The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 161 Direction
Gan Guoyang enjoyed his meal at Wang Fuxi's home. That evening, he met Wang Fuxi's mother, Wan Ling, a nurse who worked at a hospital.

Upon arriving home, she welcomed Gan Guoyang while washing her hands for ten minutes. Wang Fuxi's habit of being clean was undoubtedly inherited from her mother.

Unlike Wang Zhengmin, who adores Gan Guoyang, Wan Ling is not interested in Gan Guoyang's celebrity status. Instead, she worries that her daughter, an ordinary person, will suffer in the future because of the unequal relationship between her and a celebrity.

The attack at school is an example, and the two are so young, it's still unknown whether they can get together.

Therefore, Wan Ling was only polite to Gan Guoyang, not enthusiastic, and casually asked him a lot of questions during the meal.

However, Gan Guoyang is honest, speaks politely, and is courteous to his elders, without any airs of a celebrity.

He answered all her questions without hesitation, and gradually Wan Ling's attitude towards Gan Guoyang softened, and her words became more tender.

After learning that Gan Guoyang had no mother since childhood, Wan Ling's tone and eyes softened completely. She kept putting food on Gan Guoyang's plate, and the meal was enjoyed in a harmonious and pleasant manner.

After dinner, Wang Fuxi accompanied Gan Guoyang back to the hotel. On the way, she asked with some concern, "Gan, is my mom asking too many questions?"

Gan Guoyang said, "It's nothing, these are normal questions. What mother wouldn't ask a few more questions?"

"My parents are just ordinary people. Although they've been in America for many years, they haven't made a fortune. They just run this shop. Hmm... will you look down on me?"

Wang Fuxi expressed his concerns.

After the season started, Gan Guoyang was busy with games and flying all over the United States, so the two didn't have much time together.

As Gan Guoyang's reputation grew, Wang Fuxi was both happy and proud of him, but also felt some unease and increasing pressure.

Being the partner of a celebrity is no easy task. Gan Guoyang was right when the two started dating: while enjoying fame and wealth, one inevitably has to sacrifice privacy and bear pressure.

Gan Guoyang said, "What, are you scared? If you're scared, why did you agree to be with me in the first place?"

Wang Fuxi retorted stubbornly, "I...I'm not scared! What am I afraid of? I'm telling you, I've already bought a gun and left it at home. If I see anyone sneaking around me in the future, I'll draw my gun and shoot them dead!"

"Hey, you don't need to do that. I'll have a security company ensure your safety."

"I'm not worried about my safety, I..."

Seeing Wang Fuxi's hesitant expression, Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "I understand. You think your parents are too ordinary. Many celebrities hang out with other celebrities and wealthy people. It's a win-win situation. It's the same in basketball. Some people like to team up and play with star players. But I'm not like that. I think you have to rely on yourself more. Besides, I think your parents are great. Your family is very warm and loving, and I like it very much."

For Gan Guoyang, a complete and warm home has always been an incomplete part of his life.

Seeing the simple and harmonious life of Wang Fuxi's family, he felt mostly envy.

Wang Fuxi was somewhat moved and gently leaned on Gan Guoyang's arm. She thought the Los Angeles night was beautiful tonight.
-
Gan Guoyang stayed in Los Angeles for two days. After playing the Clippers on the night of the 8th, he took a red-eye flight to San Francisco in the early morning. After playing the Warriors, he went to Seattle.

Gan Guoyang stunned Colorado with 44 points and 33 rebounds against the Nuggets, but the Trail Blazers, missing key players and with low morale, lost two of their next three games, ending their Western road trip with a 2-2 record.

Before Christmas, the Trail Blazers have two more games to play, both at home.

On December 25th, they will host the Houston Rockets, becoming part of the Christmas Day lineup.

Upon returning to Portland, General Manager Stu Inman and the coaching staff held a meeting to discuss the team's recent situation.

Compared to their strong performance in November, the Trail Blazers' winning momentum slowed down considerably in December. Playing away games, fatigue and injuries, as well as being tactically targeted, made it difficult for the Trail Blazers to win.

Stu Inman provided a simple statistic showing that so far this season, the Trail Blazers' average points allowed per game has decreased from 109 last season to 106, a reduction of 3 points.

Our defensive rebounding has improved from near the bottom of the league to the top five, and we've reduced the number of offensive rebounds lost per game by three.

Three points per game may not seem like much, but the team's scoring has generally increased this season. Since Stern took office, the league's rules have become more offensively favorable, especially the calls for traveling on the perimeter have become more lenient.

In the 50s and 60s, traveling was strictly called. Dribbling was only allowed in straight up and down motions, and any hand movement while holding the ball would be called a violation.

This makes it very difficult for perimeter players to break through, and their dribbling posture is also unsightly, affecting the viewing experience.

Ramsey complained, "If Michael Jordan's dribbling had been played in the 60s, half of it would have been called a violation. His initial dribble would have been called a dribble-dribbling violation."

Stu Inman said, "This is the trend. Stern wants the game to be more exciting, which is a challenge for interior defenders. However, our points allowed per game have dropped from 12th in the league to 3rd, and we are still an offensive team."

