The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 378 I Don't Need You That Much
Gan Guoyang did catch a cold. Although he is very strong and has a strong immune system, it is inevitable that he will have a headache or fever.

That day, after playing bowling and cards with Jordan, Gan Guoyang felt something was wrong when he woke up in the morning; he had some cold symptoms.

But he did not shy away from the battle because of this. He blocked his nose and dragged his somewhat sore body to participate in the Christmas battle.

During the match, he felt no discomfort at all. It wasn't until he returned home after the match that he developed a high fever.

Wang Fuxi took care of him at home, helped him ask the team for leave and explained the situation, and also unplugged the home phone line to prevent anyone from disturbing him.

Gan Guoyang has a wide circle of friends in Portland and throughout Oregon, having made many friends through various business activities and competitions.

In the days before mobile phone electronic address books, these people's contact information and mailing addresses were recorded on an elegant rotating business card holder.

Wang Fuxi arranged these people in alphabetical order by the first letter of their names and recorded on the name cards the depth of Gan Guoyang's relationship with each person, the reason for their acquaintance, as well as some of their quirks and characteristics.

Wang Fuxi has changed a lot since his university days.

In college, she was young and beautiful, loved to wear sportswear, and would casually tie her hair in a ponytail to go on dates with Gan Guoyang.

She looks exactly like a female college student in love.

Now she is more like Gan Guoyang's personal assistant, arranging and managing all aspects of his life.

This includes Gan Guoyang's image management, social event arrangements, and some business brokerage matters.

She used to dress simply and casually, but now she pays great attention to her appearance, always presenting herself in the most appropriate way to appear with Gan Guoyang on different occasions.

At home, she was like a housekeeper, taking care of the family's life and arranging everything perfectly—including preparing nutritious meals for Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang was also surprised that she had adapted so quickly and smoothly, without hitting a "rookie wall" or anything like that.

Wang Fuxi's answer was also very simple: "When I decided to be with you, I was mentally prepared."

"What if I don't become a big star, or I suffer some devastating injury and have to retire at a young age? What will you do then?"

“Then I’ll go out and work to support you. It’s not hard to find a job with my major. There are plenty of opportunities in Portland and San Francisco. If all else fails, we can go back to Los Angeles. I’ll sell tape recorders, and you can sell fried rice.”

Gan Guoyang was amused by Wang Fuxi's words, thinking to himself, "Why would I need to sell fried rice?"

But then I thought about it again, and with his skills, besides playing basketball, it seems that selling fried rice and being a chef is indeed the most lucrative job in the United States.

This time, staying at home due to a cold is a rare opportunity for Gan Guoyang to relax and rest during the season. He no longer has to get up early to run or train all day. He can stay at home and lie in bed and sleep all day.

Gan Guoyang, however, was not used to it. Without the exhilaration of exercise and the cheers and attention during the competition, he felt as if there were bugs biting him and ants crawling inside his body, and he just felt uncomfortable no matter what.

Although the stuffy nose and fever were painful, the physical pain was bearable, but the psychological discomfort made him more anxious, especially since he had been at home for almost a day and had not received a single phone call.

Gan Guoyang couldn't help but ask Wang Fuxi, "Fosse, why didn't anyone call me?"

Wang Fuxi said, "I unplugged the telephone line a long time ago."

"What? You unplugged the phone line! What are those people who care about me supposed to do? How are they supposed to find out what's going on with me?"

“I have already told the newspaper reporters that you have a bad cold and need to rest, and I have also told the newspaper that you fought the Christmas battle while you were sick.”

"Then you shouldn't have unplugged the phone line. That idiot Michael will definitely call..."

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang coughed a few times, then lay down on the sofa. Life without basketball was truly boring.

Gan Guoyang found it boring, and on the other hand, the Trail Blazers were also in trouble because of Gan Guoyang's absence.

他们在12月27日对阵太阳的比赛中，竟然111：109，2分的劣势在主场输给了太阳。

Then, in a back-to-back game against the SuperSonics on December 28, the Trail Blazers lost 107-103, a difference of 4 points, suffering their second consecutive defeat.

This was the Trail Blazers' first losing streak of the season. Ramsey erupted in anger in the locker room after the game, yelling, "Have you guys forgotten how to play basketball?!"

This is also a drawback of making Gan Guoyang the absolute core player: when Gan Guoyang is not around, the other players really don't know how to play well.

After all, when Gan Guoyang was on the team, the Trail Blazers players had about ten or twenty possessions per game where they didn't have to do anything but stand on the perimeter and watch.

At this time, the Trail Blazers players can rest, adjust their condition, and conserve their energy for the next offensive or defensive play.

In short, they no longer need to be constantly on edge like in the past, running around all the time. They can play with more flexibility and, when they encounter tough opponents, they can simply pass the ball to Forrest Gump.

It's perfectly normal to be unable to play ball for a while if such a sturdy and functional mechanical leg is lost.

As Ramsey cursed, he also sighed inwardly, realizing that he understood basketball less and less in this world.

In the 1960s, the pinnacle of one-on-one play was Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 50 points per game in a season.

But he just couldn't win the championship until 1967 when he started passing the ball like a team player, becoming part of the team, and finally creating a great basketball team.

Twenty years have passed, and now his team desperately needs a strong one-on-one center. Of course, Ramsey knows that Forrest Gump is not Chamberlain; the two are vastly different.

