The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 517 1988-1989
I like my last name—T-rump.

I have named many things after my surname.

At the T-rump Hotel, which is named after me, you can wear T-rump slippers, apply T-rump shampoo, use some T-rump conditioner, put on a T-rump shower cap, take out T-rump brandy from the refrigerator, sit on a T-rump sofa, turn on the T-rump TV, and watch an ESPN Portland Trail Blazers game.

Sorry, I can't change the Trail Blazers to the Portland T-Rump, although it's a good idea since they both start with the letter T.

Moreover, when I acquired the team in 1988, in order to curry favor with Portland's superstar, I humbled myself and asked him to give me a Chinese name.

He gave me one, and then held out his hand to me in acceptance.

I love this name; it foreshadows my future destiny, and I am very grateful for it.

I believe this is a gift from God, delivered to me only through His messengers.

When Portland won its three-peat in 1988, Forrest Gump was God.

I remember him sitting half-naked in the locker room, holding a gleaming gold cup in his hands. His figure was like a sculpted ancient Greek statue, and the gold cup shone brightly in his arms.

I was led into the locker room by the Trail Blazers' former owner, Larry Weinberger. I was nervous. I went over to him, reached out my hand, and told him that we were going to create a bigger era!

He just glanced at me, very coldly. I knew it was puzzling that a team that had won three consecutive championships was suddenly sold, and he was wary of me.

I'm also puzzled!
Weinberg is a gentleman who, like me, started his career in real estate. He loves basketball, but everyone's passion has its limits. He got tired and wanted to be a pure fan.

He hopes that the person who takes over the team will also be a pure fan.

When I became one of the candidates for the takeover bid, I was not trusted.

Weinberg initially had his eye on Paul Allen from Seattle, who had made a fortune through Microsoft and was a nouveau riche.

However, during the playoffs, the team's acquisition plan was exposed, and Weinberg canceled the trade with Allen.

Some people say that I exposed the trade plan and ruined Allen's acquisition of the Trail Blazers. I completely deny that. Integrity is the foundation of my business and personal conduct. I do not need to achieve my goals through such means.

The leak was made by someone else, and the evidence points to Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley, who recruited many former Trail Blazers players.

He is the most insidious and cunning schemer in the league, and he has used many underhanded tricks to destroy the Portland Trail Blazers.

Fortunately, I've arrived. I'm here to take over the Portland Trail Blazers and build an even greater dynasty on top of our three-peat!
1988 was a period of great business expansion for me. I had plenty of funds, and I originally planned to buy a casino hotel in Atlantic City and then set up a luxury airline fleet to airlift wealthy people to the hotel to enjoy high-end services.

This will consume approximately $6 million of my capital, which is a very risky investment, and many people have advised me against doing so.

But I am full of confidence in myself, and I believe there will be no problem.

The only problem is that I learned Weinberg wanted to sell the Trail Blazers.

My heart is completely captivated by the Trail Blazers. I'm a huge sports fan; I love football, basketball, and boxing.

I've always wanted to own my own professional sports team.

In 1981 I tried to acquire the Baltimore Colts of the NFL but was rejected. In 1983 I instead bought the New Jersey Warriors of the USFL, wanting to compete with the NFL.

Ultimately, the USFL was dissolved. Many people blamed my antitrust lawsuit against the NFL for this outcome, but that's a slander. The USFL died because of the NFL's monopoly and loopholes in the country's laws, and it served only certain classes.

However, the Portland Trail Blazers can make up for all my regrets. This legendary team is on the road to a great three-peat. Who wouldn't want to win it?

Ultimately, I took the lead in the bidding war because I was willing to increase the amount by $5000 million, bringing the price to a record $2 million.

$2 million for an NBA team, considering that the league faced bankruptcy just a few years ago.

I only spent $600 million to buy the New Jersey team, but the Trail Blazers are worth that price, absolutely worth it.

This price deterred Paul Allen, who sold a portion of his Microsoft stake and had only $1.75 million in cash.

