The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 206 I don’t like it
Berman seriously corrected Gan Guoyang's statement, saying, "What do you mean by betrayal? Gan, you're being too harsh. This is called career planning."

“I signed a three-year contract with Gonzaga University, which expires this year. Fitz wants to renew it, and I'm still considering it. I've already won the high school championship, I've won the college championship, and I've proven myself this year; my method works. So…”

"So you're planning to come to the NBA, ride my coattails, and win another NBA championship? To complete the Grand Slam?"

"What kind of talk is that! What do you mean by 'clinging to someone's coattails'? I want to realize my dreams and showcase my talents on a higher stage."

"Then you can go for a head coach interview; there will definitely be teams that want you."

"Gan, I think with my qualifications, it's better to start as an assistant coach. Besides, winning an NBA championship isn't easy, Gan. According to Gus's data model, you guys will have a hard time beating the Lakers this year."

It's clear from what Bellman said that he wants to work in the NBA, and his primary target is the Portland Trail Blazers.

After all, Gan Guoyang was his most valuable connection in the NBA, and Agan was a disciple he had personally trained.

Seeing Gan Guoyang's rapid rise in the league, Bellman was eager to give Gan Guoyang a boost in his development.

However, this season is definitely not going to work out. The regular season is coming to an end, and the Trail Blazers are entering the final stage of preparation for the playoffs.

At this point, there couldn't be any major job changes, so they brought in an assistant coach to change the team's defensive habits.

But Behrman's work in Gonzaga is not over yet. Even if he leaves, he will still do the selection work for the next generation of bulldogs.

Gan Guoyang may have joked, but he took it to heart. The Trail Blazers definitely need a good defensive coach to train them.

"Bobby, I'll use my influence to help you, but I'm a player after all, and it's not a good thing for me to interfere with the management's selection of coaching staff members. In the end, it will still depend on your own interviewing skills."

“I know that if I don’t get the Trail Blazers’ approval, I can’t force myself to work for the team. Besides, I have more than just your connections, Forrest Gump. In fact, the Pistons invited me, but I turned them down.”

Gan Guoyang recalled that Berman had taught Lambiel when he was at Notre Dame University, and according to Berman, the two had a good relationship.

"You mentioned the Pistons. They're coming to Portland for a game next month. Should I give you the honor of treating Laimbeer well?"

"Sonny, just don't hit him, that's giving me face. This kid is a bit of a scoundrel, but he's actually a decent person."

"Not bad? He always uses underhanded tactics to make up for his lack of ability. How can someone of his caliber be selected as an All-Star?"

"Forrest Gump, you should know that not everyone in the world has the same advantages as you."

It seems that Behrman and Lambiel do have a good relationship; he even used a quote from "The Great Gatsby" to advise Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang said, "You should say that to Laimbeer. His family is much better off than most people, yet he comes to the court and injures people. I can't control other teams, but the playoffs are just around the corner. If he dares to injure someone at Memorial Stadium, I'll kill him!"

Bellman knew that Gan Guoyang was a man of his word; if he said he would kill him, then he really might kill him.

That takedown, if you slightly change the angle and land on your neck, someone with that much weight would definitely break their neck without professional training.

Behrman had spent the most time with Gan Guoyang, and he knew that Gan Guoyang had a fearless spirit.

This courage comes from who knows where, and there is a carefree attitude towards life and death. At such a young age, it seems that he has experienced a lot, which is something that other players simply do not have.

"Okay, I'll pass that message on to Bill if I get the chance. Playing well isn't difficult for him either."

Putting aside his dangerous and injuring moves, Bill Laimbeer was indeed a decent rim protector center.

His rebounding, especially in the backcourt, is among the best in the league. Without jumping ability or speed, he relies entirely on experience, anticipation, and positioning.

Of course, his rebounding style is terrifying. He swings his big elbows all the time, and if anyone is blind and rushes for an offensive rebound, he might just elbow them in the face.

So he still benefits from this dangerous activity.

In terms of personality, Lambiel was actually quite similar to Gan Guoyang, and it was surprising that Behrman, their teacher, held such views. However, due to their different backgrounds and circumstances, they ended up on different paths.

Neither of them had much hypocrisy in their personalities. Everyone has some degree of hypocrisy, especially public figures.

People like Thomas and Magic Johnson, who always wear sweet smiles, have many unknown secrets hidden beneath those smiles.

This has nothing to do with a person's good or bad character, but rather depends on what kind of attitude they have towards the world. Lambiel and Gan Guoyang are similar; they both face everything almost nakedly without much concealment.

Some players were notorious for their misdeeds on the field when they were young, but after retiring, they suddenly became nice guys and began to repent for their past actions, giving people another explanation for what happened.

Some players had conflicts and severed ties, but one day, when they were old, they reconciled and cried in front of everyone, as if they could not make up without cameras and studios.

Lambiel will not, nor will Gan Guoyang. They will never one day jump out to repent and reinterpret their past actions and words, or attempt a reconciliation of the century, trying to sprinkle time with gold dust to radiate an alluring glow.

From the moment Laimbeer arrived at the Pistons and decided to be a jerk, he was destined to be a jerk for life. He would never reconcile with anyone, nor would he apologize to anyone.

From the moment Gan Guoyang decided to start playing basketball and dedicate his life to it, he never stopped. Nothing but time could stop him.

They have similar engines, but they are installed in different vehicles and travel on different roads.
-
April arrived in the blink of an eye. After a month of fierce competition, only two teams remained out of the 64 teams in the NCAA – Georgetown and Villanova.

This is Georgetown University's second appearance in the NCAA National Championships in four years; in 1982, they lost to North Carolina and Jordan.

Patrick Ewing, the nationally acclaimed superstar center, stood on the highest stage of college basketball for the last time.

He is already a senior in college and will leave the university next year to participate in the NBA draft and bring his talents to the professional league.

Four years of college life consumed too much of Ewing's time. Watching the 1984 rookies dominate in their first year in the league and become the core of their respective teams, one wonders if Ewing regretted not joining the NBA with Forrest Gump, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Michael Jordan.

However, standing on the floor of Kentucky Rupp Stadium, Ewing only had one thing on his mind: winning the championship.

This time, Ewing didn't let go of the chance to win the championship. He scored 20 points and broke through the tactical constraints set up by Coach Thompson. He made consecutive shots at the crucial moment, helping Georgetown win the damn NCAA championship!
Ewing did this because Gan Guoyang and Jordan in the stands kept yelling at him: "Attack! Attack Patrick! Attack!"

The three men were friends from the Olympic training team. They came to the game to cheer for Ewing and witness him successfully complete his college studies, end his NCAA career, and prepare to enter the NBA.

With the NCAA championship game ending on April 1st, the NBA regular season is coming to a close.

The Trail Blazers will host the Detroit Pistons on April 3rd, marking the second meeting between the two teams this year.

Before the match started, Lambiel greeted Gan Guoyang, saying, "Hey Sonny! Bobby called me the other day and talked about you. He really praised you."

Gan Guoyang glanced at Lambiel and said, "I'm going to take 50 points from you."

"what?"

"I said I'm going to take 50 points from you."

"Why? First of all, I didn't provoke you."

"No, you do."

"Where is it?"

"I don't like that you stepped onto the field with your left foot first."

"..."

(End of this chapter)