Ramsey, however, remained disheartened, finding that the head coach was becoming less like a general and more like a political commissar in a team.

Their role is not to formulate tactics and strategies or command battles, but to advise the players, do political work, and provide psychological counseling.

Of course, the position of political commissar doesn't exist in the US military; instead, there are more chaplains. Ramsey did feel he was becoming more and more like a priest. He vented his anger for a while, but couldn't continue being angry because he felt it was unnecessary—why get so worked up?
Seeing the players in the locker room with dark faces and silent, Ramsey suddenly said, "If you lose two games in a row like this, I don't know what Forrest will say when he comes back for the next game."

As soon as Ramsey finished speaking, the locker room erupted in commotion, with everyone whispering and expressing their unease.

Sonny would definitely say, 'You guys need me so much!'

"He said something similar last season, but we still lost when he came back."

“Sonny won’t make the same mistake. This birdman will talk about these two losses for the whole season.”

"A whole season? He'll talk about retiring!"

"He'll talk about it after he retires; I bet he'll write about it in his autobiography."

Everyone was talking at once, clearly quite familiar with Gan Guoyang's true colors.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Ramsey quieted everyone down and said, "Now that you all know the consequences, please do your best in the next match."

Adelman remarked from the sidelines, "Forrest Gump will be making his comeback in the next game."

"Don't let him return to the field. Keep him on the injury list for observation. Our star player needs a good rest."

So, on December 30th, the Trail Blazers went to Dallas to challenge the Mavericks on the road.

Gan Guoyang's cold was cured, and he excitedly returned to the team, telling the whole team on the plane, "You guys fucking need me so much!"

However, Ramsey informed Gan Guoyang that he would not play in the game against the Mavericks, but would instead be placed on the injury list for observation.

"I'm not injured, I'm all better now."

"You've just recovered from a serious illness and need to be observed."

"What serious illness? I just caught a cold."

"A cold can be deadly. The Spanish flu killed at least 5000 million people. And the flu can cause myocarditis, so there's a risk in engaging in strenuous exercise immediately. I need to observe the situation."

"Jack, are you a medical doctor? You're all so knowledgeable. Do you want to suffer three consecutive defeats without me?"

Ramsey ignored Gan Guoyang and simply refused to let him play, and everyone else was very supportive.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "Fine, I won't play then. I want to see how you guys deal with the Dallas Mavericks."

The Mavericks have had a very strong year, ranking third in the Western Conference standings, but second due to regional division rules.

In the summer, the Mavericks traded Dale Ellis to the SuperSonics for Al Wood, although it proved to be a bad trade. Dale Ellis was a scorer with All-Star potential, while Al Wood was past his prime and entering the twilight of his career.

But for Dick Motta, Dale Ellis was a destabilizing factor in the team; without Ellis, Motta's ideas could be executed better.

For Dale Ellis, leaving the Mavericks for the SuperSonics was a turning point in his career, a win-win trade.

To further strengthen their interior defense, the Mavericks also signed Kurt Rambis, who was traded from the Lakers to the Spurs and then waived.

The arrival of Rambis has given the Mavericks' frontcourt more toughness and championship experience, and this seemingly ordinary signing is considered to be closely related to the Mavericks' rise.

On the bench, second-year player Schrempf began to emerge as a competent and versatile sixth man, allowing Dallas fans to temporarily forget that they had given up Karl Malone for this German.

This season marks Dick Motta's seventh year coaching the Mavericks, and his seventh year working with Mark Aguirre, and they have developed a strong chemistry.

在11月份他们打出了一波8连胜，并且在12月对阵洛杉矶湖人的比赛中，以131:115大胜对手。

Anyone who has managed to beat the Lakers this season is a top-tier player.

In their final game of 86, the Mavericks were looking to defeat the Trail Blazers at home and overcome their direct Western Conference rivals.

Furthermore, the Mavericks' morale was boosted when they learned before the game that Gan Guoyang was on the injury list and would not play tonight.

Lambis, in particular, breathed a long sigh of relief after learning that Gan Guoyang was not going to participate.

But to the surprise of the Mavericks players and Dallas fans, the Trail Blazers, who were without Gan Guoyang and had suffered two consecutive losses, put on a beautiful final game in 86.

They crushed the Mavericks 135-100 on the road, a 35-point advantage. The Mavericks had an off night, and were outscored 41-22 by the Trail Blazers in the first quarter, trailing by 19 points.

The score difference remained around 20 points after that, and even in the final garbage time of the quarter, the Trail Blazers did not let up on the Mavericks. Their bench players performed exceptionally well, leaving the Dallas team looking utterly defeated.

The Trail Blazers thus avoided a three-game losing streak and, more importantly, avoided being nagged by Gan Guoyang for the entire season about "you guys need me so much," successfully proving their strength.

Winning is certainly a good thing, but Gan Guoyang felt a little melancholy. During this week of rest, he felt that the world would not stop turning even without him.

Although he is the sun of Portland, that's just a metaphor. No matter how great or remarkable you are in this world, no matter how many people will be sad and miss you when you leave, everything will still continue.

1986 ended in such a victory; it was a very good year.

After returning to Portland, on January 1, 1987, Gan Guoyang proposed to Wang Fuxi.

He understood who was indispensable to him, and who he himself could not leave.

(End of this chapter)