Larry Weinberger is a gentleman and a passionate fan, but he is ultimately a businessman, and he accepted the perfect price.

Okay, I easily secured $2 million. It's the easiest thing to do when running an NBA team.

Then I witnessed the Trail Blazers complete their three-peat at Memorial Arena, a scene I still remember vividly, as if the whole world was celebrating their championship.

Then I faced Forrest Gump in the locker room. He was the first challenge I faced: how to get along with the team's star player.

Everyone knows he is the most outstanding player in the NBA, a truly amazing figure, and some people in the Chinese-speaking world worship him as a deity.

The moment I actually saw him, I was certain it was real, and I felt an urge to kneel before him.

So I said to him, "Give me a name, a Chinese name."

Thus, the book's title came about—"My Name is Tang Jianguo."

—Excerpt from T-rump's autobiography, "My Name is Tang Jianguo," published in 2017.

In the summer of 1988, in June, after the Trail Blazers completed their three-peat, a series of events occurred.

On the day of the championship victory, Tang Jianguo held a press conference in the locker room to announce that he had become the new owner of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Tang Jianguo said at the ceremony: "I am a true fan, and I will make the Portland Trail Blazers even greater!"

The Trail Blazers became the most successful and greatest professional team of the 80s after winning three consecutive championships.

In the summer, books, reports, and documentaries about the pioneers sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

There were many during the first two championships, but none were as fierce as the three-peat, which spread like a tide throughout the streets and alleys.

The Trail Blazers were thoroughly investigated from top to bottom, from coaches to key players to bench players to water fountains, and even the team's cleaning staff.

The players not only received endorsements, but also participated in interviews, recorded programs, gave interviews, and went on radio broadcasts.

People always want to learn some patterns from successful people to guide their careers and lives.

The success of the Trail Blazers' already illustrious three-peat owes much to the new owner, Tang Jianguo, whose unparalleled packaging and promotional skills made the team's already glorious three-peat even more dazzling.

He used every means to promote the Trail Blazers, tout the team's greatness, and incorporated Portland Trail Blazers elements into his various businesses, hotels, and shops.

He constantly flies between New York and Portland, participating in various business and community events with great enthusiasm.

He hasn't contributed anything to the team's development or championship yet, but he's already enjoying the glory of a dynasty team. This is one of the differences between him and Larry Weinberger.

While Tang Jianguo was creating a grand spectacle of a dynasty with great fanfare, the Portland Trail Blazers were actually heading towards collapse.

The day after the Finals, Jack Ramsey officially announced his retirement, leaving the position he had held for more than a decade.

Many players and fans tried to persuade him to stay, but Jack Ramsey was determined to leave; the pressure on him was too much.

A boss like Tang Jianguo only strengthened his resolve to leave; they were completely incompatible.

Compared to Tang Jianguo, Spoelstra's marketing tactics and behaviors are nothing compared to his.

Following that, Train Gilmore, who had won the championship ring without any regrets, also announced his retirement, and the Trail Blazers will have to find a replacement for Gan Guoyang again in the summer.

Team general manager Buckwalt stayed, but Tang Jianguo purged almost all of his staff.

The reason is simple: these people have too deep a relationship with Riley and Inman, and the Heat are now the Trail Blazers' enemies.

1988年6月25号，总决赛结束后仅仅4天时间，1988年的选秀大会开幕。

The league will welcome two new teams this season, the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets, as the league expands its draft.

Each team has an 8-man protected list. Apart from the 8 players on the list, the other players can be selected by either team.

Of course, teams could privately reach agreements with the Heat and Hornets to prevent them from drafting certain players not on their rosters, in exchange for draft picks or cash.

For example, in order to protect young players, the Lakers did not include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on their protected list. West privately reached an agreement with both teams to prevent them from drafting Abdul-Jabbar.

For example, the Heat drafted Dennis Johnson in the expansion draft, and then the Boston Celtics traded him back with a draft pick.

Most teams are unwilling to give up their valuable player assets to the Heat and Hornets unless a player wants to go, in which case the original team can only grant his request.

