The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 516 The Great Era

Even many years later, Riley refused to admit that he played a role in fueling and instigating the internal turmoil within the Portland Trail Blazers in 1988.

Stu Inman and Erik Spoelstra, two veterans of the Trail Blazers, came forward to say that they had some information about the team, but they had never betrayed any information to harm the Blazers.

Buckwalt and Inman, longtime friends, had a huge fight and almost broke off their friendship. Buckwalt ignored Inman for more than a year.

Spoelstra also had a falling out with his father, to the point that years later he was unwilling to work in Miami.

Jerome Koch eventually reconciled with his father, though it's said he didn't give him a penny; they simply drank and chatted together.

Of course, a lot happened in the summer of 1988: changes in the team's franchise, player departures, the resignation of the veteran coach, a purge of the management, and so on, all of which shrouded everything in mystery.

Ultimately, these all became mysteries, along with who punched Forrest Gump in the 1984 Christmas Day game, becoming one of the Trail Blazers' biggest unsolved mysteries.

But one thing is certain, and there is absolute certainty, that Forrest Gump is climbing ever higher toward the title of the greatest player in NBA history, leaving everyone else further and further behind.

In 1988, people thought he had reached the peak, but in reality, he was standing at the foot of the mountain of his own life.

—Excerpt from "Forrest Gump," a biography of Gan Guoyang written by Wu Zhixiong and published in 2025.

The plane carrying the Trail Blazers slowly landed at Portland Airport.

The Portland Police Department began closing off the airport in the early hours of the morning to prevent excessive crowds from picking up passengers, disrupting traffic, or causing accidents.

Even so, more than 5000 fans still came to the vicinity of the airport to welcome the Portland Trail Blazers back.

Although they didn't bring home the championship trophy, everyone knows that the Trail Blazers hoped to complete their three-peat at home.

The citywide parade when the Trail Blazers won the championship at home in 1977 is unforgettable, and the frenzy of the fans at the stadium later became known as Trail Blazers Mania.

Ten years have passed, and the Trail Blazers will achieve even greater success. If they win the championship, they will become the third team to complete a three-peat, following the Minneapolis Lakers and the Boston Celtics.

Unlike the previous game where tickets were discounted at the Bullets' home stadium, tickets for the sixth game at Memorial Arena were extremely difficult to obtain.

Whoever gets a ticket to Game 6 of the Finals will become the brightest star in the Portland crowd.

To meet the expectations of fans who want to attend the game in person, the Trail Blazers temporarily added more than 200 seats.

However, 200 tickets were just a drop in the bucket, so the Paramount Theatre next door added 100 seats and opened up some standing room tickets.

On game day, Portland experienced unprecedented traffic jams as large numbers of fans drove to Memorial Stadium.

In fact, most people didn't have tickets at all; they just wanted to go somewhere closer to the memorial stadium to feel the atmosphere of the champions.

The competition was held in the evening, but many schools started their holiday at noon, shops closed, and businesses closed early.

It's to make it easier for everyone to watch the game or wait for it to start in front of the TV at home.

Gan Guoyang went to the training hall to train with everyone in the morning, and Quentin drove him to the Memorial Stadium in the afternoon, but the closer they got to the stadium, the worse the traffic became.

Upon learning of the situation, the Portland Police Department dispatched helicopters and police cars to manage traffic and clear a path for Gan Guoyang to reach the stadium.

All vehicles gave way to clear the road for Forrest Gump, allowing him to arrive at the Memorial Stadium smoothly at 3 p.m.

The area outside the stadium was packed with people, with many without tickets setting up camp outside to celebrate the Trail Blazers' championship victory.

This put a lot of pressure on the Trail Blazers players, and they couldn't help but think that they should have just won the championship in Washington.

If we can't win when we get back to our home ground, wouldn't we be doomed?
However, these doubts disappeared when Gan Guoyang entered the locker room.

As soon as he entered the locker room, he shouted, "Everyone, dress yourselves up nicely, fix your hair, use some hair gel, and look your best when you receive your awards tonight. Don't embarrass yourselves."

Forrest Gump is everyone's source of confidence; with him on the field, everyone plays with more confidence.

Yes, with Forrest Gump around, what's there to be afraid of? We'll definitely win.

Before the game started, during a final pep talk in the locker room, Jack Ramsey fired a tear gas canister.

