The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 532 Surpassing Forrest Gump
The Trail Blazers have won two straight games, but the wins aren't very impressive because their opponents were too weak.

The Kings and Timberwolves couldn't even field a decent inside player, and before Gan Guoyang could even get going, their opponents were already defeated.

Such games have given the Trail Blazers' rookies ample opportunity to develop, with all 12 players getting playing time in two consecutive games.

The only player who hasn't gotten playing time yet is Anthony Mason; he'll only get a chance to play when someone is injured and off the roster.

However, Mason was not idle. Gan Guoyang took a liking to his strong physique and assigned him to the role of low post defender in training.

The two spend time training together in the gym every day, and Mason seems to be more interested in fitness than ball skills.

From middle school onwards, Mason was very interested in things like muscles and bones and was passionate about bodybuilding.

During his four years at college, he gained 40 pounds of muscle and became a versatile player at Tennessee State University, which wasn't a very strong university.

He can play any position on the court, including point guard. He averaged 28 points per game and caught the attention of NBA scouts during his junior year of college—Buckwalt went to watch him play.

However, while the Trail Blazers have a strong roster, Mason's skills in all aspects are too rough, aside from his physical strength.

So he didn't make the team's roster for the 1988-1989 season and went to Türkiye to play a year of professional football.

After reviewing his game performance and statistics, Jerry West decided to let him join the camp for a trial, and he was ultimately selected by Gan Guoyang as the 13th man.

Gan Guoyang admires his training attitude and his beautiful muscles. He is of average height but has a large frame, especially his huge buttocks, which are comparable to Charles Barkley's. Gan Guoyang likes him very much.

This allowed Mason to somewhat withstand Sabonis' low-post attacks during scrimmages.

Keep in mind that Mason is only a little over two meters tall, and the two are 20 centimeters apart in height, meaning they are not in the same league at all.

Mason relied entirely on his muscles and solid lower body to block attackers; he was a pure power player.

There are more and more players like this in the league, basically all there to counter Forrest Gump.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang needs such a sparring partner; otherwise, those defenders who rely on lower body strength are really annoying.

Besides Mason, Gan Guoyang's other sparring partner is Divac.

Mason was used to practice offense, Divac was used to practice defense, and this also helped improve Divac's physical strength.

After the game against the Timberwolves, Divac and Gan Guoyang had a one-on-one practice the following morning.

He attacked the basket 10 times, but only made one, which was a lucky hook shot because it went in from the very top.

Vlade Divac is 7 feet 1 inches tall. When he first entered the league, he didn't have much muscle mass, but his height and frame set him up, and he weighed 240 pounds.

Gan Guoyang's weight remained at 265 pounds, and with continuous fitness training, he even moved towards 270 pounds, becoming an extremely heavyweight power forward/center.

Divac's only advantage is his height. Although Gan Guoyang is shorter, his wingspan is not bad, and his weight and strength are overwhelming. How can you fight him?
Gan Guoyang also has a variety of defensive techniques, and his speed in cutting the ball is getting faster and faster. If Divac is not careful, the ball in his hands will be cut off.

During training, Gan Guoyang constantly reminded Divac of various details, such as making movements quickly and concisely, not to easily pass the ball but to protect it, not to stare at one spot, and to conceal his intentions, etc.

What pleased Gan Guoyang was that Divac was very talented and quick to learn. If he was reminded of a detail once, Divac would remember it very quickly.

It must be admitted that the Balkan Peninsula is a region that produces a lot of talent in major sports, whether it's football or basketball. One generation of genius players after another. If it weren't for the complex ethnic issues and political instability in this region, their national teams would be extremely strong.

Vlade Divac is a typical basketball prodigy. Standing at 7 feet 1 inches tall, he is proficient in dribbling, passing, and shooting, making him a very well-rounded player.

Moreover, he has a great personality. Among the three from Eastern Europe, he has the worst English but talks the most. He likes to joke with his teammates and gets along well with everyone.