In the June 25 draft, the Portland Trail Blazers did not place Clyde Drexler on their protected list.

Then, the Heat, who had the first overall pick in the extended draft, didn't hesitate to select Drexler, shocking the entire league.

The second-in-command of a three-time champion team, in his prime, was taken away in the expansion draft.
In an interview, General Manager Buckwalt stated, "Being drafted by the Heat was Drexler's personal choice. We respect his wishes and wish him all the best in creating his own success in his new city."

But owner Tang Jianguo was furious. He bluntly stated on a talk show: "This is a conspiracy by the Heat and Riley! They've been secretly poaching talent from the Trail Blazers for a long time. Almost half of their management team came from the Trail Blazers! They tried to undermine the Trail Blazers, to make them fail in the playoffs, so they could steal Agan or Clyde. Now, they've succeeded!"

Tang Jianguo was right. The Heat team, led by Pat Riley, Cunningham, Inman, and others, had long been eyeing Portland's two expiring contracts.

Riley's primary target is Gan Guoyang. Although the chances are slim, if the Heat can acquire Gan, they will instantly complete the construction of a strong team.

In reality, Riley's wish was not fulfilled, and Gan Guoyang immediately signed with the Trail Blazers after winning his third championship trophy.

He signed a four-year, $20 million mega-contract, averaging a record $5 million per year.

However, in order to make room for signing other players, Gan Guoyang's salary in his first year was 300 million, and it increased year by year thereafter.

Unexpectedly, the space that Gan Guoyang had reserved for Drexler proved useless. Encouraged by Riley, Drexler chose to leave and go to the South Coast to create his own business.

Gan Guoyang generously offered his blessings and said, "See you in the competition."

Besides Drexler, the Trail Blazers also lost Greg Anderson in the draft, who was picked up by the Hornets.

The Trail Blazers' strength has been further weakened, and they will face a double void in both the inside and outside game in the new season.

The Trail Blazers pinned their hopes on Sabonis and Petrovic, whom they drafted in the 1987 NBA Draft.

Larry Fleischer personally traveled to Europe to negotiate with the two players' former clubs, but due to economic and political reasons, they were still unable to come to the United States to play for the Trail Blazers in the 1988-1989 season.

In the trade market, no team is willing to make a trade with the Trail Blazers; everyone is afraid of the emergence of a new Boston Celtics.

Buckwalt wanted to acquire Charles Oakley from the Bulls, but Jerry Krause traded him to New York for Cartwright.

The Trail Blazers wanted to trade draft picks to the Denver Nuggets for Vernon Maxwell, but the Nuggets preferred to send him to the Spurs in exchange for only a second-round draft pick.

The Trail Blazers used their own draft pick to select Mark Bryant, while their second-round pick had previously been given to the Spurs in exchange for signing Gilmore.

The Trail Blazers then turned their attention to the free agent market, with Tom Chambers, Walter Davis, and Orlando Wooldridge being the big-name players closest to signing with the team.

However, Chambers eventually went to the Phoenix Suns. He still harbored resentment over being dunked on by Gan Guoyang years ago and did not want to play for Portland.

Furthermore, as a forward, he might not be able to find his place with the Trail Blazers, while Phoenix could give him more room to perform.

Walter Davis is exactly what the Trail Blazers desperately need as a shooting guard, but his history of drug use is a major turn-off.

Ultimately, Walter Davis was snatched up by the Nuggets, the Suns received two draft picks, and then completed a three-team trade with the Celtics and Kings to acquire Danny Ainge.

The Suns swiftly dealt with the players involved in the drug case and quickly assembled a new roster centered around Chambers, Kevin Johnson, Dan Ainge, Dan Mallley, and Mark West, leading to their resurgence in the Western Conference.

Woodridge was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Western Conference teams are all very active in vying for the Trail Blazers' resources.

The Lakers especially don't want to see the Trail Blazers continue to dominate the West.

The other NBA teams are united; none of them want to see another dominant team emerge.

Moreover, Tang Jianguo's reckless and arrogant style further made enemies for the Trail Blazers, making them more attractive to outsiders.

