching 250 pounds. This difference in size and weight is almost overwhelming.

But Thurmond was surprised to find that his back-to-back kill wasn't as easy as he'd imagined; the guy behind him was putting up a fierce fight.

Even back in high school in Akron, Thurmond wasn't a good ball handler; he preferred back-to-the-basket offense.

More than 20 years of experience told him that if he was so slow and didn't exert any force, he might be squeezed out of the three-second zone.

What kind of strange strength does this kid possess?

However, he relies on leg strength to generate power, as his knees have lost their explosive power.

He still managed to get under the basket using his weight, and with a skillful turn, he could put the ball in the hoop with just a slight jump, thanks to his wingspan.

For him, it was as simple as putting an egg in the refrigerator.

Open the refrigerator door, put the eggs in, and then close the refrigerator door.

But the problem arose in the second step: putting the eggs in.

Gan Guoyang's hand was also pressed on the ball, in front of the basket.

The ball remained suspended in the air for 0.2 seconds before leaving Thurmond's hand and falling onto the field.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The ball bounced a few times on the ground and rolled to the side.

Gan Guoyang jumped up and blocked Thurmond's layup!

Jim Jons picked up the ball and muttered, "Oh my God, Nate, are you that old?"

(End of this chapter)