The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 205 Another Thought of Rebellion
Gan Guoyang talked to Bernard King on the phone for a long time. He comforted King, saying that even with a torn cruciate ligament, he could still recover to his best condition after surgery.

Bernard King is pessimistic because, looking back, no player in NBA history has ever recovered from an ACL tear and returned to their peak.

Players like Billy Cunningham, Doug Collins, and Chris Anderson all ended their professional careers after suffering such injuries and never returned to the court.

The Knicks have had a poor season so far. Last year they made it to the playoffs and battled the Celtics in the semifinals, but this season they finished last in the Atlantic Division.

King has been in contract extension negotiations with the Knicks. Although the Knicks are satisfied with King's outstanding scoring performance over the past few seasons, they still want to lower his price as usual.

In the summer, the Knicks threatened Bernard King with their interest in Jim Paxson, but in the end, Jim Paxson stayed with the Trail Blazers.

Bernard King's performances consistently added leverage to the negotiations, including his 60-point performance in the Christmas game, but this serious injury has ruined everything, and all his leverage will be gone.

After King's injury, the Knicks' core strategy was singular: to acquire Patrick Ewing in the 1985 NBA draft.

Thanks to Larry Fleischer's injury insurance program, Kim doesn't have to worry about salary and medical expenses for the time being.

He's only 28 years old this year, not even 30 yet, and he should have a long and promising future in his basketball career.

Gan Guoyang told Bernard King in the most resolute tone that medical technology is much more advanced than in the past, his knee will definitely recover, and he will definitely be able to return to the court.

"Bernar, we haven't faced off in the NBA yet. You don't want to leave the basketball court with that regret, do you? You're only 28, and I'm only 18. We can have a great scoring battle on the court."

"Fuck, when did you become 18? I knew you when you were 18. You're really scary on the court now."

Bernard King's mood improved considerably after being encouraged and joked with by Gan Guoyang.

That's how people are; as long as there's hope, everything will be alright.

With reliable insurance, increasingly advanced medical technology, and the emotional support of good friends, Bernard King gradually regained his confidence and devoted himself to the treatment and rehabilitation of his knee.

In March and April, the NCAA National Basketball Tournament, a basketball event that attracts even more attention than the NBA, has already begun.

NBA players no longer talk about women, movies, or entertainment; instead, they discuss the NCAA and are concerned about the national championships.

This year's national competition has expanded its number of participants, eliminating the previous wildcard tournament and increasing the number of participating teams to 64.

Gan Guoyang had been paying close attention to Gonzaga University's performance since December. He originally thought that without their two core players, Forrest Gump and Stockton, Gonzaga's performance would plummet.

Unexpectedly, Bobby Bellman led a group of unknown, ordinary players to win first place in the WCC league and successfully enter the NCAA national tournament.

With the addition of the University of San Francisco to the WCC this season, the overall strength of the team is stronger than last season, making Gonzaga's ability to stand out all the more remarkable.

It's clear that Berman wasn't just relying on Gan Guoyang. While Gan Guoyang continued to amaze the entire nation on the NBA court, Berman was also demonstrating his talent as a coach.

On ordinary days, Behrman and Gan Guoyang rarely contacted each other, and Behrman did not even attend when Gan Guoyang and Stockton returned to Gonzaga for a commemorative event.

Gan Guoyang didn't know what Berman was up to, but seeing his alma mater make it into the national competition again, he knew that Berman must have put in a lot of effort behind the scenes.

Berman must really want to prove that he's an excellent coach and can achieve outstanding results even without Forrest Gump.

Of course, without Forrest Gump and Stockton, Gonzaga's chances of making it to the NCAA National Championship were already slim.

Their first-round opponent is their old rival, Duke University, and the game is scheduled to take place in Houston.

Gonzaga lost to Duke 61-52, a deficit of 9 points. Coach K finally avenged last year's defeat, and Duke's students mocked Gonzaga relentlessly.

However, Duke's arrogance didn't last long. In the second round, Duke was thwarted by Boston College, losing by a single point and being eliminated, returning home to prepare for the next season.

Just two days after Gonzaga University was eliminated, the Trail Blazers played a game against the Nuggets in Denver. The two teams traded 140 points, with the Nuggets ultimately winning 142-144, a two-point advantage in this high-scoring battle.

Gan Guoyang put up an amazing 37 points and 23 rebounds, but this time he couldn't single-handedly destroy the Nuggets like he did with 44 points and 33 rebounds.

37 points is indeed a lot, but both teams scored over 140 points, so 37 points only accounted for a quarter of the total, and the Trail Blazers couldn't stop the Nuggets from scoring 140 points.

The game was thrown into the Nuggets' chaotic rhythm, and Gan Guoyang tried to slow it down but failed. In the end, they could only trade baskets, but neither managed to score.

