The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 223 Only One Good News
On the evening of May 12, 1985, the hopes of seven teams were contained in unopened envelopes in a transparent plastic bucket on the 18th floor of the Waldorf Hotel in New York.

The Waldorf Astoria renovated its starlight roof, restoring it to the Art Deco style it had when it opened in 1931. Like the NBA, they needed something new to compete with their rivals.

The owners and general managers of the seven teams, bathed in the luxurious atmosphere of a long-established luxury hotel in New York, awaited the determination of their teams' future—a first in NBA history.

The draft lottery will be broadcast live on CBS, hosted by Pat O'Brien, with David Stern personally shaking a plastic bucket and drawing envelopes to determine the draft order for 1985.

CBS revamped its television programming this year, replacing the previous 15-minute halftime show hosted by Pat O'Brien with a variety of flashy and nonsensical segments—such as a segment where retired NBA stars played the HORSE game on the court, which was incredibly boring.

For the NBA, for CBS, and for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, this lottery is a risky new endeavor.

This innovation comes with trepidation, especially given Coca-Cola's reform setback in April.

Many people are convinced that the lottery draw will bring more excitement to the NBA, but how effective it will be and whether it will meet expectations are all unknowns.

The live broadcast further amplifies this uncertainty; if any problems occur during the process, there is no opportunity to remedy them.

Stern's decision was very bold. In the early days, coin tosses were conducted secretly in his office, and the results were announced to reporters afterward.

This time, the NBA was going to show the process of determining the draft order directly to fans across the United States on television. Veteran host Pat O'Brien was extremely nervous. He later said that he was more nervous than when he hosted halftime or testified in court.

David Stern was certainly even more nervous, as he was the one actually conducting the draw.

He personally shook the transparent cylinder, then pulled out envelopes from it, opened them, and started from the seventh envelope, one after another. He only needed to pull out six envelopes to decide the future of seven teams.

Stern, who usually wears a smile, had an unusually serious expression on his face at this moment. He had never been so nervous in front of the camera.

The Golden State Warriors were the first to be drawn, and they were the seventh pick. Al Telmar looked shocked; he couldn't believe they only got the seventh pick.

The Kings have the sixth pick, the Hawks the fifth, the SuperSonics the fourth, and the Clippers the third.

In the final decisive moment, only the Knicks and the Pacers remained. Whoever was not selected would get the number one pick in the 1985 draft.

The team that gets drawn can only secure second place – although judging from the results in 1984, second place seems to be better.

Finally, Stern took an envelope from the drum, slowly tore it open, paused for a long while, and then read aloud: "Second pick in the 1985 NBA draft..."

Another long pause: "Drafted by the Indiana Pacers!"

Knicks general manager Dave DeBuscher immediately stood up, pumped his fist, and let out a long sigh of relief.

They got Ewing!
Pacers general manager Simon paused for a moment, clearly disheartened, but then thought that the second overall pick wasn't so bad after all.

Although Ewing was outstanding, he was no longer the most favored super rookie in 1985. After the shock of the second overall pick, the league had lowered its expectations for this player who had wasted too much time in college and had a knee injury. After all, no one believed that Ewing could reach that person's level in the league the following season.

Dave DeBusschel went on stage with Ewing's number 33 jersey and posed for a photo with David Stern. Stern, who had been tense all day, finally broke into a bright smile.

This is the result the league most wanted to see; it's absolutely perfect.

Patrick Ewing, New York, the birthplace of professional basketball and the largest basketball market in the United States.

Twelve years have passed since 1973, a cycle has come full circle, and they need new basketball heroes.

Meanwhile, in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., Ewing did not watch the draw live; instead, he trained in the gym.

He wasn't too concerned about which team he could join; what he cared about was finally being able to go to that stadium and challenge that person.

After the results came out, he was called into a room by coach John Thompson, and his new agent, David Falk, hugged Ewing and told him, "You're going to New York!" Ewing's dark face didn't show much expression. During his four years in Georgetown, Thompson had molded him into a silent and reserved man, like a stone.

