The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 396 Mathematical Advantages
Barkley made great strides under the guidance of Moses Malone, gradually growing into one of the most outstanding stars of the 1984 class.

Two weeks later, Barkley led the Bullets back to Portland, catching the Trail Blazers off guard at Memorial Arena. Barkley's performance of 30 points and 25 rebounds helped the team secure the victory and avenge their home loss.

His exceptional low-post one-on-one skills earned him the nickname "Eastern Forrest Gump" (given to him by Gan Guoyang).

Of course, Barkley's moment of truth has not yet arrived, and the East is gradually becoming the domain of the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics.

The Trail Blazers left Washington with a victory, embarking on their long journey through the East, with Chicago as their next stop.

Gan Guoyang was still very happy to play against his good friend's team in two consecutive games. There is nothing more interesting than beating them on the field.

After playing against Jordan, he had to go to New York to play against Ewing. The trip included visiting relatives and friends, which made the away game less tiring.

The second "Jan vs. Jordan" game this year sent Chicago fans, who had been waiting for the two to face off for a long time, into a frenzy. Before the game, Jordan reserved more than 20 tickets for his friends and family, which was the limit of what they could get. Other players probably wouldn't get a single ticket because the supply was too tight.

Although the old Chicago stadium wasn't completely renovated after Jordan's three seasons there, the old and dilapidated atmosphere has disappeared, and the passion of the fans has made it the most lively and popular sports venue in Chicago.

The duel between the two is no longer just a simple NBA regular season game; it involves many things behind it—such as the competition between Nike and Avia, the struggle between different advertising agencies, and the promotion and publicity by the NBA itself.

Before the game, Jordan wanted to invite Gan Guoyang to a local party in Chicago, but his agent, David Falk, advised him against it.

Falk believes that in order to create an atmosphere for the duel between the two, it would be better to avoid too many activities and contact before the match.

Jordan disagreed, saying that Bird and Magic Johnson were on good terms now, and that he and Gan Guoyang had always been good friends.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang always treated Jordan to a good time whenever he went to Portland, but he ignored him when he arrived in Chicago, which would make him a laughing stock.

So Jordan still extended an invitation to Gan Guoyang. Although Gan Guoyang didn't like attending these kinds of parties, he went anyway to save face for Jordan.

Unlike Portland, Chicago is a core city in the American Midwest, a megacity with a lot of social activities, and Jordan can be considered a social butterfly in Chicago.

On days when there are no games or training sessions, he would frequently appear at various social occasions, such as cocktail parties, parties, golf tournaments, and betting events. Jordan could be seen everywhere.

Before meeting Juanita, Jordan had quite a few women around him, but after dating Juanita, Jordan became more restrained, at least on the surface.

This was a gathering of friends held at the Bangani restaurant. There was no particular theme; it was just a get-together among friends, and it wasn't for business purposes.

After drinking, they would organize a card game. Such gatherings are very common in Chicago and are frequented by many socialites.

Most people do it to make friends or partners, whether for business or for sexual gratification, while some simply do it to kill time; it's part of their lives.

Jordan attends parties because he enjoys them; he likes crowds and being surrounded by people. Of course, he's never alone; he always brings female companions and a group of "buddies."

Gan Guoyang has met with agents David Falk, Buzz Peterson, Gus Wright, the Fred brothers, and Jordan's driver and bodyguard George Keller quite a few times.

Among them, the one who impressed Gan Guoyang the most was George Keller. He was very close to Jordan. Later, Jordan's friends went their separate ways, but only Keller stayed by Jordan's side, just like Quentin Stephenson and Gan Guoyang.

At this party, Gan Guoyang met Jordan's girlfriend, Juanita. This older black beauty was very famous in Chicago's social circles. Before Jordan came to Chicago, she had a relationship with Reggie Thurs, so Jordan always went all out when playing against Reggie Thurs.

Gan Guoyang appeared very comfortable at the party. He didn't need to introduce himself; everyone present knew him and was impressed by him.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang's tall stature and impressive eloquence quickly made him the center of attention at the party; he was quick-witted and had a fast reaction time.