In comparison, Sabonis is more mild-mannered and calm. After finishing a match or training session, he goes home to rest, but he also chats and laughs with everyone. However, he doesn't like to be interviewed by reporters and has a distant relationship with the media.

Petrovic was even colder than Sabonis. He was closest to Divac, and their lives consisted almost entirely of playing and training.

Sabonis occasionally goes out for drinks with his teammates, while Petrovic is truly focused on basketball, especially since the start of the new season.

He even neglected his girlfriend because of this, and he spent a lot of time training.

On the evening of November 6th, the entire Trail Blazers team flew to Texas to begin their first away game of the new season.

Because Mark Bryant was staying home with a cold, Mason was fortunate enough to make the roster and play the away game with the team.

Since last season, the Trail Blazers no longer need to take commercial flights, get up early to wait for a plane, or take red-eye flights. Owner Tang Jianguo bought a large private jet for the team, named "Trail Blazer One," exclusively for the Trail Blazers.

This red and black Boeing passenger plane is ready to depart at any time and fly to any competition city in the United States.

The Trail Blazers have become the second team after the Detroit Pistons to own a private jet, which will make their road trips more comfortable.

When boarding the plane, Bobby Bellman noticed that Petrovic looked dazed, his eyes were unfocused, and he didn't seem to be in good spirits.

"Pete! What are you daydreaming about? Did the training this morning wear you out?"

Petrovic was taken aback for a moment, then realized it was the coach speaking to him.

He shook his head and said, "No... I... I'm just... uh, a little disappointed in myself."

Petrovic played for about 15 minutes in the first two games.

They scored 7 points in the first game and 4 points in the second game, both performances were mediocre.

Compared to his legendary achievements in Spain and Yugoslavia, this is quite a far cry.

"The season has only just begun, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to shine later. You also need to rest well; overtraining will only prevent you from being in good form and physically fit for matches. Skill and fitness don't develop overnight. You're a mature player, and I think you understand that."

Berman comforted Petrovich, explaining that he understood Petrovich's feelings; he had very high expectations and demands of himself.

However, many of his problems cannot be solved in a day or two; they require one to two years of arduous training and competition to yield results.

Petrovic sighed and said, "Was it like Forrest Gump's first time in the NBA?"

Behrman shook his head and said, "No, Forrest Gump started dominating the league as soon as he entered, and he's been doing it since high school. But Forrest Gump is Forrest Gump, and you can't use his standards to judge yourself."

Petrovich, however, said, "No, I will hold myself to his standards."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.

The two men simultaneously looked toward Gan Guoyang, who was sitting in a seat near the front. He had a separate seat and was meditating with his eyes closed and legs crossed.

"Forrest Gump is meditating, you know? He started visualization training in high school. He taught me the word 'visualization,' and he's always improving himself."

"Visualized training?"

"Yes, improving your skills through imagination. It sounds ridiculous, but it really works."

"Did you take Dr. Ogilvy's psychological test when you first joined the team?"

"That PhD with the white mustache? Yes, I did. My test results were pretty good... How many points did Forrest Gump get?"

"Forrest Gump is a perfect score, the only one."

The more Berman said this, the more intense Petrovich's desire to surpass Gan Guoyang became.

His previously dull and unfocused eyes suddenly became bright and alert.

Seeing his reaction, Bellman said, "If you want to surpass Forrest Gump, you should at least reach Hornacek's level first."

Petrovich said, "Forrest Gump told me, 'If you want to surpass me, first reach Jordan's level.' He said I was one Jordan away from him."

Bellman almost spat out his drink. His student never seemed to know what to say, but upon reflection, it did seem to make sense.

"Then you should try to study Jordan properly first."

After much deliberation, Berman still didn't want Petrovic to take the off-ball, catch-and-shoot route.

The Trail Blazers need a ball-handler on the perimeter, someone to relieve pressure on Forrest Gump in the most crucial moments.

Petrovich might have that possibility, who knows? At least his will and desire are strong enough.

(End of this chapter)