The Portland management is not ready to become public enemy number one.

Buckwalt had neither the experience nor the ability to skillfully maneuver between teams, nor to maintain the rule of an evil empire by using draft picks, price gouging, fraud, threats, and a series of other means.

He knew perfectly well that the Trail Blazers' three-peat was entirely built on that second overall pick in 1984. That lucky gamble resulted in the best pick ever, signing an unprecedentedly outstanding player.

Combined with their existing core players and precise draft picks in subsequent drafts, the Trail Blazers achieved a miracle.

The success stories described in those interviews, programs, and books are all hindsight and embellishments of the successful people.

Ultimately, the Trail Blazers came away empty-handed in the offseason free agency market; they were targeted and could only sign some minor players.

Their main source of new talent was the NBA draft, in which they selected Brazilian center Rolando Ferreira in the third round.

The Trail Blazers have become obsessed with overseas drafts, hoping to discover a second Forrest Gump among overseas talent, or even half of Forrest Gump.

The Trail Blazers have been under immense pressure as a dynasty team since the offseason began.

The new owner is all talk and no action but knows nothing about basketball and has no NBA connections.

A lukewarm management team that excels at talent selection but lacks the strategic thinking to create an advantage.

The team is falling apart internally, the head coach is retiring, the second-in-command is leaving, veterans are retiring, and there is no fresh blood to replenish the team.

Now, the only thing people can count on is Forrest Gump. He has created so many miracles, and people hope that the miracles will continue.

Although the team is decaying, fortunately their core members are still there and are very healthy and powerful.

Hornacek, Curry, Cauchy, and Porter were preserved, which is a valuable source of fresh talent; they are all still developing.

Gan Guoyang spent the most noisy, complicated and volatile summer of his life.

During the off-season, he was constantly busy with countless event invitations and travel arrangements.

Many of them were with their boss, Tang Jianguo, such as attending the "Fight of the Century" between Mike Tyson and Spinks.

Also in attendance were celebrities such as Jack Nicholson, Paul Simon, and Don King.

Gan Guoyang is not averse to participating in such activities. He knows very well that it is very beneficial for a celebrity to appear in the media more often.

He knows how to make the spotlight work for him.

Although he didn't like Tang Jianguo emotionally—the guy had too much of a mouth and was extremely narcissistic, a typical performative personality.

Rationally, he knew that Tang Jianguo was a very good and astute businessman, a natural-born leader in the cunning and dangerous American business world.

Tang Jianguo wasn't particularly clever, but he possessed many skills that allowed him to thrive in the situation, such as lying through his teeth, being incredibly thick-skinned and two-faced, and turning his back on people without hesitation.

He is a very typical profit-driven American businessman who developed a narcissistic and performative personality due to a lack of parental love in his childhood.

Gan Guoyang knew what kind of person this guy was after only three days of contact with him, because Gan Guoyang had seen too many people who lacked love.

Conversely, Tang Jianguo could never see through Forrest Gump, nor could he grasp what kind of person this mysterious superstar really was.

Tang Jianguo tried every means to please them, including announcing at a championship commemoration rally in July that he would build a new arena for the Trail Blazers next season, located next to the original Memorial Arena. This decision was highly praised by Portland fans and received full support from the Portland city government.

He also spent money to buy the Trail Blazers a brand new jet as their private plane for traveling between cities.

Forrest Gump always seemed indifferent and unyielding, which made Tang Jianguo exclaim, "Forrest Gump is the most difficult person I've ever met!"

In terms of investment, Gan Guoyang's investments in the funeral and construction industries impressed Tang Jianguo, who exclaimed that they were shrewd and insightful.

However, Gan Guoyang remained unmoved by Tang Jianguo's flattery, and he always maintained a proper distance from his boss.

This drove Tang Jianguo crazy, like a child who could never get recognition, which made him care even more about the Trail Blazers.

In August, Gan Guoyang stopped all social activities and focused on training to prepare for the new season.

