The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 557 I'll Kill You

In 1989, the biggest shift in Jordan's mindset was that he felt he could finally get close to Forrest Gump.

—Excerpt from "Michael Jordan: The Life," a biography of Michael Jordan written by Roland Lazambi, published in 2016.

An hour before the Trail Blazers and Clippers game ended, in Dallas, the Chicago Bulls had just defeated the Mavericks.

Michael Jordan scored 41 points in the game, easily crushing their opponents, and then hurriedly left the arena to head to the airport to wait for his flight to Portland.

Apart from the Detroit Pistons and the Portland Trail Blazers, no other team in the league has a private jet.

Waiting for a flight is a hassle and tests one's patience. Players need rest and relaxation after a game, but waiting makes it hard to relax.

Jordan chose to play cards with his teammates, playing his favorite game, Badugi, and betting with cash.

Jordan started playing Badugi in college and could beat Gan Guoyang at the Olympic training camp, but in the last two years, he has stopped beating Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang was very good at betting and planning. Later, Jordan learned that the Trail Blazers' head coach, Bobby Bellman, was a veteran gambler who was best at playing Texas Hold'em. Gan Guoyang learned from him and his card playing skills improved day by day. How could Jordan possibly beat him?
Thinking of Forrest Gump, I realize I can't beat him at cards, ping-pong, bowling, or even golf, which I really enjoy.

Forrest Gump is all about brute force; every time he hits a golf shot, it's like a home run.

He was also incredibly lucky; despite his mediocre skill level, he could guess very accurately.

As for their original profession, basketball, Jordan was unconvinced, believing he was no worse than Forrest Gump.

But with 0-3 in championship rings, it's simply incomparable; Forrest Gump still managed a three-peat.

However, Jordan had a good mentality. Most of the time, he focused on himself and did not lose his composure when he was at a disadvantage.

He firmly believes that his basketball career will have its own destiny, and he also firmly believes that one day he will defeat Forrest Gump in the Finals...

"Hey Michael, you're out of money!"

Pippen, sitting opposite Jordan, interrupted Jordan's thoughts.

He reminded Jordan that he had lost all his betting money and that Jordan's luck at cards was clearly not as good as his shooting touch tonight.

In the game against the Mavericks, Jordan shot 62% from the field and made both of his three-point attempts, a perfect 200%.

Jordan glanced at the table and said, "I'll pay you back when we get to Portland. I'll have the money."

"Where did you get the money in Portland? Did you borrow it from Forrest Gump?"

"Don't ask... just continue, I'll owe you."

While the two were talking, head coach Phil Jackson interrupted their card game.

He said, "Guys, playing cards isn't good for your relaxation. Why don't we meditate for a while?"

"Oh, Phil, I really want to sleep, but it's not the right time yet, or I'll miss my flight."

"Meditation, it's meditation, not sleeping. We've tried it before, and it's good for your concentration. The next game is against Portland, and Forrest just swept the game; they beat the Clippers."

Jackson's words made Jordan put down his cards, and Pippen sighed, having no choice but to put down his cards as well.

Everyone sat cross-legged on the floor and, led by Jackson, began to meditate in the waiting room.

Meditation is a mental relaxation activity that Jackson frequently leads his players in since becoming the Bulls' head coach this season.

In addition, he would burn sage in the locker room, a ritual practiced by the Lakota Sioux Indians to purify negative energy from a person.

Phil Jackson was very interested in these indigenous peoples and Eastern cultural elements, and incorporated them into his coaching process.

Jordan was skeptical of many of Jackson's methods, whether it was meditation, sage, or the so-called "triangle offense" implemented at the start of this season.

However, as the undisputed core of the team, Jordan still did as Jackson asked, even though he had his doubts.

This is one of Jordan's strengths. Whether it's Krause or Jackson, he never lets his dissatisfaction completely dictate the team's operations and decisions. He will make concessions when necessary. He knows where the limits of his power are and he will not abuse it arbitrarily.