He openly stated that this would be his last NBA series as a coach, and if they won this game, it would be the last game of his career.

He is about to retire.

Although the players had heard rumors about the coach's retirement during their time in Washington, they were still quite shocked to hear Ramsey actually admit it.

As Ramsey spoke, he became increasingly emotional, and tears streamed down his face. Mitchell Thompson, who played alongside Ramsey for 10 years and spent his entire career with him, couldn't help but cry.

Everyone's emotions were very complicated at that moment.

Winning the championship will bring them ultimate glory, but it will also lead to their disintegration.

The team is going to be sold, and the new owner is still unknown.

The head coach will retire, officially ending the Jack Ramsey era.

They will also be the last champions of the Ronald Reagan era.

Everyone was experiencing a mix of sorrow and joy, yearning for the glory of a three-peat while also making plans for their own future.

Everyone, including Gan Guoyang, experienced the most complex and intense emotions contained within it.

"Remember, we are a great team, and our only real enemy is ourselves. Tonight is a battle for us to surpass ourselves and defeat ourselves. A new world awaits you, so let's take this damn championship, guys!"

Wiping away his tears, Jack Ramsey gave his final pep talk for the game.

At 7 p.m., the cheers at the memorial stadium were deafening.

More than 13000 spectators were present at the stadium, along with several thousand at the Paramount Theatre, tens of thousands of fans outside the stadium, and tens of thousands of viewers watching on television from around the world—all their attention was focused on this one spot.

The Memorial Stadium not only added more seats, but also more than a dozen temporary camera positions. A large number of overseas reporters and media came to the scene to broadcast the game, filling all the hotels in Portland to capacity.

On the sidelines, Gan Guoyang could see many familiar faces.

Veterans from the Trail Blazers' 77 championship run, such as Bill Walton, Hollins, and Lucas, were all present.

Some NBA stars, such as Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan, who got tickets from Gan Guoyang, came to witness the glory of the three-peat.

Among the VIPs were David Stern, Larry Fleischer, Oregon political figures, wealthy Chinese businessmen from San Francisco, Taiwanese tycoons from Los Angeles, and Bill Clinton, chairman of the Council of Governors.

However, the most eye-catching figure was a young businessman sitting next to Larry Weinberger. He wore a red shirt under a light blue suit and had a furrowed brow. At that moment, people finally knew who the team's new owner was.

At this moment, the Washington Bullets players stood on the court, not knowing what they were there for.

Charles Barkley later recalled, "There was complete silence in the locker room before the game. When we got on the court, we were all thinking about how we were going to get back and whether the game could end sooner. I felt like we were completely superfluous in Portland, and everyone just wanted to leave as soon as possible." Gan Guoyang shook hands and hugged Moses Malone, Bernard King, Barkley, and others in a very friendly manner, as if he were saying goodbye to a deceased person.

It's clear that the Bullets players lacked fighting spirit; they knew they couldn't win this game, and they weren't prepared to fight the world.

Once the game started, the Trail Blazers quickly got into the game, and Gan Guoyang made his first basket by receiving the ball in the low post, turning around and shooting a jump shot, which drew cheers from the entire arena.

His goal gave the whole team a boost of confidence, and the Trail Blazers were in their best form of the season tonight.

All the previous conflicts, grievances, and problems vanished at this moment, and everyone's hearts were united.

The Trail Blazers' offense flowed smoothly, and for the first time this season, Gan Guoyang played like a lobster king, constantly receiving passes from his teammates in the paint and then easily putting the ball into the basket.

The Bullets' defense quickly collapsed, and Gan Guoyang was perfect in the first quarter, going 6-for-6 for 12 points. The Trail Blazers led by 14 points at 21-35 in the first quarter.

The game then became an offensive showcase for the entire Trail Blazers, who displayed exceptional teamwork and fluidity.

This was a Jack Ramsey-esque game, as if everyone had entered the arena and everyone was playing with such ease.

Gan Guoyang dominated the paint, and tonight he was unusually well-received almost exclusively by assists. Everyone was thanking and paying tribute to Gan with their passes and assists.

Thank you for carrying everyone forward throughout the entire season, thank you for piecing together the team that was on the verge of falling apart, thank you for your strong will and magnanimous nature, which transformed the Trail Blazers from a strong team into a great one.

In the first half, Gan Guoyang scored 24 points on 11-of-11 shooting, with only two free throws.