Adelman said, "Forrest's contribution, his impact on defense is immeasurable. I've never seen a player do such a good job on the defensive end. You got a good draft pick, Stu."

Inman was quite pleased with himself, glad he made the right decision. Gan Guoyang was indeed a historic player, like Johnson, Bird, and Russell, who had a huge impact on the team as soon as he entered the league. Inman said, "Recently, the team has been experiencing more injuries. We need to learn from this and pay attention to the players' health, especially Gan's health, which is of utmost importance."

The lessons of 1978 were too painful for the Trail Blazers; Walton's injury changed the sporting fate of a team and a city.

Ramsey said, "Don't worry, this guy is as strong as an ox. I've never seen a player with so much energy. NBA players are all monsters, and he's the monster of monsters."

Inman said, "By the way, Dr. Jack, you said before that you wanted to build a new tactical system around Gan. Is there any progress? I've seen some new things in the recent games, but it seems... not very systematic, a bit scattered."

Ramsey said, "Initially, I planned to have Forrest establish his dominance in the low post and the top of the key, leaving the wings to the forwards to create a high-low combination with Thompson. Later, I realized that fixing him in that position was a waste; he has many possibilities at the 45-degree angle. Also, on the baseline, he can run the baseline crossover CS play, which works very well against heavy centers, and..."

Ramsey had originally intended to mention three-pointers, but the thought of the word "three-pointer" made him feel as if he had touched a taboo, and he immediately swallowed his words.

Inman said, "Jack, are you experimenting on Forrest Gump?"

Ramsey shook his head: "No, I just wanted to explore his limits."

"But we still need to have a good system as soon as possible."

“I was afraid my system would restrict Forrest Gump, and I wanted to give him more freedom.”

Stu Inman looked at Ramsey as if he were looking at a different person.

In his memory, Ramsey was a victory fanatic, like an officer in a metal shell, squeezing out the players' potential and doing everything he could to achieve the ultimate goal of victory.

He is physically fit, energetic, 100% dedicated to basketball, always passionate, and extremely obsessed with winning.

This is a common trait among almost all successful NBA players and coaches, which makes it difficult to get along with them; they are all oddballs.

For example, legendary coach John Wooden, who is praised as a benevolent father figure, is someone Inman, as a "Wooden observer," who knows that Wooden is not as absolutely virtuous as the propaganda portrays him.

On the contrary, he would stop at nothing to win, especially by illegally recruiting students using UCLA's advantages. This is in stark contrast to Bob Knight, who would never resort to such tricks.

But Knight was unbearable in other ways; he would often call Stu Inman at three or four in the morning just to discuss any inspiration or idea he had about basketball.

Ramsey is similar to them, but from today's conversation, Stu Inman felt an incredible level of patience and tolerance. Compared to the team's performance, he values ​​Gan Guoyang's personal growth more.

"Jack, the team's interests must come before the players'." Inman, as the general manager, is under a lot of pressure regarding performance, especially this year.

He could sense that his boss, Larry Weinberger, was becoming increasingly impatient with him, which was why he had swallowed his pride and gone to great lengths to take down Gan Guoyang.

“Stu, don’t you understand?” Adelman said from the side, “Forrest Gump is in the team’s best interest, and it’s related to the team’s long-term fate. Jack is doing the right thing. Besides, our form isn’t bad. It’s normal for it to fluctuate around Christmas in December. We’re already better than last year. This year, we can even go toe-to-toe with the Lakers. You can’t say that Forrest Gump’s health is the top priority, but at the same time, you can’t rush Jack to design a system to squeeze out Forrest Gump’s potential. He has unlimited potential.”

Inman had nothing to say, but after thinking for a moment, he said, "Then...then for the Christmas game, we have to at least beat the Houston team, which is a game in Portland."

Ramsey said, "That's for sure. Even if we don't want to win, Forrest Gump will definitely want to win."

During the meeting, they also discussed the issues of Vandeweghe, Paxson, and Drexler.

Inman felt that Ramsey should take advantage of Paxson's ankle injury to give Drexler more playing time.

"Perhaps it's time to move Drexler into the starting lineup."

"I will consider it and take Gan's opinion into account."

"Take Gan's opinion as a reference? You're the coach."

"I know, that's why I said 'for reference, for reference'!"

I think the job of an NBA head coach is much easier these days.

You see, when I first started coaching in 1968, there were no assistant coaches, not a single one. Now, the coaching staff is almost enough to form a starting lineup. So, when I coach, I rely on players with leadership qualities who help build strong discipline and camaraderie among team members. They are very disciplined, very reliable, and determined fighters. They just need to be shown the right direction, and they'll get the rest done. Of course, individual styles differ, but there's one thing everyone shares: a passion for winning.

But there was one different person. He didn't even need directions; he already had his own path in his heart. Sometimes, even I needed to follow behind him. You all know who I'm talking about, of course I'm referring to Gan.

—Excerpt from "Dr. Jack's Leadership Lessons Learned From A Lifetime In Basketball" by Jack Ramsey, published in 2004.

(End of this chapter)