Moreover, after living in the United States for so many years, Gan Guoyang already knew exactly what Americans liked to talk about, what they liked to hear, what they were interested in, and what they couldn't talk about.

This guy reads books and newspapers often, unlike the kind of guy who just talks nonsense. He can always chat happily with anyone, a stark contrast to his fierce demeanor on the basketball court.

Juanita said to Jordan midway through, "I didn't expect Forrest to be so talkative. He's really charming."

Jordan was a little jealous of this and said, "He's not like that in private. In private, he's a complete idiot."

Juanita gently stroked Jordan's chest and said, "Aren't you a little silly in private too?" These words and the gentle touch stirred Jordan's heart. They had been together for almost two years, and Jordan still couldn't get enough of her.

For young men, this kind of gentle, intellectual, and charming older sister who knows how to both provoke and soothe is truly irresistible.

At the party, many young women showed great interest in Gan Guoyang, and several socialites from Chicago looked at him with the eyes of hungry wolves eyeing their prey.

They approached Gan Guoyang and chatted with him. Some of the bolder ones even touched him directly, groping his arms and body, making Gan Guoyang very uncomfortable. He could only run to Jordan for help.

Jordan pulled Gan Guoyang aside and was pleased to see Gan Guoyang looking somewhat disheveled.

"Fuck, I'm already married, and they're still so enthusiastic."

"You don't know anything, Sunny. They're only so enthusiastic because you're married; otherwise, they'd have to take on responsibility."

"Shit, I wouldn't have come to the party if it weren't for you. The food here is awful."

One of the main reasons Gan Guoyang dislikes attending American-style parties is that the food there isn't good enough.

Every time he eats here, Gan Guoyang feels an urge to cook for himself and let the guests experience what real culinary skills are.

"A party isn't about eating; it's about letting loose. We'll play cards together later."

At the party, they played a poker game with rules called "Badugi," which was Jordan's favorite.

Back when he was at the Indiana Olympic training camp, Jordan started using this game to win money from Gan Guoyang.

The biggest difference between Badugi and other poker games is that most other games pursue high-ranking hands, such as three of a kind, straight flush, pairs, etc., while Badugi aims for the smallest possible combinations.

The smaller the cards and the more mixed the suits, the better the combination. You can draw or exchange cards by betting. Overall, there is skill involved, but like Texas Hold'em, planning your bets is very important.

Jordan was a master at it, but this time he found that he couldn't beat Gan Guoyang. Half an hour later, he had lost all the money he brought.

"Shit, you're so lucky tonight, Sonny!"

"It's not luck, it's skill. I was just letting you have your way before, but I don't owe you anything today."

Jordan shook his head repeatedly. He hadn't expected that he couldn't even beat Gan Guoyang at cards. Jordan started borrowing money to exchange for chips.

However, Gan Guoyang remained calm and composed at the card table. He did not guarantee to win every hand, but he always won big and lost small.

As time went on, Jordan lost more and more, and Gan Guoyang's stakes rose higher and higher.

As the game progressed, Jordan gradually lost confidence, while Gan Guoyang, with more chips, became increasingly confident and composed in his betting.

Juanita tried to persuade Jordan to stop playing, but Jordan was unwilling to give up. Finally, Gan Guoyang said to Jordan, "Michael, try to beat me in tomorrow's game. Have you noticed that as long as I don't throw the game, you can't beat me at the poker table?"

Jordan was furious. He regretted not listening to Falk. Forrest Gump always stole the spotlight wherever he went and never gave anyone a chance to survive.

After the party and the card game ended, Jordan angrily asked Gan Guoyang, "Sonny, how did you become so good at cards? I don't believe you were faking it before."

Gan Guoyang smiled mysteriously and said, "Because I'm good at math, go and learn more math, Michael."

Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn't tell Jordan that he had consulted Bobby Bellman extensively in order to beat Jordan at the poker table.

Berman is an expert in this area, knowing how to leverage mathematical advantages, just like he does on the court.

(End of this chapter)