This indicates that the bullets are already in a state of semi-abandonment on the defensive end.

With the Trail Blazers leading 45-60, the game was pretty much decided.

During halftime, even Dick Motta lost the will to continue fighting.

He had said everything he could on his way to the finals.

Just like the semifinals and Eastern Conference Finals in 1979, which exhausted them, they only had skin left when they came to the Finals.

The plus-size female singer has made her appearance.

At the start of the third quarter, the Bullets attempted a comeback, going on a 7-0 run against the Trail Blazers to narrow the gap to 8 points.

But Porter immediately hit a three-pointer, followed by Drexler's three-pointer, and the two three-pointers widened the gap again.

When Drexler started hitting three-pointers, it meant the entire Trail Blazers team was completely relaxed.

Even if their opponents relentlessly pursue them, they remain full of confidence.

Gan Guoyang continued to score by receiving passes in the paint; his hook shots and close-range catch-and-shoot were completely unstoppable.

Their defense against bullets was always a step too slow; they were finished.

Tonight, the Trail Blazers even had Gan Guoyang guard Charles Barkley one-on-one, and Barkley completely lost his form.

When Gan Guoyang made 20 of 20 shots and scored 42 points, the entire memorial stadium erupted in cheers.

Bill Walton stood up, raised his arms, and roared, reminiscent of his incredible 44-point performance on 21-of-22 shooting in the 1973 NCAA final.

At this point, the score difference had reached 20 points, 78:98, and the team began to substitute their key players.

Gan Guoyang stopped shooting and gave the opportunity to the substitute players who came on.

When he was substituted, the applause and cheers became incredible, Portlanders paid tribute to their king, and celebrations began both inside and outside the Glass Palace.

It's unclear which staff member, having learned from the lesson of Lambiel's theft of champagne last season, brought the champagne to the sidelines of the stadium.

When the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game, the Trail Blazers players opened champagne and sprayed alcohol and foam on Gan Guoyang and Ramsey.

Thousands of white and red ribbons rained down from the sky, turning Memorial Stadium, Portland, Oregon, and even China across the ocean into a sea of ​​joy.

Human joys and sorrows are shared at this moment.

At the awards ceremony, David Stern unsurprisingly handed the championship and Finals MVP trophies to Gan Guoyang, saying that he had accomplished a great feat and become the greatest basketball player in the world.

The celebration began at this moment. The Bullets players had long since vanished without a trace, while the Trail Blazers players ran towards the locker room to begin their celebration.

Amidst the chaos and frenzy, Larry Weinberger brought the new owner into the locker room and introduced the Trail Blazers' new owners to the players and staff.

He walked up to Gan Guoyang and extended his hand to him. Gan Guoyang was shirtless, holding a trophy, and covered in champagne.

"Forrest Gump, I believe we can create the greatest NBA era together!"

Gan Guoyang looked at this New York businessman, who was quite famous in the United States but whose reputation was not so good, with a suspicious look.

He couldn't understand why Larry Weinberger would sell the team to him, a guy who had ruined a minor football league in 1984 and often made his fortune by taking over bankrupt businesses.

This man has been trying to enter the sports industry, but has been resisted by NFL owners. Unexpectedly, this time he has set his sights on the NBA.

Faced with the new boss's overtures, Gan Guoyang did not immediately extend his hand, expressing his distrust and protest against Larry Weinberger.

"Oh, you might not know me very well, that's okay. By the way, I've been wanting to come up with a Chinese name, but my Chinese isn't very good. Could you give me some suggestions? A name that's suitable for my age."

This guy actually asked for a name, which is an extremely overbearing act.

Seeing that he was serious, Gan Guoyang thought for a while and said, "At your age, I'll call you Tang Jianguo."

"TANG-JIAN-GUO?"

"Yes, Comrade Tang Jianguo."

Tang Jianguo reached out his hand to Gan Guoyang again.

Gan Guoyang couldn't refuse any longer, so he reached out and shook hands with him tightly.

"Let's usher in a new era together, Forrest Gump!"

At this moment, Gan Guoyang felt both excited and somewhat absurd.

Is a truly great era about to begin? With these fragmented pioneers?
Nobody knows, but whatever the era, let's enjoy this moment.

Gan Guoyang hugged the O'Brien Trophy tightly, feeling its cold temperature.

(End of Volume 6, "Dangerous".)
(End of this chapter)