He continued to attend Newell's Big Man training camp, and Newell said that he had nothing left to teach him. Forrest Gump replied that he was there to help others through technical means.

In September, the Trail Blazers confirmed their new head coach, with management deciding to appoint Bobby Berman as head coach, continuing Jack Ramsey's tactical approach.

This was seen by outsiders as an attempt to curry favor with Forrest Gump. There were clearly more experienced head coaching candidates available, but the Trail Blazers opted for Berman. Berman's rise to the position was solely due to his role as Gump's high school and college coach, allowing him to climb the ladder to the NBA.

According to the media, the Trail Blazers' new season looks bleak.

The Seoul Olympics opened on September 17, 1988.

Gan Guoyang represented Avia on a promotional trip to South Korea and also took the opportunity to watch the Olympic Games.

Gan Guoyang's arrival caused a huge sensation in South Korea. During an event at a stadium, a stampede and fans fainted, resulting in more than 30 injuries and nearly 100 people being rushed to the hospital.

This event later appeared in several period dramas and films in South Korea.

At this Olympic Games, the Chinese delegation returned empty-handed, winning only 4 gold medals, with many of its strong events suffering setbacks.

This is partly due to the poor officiating environment in South Korea, the host country.

The Chinese men's basketball team suffered from biased refereeing during their ranking match against South Korea.

Despite the Chinese team having the advantage in strength, they were subjected to various biased calls by the referees, including the disallowing of a crucial three-pointer.

Ultimately, China lost to South Korea 90-93 and can only compete with Egypt for eleventh place.

Gan Guoyang, who watched the entire match in anger, said he would never come to South Korea to participate in commercial activities again.

After this Olympics, Coach Qian Chenghai retired and no longer served as head coach.

Gan Guoyang told Coach Qian that if professional players are allowed to participate in competitions in the future, he will definitely serve the country.

This wasn't the only instance of biased refereeing at this Olympics. In the notoriously biased boxing arena, South Korean boxer Park Hee-hong defeated American boxer Roy Jones Jr. to win the championship, which was utterly shameless.

No wonder some people say that the biggest positive contribution of the Seoul Olympics was their theme song "Hand in Hand," which is indeed very catchy and classic.

The US men's basketball team also suffered a major setback in Seoul.

They lost to the Soviet men's basketball team led by Sabonis in the semifinals, failing to reach the finals and losing the gold medal.

As the game ended, Coach Thompson, with a white towel draped over his shoulders and his head drooping, walked past the wildly celebrating Soviet men's basketball players, looking particularly dejected. His basketball philosophy was outdated and no longer worked on the international stage.

Americans felt deeply humiliated, and a campaign of revenge gradually unfolded.

Sabonis reached the peak of his basketball career at this Olympics.

After the semi-finals, he faced Gan Guoyang face-to-face for the first time, and the two reportedly found a place for a one-on-one match.

No one knows the outcome, but Sabonis said after the Olympics that he really wanted to go to the NBA and play alongside Forrest Gump.

After the Olympics, Gan Guoyang returned to the United States and went to New York to participate in the election for the new president of the players' union.

Following a player vote, Charlie Grantham, who enjoys widespread support among Black players, was successfully elected to continue serving as president and head of the players' union.

Jim Quinn's prediction was correct. Grantham, who had long cultivated player relationships, was unbeatable in the election and became the first Black union president in North American professional leagues.

In October, Gan Guoyang attended the Trail Blazers' rookie training camp as usual, and as usual remarked, "You are the worst rookie class I have ever coached."

This year's class is really bad, even worse than last year. After a week, there isn't a single person who is capable of doing anything.

Gan Guoyang quickly threw himself into preparations for the new season, while Wang Fuxi's belly grew bigger and bigger, and he had to take care of the pregnant woman.

Gan Youwei temporarily put aside his restaurant work and made a special trip to Portland to cook nutritious meals for his daughter-in-law, believing that the American chefs' cooking was neither nutritious nor tasty enough.

Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang's mother-in-law, Wan Ling, also came to Portland to help take care of her daughter. She believed that Filipino maids were clumsy and inefficient, and that it was better for the mother to take care of her personally.

