The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 196 I Can't Hate You
After the All-Star Game on the 10th, Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi returned to Portland together.

This All-Star event truly broadened Wang Fuxi's horizons. As a student, she witnessed the glamorous side of the professional sports world alongside Gan Guoyang.

The young Wang Fuxi was somewhat awkward in some situations. For example, when Gan Guoyang took her to a private party with the players, she was clearly reserved.

They were the only two people with yellow skin in the entire buffet restaurant. It is rare to see Asians in high society, and when they do appear, they are usually supporting characters or foils.

But Gan Guoyang's confidence and composure inspired Wang Fuxi. She recalled what Gan Guoyang had said when they first got together: that they would face many situations that ordinary people would never encounter in the future.

Wang Fuxi tried her best to overcome her nervousness and chatted with and greeted the families and children of other players. Her beautiful but non-aggressive face and gentle attitude quickly made her a good friend to the wives and girlfriends. Over three days, they became good friends.

Friendships between women often develop quickly; spending just one day together feels like knowing each other for years.

After the Frozen-out incident involving Jordan Thomas broke, Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi discussed it.

Wang Fuxi said, "I heard from the wives and girlfriends that some of the older players really don't like Michael because he... doesn't look like a black person."

Gan Guoyang exclaimed in surprise, "Doesn't he look like a Black person? Isn't he black enough?"

Wang Fuxi said, "It's not about appearance, it's that Black people have their own cultural system, like slang, jazz, rap, Black food, and so on. They say Jordan doesn't have any of these, he looks more like a white person, and he's surrounded by white people."

Although Jordan was a Black player, he came from an ordinary middle-class family, grew up in a white community, and received the same education as white students.

Aside from his black skin, his speech and behavior were not much different from those of a white young man; he had no interest in anything that ordinary black people liked.

Besides basketball, Jordan's favorite sports are baseball and golf, both of which are distinctly white sports. Even the famous black athletes are more like white people than black people.

Basketball is different. Because of its street origins, basketball is a sport that is more associated with Black people. Many of the Black players in the league come from slums and the streets, and they carry a strong street culture.

Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a Muslim philosopher who appears aloof and dignified, grew up in Rucker Park, New York, and is part of the street legend.

"So you think Michael was indeed ostracized, and that Thomas and others suppressed him in the All-Star game?"

"Hmm... I don't know. Actually, I didn't feel that way while watching the game. The reports said that Thomas and the others didn't pass the ball to Jordan, but Jordan actually took 9 shots, which is quite a lot. He just couldn't make them."

Wang Fuxi watched the game quite meticulously, knowing that Jordan took 9 shots, while fellow rookie Gan Guoyang only took 8, and Olajuwon only took 2.

In terms of shot attempts, Hakeem Olajuwon was the one who was suppressed. Gan Guoyang scored 15 points on 8 shots because all of his points came from dunks and drives to the basket, plus free throws and a three-pointer.

Jordan scored low because he didn't play well, and he was quite serious about it, blocking Sampson's shot once during the game, clearly wanting to perform well.

Thinking about it, Gan Guoyang wondered, "Could it be that Jordan lied just to create an enemy for himself? So he could beat Thomas?"

"That spineless Jordan, you can make enemies if you want, but why did you go after Thomas instead of me? Damn it, you look down on me, you coward."

Gan Guoyang had a peculiar way of thinking. He felt that Jordan was lying and making enemies to motivate him, and that he was being looked down upon for choosing Thomas over him.

On February 12th, the Trail Blazers hosted the Boston Celtics. In the previous game, the Celtics suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Gan Guoyang, so they should have been eager for revenge in this game.

Tonight at Memorial Arena, the Celtics were out of sorts, especially Kevin McHale, who went 3-for-10 and scored in single digits against Mitchell Thompson's defense.

McHale faced his senior, and all his moves were figured out. Plus, he had a long break from the All-Star game, so he played terribly.

Apart from McHale, Maxwell has had a mediocre season. His average number of rebounds (4) shows how lazy he is on the court.

On the contrary, Gan Guoyang and Drexler became exceptionally fierce after the All-Star Weekend, especially Drexler. Although he suffered a crushing defeat in the Slam Dunk Contest, the All-Star experience further boosted his confidence.

Tonight, Vandeweghe was absent due to back discomfort, and Drexler started the game, recording a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

搭配上甘国阳27分15个篮板3次封盖，二人可谓双星闪耀，帮助开拓者主场102:112，10分的优势击败了凯尔特人。

The Trail Blazers have demonstrated their enormous potential by defeating the defending champions twice this season.

Despite losing this game, the Celtics' record in the Eastern Conference remains outstanding.

However, their once-proud frontcourt duo showed signs of weakness. McHale's immaturity and Maxwell's laxity could become landmines on their path to the championship. At the end of the game, Gan Guoyang and Bird said, "Luckily you're in the East. If you were in the West, you'd better watch out in the playoffs."

