The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 204 Best in History

Because of the away loss, Ramsey, as usual, took a stroll on the streets of Los Angeles that evening, a habit he developed during his time coaching at the university.

He was a very competitive person. When he was the coach of Saint Joseph's University, he forbade the players from going out to receive the fourth-place medal because the team lost to the Naval Academy in a tournament. He felt ashamed for not getting a top-three finish.

In his first year as head coach of the 76ers, Ramsey was very dissatisfied when the team lost to the Seattle SuperSonics. He believed that Billy Cunningham's final layup was fouled, so he went to knock on the door of the referee's locker room and demanded an explanation.

The referee didn't open the door, telling him, "Never mind, Jack, let your team prepare for the next game."

"Didn't you kick the door open and slap him?" Gan Guoyang asked.

Ramsey wasn't walking alone tonight; he invited Gan Guoyang along, and they strolled through the shimmering, dreamlike streets of Inglewood in the warm, Californian March night.

The two didn't discuss anything related to basketball tactics along the way. Ever since Rick Adelman became their go-between, they had stopped having professional exchanges.

Ramsey simply shared some stories with Gan Guoyang about his past experiences playing and coaching in college, and his time coaching the 76ers and Trail Blazers.

“If I were like that, I would have left my NBA coaching position long ago. You have to stay calm when you need to. From that time on, I reminded myself not to take anything for granted and not to live in the past. I just didn’t expect it to end so quickly.”

The two walked west along Manchester West Road, passing Los Angeles International Airport, where planes took off and landed one after another without stopping for a moment.

They walked 15 kilometers in one go, all the way to Playa del Rey Beach, where they saw waves emitting a ghostly blue light, a spectacle created by luminous predators attracted by the red tide.

Seeing some people swimming in the blue waves, Ramsey said, "Want to go for a swim together?"

Gan Guoyang quickly refused, not wanting the Los Angeles Times headline tomorrow to be "Trail Blazers coach and star player drown in the Pacific Ocean in the early morning due to depression after losing the game."

Ramsey took off his shirt and walked towards the sea. Gan Guoyang quickly stopped him, saying, "Coach, it's just a loss to the Lakers. You don't need to act like a beach man. We agreed to stay calm."

Ramsey said, "Don't worry, I'm a very good swimmer. I'm in a good mood and just want to swim for a while. Don't worry about me."

Jack Ramsay joined the Navy at the age of 18 and was then assigned to the NCDU (the precursor to the Navy SEALs) and placed in the underwater demolition team.

In 1945, he began training to prepare for the American landing on the Japanese mainland. The training involved approaching the beach in small boats before dawn and then swimming to land as the advance force to conduct reconnaissance and marking of the beachhead, as well as blowing up obstacles to prepare for the subsequent landing of the main force.

While their destroyer was already sailing in the Pacific, two atomic bombs ended the war, the program ended, and he retired from the military.

Although he was unable to participate in the war, he mastered the skills he had learned and never forgot them. Swimming in the dark sea was a piece of cake for him.

Watching the old man strip down to only his shorts and plunge into the blue ocean, Gan Guoyang shouted, "Dr. Jack! Who can take over your coaching position!"

Gan Guoyang is quite concerned about the team, fearing that if Ramsey doesn't get playing time, the team will be without a coach.

“Of course it’s you! You should just become the coach!” Ramsey replied.

"Sure! I'll only take half your salary! Let's save some money so everyone can stay in better hotels!"

Perhaps genuinely worried about losing his coaching position, Ramsey swam for a while before climbing out of the sea.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "Such a spectacular sight, but it's a pity that only a bald old man climbed out of the sea."

Ramsey hung out to get dressed for a while, then suddenly asked Gan Guoyang, "Gan, what do you think of Clyde?"

"What a scumbag, he doesn't even want his own child."

"I meant ball skills!"

Gan Guoyang thought for a moment and replied, "Clyde's talent is second only to mine on the team, probably only a Jordan away from him."

"Where's Qiqi? How is he?"

"Qiqi has excellent skills, but her personality is too weak, and she cannot shoulder great responsibilities."

Jim Paxson?

"The technology is very solid, but some aspects are outdated."

"Thompson?"

"My best inside partner, very talented, you didn't make good use of him."

Valentine?

“He seemed a bit lacking in energy and spirit. I felt he was very tired and, like Paxson, was struggling to keep up.”

Jerome Cauchy?

"He has a strong desire and is very bold, but his skills are too rough and he lacks experience. He needs to be trained more."

"Kenny Carl?"

"I am conscientious and hardworking, but I have no ambition for advancement. I can only do my job well."

"Cort?"

"Highly disciplined, makes few mistakes, lacks talent and imagination, and not very strong-willed." Ramsey finished dressing and asked all 11 remaining players of the Trail Blazers, and Gan Guoyang quickly gave accurate evaluations of each one.

Ramsey finally asked, "So, how do you feel about yourself, Forrest Gump?"

"Me? I will be the greatest of all time," Gan Guoyang said confidently.

The sea breeze tousled his hair, but it didn't dispel his voice.

The white moonlight and blue glow reflected on his face, and his expression was as calm as if he were stating a given fact.

Ramsey nodded and said, "Let's take a taxi back, it's too late. Did you bring any money? I wanted to go swimming, so I left my wallet at the hotel."

