The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 18 Guns N' Roses
Gan Guoyang was awakened in the middle of the night by a sound of stomping feet. He rubbed his eyes and checked the time: 2 a.m.

Just then, the sound of stomping feet came from upstairs again, and the faint sounds of a guitar and drum kit could also be heard.

"Shit! Is there a concert upstairs? Didn't Raymond say he was leaving?"

Gan Guoyang turned over and covered his head with the pillow, but the noise continued, making it difficult for him to fall asleep.

He had to get up, go out through the back door of the restaurant, go up to the second floor, and pound on the door for a while before Raymond finally opened it.

As soon as he opened the door, Gan Guoyang heard loud music and someone stomping their feet on the floor. It was definitely these guys.

"Wow, distinguished guest, are you joining us too, Gan?"

"Look at the time! You're disturbing the peace! Besides, didn't you leave? Why are you still living here?"

"Even if you leave, you can always come back, right? Sorry, I forgot, you young man need to go to bed early and get up early every day~ Friends, that's all for today, let's end it here!"

The group of punks inside stopped playing their instruments when Raymond called out to them. They were obedient, though it's also possible that Gan Guoyang's 2-meter height had a deterrent effect.

“We have a basketball game at the Ellis Street Community Center tomorrow. Would you like to come and watch?” Gan Guoyang asked Raymond.

Raymond looked somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Gan Guoyang to invite him to watch the game. He rolled his eyes and asked, "Watch the game? Who are you playing? The Lakers?"

"Of course not, it's a rematch against Cancer at Rochambeau Stadium. We need some spectators, you can bring your friends, after all you are regular customers."

"Woh, thank you for treating us as your customers. You're a great restaurant."

"But it's probably going to go out of business now. My brother and I are trying to promote it with basketball games, and we hope you can come."

Gan Guoyang used his limited connections to boost momentum for tomorrow's match and publicity.

It would be even better if he could get Thurmond to help, but the two have only known each other for a little over a week, and their relationship isn't that close yet.

Raymond laughed and said, "Using basketball games to promote the restaurant? Do you really expect those basketball kids to come to the Chinese restaurant to eat? Or are you suggesting we deliver takeout to the basketball players?"

"We'll give them some coupons as a last resort."

"Okay, I'll definitely go. I really want to see you play."

As the two were talking, a long-faced young man with bushy hair like a hedgehog leaned over and said, "Why don't you try having us perform in the restaurant? That would be much more effective than a basketball game. After all, you can't play basketball in the restaurant, but guests can listen to music there."

Raymond introduced, "This is Jeffrey Isbell, from Indiana, he's a guitarist."

Isbell continued, "Now, some Asian restaurants in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco are doing this. Mrs. Huang's Restaurant and VIP Garden, the Filipino owner is very enthusiastic about this, and it's working well. I think it could work here too, why not give it a try?"

Looking at these punk musicians exuding a decadent aura, Gan Guoyang simply couldn't associate them with Chinese restaurants.

However, Isbell wasn't talking nonsense. Against the backdrop of an economic recession, restaurants are trying new things to attract customers and boost spending.

With the middle class leaving urban areas for satellite cities, hippies and rebellious young people have become the main consumer group.

It's a pipe dream to expect them to sit quietly in a Chinese restaurant and have a meal, but if a punk band invites them in to have a good time, they're willing to pay an entrance fee and buy drinks.

Gan Guoyang thought for a while and said he would go back and discuss it with his family, reminding them to come and watch the game tomorrow.
-
On Saturday afternoon, the second game between Gan Guoyang and two others and Cancer was held at the open-air basketball court of the Ellis Avenue Community Center in the Tiandelong District. The game attracted many street basketball players, neighbors, and children to watch.

This is indeed an opportunity for Gan's Restaurant to promote itself. A Chinese restaurant producing an outstanding Chinese basketball team is an attractive gimmick.

Team sports like basketball and football have a deep-rooted community spirit; they are sports that truly come from the people and go back to the people.

In the United States, basketball courts and arenas of all kinds are found in cities and rural areas, and street basketball is a sport culture with a longer history than the NBA.

On the court, no matter your status—whether you're a company executive, a construction worker, or a high school student and restaurant delivery driver like Gan Guoyang—once you step onto the court, these off-court factors don't matter. People only care whether you can make shots, grab rebounds, or make impressive passes.

California has the strongest basketball culture on the West Coast, and people admire the basketball heroes on the streets.

In Northern California, street basketball tends to be characterized by its tough, team-oriented, and win-win style, with Oakland being a prime example.

Southern California has more talent, with Los Angeles and San Diego producing many true geniuses.

The street basketball scene in San Francisco is relatively mild. Teams like the Cancer are considered tough, but compared to the savages of Oakland, they are gentle.

Steve LaVine and his two companions naturally accepted the challenge from Gan Guoyang and his two teammates. Since they had challenged first and won the match, they were bound to accept their opponents' revenge.

For this reason, they turned down a match invitation from an Auckland team.

Among the audience were many homeless people, hippies, and marginalized groups. Gan Guoyang saw Raymond and Isbell; they had indeed come.

"My God, is this the jersey you're going to wear for today's game?"

"That's right, it was designed by my brother. He's a fucking genius."

Gan Guohui designed a set of sportswear specially for the three of them—the Gan Family Restaurant signboard was sewn onto their vests.

The signboard was on their chests, and their names were embroidered on the backs. Gan Guohui's mother, who runs a laundry shop, did all of that for them overnight.

Gan Guoyang looked at Chen Xing's jersey, which had "ROSE" embroidered on the back, and asked, "Aren't you called Tiny? How come you're calling yourself Rose again?"