Despite losing this game, the Trail Blazers still lead the Nuggets in the standings and remain in third place. Their first-round opponent will be either the Mavericks or the Jazz.

After returning to Portland after the game, Gan Guoyang received a call from Bobby Bellman, the first time Bellman had called Gan Guoyang this year.

The last time was during Christmas.

"Bobby, you call me every time I lose a game? Do you want to hear me cry on the phone?"

"Go to hell, you won't cry even if the world ends, you son of a bitch." "No, if you die, I'll shed a tear for the loss of the English profanity art world."

The two felt a sense of joy at being reunited after a long separation. Although Berman's team was eliminated in the first round, he had done an excellent job this year.

It can be said that his achievements are even more remarkable than last season, because last season when people only remembered Forrest and Stockton, and their team, when they won the championship.

This year is different. This Gonzaga Bulldogs team is Berman's team, and they rely not on star players but on teamwork and excellent defense.

This season, the NCAA introduced a 45-second shot clock to increase the speed and entertainment value of the game and prevent a repeat of last season's ugly scene where the two teams combined for just over 60 points.

Gonzaga achieved the fewest points allowed per game in the WCC league, securing first place in the league with his suffocating defense and qualifying for the national championship.

"Bobby, when did you become a defensive expert?"

"I've always been a defensive specialist. Didn't you know that you played with me back in high school?"

"I don't know, anyway, I didn't really listen to your tactics, but we still won two championships in the end."

While Gan Guoyang's statement may be somewhat exaggerated, in crucial matches, Gan Guoyang truly decides how to play.

Even with the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang often decides how to defend on the court; he's practically a half-defense coach.

"Okay, okay, I know you're good. Your coach Ramsey even called me and asked me how to use you. I told him to ask him how to use me."

"Haha, really? I see. No wonder Coach Ramsey has changed so much. It turns out he's figured things out."

The two talked on the phone for a long time. Unlike Ramsey, Bellman could talk to Forrest Gump about basketball tactics.

When asked why his defense had been so good this year, Bellman gave a mysterious laugh on the other end of the phone.

He said, "Forrest Gump, do you remember back in '83, the year the 76ers won the championship, I mentioned a friend to you? He worked in finance."

Gan Guoyang racked his brains for a moment and said, "Hmm... I remember you said you had a friend in New York who did economic analysis, named Gus."

“Fuck, you have a great memory. I’ve only mentioned him once.”

Gan Guoyang remembered it because he had included Gus in his letter to Wang Fuxi (Volume 2, Chapter 5); otherwise, he would have definitely forgotten someone that Behrman had mentioned once.

"Bobby, you're not doing some kind of data statistics or advanced data calculations to formulate your defensive strategy, are you?"

"Shit! Forrest Gump, you're fucking a genius? How come...shit, I was going to keep you in suspense for a bit..."

The future trend of using advanced data to guide coaches and management in personnel selection is inevitable, and Gan Guoyang could not possibly have failed to predict this.

And Bielman's friend, Gus, was a pioneer in using data models to analyze players and tactics, even though he wasn't a basketball professional but worked in finance.

But precisely because of his different professional background, he can set aside his experience and biases and rely entirely on data to objectively analyze the team and players.

In a 1982 report, he used a proprietary formula to calculate that the Philadelphia 76ers' weakest point, and the area most in need of improvement, was offensive rebounding.

Moses Malone was a king of offensive rebounding, and his subsequent arrival transformed the Philadelphia 76ers, leading them to a dominant championship.

However, NBA teams at the time were not interested in this at all, and Gus's article was more like a form of self-entertainment, but it caught the attention of Bellman.

At the time, Bellman was racking his brains to design a system that would fit Gonzaga Bulldogs and Gan Guoyang. He found Gus through this article, and the two hit it off immediately.

Afterwards, they exchanged many ideas and experiences, and Gus, out of interest, also helped Gonzaga with modeling and analysis.

However, at that time, Agan's team had too much influence, and no matter how Gus modeled the data, his data was too disruptive.

Until this season, when Gonzaga returned to being a grassroots team, Gus's modeling and formula began to play a role.

Of course, there are still many loopholes, which Bellman needs to carefully examine and cannot completely trust the data.

At least Berman began to have a different approach than the mainstream defensive coaches at the time, and his perspective on the game also changed.

"Although this defensive mindset is still very weak, I believe it will be another revolution in the history of basketball tactics, and it will definitely influence many teams and the development of basketball in the future!"

Behrman freely expressed his vision to his prized student, revealing his even greater ambitions.

Gan Guoyang asked with suspicion, "Bobby, you're not thinking of betraying us again, are you?"

(End of this chapter)