Gan Guoyang's father and mother-in-law moved into his large house in Portland at the same time, and the four of them, plus the baby in his belly, lived together, instantly making their living environment complicated.

Fortunately, both elderly people are quiet and have good manners. They live in their own rooms and do their own jobs, neither visiting each other excessively nor disturbing each other, which makes their relationship quite harmonious.

Everyone is quietly waiting for the arrival of the new member.

On October 31, the Trail Blazers welcomed the opening game of the new season.

Tang Jianguo made a grand opening match, specially inviting Michael Jackson to sing the national anthem at the Memorial Stadium, which caused a sensation.

During halftime, Tang Jianguo presented championship rings to the Trail Blazers players, and Gan Guoyang raised Portland's fourth championship banner.

They lived up to expectations, easily defeating the Phoenix Suns at home and securing their first win of the season.

Contrary to expectations, the Trail Blazers have performed exceptionally well since the start of the season.

Despite losing Drexler, the Trail Blazers don't seem to have suffered any major setbacks; instead, they've further refined their center-guard system.

Under Berman's leadership, they focused their offense and defense entirely on Gan Guoyang, starting their regular season with a steady and methodical approach.

The Trail Blazers set a new league high in three-pointers, and Gan Guoyang continued to lead the league in efficiency in the low post, consistently contributing 30 points and 15 rebounds per game.

He continued to deliver outstanding performances every night, and the Trail Blazers achieved record-breaking viewership and ticket revenue.

Especially this season's "Gan vs. Joe" match, due to the shifting balance of power between the teams, has been extremely intense and exciting.

The regular season viewership hit a record high, and the two players demonstrated with their superhuman performances that they were a level above everyone else.

The red and black of the Trail Blazers and Bulls are replacing green and yellow as the main colors of the NBA.

Tang Jianguo increased marketing efforts on top of the existing team promotion, vowing to turn the Trail Blazers into the New York Yankees of basketball.

In the West, the Trail Blazers' biggest rival remains the Lakers, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has announced that this will be the last season of his career.

The league arranged a retirement tour for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he received gifts from the team at each away game.

These gifts included a Tiffany silver apple from the Knicks, a portrait of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from the Pistons, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle from the Bucks, a broken floorboard from the Boston Garden from the Celtics, and a crystal hook sculpture from the Trail Blazers, among others.

The Lakers gifted him a Rolls-Royce and bid him farewell in a comfortable rocking chair.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was enjoying his final days in the NBA, while Jerry West spent the entire season in anxiety.

His conflicts with Don Nelson and Jerry Buss deepened as the Lakers fell short in the Western Conference for three consecutive years, causing turmoil within the team.

Nelson felt his ideas were not fully respected, while West expressed regret for working with Nelson.

Jerry Buss mediated, but he was making a decision in his mind: if they didn't win the championship this year, one of Nelson and West would have to leave.

Buss began complaining that he should have completed the trade with the Mavericks in the 1986 draft, sending Worthy to the Mavericks in exchange for Aguirre.

Aguirre played significantly better than Worthy in the 88 playoffs against the Trail Blazers.

West claimed that Worthy and Aguirre had the same effect against Forrest Gump, and that the real mistake was the coach's strategy.

Nelson, however, felt that excessive interference from management disrupted his tactical rotations, and that if he had insisted on playing with three guards, the Lakers might not have lost.

Despite ongoing internal strife, the Lakers, led by Magic Johnson, still achieved an outstanding record of 59 wins and 23 losses, once again ranking first in the Western Conference and winning the Western Conference regular season championship for the third consecutive season.

Johnson also won the regular season MVP with an average of 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 12.8 assists per game.

The Trail Blazers, with a record of 56 wins and 26 losses, closely follow behind, continuing to rank second in the Western Conference and putting immense pressure on the Lakers.

Gan Guoyang averaged 31.7 points, 15.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.5 blocks this season.

With a lack of backup centers and Drexler absent on the perimeter, Gan Guoyang has devoted a lot of energy to defense.