Chen Xing said, "Tiny is my nickname, and Rose is my English name... Fatty Hui, could you please not dress like this next time? It's embarrassing to have a restaurant printed on your chest."

"My dear Ganlin's mother, if it weren't for your father's trickery, would I have had to resort to such tactics? Just focus on your match. Even if you lose today, don't lose too badly!"

Gan Guohui was full of fighting spirit. He had been training hard this week, going out for a run every day to improve his physical fitness.

Cancer's lineup remained the same: White, Pittman, and LaVine, with Cap LaVine watching from the sidelines.

Karp didn't have high expectations for the match, after all, only a week had passed, what could have changed?

The game begins with a coin toss, and the Cancer team goes on the offensive first.

LaVine passed the ball to White, who then faced Gan Guoyang one-on-one.

"I guess you're going to turn left, right, Eric? Come on, turn left."

Gan Guoyang stayed close to White, using words to distract his opponent.

He knew that White's left-handed dribbling was average.

Receiving the ball in this position, turning to the left is his usual move. With Gan Guoyang's explanation, White was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

When the ball was dead, they had no choice but to pass it out, forcing LaVine to take a forced jump shot that missed.

Gan Guohui held his position, grabbed the rebound, and went out to the three-point line. Chen Xing received the ball, faked a move, and drove to the basket.

LaVine stayed close, while reminding him, "Keep an eye on Forrest Gump!"

He knew the usual cooperation between Chen Xing and Gan Guoyang, and White stayed close to Gan Guoyang.

With no opportunity, Chen Xing dribbled around to get out of the way.

In 3v3, the opportunity to coordinate is fleeting.

Once that opportunity is missed, it will come down to the player's ability to score one-on-one.

White continued to circle around Gan Guoyang three-quarters of the way to prevent him from receiving the ball.

But at that moment, Gan Guoyang stepped out with his left foot, blocking White's foot and locking him in place.

Then he suddenly turned inside, and White, who was momentarily blocked, couldn't catch up in time. Chen Xing then lobbed the ball to the inside.

Gan Guoyang received the ball and easily made a layup, scoring the first basket.

This is a trick that Thurmond taught Gan Guoyang to break through the front-line attack.

By using a foot-blocking technique to prevent the opponent from chasing back, a wide-open space is created under the basket.

"Shit, you're playing tricks."

"It's just a normal move, there's no foul."

White sensed that Gan Guoyang seemed to have changed, and he felt uneasy.

The battle in the paint is not only a contest of skills and physicality, but also a psychological game.

White's offense was predictable, his defense was outmaneuvered, and his morale had already plummeted.

On the sidelines, Karp LaVine frowned, thinking, "In just one week, this guy has already figured out the knack for battling under the basket? That's unlikely."

White harbored similar doubts as Karp. In the last game, Karp's basic skills were so poor, but in this game, he actually started to use some tricks.
Coincidence, it must be a coincidence.

Cancer's offense saw LaVine dribble past Chen Xing and attempt to drive to the basket.

Chen Xing made a move with his hands, and his defense was tougher than last time.

The referee on the sidelines didn't blow his whistle; the whistles on the street aren't as strict.

Moreover, they are playing on home soil.

LaVine's layup attempt was interfered with by Gan Guoyang and missed.

Gan Guohui once again fought hard to grab the rebound; his bulky physique still proved effective.

The ball went out of bounds, and Gan Guoyang was vying for possession of White in the same spot as before.

Gan Guoyang once again used the same 3/4 fronting maneuver, extending his leg to block the shot.

White was prepared, and the moment Gan Guoyang turned around, he sped up and closed in.

Unexpectedly, Gan Guoyang made a surprise move, instead of turning around to cut to the basket, he turned around to block White behind him!

This guy has a backup plan.

Chen Xing made a lob pass, and Gan Guoyang received the ball and took a step inside.

White was out of position and couldn't withstand such a headbutt.

Losing his balance, he watched as Gan Guoyang jumped and dunked the ball into the basket with one hand!

“Holly shit…”

Raymond and his friends gaped and couldn't help but scream.

They knew Gan Guoyang was a good basketball player, but they didn't expect him to be this good.

This dunk ignited the audience, and more and more people began to join the crowd.

If a large number of people gather in the Tiandelong area, it's either because free food is being distributed or there's a punk band concert.

This time it was because a young Chinese man was playing basketball, which was truly unprecedented.

Garp kept stroking his chin, muttering, "This kid has really improved, or was he just faking it last time? Unbelievable, unbelievable."

As he was pondering this, Gan Guoyang once again suppressed White's attack inside.

White was clearly stunned at the start, and his reaction was somewhat slow.

After Gan Guoyang made a block, he ran to the perimeter, received a pass from Gan Guohui, and made a mid-range shot from a zero-degree angle!
After scoring three consecutive goals, the Cancer team called a timeout; if they continued playing like this, they would be finished.

During a break to drink water, Raymond and Isber squeezed over and asked, "Gan! Gan! What's your team's name? You're amazing!"

Gan Guoyang said, "We haven't chosen a name yet; we need to think about it some more."

They couldn't reach an agreement on the name when they discussed it in the morning.

"You need a catchy name. You're Gan's Restaurant, how about 'Gun'?"

As Gan Guoyang looked at the Rose embroidered on Chen Xing's back, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

“Calling him Gun is too ordinary and too blunt. I think it would be better to call him Gun-and-Rose. What do you guys think?”

"Guns and Roses?" Isbell scratched his head upon hearing the name. "I think it's a pretty good name."

(End of this chapter)