The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 47 Tide
Gan Guoyang certainly couldn't possibly be unable to distinguish between Stephenson and Bonner; this was merely part of his psychological tactics.

Unlike some Black players who, once on the court, hurl insults at their opponents like "I'm going to beat you up," "You're dead tonight," or "I'm going to kick your ass," he doesn't do that.

It has moderate lethality and little nutritional value.

If you don't beat them to a pulp, it will backfire and you'll be ridiculed.

The competition on the field is ongoing, starting from the very first round.

Therefore, psychological warfare is a continuous process, and it's not simply a matter of venting or attacking your opponent with profanity.

The key to psychological warfare lies in creating an atmosphere of terror to weaken the opponent's fighting spirit.

In ancient warfare, massacring entire cities, building mounds of corpses, and persuading surrender were common tactics. In modern warfare, distributing leaflets, fabricating public opinion, and conducting large-scale bombings are all aimed at creating terror and weakening or even crushing the enemy's fighting will.

Sports competitions are a substitute for war in peacetime, and the methods of creating terror are exactly the same: the mutual attacks in the media before the game, the crowds and roars of the home fans during the game, and the players on the field constantly putting pressure on each other. Except for not being able to kill, the purpose is the same.

On the field, Gan Guoyang interrogated his opponent like a KGB agent, repeatedly asking the same simple question and launching targeted attacks, finally breaking the opponent's fighting spirit.

During halftime in the locker room, poor Quentin Stephenson had an emotional breakdown, which led to his reluctance to play before the start of the second half.

The Washington High School coach tried to persuade and scold the round-headed, slow-moving guy for quite a while before finally coaxing him onto the court.

This caused the second half to start two minutes later than scheduled. As soon as Stephenson stepped onto the court, he said to Gan Guoyang, "I'm not doing well today. Don't ask me anymore. I just want to play well."

Seeing Stephenson's pitiful look, Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "Forget it. As long as you don't go to great lengths to cause me trouble, I won't bother you."

He agreed to Stephenson's request, saying, "Then let Bonner guard me, and I'll proceed according to plan."

Stephenson nodded, and just like that, he betrayed his own teammate...

His lack of willpower on the court led to Quentin's failure to achieve anything significant in basketball later in his career.

However, he and Gan Guoyang became good friends after the competition. He was a regular customer at Gan's Restaurant and an excellent sparring partner for Gan Guoyang during his training in San Francisco.

When Stephenson was internally timid, Washington High School's interior defense had already collapsed.

Bonner, who played quite well in the first half, was even less able to compete against Gan Guoyang in the second half.

Gan Guoyang became unstoppable in the paint, much like Bill Walton in the 1973 NCAA Finals.

He caught the ball and made a layup, easily put it back in, made a close-range swish shot, and then dunked on a fast break.

In basketball rules without three-pointers and the defensive three-second rule, interior defense is of paramount importance; once it collapses, the game completely collapses.

The Washington High School coaches quickly realized that it was better to keep Stephenson on the bench than to put him on the court.

This guy completely entrusted the responsibility of defending Gan Guoyang to Bonner. When Gan Guoyang turned his back and pressed down on Bonner, Bonner felt like he was about to suffocate. How could he possibly defend?

Stephenson symbolically stretched out his hand, implying that he had already tried to defend against it, and it wasn't his fault if it didn't work; it was Forrest Gump who was too good.

The two players who used to work seamlessly together as a twin tower in the paint were dismantled and could no longer provide a decent defense.

The atmosphere at the War Memorial Stadium reached a climax when Gan Guoyang caught the ball at the top of the arc, 24 feet from the basket, and made a long-range shot.

The stadium erupted in deafening cheers, and many fans, especially the Chinese fans who had traveled from afar, forgot all about maintaining their image and shouted with raised arms.

Gan Guoyang scored his 40th point of the game, and the Beiqiao Shuizhong team led their opponents by as many as 19 points, 77-58.

With just two minutes left in the game, the outcome was no longer in doubt: the San Francisco Conference championship was won by North China High School!

Washington High School eventually gave up the fight, substituting their key players and grinding out the final two minutes.

The score was 77-62, and the Waterbells won the 1982 CIF San Francisco Conference Playoffs.

The moment the final whistle blew, the fans in the stadium were incredibly enthusiastic. Without enough security personnel to stop them, they rushed onto the field with the reporters on the sidelines and, together with the players of the Water Bell team, lifted Gan Guoyang up.

Just like in 1953, this situation rarely occurs in higher-level competitions. Only in local competitions do fans and players become so close and passionate about a sporting event.

The fans were so crazy that Gan Guoyang's jersey was torn to shreds, and he ended up returning to the locker room naked.

Reporters surrounded the locker room, forcing the awards ceremony, which was originally scheduled to take place on the field, to be canceled and held in the locker room instead.

Gan Guoyang put on his jacket and accepted the championship and MVP trophies from Mark Christensen, chairman of the San Francisco League Committee.

San Francisco reporters slammed their cameras on the two men, and Christensen shook Gan Guoyang's hand, saying, "You are the pride of the Chinese people, and the pride of San Francisco."

