The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 245 You're so fast

Although major newspapers did not react much to Gan Guoyang's 50 points, the number of spectators at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on the evening of October 29 proved that Gan Guoyang was not past his prime.

Last year, the Clippers' daily attendance could reach seven or eight thousand people at the start of the season, after all, the team had many stars. However, as the team's performance did not improve in the middle and later stages of the season, the attendance rate became lower and lower, and they could often only sell four or five thousand tickets.

Donald Sterling warmly welcomed the Trail Blazers' visit, as the presence of Gan Guoyang would bring the attendance to over 10,000, making it even more exciting than the Lakers playing in the Los Angeles derby.

Fans' love for the Trail Blazers often differs from media evaluations of the team. Although the Trail Blazers welcomed Walton back in the summer, most media outlets do not believe that the Trail Blazers can challenge the Lakers and Celtics' dominance in the league.

After all, the fierce battle between the two teams in the finals further enhanced their status in the eyes of industry professionals. Throughout the summer, countless articles, reports, and books were published, raising the status of the two teams in the league and also raising people's expectations of their strength.

The Trail Blazers are strong, but they're not on par with those two monsters.

Not all champions receive the same treatment as the Lakers and Celtics. The Bullets and SuperSonics, who faced each other in the Finals in 78 and 79, were considered lucky champions, having won the championship when the overall strength of the league was declining.

Moreover, on paper, the Trail Blazers' improvement is indeed limited.

It's hard to say that a former MVP who has been crippled for six years can bring about a qualitative change to the team.

Moreover, the Trail Blazers' backcourt is as thin as paper, with two rookies leading the team.

Humphries and Sanders performed exceptionally well in the game against the Suns.

Colter, and Terry Porter, who was making his debut, seemed too inexperienced.

If it weren't for Walter Davis's serious undercover work and the Trail Blazers' strong frontcourt, the Suns' backcourt could have given the Trail Blazers a lot of trouble.

This is just a declining sun. How can the Trail Blazers possibly cope with the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper, and Byron Scott?

But these are not the issues the Trail Blazers players need to consider. What they need to consider is the long 82-game regular season to prove just how good they are.

Before the game started, Donald Sterling tried to greet Walton and Gan Guoyang on the Trail Blazers' bench, but the two of them naturally ignored this miser.

Sterling seemed unwilling to give up, having completely broken ties with Walton and the other two. He didn't care at all. Gan Guoyang was different; he was Sterling's dream player, a true ticket-selling machine.

Therefore, he had been trying to build a good relationship with Gan Guoyang in the hope of having the opportunity to get the Chinese superstar in the future. This idea became even more active after he learned that Gan Guoyang had only signed a four-year contract.

For the sake of profit, capitalists never hesitate to fawn over those who are unhelpful, just like the Hollywood boss in "Barton Fink" who would kneel down and lick the screenwriter's boots.

But once you lose your value and there's no room to extract profit, they'll throw you away like a shoe-shining rag, without giving you a second glance.

Sterling is a typical capitalist boss, as evidenced by his constant use of lawsuits to extract money from players and business partners.

Other owners, such as Jerry Buss, may seem unrestrained, but he actually loves basketball and has genuine feelings for the players.

He rarely trades players unless absolutely necessary, and when he does, he feels extremely distressed and may even cry. He also dislikes laying off employees and finds it difficult to bring it up.

There's also the Jazz's new owner, Larry Miller, who, like a country landowner upholding traditional moral values, strives to care for and manage every employee.

They all have a ruthless and cunning side, and none of them are truly kind-hearted people who can become controllers of wealth.

But Sterling is like the Lakers' former owner, Cook. Cook enjoys firing his employees and relishes watching their expressions of surprise, disappointment, or anger upon learning they've been fired. He finds it very amusing. They have a pure sense of morbid humor, lack empathy, and have very little moral burden, which is quite frightening.

Gan Guoyang remained unmoved by Sterling's attempts to curry favor. He merely gave a polite smile and was unwilling to even say to Sterling, "What a beautiful day! What a bright moon!"

Sterling shrugged slightly and returned to his seat on the sidelines to wait for the game to begin.

He has a good attitude and doesn't care much about being ignored by the players. In his view, the NBA is just a big plantation.

Those Black players were laborers who planted and picked cotton on the plantation, while occasionally some white players served as overseers.

He really wants to find a neutral Chinese supervisor to help him sell cotton, it's that simple.

The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. The Clippers have actually had a good start to the season, winning their first two games.

On the 26th, they defeated the visiting Houston Rockets in their home opener, causing the Rockets' twin towers to suffer a defeat at Memorial Arena.

With Norm Nixon sidelined due to injury, Clippers head coach Don Chaney heavily relied on guards Derek Smith and Franklin Edwards, both of whom delivered outstanding performances in the first two games and were key to the team's victories.

Cedric Maxwell, the former Finals MVP, is clearly still reeling from the trade, with mediocre performances in both games. However, Don Chaney, a former Celtics player, still keeps him in the starting lineup.

In the paint, Chaney used a twin-tower lineup, featuring 7-foot Donaldson and 6-foot-11 Melvin T. Pin—the former Kentucky twin towers, the one who was destroyed by Gan Guoyang.

Despite having Tppine, the Clippers still drafted Benoit Benjamin in the 85 NBA draft. These two burly, even slightly overweight, big-headed centers shared a common hobby: eating large amounts of food without restraint.

If the two of them went to Washington and teamed up with Barkley, they could probably become the heaviest frontcourt trio in the NBA.

During warm-up, Gan Guoyang ran to the Clippers' half of the court and circled Tbimmer twice, saying, "Melvin, have you gained weight again?"

Like Bowie, Turpin was traumatized by Gan Guoyang in the 1984 NCAA Final Four.

