The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 292 Leader
The deafening chants of "MVP" from the crowd once again spurred Bol, who sat on the bench and buried his head in his long legs.

The Sultan's prince, who had an inexplicable sense of superiority, finally realized who the real emperor was on the basketball court.

In three quarters, Gan Guoyang has already scored 40 points, and he is on track to reach his third 50-point game of the season—if he wants to.

In the fourth quarter, Adelman fielded a lineup of three tall players: Gan Guoyang, Walton, and Thompson. Their fluid frontcourt offense dominated the game.

However, unlike Jack Ramsey's three tall players, Adelman used three tall players, but still used the Drexler + Porter combination in the backcourt.

Although Ramsey was Adelman's mentor, the two had different approaches. Ramsey's "three tall players" strategy revolved around the three tall players as the absolute core, with the backcourt playing a supporting role.

Therefore, Ramsey prefers to use Van der Werner + Paxson or Van der Werner + Drexler. Their role is to create space, carry the ball forward, organize the attack, and pass the ball when the ball crosses midfield.

Adelman's strategy was to use Gan Guoyang and the two backcourt players as the core, with Thompson and Walton as support. The backcourt players were not only supportive, but also a weapon to speed up the pace and use the three tall players to screen and attack the opponent.

Ramsey's structure was more traditional, while Adelman began to emphasize the role of the backcourt players. After all, Adelman himself was a defender and had a deeper understanding of the defense.

Adelman reduced his three tall players' passing and cutting, and increased his pick-and-roll plays. Drexler and Terry Porter used the solid screens provided by Gan Guoyang and Walton to constantly attack the Bullets' basket.

If Boll were there, he might have been able to hold them off, but Boll's mentality was shattered, and coupled with his lack of physical strength, he could only sit on the sidelines and watch helplessly.

Once the Bullets collapse, Gan Guoyang and Thompson hit consecutive mid-range shots from the outside. If the Bullets can keep up their offense, they can hold on.

However, with the three highs blocking the three-second zone, the little Barkley was just a short guy, completely controlled by Gan Guoyang and Thompson, and there was nothing he could do.

In the fourth quarter, a 14-2 offensive surge completely overwhelmed the struggling Washington Bullets, with Gan Guoyang already scoring 48 points.

At this point, he called a timeout and had Adelman substitute him out.

Adelman knew that Gan Guoyang wasn't interested in padding his stats; he wouldn't want to play if the outcome of the match was no longer in doubt.

He was just one tough layup away from scoring 50 points in a single game, but he didn't care.

When Gan Guoyang left the court, chants for MVP rang out again. Gan Guoyang certainly deserved to win the Most Valuable Player award this year.

Excellent record, impeccable performance, impressive statistics, and a "good" image both on and off the court—beating up a Pistons player did not earn Gan Guoyang a bad reputation; on the contrary, it attracted more admirers. All of this meets the criteria for Most Valuable Player.

Although Larry Bird is also a strong contender, he won the MVP last year, and the media and fans are getting a bit tired of seeing him win the MVP two years in a row.

Gan Guoyang brought a refreshing breeze into the NBA, adding much color to the league. According to official NBA statistics, the NBA has seen a surge in overseas broadcasts this season.

Gan Guoyang is especially popular in Italy, which is the European country that loves watching the NBA the most. In the 70s and 80s, many American players would go to Italy to play. They are very tolerant of foreign players.

Larry Fleischer told Gan Guoyang that the Trail Blazers' overseas trip this summer will be to Italy.

He said that Gan Guoyang's popularity among foreign players in Italy is second only to Maradona.

If Gan Guoyang can win the MVP award, it will greatly benefit his reputation and status, as well as promote foreign players in the NBA.

Under David Stern's leadership, the NBA is presenting a more inclusive and diverse image to fans and viewers in the United States and around the world.

In the end, the Trail Blazers easily defeated the Bullets at home with a score of 109-121, a 12-point advantage.

甘国阳拿下48分22个篮板球3次封盖4次助攻2次抢断，毫无疑问的星中之星。

At the end of the match, Manute Bol came over and shook hands with Gan Guoyang, and he took the initiative to apologize to Gan Guoyang: "I apologize for my rudeness. Your skills are really amazing."

Gan Guoyang smiled and accepted Bol's apology. In the NBA, respect and remorse are always earned through action. Don't argue over someone's rudeness; conquering them with skill and power is the most effective way, better than a thousand words.

In the locker room after the match, Boll was once again surrounded by reporters and microphones, who interviewed him about his feelings about playing against Gan Guoyang.

People enjoy interviewing Pol not only because of his height and nationality, but also because of his straightforward and outspoken personality.

Influenced by his cultural background and language, Boll doesn't speak official jargon like some players. Although he is somewhat arrogant, he is very honest and only expresses his true feelings.

So although Gan Guoyang was angry at his rudeness and taught him a lesson, he didn't take it to heart afterward. He understood that Boer was the kind of person who couldn't pretend or hide his true feelings.

Paul paused for a moment, then said in accented English, "He's scarier than a lion. I can't beat him; he's the Lion King. But his cooking is delicious."

This praise quickly spread throughout the United States via the media. Of course, the fact that Gan Guoyang is a great cook could not be kept secret at all; people all over the United States knew it.

When saying goodbye to Barkley, Gan Guoyang reminded the fat man again to pay attention to his finances and health, as well as to exercise and lose weight, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sell his shoes.

Barkley had a respectable 21 points and 11 rebounds, but he paled in comparison to Gan Guoyang's brilliance.

To make matters worse, his relationship with Gene Shue deteriorated further because of this game.

He found himself more comfortable playing under Lauhri, and he wasn't used to Gene Shu's system.

Finally, a week later, with one month left in the regular season, Gene Shue chose to resign and leave his position with the Bullets.

Raheem Lauhri will replace Gene Shu as the Bullets' new head coach, leading the team through the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs.

According to Washington media reports, Barkley was behind it all, telling Pollin directly that he didn't like Gene Schoo.

This caused quite a stir in the NBA media and coaching community, and people further realized that the era of coaching authority had truly come to an end.

The NBA is now in the era of star players. If a star player is unhappy, it's the coach who will leave, not the star player.

Because star players can sell tickets, and audiences go to the stadium to see the star players play, not to see the coaches. If you don't want to be a coach, there are plenty of people who can.

Of course, star players also have to bear the stigma of being labeled as ball bullies. To wash away this stigma, they must deliver better performances and win more games.

Gan Guoyang earned over $1000 from the bucket for dunking over Manute Bol, which is a considerable sum.

Gan Guoyang thought about how to use the money. He originally wanted to buy a bucket so he wouldn't have to steal anymore (Drexler was right, he still stole the bucket from the cleaning lady at the stadium).

But spending $1000 on a barrel is such a waste; it's enough to buy a whole truckload.

Inviting someone to dinner is pointless; none of us are short of that kind of money.

After much deliberation, Gan Guoyang used the money to buy a large box of the best Cuban cigars.

He placed the box of cigars in his locker and said to everyone, "NBA champions have a tradition of smoking cigars. I've already bought the cigars in advance, and we're just one championship away. I'll open this box of cigars when we win the championship. Otherwise, it'll just stay in my locker. I hope it's opened as soon as possible."

Gan Guoyang's words greatly boosted the team's morale, and the whole team united as one to make a final push for the 1986 playoffs.

In 1986, Forrest Gump used the money he won from a dunk on Ball to buy a box of Victory cigars. That was one of the best inspirational gestures I've ever seen. He was a true, undisputed leader, a lion king.

—Excerpt from Adelman's "The Long Hot Winter," published in 1991.

(End of this chapter)