At the same time, Berman strictly controlled Gan Guoyang's playing time, limiting him to 40 minutes in the regular season, the lowest in his career.

In the Best Defensive Player of the Year voting, Gan Guoyang beat Mark Eaton to win the award for the second time in his career.

However, Gan Guoyang's biggest gain this season was that he had his own child in March.

Wang Fuxi gave birth smoothly at Portland Hospital. They have a son, who was named Gan Wenshan according to the Gan family genealogy, which uses the generational names "Kuan Bing You Guo Wen, Ding Xin Wu Shi Qun".

The character "山" (mountain) is a tribute to Gan Guoyang's former name, Dang Lei.

Drexler began his career as a leader in Miami, with the Heat being assigned to the Western Conference in his first season.

The Heat, located on the South Coast, had to constantly fly to the far West to play games.

In Portland, boos and cheers mingled as Drexler received his third championship ring from Gan Guoyang.

The two shook hands and hugged with smiles, and then the Trail Blazers completely dominated the Heat in the game, sweeping the Heat 4-0 in the season.

Drexler reached the peak of his career in all statistics, averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game.

Led by Riley and Drexler, the Heat achieved a record of 37 wins and 45 losses, which is a very good result for a brand new team.

Drexler proved himself to some extent, believing that his choice was correct.

The biggest winner of the regular season was the Detroit Pistons, who traded for Mark Aguirre from the Mavericks after the season started and acquired Rick Mahorn from the Bullets in exchange for James Donaldson, completing their Bad Boys roster.

With a strong roster, the Pistons achieved a franchise-best record of 65 wins and 17 losses in the regular season, dominating the competition.

In the playoffs, the Pistons swept their old rivals, the Boston Celtics, in the first round, swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, and defeated Jordan's Chicago Bulls 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals—the fiercest resistance they encountered in the East.

Jordan was growing stronger, although he was extremely dissatisfied with Krause's trade of Oakley during the offseason and almost broke ties with Krause.

But in the playoffs, Jordan's Bulls defeated the New York Knicks, who had a good regular season record and had Oakley.

Bill Cartwright was still quite useful against Ewing, while Horace Grant performed better than Oakley.

However, in the conference finals, the brutal Detroit Pistons suppressed Jordan's average score to 29 points and his field goal percentage to 46%.

Ultimately, the somewhat inexperienced Jordan and the Bulls were defeated by the Pistons and failed to reach the Finals.

The Pistons have returned to the NBA Finals after a year's absence, awaiting the birth of the Western Conference champion. They are eager to meet the Trail Blazers again in the Finals to avenge their defeat.

However, after easily eliminating the Nuggets in the first round, the Trail Blazers encountered an unexpected situation when facing the Suns in the second round.

The day before the Western Conference semifinals began, devastating news came from New York: Larry Fleischer suffered a heart attack while playing squash with Gan Guohui and died after being rushed to the hospital.

Gan Guoyang received the news immediately; Gan Guohui called to tell him that Larry was dying.

Just twenty minutes later, he received news of Fleischer's death, but he couldn't go to New York immediately because of the competition.

Fleischer's death dealt a heavy blow to Gan Guoyang, and for a time he was almost unable to participate in the match scheduled for the next day.

However, he managed to adjust, participated in the game, and helped the Trail Blazers defeat the Suns at home.

He won the first and second games, and between the third and fourth games, Gan Guoyang went to New York to pay his respects.

David Stern and other NBA executives, as well as retired stars like Robertson, were all present. After the funeral, Gan Guoyang flew to Phoenix overnight for a game.

The fatigue of the journey and the psychological trauma caused Gan Guoyang to perform poorly, and the Suns won two consecutive games at home, tying the game 2-2.

The series was dragged to a Game 7 by the Suns, and in the end, Gan Guoyang gritted his teeth and won the Game 7 overtime battle to defeat the Suns.

The Lakers are already waiting for the Western Conference Finals, having swept the Jazz 4-0.

The Trail Blazers not only expended a great deal of energy in the semifinals, but Hornacek and Thompson were also injured.