Bird said, "You guys can't beat us in the East. Let's see you in the Finals."

At this point, Gan Guoyang asked if it was true that Jordan was suppressed in the All-Star Game.

Bird left with only one question: "You think Thomas can command me?"

Bird was clearly in a bad mood tonight, but he played steadily, scoring 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting.

However, the loss to the Trail Blazers again made him realize the crisis facing the team.

Bird was very unhappy with Maxwell and McHale's lack of strong emotions about winning or losing.

In his view, if you are held to single digits by your opponent in a game, you must get back in the next game and score at least 30 points against that opponent.

Bird set up McHale for many low-post offensive plays tonight, but McHale couldn't get past Thompson. Even after losing the game, he still seemed happy and was even chatting and laughing with his senior, Thompson.

This is the fundamental reason why Bird and McHale could not become friends: differences in personality. One could not stand seeing the other always so cheerful, while the other hated seeing someone constantly looking miserable and resentful around basketball.

The Trail Blazers then defeated the visiting Kansas City Kings, New Jersey Nets, and Cleveland Cavaliers, achieving a four-game winning streak after the All-Star break and showing excellent form.

The Trail Blazers have now achieved a record of 37 wins and 15 losses, successfully surpassing the Los Angeles Lakers to take the top spot in the Western Conference, putting immense pressure on the Lakers.

On February 19th, the Trail Blazers finally welcomed their last Eastern Conference visitor, the Chicago Bulls. After playing the Bulls, they will begin their Southwest Tour.

Gan Guoyang finally met Jordan. Before the game started, Gan Guoyang found Michael warming up in the training hall, surrounded by his bodyguards and some friends.

When Jordan met Gan Guoyang, he asked all the bodyguards and friends to leave so the two of them could talk alone.

"You haven't been answering my calls lately, f***ing. Are you afraid I'll expose your lies?" Gan Guoyang cut to the chase; he never played games with his friends.

If there is a misunderstanding between the two, he will definitely ask to find out. If he can clarify it, he will. If he can't, then he shouldn't be friends anymore. There's no need to keep a relationship with misunderstandings.

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang picked up a ball from the ground and threw it at Jordan. Jordan caught the ball with one hand and said, "What lies? What are you talking about?"

"You haven't answered my calls lately regarding the conflict between Thomas and you."

“Some things have happened at home recently, and my mom doesn’t allow me to contact other people directly by phone, especially since I’m traveling to away games.”

"So, what about your relationship with Thomas? Did you lie about it?"

"Why do you think I'm lying? We're friends, why are you suspecting me first?"

"During halftime, I sensed something was off. I noticed you weren't playing well, so I asked Magic if he and Thomas were targeting you. I told them I would definitely stand up for you if they were. But Magic denied it, and in the second half, when Thomas passed you the ball, I didn't see anything unusual. The next day, the news broke, and it wasn't you who leaked it. Whose agent? Or consultant? They said it while chatting with reporters at the airport. What is this? Are they deliberately creating enemies in public opinion for themselves?"

Gan Guoyang launched a barrage of questions, staring intently at Jordan. Jordan didn't flinch, replying, "On the court is one thing, off the court is another, you don't understand. I could sense that Thomas was indeed unhappy with me. He stared at me coldly in the elevator, and ignored me when I greeted him. Later, during the game, I wasn't performing well, but I didn't blame Thomas. I didn't feel that Thomas did anything to me because I didn't believe that suppression would happen at the All-Star Game. But later, it was Thomas, Magic, and Gervin's medical advisor who leaked the information, not me telling reporters that they were suppressing me. I'm not the one complaining and venting; I'm slow to realize things. I heard someone say that I was being targeted, and then I got angry. Shouldn't I be angry?"

“Sonny, I consider you my best friend. You shouldn’t doubt me at a time like this. I’m the victim, do you understand?”

“I’m not doubting you, and I consider you my best friend, otherwise I wouldn’t have questioned Magic during halftime. But I don’t want you to be a liar. Perhaps you should find out the truth and figure out whether Thomas and Magic actually did it, instead of being manipulated by public opinion.”

Jordan shook his head and said, "The truth doesn't really matter. So what if he suppressed me? Perfect. I need anger to drive me to victory. You know, that game against the Pistons, I played with anger and scored 49 points. That feeling was just so good, so great. The regular season is too long; it would be boring without these things."

Gan Guoyang said, "Going to play ball with anger? Isn't playing against me enough? You haven't beaten me yet."

"I can only play you twice a year, unless we both make it to the Finals. And you know what, Sonny, I can hate Thomas, but I can't hate you."

As he spoke, Jordan turned around and took a mid-range shot toward the basket, but missed.

Gan Guoyang didn't say much, but as he left, he said, "I will still win tonight's game. Also, next time I will crush Thomas and the Pistons by 50 points."

(End of this chapter)