"Huh? You dragged me out here just so I'd pay for the ride, right?"

"That's right, hurry up and go back to sleep."
-
With the season nearing its end, teams on the edge of the playoffs are making their final push.

Top-ranked teams did not give up despite being guaranteed a playoff spot; the concept of resting players did not exist in the 80s.

For teams, ticket revenue is the main source of income, while television broadcasting fees only account for a small portion of the salary cap.

The annual salary cap is determined based on the total revenue of the previous year; the higher the revenue, the more money is allocated to the players.

Therefore, as long as there are no physical problems and they can play, they should take the court. This is especially true for players like Johnson, Bird, Jordan, and Gan Guoyang, who can sell tickets, and they certainly won't fool the audience on the court.

Their attendance rate directly affects the income of all players in the league. Superstars like Johnson and Bird often played more than 75 games when they were young and strong, and both of them have played through minor injuries.

Of course, there are risks involved. Larry Bird developed problems with his lumbar spine and back at a young age. Now, he lies on a bench in the locker room before games to listen to tactical instructions. People who don't know him might think he's disrespectful to the coach.

Later, his back injury became more and more serious, and when he was resting off the field, he had to lie on the floor to relieve the pressure on his lumbar spine and back and make himself a little more comfortable.

Magic Johnson also suffered a serious knee injury in 1981, missing most of the season. After a "hundred days of loneliness," he returned to the court with a pair of thick knee braces.

The Trail Blazers, a team plagued by injuries, saw their medical standards rise significantly after Gan Guoyang's arrival—the level of medical expertise may not have improved, but the emphasis on player health has certainly increased dramatically.

When players are injured, the coaching staff and management follow the principle of prioritizing the players' health, resting them as much as possible until they are fully recovered.

Under the Trail Blazers' new medical policy, players must obtain written permission from two professional medical practitioners to return to the court after recovering from injury; coaches cannot arbitrarily allow players to return to play.

Dr. Ogilvy also provides psychological therapy to injured players to help them overcome the trauma of their injuries—however, the Trail Blazers players haven't suffered any major injuries this year, and minor injuries have been properly treated.

This is partly due to Gan Guoyang's strong advocacy when he first joined the Trail Blazers, which led to reforms to the team's medical system. On the other hand, Gan Guoyang greatly enhanced the Trail Blazers' strength, allowing them to lay a solid foundation for success early in the season and avoid a final push at the end.

The Lakers, who were previously ranked first in the West, went on a crazy run in March and April, winning 13 straight games without any resistance. The Trail Blazers couldn't catch up.

The Denver Nuggets, who came after, had an amazing season, holding the top spot in the Western Conference for a long time at the beginning of the season.

In February and March, their performance fluctuated, and they suffered a series of defeats, causing their record to gradually decline and drop to third place in the Western Conference.

However, due to the divisional rules, the Nuggets are ranked second in the Western Conference, while the Trail Blazers are ranked third.

Just like last year, the Trail Blazers couldn't overcome the Lakers in the Pacific Division, so they could only finish third.

Because they are firmly in third place, unlikely to drop to fourth, and unlikely to climb to first, the Trail Blazers don't face much pressure in terms of their record in the second half of the season.

This allows injured players to recover properly, such as Vandeweghe's back injury, Valentine's leg injury, and Paxson's ankle injury, all of whom can get sufficient rest.

However, Gan Guoyang, the Portland medical pioneer who has benefited everyone, did not rest for a single game—the only game he missed was when he was suspended and the Cleveland fans chanted for a refund throughout the game.

Gan Guoyang is incredibly good at selling tickets; if he's healthy, he won't be allowed to rest for a single game.

Mid-season, the team doctor also conducted a physical examination on Gan Guoyang, focusing on joints such as the knees and ankles.

After the examination, the team doctor said, "They are very healthy, they could practically be stamped with a purple seal of approval."

Strong muscles provided excellent protection for Gan Guoyang's joints and ligaments, and the extra points he invested in him had maxed out his ability to resist injuries.

In addition, he has a very regular lifestyle and a healthy diet, so the probability of him getting injured is very low.

After his physical exam, Gan Guoyang thought, "Damn it, I wasted my money on insurance. I can't use the upgraded medical system that the Trail Blazers have provided."

But just because Gan Guoyang couldn't use it doesn't mean others couldn't. At the end of March, just as the Trail Blazers were about to face the New York Knicks, Gan Guoyang and his friend Bernard King agreed to compete to see who could score more points in the game. However, King suffered a serious injury in the previous game against the Kings, tearing his ACL and leaving the game.

At this point, the player injury insurance that Larry Fleischer was selling to various teams came in handy.

The Knicks were among the first teams in the league to join the insurance plan, and Bernard King's salary during his injury period will be paid by the insurance company, which will also reimburse a large portion of his medical expenses.

This is good for both the players and the team. The team has minimized its losses, and the players don't have to argue with the team or worry about not receiving their salaries or being unable to pay their medical expenses while injured.

But insurance cannot alleviate the pain of injury. Kim, who had just been crowned in New York, suddenly slipped from the throne.

The day after he was injured, he called Gan Guoyang and said as soon as he opened his mouth, "Gan, I'm finished."

(End of this chapter)