Gan Guoyang expressed his gratitude. In the United States, a country with serious racial issues, San Francisco on the West Coast is considered a relatively open and inclusive city. Gan Guoyang has a lot of support from the Chinese community, which is his source of confidence.

Such fervor and praise would be unimaginable if he were in Boston, or in the South where the shadow of racial segregation had not yet faded.

No wonder Russell moved his entire family away from Louisiana to settle and live in the Bay Area.

The noise inside the War Memorial Stadium didn't completely stop until the Water Bell team left by car. Many fans weren't that obsessed with Gan Guoyang or the Water Bell team; they just needed an occasion to vent all the hardships and frustrations accumulated in their lives through the passion of sports.

In this economic winter, the tiny spark of a miracle created by a person with yellow skin and black hair is enough to warm many people and help them persevere.

Finally, the San Francisco Police Department intervened, sending officers to disperse the young people who had gathered near the stadium, bringing the revelry to an end. For the next few days, the Waterbell team and Gan Guoyang received lavish treatment in Chinatown; for at least two weeks, they could eat at any restaurant without paying.

Gan Guoyang received even better treatment. Sex workers around Chinatown offered to spend the night with him for free, which made Gan Guoyang afraid to go near the red-light district for quite some time.

I'm afraid of being harassed, and I'm also afraid of being misunderstood.

After winning the championship, Gan's Restaurant hosted a three-night banquet. This San Francisco League championship might be more prestigious than the state championship, after all, it is a local honor.

After a period of excitement, everything returned to calm, and everyone went back to their normal lives, studies, and training.

The Water Clock team's journey is not over yet; the CIF Championship awaits them.

One day, Gan Guoyang suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Raymond for a while.

In previous games, Raymond and his group of beautiful friends would be there to support him, becoming a unique sight on the sidelines.

Originally uninterested in sports, he became a somewhat unqualified basketball fan, and a die-hard fan of Gan Guoyang.

However, Raymond did not appear in the most important finals, and he was not seen during the Water Bell team's championship celebration.

In the past, he would always have afternoon tea with his friends at Gan's Restaurant around 1 p.m., and sway to the music and guitar sounds of punk bands in the evening.

He hasn't shown up for more than half a month recently, and his friends have stopped coming for afternoon tea as well. With so many customers in the shop, they always get strange looks.

President Reagan delivered his State of the Union address on New Year's Day, expressing optimism about the national economic recovery. Punk band performances at restaurants are decreasing because they might disturb regular customers who want to dine there—and this is true not only at Gan's Restaurant, but throughout California.

A hardcore punk subculture called Straight-edge is emerging among young people who reject drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol, and hippies are gradually becoming outdated.

Sony's Walkman, released in 1979, became increasingly popular among teenagers. They would walk around listening to music with headphones on, and upbeat pop music was more suitable for them than noisy punk.

The voice of a singer named Michael Jackson is increasingly appearing in people's ears.

The first mass-produced commercial personal computer, the IBM 5150, was launched in 1981 and fully entered the public eye in 1982, marking the arrival of the computer age.

Everything is changing imperceptibly. The traces of the 70s are slowly being erased, and the wave of the 80s is being generated.

Gan Guoyang once practiced at the ice rink until very late. When he came out of the gym, the rink had been converted into an ice skating bar and dance floor. Just as he was about to leave, he saw one of Raymond's good "sisters".

He rushed over to greet him and asked where Raymond was. The "sister" hesitated for a moment before telling Gan Guoyang that Raymond was sick and was currently at St. Francis Memorial Hospital.

Gan Guoyang rushed to the hospital and, through the hospital records, found Raymond lying weakly and thinly in a cold, single room. He looked like a withered honeysuckle.

When Raymond saw Gan Guoyang, his deep-set eyes were filled with complex emotions, and glistening with tears.

He told Gan Guoyang that he was dying because he had contracted a disease that doctors couldn't understand and that was difficult to cure.

Looking at the red spots on Raymond's arms and neck, as well as the ulcers on his legs, Gan Guoyang suddenly realized what disease Raymond had.

It's truly hopeless; it's too late.

"You won the championship, congratulations, you're amazing." Raymond forced a smile.

"Thank you, I thought you would go to see it in person."

"Sorry, I want to go too. I heard it's crazy there, I'm so envious of you."

This is the second time Raymond has expressed envy; the first time was because Gan Youwei gave him shoes.

Gan Guoyang didn't know what to say. In fact, he didn't understand Raymond at all; they were from two different worlds.

But due to a series of coincidences and fates, they had a little bit of contact.

"Gan, where do you think people go after they die?" Raymond sat up and wrapped his clothes tighter around himself.

"After a person dies, they go to another time and space. If you are lucky, you will retain your consciousness and memories and begin a new life."

Raymond's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Really?"

"Really. Maybe you'll go to China."

"China? Is China good?"

"China is getting better and better; there is gold everywhere there."

"I'd like to go to China. Is there anything I should be aware of?"

"Hmm... Remember to buy more houses and stop staying in hotels."

Raymond smiled and blessed Gan Guoyang, saying that he would become a very remarkable person in the future.

A week later, Raymond died.

Gan Guoyang and the Water Bell team traveled to San Jose to begin their CIF Northern California Championship journey.

(End of this chapter)