But Bowie has emerged from the shadows and become the Mavericks' interior pillar, while Turpin seems to be indulging in the food of Los Angeles.

"No, Forrest Gump, my butt is naturally big," Tepin quickly explained.

"How much do you weigh?" Gan Guoyang asked, concerned about Te Ping's weight.

"I...I'm about...about 200 pounds." "Of course you're talking, you're not even 300 pounds, how much is 200?"

"About the same as you, 255 pounds..."

Gan Guoyang knew immediately that Teping was lying. This kid's butt and shoulders were much bigger than when he was in college. He weighed 250 pounds in college, but now he only weighs 255 pounds.
Based on his ability to visually estimate Charles Barkley's weight, Turpin's weight should be around 273 pounds, which was a very large amount at the time.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is 218 cm tall, has maintained a weight between 240 and 250 pounds for many years. Tping is obviously overweight. Although this may bring some advantages in the paint in the short term, it will greatly affect his performance in the long run if it is not controlled.

Moreover, Tepping's weight gain was not planned, but rather caused by unplanned overeating and lack of training.

Are you still eating McDonald's in the middle of the night?

"McDonald's? Oh no, now I don't have to eat it in the middle of the night, I can eat it during the day..."

Teping wondered, who exactly told Forrest Gump that he ate McDonald's Big Mac late at night during his college years?

Because of his excessive eating habits, Turpin earned the nickname "Dinner Melvin." Kentucky coach Joe Hall strictly controlled Turpin's diet to keep him in good shape and condition on the field.

But sometimes Teping just couldn't resist, so he would have his girlfriend buy a McDonald's Big Mac and deliver it to his dorm building at night. He would then use a rope to lower a basket down and carry the burger up to enjoy it.

In college, coaches provide strict discipline, but in the NBA, it's a professional relationship. The head coach will offer reminders, but won't be constantly watching you.

Players like Barkley and Aguirre faced the problem of being overweight, and argued with their coaches about it quite a bit.

Don Chaney was also powerless. One Turpin was bad enough, but then Benjamin came along. How could two young men who couldn't even control their mouths support the team's interior?

Gan Guoyang didn't ask any more questions, but looked Te Ping up and down, making Te Ping feel uneasy.

Tepin is a talented player, but his willpower is too weak. He is gluttonous, timid, and somewhat melancholic, and just wants to be an ordinary person.

If he were just an ordinary person, there would be no problem. But in the fiercely competitive NBA, being an ordinary person makes it easy to be taken advantage of; it's full of wolves.

After the game officially started, Gan Guoyang won the jump ball, and Jim Paxson took the ball to organize the team's first attack.

In this game, Ramsey benched rookies Cort and Porter, while Paxson started at point guard.

Drexler, last season's sixth man, has officially become the starting shooting guard, significantly increasing the Trail Blazers' backcourt height.

While Paxson isn't a full-time point guard, Drexler isn't a full-time shooting guard either. Drexler is far from just a dunker; he has strong passing and playmaking abilities, making him a perfect complement to Paxson.

At the start of the game, Gan Guoyang set a screen for Paxson, and then set a screen for Drexler. Paxson passed the ball to Thompson, who was moving up at a 45-degree angle. Thompson then turned and passed the ball to Drexler, who was cutting to the basket.

Drexler received the ball and easily scored a layup.

The Trail Blazers' offense flowed smoothly from the start, with screens, passes, and runs all executed seamlessly without any hindrance.

This is the result of a season of hard work and rigorous training in the training camp. The training camp was very effective, with no injuries, no absences, and everyone fully committed.

After the goal, Walton was the first on the bench to stand up and applaud his teammates, while Ramsey reminded him, "Stop using your knees, sit down."

Walton grinned and said, "No, I want to encourage every brilliant goal they score!"

That's just Walton's personality; when he's not injured or in a slump, his enthusiasm infects everyone on the team.

Derek Smith's outside shot missed, Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, and Vandeweghe was already running towards the frontcourt.

A long pass across half the court, Vandeweghe receives the ball and runs down the court, dunking with his left hand!

Fast breaks are always the best way to widen the gap, and the Trail Blazers quickly established an advantage.

Maxwell attempted to receive the ball and attack, but his shot after driving to the basket was blocked by Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang's movement is more agile than last season, and Drexler slows down to observe during counterattacks.

Gan Guoyang rushed to the vicinity of the three-second zone, received the ball with his back to the basket at a familiar spot, quickly turned past Teping, and then made a small hook shot with his right hand, scoring two points.

"You're so fast!" Tepin exclaimed.

Gan Guoyang glared at Teping, thinking to himself, "Praising me is useless; even if you praise me, I'll still beat you up!"
Besides, saying that doesn't really sound like a compliment.

Turpin's weight of over 270 pounds is not entirely useless; at least it is very useful when it comes to positioning in the paint.

The Clippers' outside shooting was still not working. Tping grabbed the offensive rebound and turned to prepare to launch an attack, but Gan Guoyang knocked the ball away with his hand.

“You’re fast.” Tepin shook his head.

Gan Guoyang is getting angry. Tonight, if the Twin Towers don't play Donaldson, they'll play you.

He received the ball at a 45-degree angle, broke through the basket, shook off his opponent, and then made a stylish hook shot with his right hand, scoring another 2 points!
The Trail Blazers started the game with a 10-0 run against the Clippers, forcing Chaney to call a timeout. The Clippers hadn't had such a bad start in the first two games.

Sterling, watching from the sidelines, applauded and cheered twice for Gan Guoyang's excellent start.

Sitting on the edge of the field with his wife, Shirley, with his legs crossed, he was unaware that danger was slowly approaching.

(End of this chapter)