The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 510 Enjoying Burgers on the Hour
Before the Finals began, Larry Fleischer left New York for Portland and asked Gan Guoyang for a few Finals tickets as a fan.

Gan Guoyang approached John White, the team's ticketing director, who would always reserve a batch of tickets for Gan Guoyang, usually around twenty.

Playoff tickets become even more scarce, and the number will be reduced to a dozen or so.

Of course, this number far exceeds that of other players, such as Drexler, who can only get three tickets.

Gan Guoyang has a relatively narrow social circle, especially since he doesn't have many relatives like aunts and uncles.

But a dozen or so tickets were still not enough. In addition to friends, he also had to frequently give tickets to businessmen and politicians to maintain daily relationships.

In the Oregon region, tickets to Portland Trail Blazers games are a form of hard currency.

However, since it was Fleischer who came, Gan Guoyang had to make do with giving him a ticket no matter what.

The Fleischers, along with their two sons, Mark Fleischer and Eric Fleischer, visited Gan Guoyang's home.

This was the first time Fleischer had brought his entire family to Gan Guoyang's home since the two established their partnership.

Fleischer knew that Gan Guoyang was about to become a father, so he brought a lot of baby products from New York as gifts.

Fleischer will announce his retirement immediately after the Finals. He has already handed over his work and is just waiting for the Finals to finish so he can end his career as a union leader and begin his career as a full-time sports agent.

Gan Guoyang gave four tickets to Fleischer, who said, "It's really not easy to get a ticket to the Trail Blazers' Finals these days."

Gan Guoyang said, "Yes, I don't have enough tickets. I need to borrow tickets from Hornacek, Curry, and Anderson, otherwise there won't be enough to go around."

Fleischer said, "The Trail Blazers should move to a bigger arena. It's a waste of resources for a championship team to have an arena that can only seat 12000 people."

"Once there's a new owner, I think he'll find a way to build a new venue."

As the Finals approach, in addition to being concerned about who will win the championship, people are also starting to pay attention to who will own the Trail Blazers next year.

Negotiations are still underway in secret, and no one knows who the new buyer will be, but based on the current trend, it will definitely be a big-time tycoon.

By 1988, the Trail Blazers' valuation had reached $150 million, more than 40 times the $3.7 million it was when the Trail Blazers were founded in 1970.

In less than twenty years, the value increased more than forty times, and Weinberg made a fortune.

This price means that only the ultra-wealthy can afford it.

Fleischer asked curiously, "Don't you know who the new buyer is?"

Gan Guoyang said, "I don't know. I don't have the energy to care about that right now. Winning the championship is the most important thing. I guess Weinberger probably has a buyer he likes. He started negotiations a long time ago. He kept it a secret in order to win the championship and not affect the team's mentality. But the playoffs were still leaked, and we still don't know who did it."

In the NBA, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever; news always leaks out unintentionally.

"At first we suspected Sterling, then we thought he wasn't that smart. Then Weinberg came clean, and it didn't matter who leaked it."

Fleischer didn't care who leaked the information; he was more concerned about Gan Guoyang's plans for next season.

"Next season? Of course I'll stay with the Trail Blazers. You've been so busy before that I haven't had a chance to properly discuss the new contract with you. After the Finals, you can stay in Portland and talk to the management and the new owner about the contract."

"Staying in Portland is the right thing to do, but would you like a long-term contract, or something a little shorter?"

"Shorter is better. The NBA is booming, and the salary cap will keep going up. Signing a long contract based on the current salary cap will definitely be a disadvantage in the future. I think I should sign a contract of about four to five years, and I should have the autonomy to decide the last year so that I can choose to sign a new contract based on the salary cap at that time."

Gan Guoyang's thinking was very clear; he knew that NBA salaries would continue to rise in the future.

While long-term contracts offer stability, they can easily lead to missing out on the benefits of soaring wage caps—a lesson Gan Guoyang is well aware of.

Fleischer greatly admires Gan Guoyang's foresight; when Gan Guoyang signed his contract during his rookie season, he resolutely chose a four-year deal.

With his contract expiring just in time for a new collective bargaining agreement and a new, wealthy owner, the new contract is bound to set a new NBA record.

Fleischer sighed and said, "Forrest Gump, if you were an American, your future would be much brighter."

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "Larry, you're trying to tempt me to become a traitor again. I'm not Bobby."

Fleischer laughed, but inwardly he was filled with sighs.

He entered the basketball world unintentionally, but by chance, he became the head of the union and fought for the players' welfare.

During this process, Larry Fleischer, who was white, met many black players and friends, such as Bill Russell, Lenny Wilkens, Oscar Robertson, Paul Silas, and so on.

Contact with them made Fleischer realize that there were many underprivileged, dark-skinned people in this country who possessed intelligence, dignity, and strong character, and that if they received a good education and changed their skin color, they would enter Congress and the Senate.

But the country has designed a sophisticated system that allows these people to achieve their greatest success by squandering their sweat, health, and intelligence within a sports league.

Fleischer often imagined how influential Forrest Gump would be if he were an American, or even just a white man.

A white player who won the California basketball championship, led a Christian university team to the NCAA championship, and then won the championship in a predominantly white city...