Falk added, "It's good that you're in the East, not the West."

Ewing's eyes darted around, and an angry expression appeared on his face. "David, what do you mean by this?" he asked.

Falk realized he had misspoke and quickly said, "Oh, the East... the East is closer to Georgetown, you can come back often. And the playing style on the East Coast suits you better, doesn't it..."

Thompson came over and patted Ewing on the shoulder, saying, "David didn't mean that. Even in the East, you'd have a chance to go up against Forrest Gump. And the Finals are the real stage."

At this point, Ewing seemed a little deflated. After winning the NCAA championship, his college basketball career was already complete.

He looked forward to the NBA, but after seeing Gan Guoyang's performance in the playoffs, Ewing had to admit that he could never do that.

He scored 41 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, including a 60-point game, and led the Trail Blazers to a comeback victory against the Los Angeles Lakers after trailing by 16 points at halftime, securing the first win of the Western Conference Finals.

Ewing thought that if he could accomplish just one of these playoff achievements, it would be something he would remember for a lifetime, while Forrest had already accomplished it in his rookie season.

They were indeed not on the same track. Ewing had to start his basketball career all over again, while Gan Guoyang was already sprinting towards the finish line. The difference between people...

For a moment, Ewing regretted again why he hadn't entered the NBA sooner and instead wasted so many years in college.

John Thompson noticed Ewing's bad mood and tried to calm him down, having David Falk and academic advisor Mary Finlen talk to Ewing about future plans.

But at this moment, Ewing really wanted to call Forrest Gump and ask him why he had run so far and so fast, and how he could catch up with him.

A day earlier, the Trail Blazers calmed everyone at the frenzied Great Western Forum arena. After the game, the Los Angeles Times published an article suggesting that the Los Angeles Lakers might have to relinquish their throne to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Immediately, there was a lot of hype about the Trail Blazers' imminent victory, taking the series and advancing to the Finals. The Oregonians were jubilant, and the Trail Blazers played with true champion style in the first game.

甘国阳的照片被《时报》、《俄勒冈人》刊登，他全场拿下25分20个篮板球4次封盖2次抢断5次助攻，但数据完全不能体现出他在球场上的作用。

He played the full 48 minutes without a single minute off the court, until the very last moment when he disrupted Byron Scott's shot, preventing him from making the game-winning shot—at that time, Gan Guoyang had five fouls, but his defense was flawless.

After winning the game, Gan Guoyang quickly cooled down from his euphoria. He knew that winning the first game was important, but there was an element of luck involved.

In an interview, he said, "The Lakers just played too impulsively; they didn't play to their full potential."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 17 points in the first half of the game, but was held to only 2 points in the second half due to poor defense. After the game, he tortured himself by running a marathon to push his mental limits.

Pat Riley showed the team the video of the second half when they were overturned, over and over again, letting the players watch their poor performance and how Gan Guoyang gradually turned the tide.

In the second game on May 13th, the Lakers quieted down and focused on battling the Trail Blazers.

Riley once again strictly adhered to the "Forrest Gump Rule," isolating Gan Guoyang from his teammates and using meticulous defense to cut off Gan Guoyang's activity area, while making Rambis try his best to coax him—regardless of whether it worked or not, the intention had to be there.

The Lakers did not disappoint Los Angeles fans in this game, winning 107-113. The point difference was not large, but the Lakers played very steadily.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 28 points, successfully diverting Gan Guoyang's defensive attention. Gan Guoyang performed normally, with 17 points and 15 rebounds, but facing a Lakers team that made no mistakes and Abdul-Jabbar who kept attacking him, he lacked mutual support with his teammates.

The two teams are now tied 1-1. The good news for the Trail Blazers is that they will be returning to Portland.

The bad news is, this is the only piece of good news.

(End of this chapter)