Gan Guoyang was hit hard, as the packed schedule left him with no time to adjust his mental state.

The Lakers have been preparing for another season to defeat the Trail Blazers, and this time they're really striking while the iron is hot.

The Lakers quickly took a 2-0 lead after the first two games, but the Trail Blazers struggled to tie the score when they returned home.

In the crucial Game 5, just like in 1988, the Lakers didn't make any more mistakes.

They relentlessly pursued Gan Guoyang and deployed a three-guard lineup. Magic Johnson delivered his best performance of the playoffs, racking up a super triple-double of 40 points, 21 assists, and 10 rebounds.

With a score of 112-120, the Lakers finally defeated the Trail Blazers at home and took a 3-1 lead in the series.

In Game 6, at Memorial Stadium, Gan Guoyang, who had supported the Trail Blazers for four years, slipped again.

The Trail Blazers lost to the Lakers 110-109, a one-point deficit, and were eliminated with a 2-4 series score.

The Lakers narrowly escaped defeat and returned to the NBA Finals after three years. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar embraced and cried together.

At that moment, they seemed to have returned to 1979, to Magic Johnson's first professional game.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit a hook shot to win the game against the Clippers, and Johnson hugged Abdul-Jabbar, happy like a child.

Ten years have passed, and the victory no longer brings laughter, but tears after climbing over the high mountains.

Unfortunately, this was not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last game, and their tears of celebration came a little too soon.

In the Finals against the powerful Detroit Pistons, the two teams battled for seven games. Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas, once good friends, went from kissing on the cheek before the game to becoming bitter enemies in the end.

Ultimately, the Pistons, with home-court advantage, defeated the Lakers 4-3 to win the championship they had dreamed of.

The 1988-1989 NBA season came to a close after this series of dramatic games.

Gan Guoyang experienced a season filled with joy and sorrow, loss and gain.

Fleischer's death was very sudden; he left no last words and didn't even have time to say goodbye.

However, he left Gan Guoyang with a final legacy in basketball: he successfully brought Sabonis and Petrovic to the NBA and to the Portland Trail Blazers.

In that spring and summer, Gan Guoyang returned to China with mixed feelings and began his various activities in the country.

Although he lost the Western Conference Finals, he remains a basketball hero in China. In the last year of the turbulent 80s, his arrival provided an outlet for people's emotions, and everyone's attention was focused on a basketball player.

Just like in the United States, politics in China is also being diluted by entertainment, and Gan Guoyang has accelerated this process.

His failure did not lead to public questioning of him; on the contrary, it garnered public sympathy—all thanks to the special report by journalist Tang Yizhou.

In his lengthy reportage, he vividly describes Gan Guoyang's basketball experiences in the United States over the years, portraying his successes and failures in a poignant and inspiring way.

Gan Guoyang traveled from south to north, taking hard-seat trains, buses, tractors, and bicycles, mingling with ordinary people.

He went to schools, hospitals, factories, rural areas, and places without television, to experience every inch of this land.

Most of the so-called activities didn't generate much revenue; in fact, they often involved throwing money away or giving away shoes. But he didn't care; he preferred to stay in China.

If it weren't for his wife and infant child needing his company, he would have loved to stay there until the new season started.

For a moment, he finally understood why Michael Jackson had told him that this place was nice, because it felt like home.

He stayed from May until mid-to-late June, when the NBA Finals were over.

One day in June, Gan Guoyang received a transoceanic phone call from Tang Jianguo, who said, "Sonny! I need you back! I have something important to discuss with you!"

"What, you want to sell the team?"

"Oh no, no! I will never, ever sell the Trail Blazers! Nobody knows the Trail Blazers better than me. But right now we need a general manager who understands basketball. Jerry West got fired by the Lakers, and I want to snatch him away! I need your help!"

Upon hearing the news, Gan Guoyang quickly replied, "No problem, I'll be back tomorrow!"

Gan Guoyang slammed down the phone. He knew it was time to move on from his failure and get back on track.

(End of this chapter)