Moreover, Fleischer knew that Forrest Gump was different from Larry Bird, who, despite being white, was extremely popular.

But in reality, Bird was white on the outside but black on the inside. He was born into a poor white family in rural Indiana and never received much help because of his skin color. Instead, he was called a country bumpkin because of his background.

Therefore, Bird refused to become the so-called white hope, and few people knew that Bird was an outcast among white people.

Of course, Fleischer would also be grateful for Forrest Gump's identity, which would greatly promote the internationalization of the NBA.

Especially in the Asian market, including Japan, South Korea, and China, Gan Guoyang's popularity has reached an unbelievable level, according to our understanding.

Fleischer plans to arrange an Asian tour for Gan Guoyang this summer, to Tokyo and Seoul to garner goodwill and establish his status as Asia's number one sportsman.

Fleischer shifted the topic from nationality to summer signings, saying, "President Reagan's speech at Moscow State University last week was a signal."

"Reagan went to Moscow?"

"Yes, relations between the two sides are easing."

"Is that so? Then it looks like the Soviet Union is doomed..."

"What?" "Nothing, do you have any plans?"

"I will try my best to bring the best European players to the league, including some of your Trail Blazers players."

In the 1987 NBA draft, the Trail Blazers selected Sabonis and Petrovic.

"Are they strong?"

"They are all geniuses."

"How do you compare to me?"

"Stop comparing yourself to others. What's the point of doing that?"

In short, they started thinking about summer.

It was as if the finals were already over, and the Washington Bullets were completely out of Gan Guoyang's consideration.

It wasn't that Gan Guoyang underestimated his opponent, but rather that the way bullets were fired was something that Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers were least afraid of.

The Trail Blazers had almost nothing to prepare for when faced with bullets.

If the Trail Blazers are to play the Detroit Pistons, they need to be well prepared.

Although the Trail Blazers swept the Pistons 4-0 last year, the situation is different this year.

The Pistons' frontcourt is more mature and carries a strong sense of revenge.

They're dirty tricks; if the two sides clash again, it's bound to be a bloodbath.

But the pistons unexpectedly faltered and lost to the bullets.

The Bullets team is a hodgepodge, relying entirely on sheer willpower to play.

Yesterday, during the pre-game meeting, the entire team watched game footage of the Bullets against the Pistons and the Celtics.

The only impression I got was that this team brought their opponents to the same level and then defeated them with their rich experience.

What the Trail Blazers need to do is avoid being dragged into the quagmire of 70s basketball by the bullets.

Even if he were to accidentally be dragged into a quagmire, Gan Guoyang would still be confident that he could suffocate his opponent in the quagmire.

After all, he's a wrestling expert.

The finals, which began on June 9th, proved that Gan Guoyang's judgment was correct.

After two rounds of Game 7s, the Bullets arrived in Portland for the Finals, but were completely out of form in the first game.

They lost themselves amidst the shouts and cheers of more than 12,000 people at the home stadium.

Teams like the Bullets, which rely on defense and momentum, are bound to suffer a crushing defeat once their defense falters.

The Trail Blazers dominated at home, winning the first game of the Finals with a 32-point lead of 76-108.

The Trail Blazers take a 1-0 lead in the series, taking a solid step toward a three-peat.

Gan Guoyang easily scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in his first game, and his opponent fell down before he even had a chance to exert himself.

In a post-match interview, Gan Guoyang said, "Bullets is an excellent team. Any team that makes it to the finals is not bad. I think they will be more focused in the next game, and so will we."

As Gan Guoyang was leaving the stadium, he ran into Barkley and his group. Gan Guoyang said to Barkley, "Charles, you have a responsibility to make this Finals more interesting, or I'll sweep you guys."

Barkley clenched his fist and said, "Just wait, Forrest Gump, I'll kick your ass!"

Barkley rarely spoke so harshly to Gan Guoyang. After boarding the bus back to the hotel, Barkley asked Moses Malone with some hesitation.

"Moses, can I do it?"

"If you're scared, just give me the ball. I'm not scared."

In the first game, Barkley only scored 11 points.

He underperformed in his first Finals appearance.

This put a lot of pressure on Barkley, who is only 24 years old this year. Not every 24-year-old player is as mature as Forrest Gump.

When he first made it to the Finals, Barkley received overwhelming praise. He finally earned the right to challenge Forrest Gump, one step ahead of Jordan.

When he returned to Washington after defeating the Celtics, he was greeted with hero's welcome, but within a few days, he was about to be subjected to a barrage of criticism.

Such dramatic ups and downs are difficult for young people in their early twenties to withstand without strong mental fortitude.

Seeing the somewhat hesitant look in Barkley's eyes, Malone patted Barkley's shoulder forcefully and said:

"Let's grab a burger together tonight."

"Want a hamburger?"

"Yes, how many would you like to eat?"

"Give me twenty."

"Okay, twenty. I know a good burger place in Portland."

"Which house? Forrest Gump's house?"

"What are you talking about... Stop thinking about Forrest Gump, go get some hamburgers first."

"Okay... but Forrest Gump's burgers are really good."

(End of this chapter)