So in the last two seasons, the Chicago Bulls have made great progress and are building themselves into a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference.

However, Pippen remained unmoved by Jackson's many special tactics. He closed his eyes and completely ignored Jackson's instructions, letting his mind wander as he pondered how much money he had won from Michael and how much more he could win.

And, how to deal with Forrest Gump in the game the day after tomorrow.

The flight was delayed and didn't actually take off until close to midnight, arriving in Portland in the early hours of the morning.

At the baggage claim area of ​​Portland Airport, the players were yawning incessantly, and the wait for their luggage to be transferred was equally frustrating.

Jordan suddenly approached Pippen and said, "Hey Scott, how about we make a bet? We'll see which of our suitcases comes out first, yours or mine?"

After spending two seasons together, Pippen had come to understand Jordan's character: this guy just loved to gamble, gambling with everything in life that was worth gambling on.

If you don't agree, he'll keep bothering you, so Pippen had no choice but to say, "Okay, how much to bet?"

Jordan said, "If I win, the money I owe you from the poker game is wiped clean. If I lose, the money I just lost is doubled."

Pippen thought the amount was acceptable and nodded in agreement. The two stood on the luggage carousel and waited. At this moment, the wait no longer felt long, but rather tense and exciting.

When Pippen saw Jordan's suitcase appear on the turntable first, he sighed and seemed to collapse.

Jordan chuckled, patted Pippen on the shoulder, took his luggage from the hoop, and said, "We're even!"

Pippen thought he was unlucky, but little did he know that after getting off the plane, Jordan bribed the staff with his autograph so that his luggage would be placed at the front and be the first to be put into the baggage carousel.

This is a gamble you can't win.

Jordan was pleased with his little trick; it was a good way for him to relieve stress.

Since Gan Guoyang won three consecutive championships in the 1987-1988 season, Jordan has become increasingly mired in gambling.

That season, Jordan won the regular season MVP, but the team was eliminated in the semifinals of the playoffs.

Gan Guoyang called Jordan at the time, mocking him while saying that they would train together during the offseason and that he would teach him how to win a championship.

That summer they trained together in New York for almost a month, and Jordan felt that his skills had improved tremendously.

Then in 89, they both fell in the divisional finals, failing to meet in the finals...

They trained together again this summer, with Jordan focusing on contact drills and gaining a lot of muscle.

In the East, there's only one thing that can stop him and the Bulls—the Detroit Pistons.

Gan Guoyang has proven that the best way to deal with the Pistons is to fight fire with fire.

After waking up the next morning, Jordan first called home. Now, like Gan Guoyang, he was married and had children.

Of course, his order of birth was different from Gan Guoyang's. He had a child before getting married. His son, Jeffrey Jordan, was born in November 1988, earlier than Gan Guoyang's son.

At that time, he was not yet married to Juanita, and the two secretly had a son without the outside world knowing.

In the summer of 1989, when his son was already six months old, he and Juanita went to Las Vegas and held their wedding at the famous Little White Chapel.

The Little White Chapel is known for its exquisite car wedding tunnel and fast wedding planning, much like a McDonald's in a car dealership and a drive-in movie theater, a classic example of American fast-food culture.

So Jordan's wedding was very simple. Not only did his teammates and friends not attend, but even his parents did not attend because they did not approve of their son marrying Juanita and believed that the two should just date.

They were afraid that their son would be controlled by another woman.

Fortunately, so far everything is stable. Juanita is a very good woman; she can handle and resolve complex family conflicts and relationships.

Of course, Juanita still had some complaints about having children before getting married, the simple and crude wedding, and not receiving her parents' blessings.

Especially when compared to Forrest Gump, she and Jordan attended Gan Guoyang's wedding in Chinatown, a grand event comparable to a championship parade.

Moreover, both the San Francisco and Los Angeles weddings caused a sensation across the United States, showcasing the lively and passionate side of Eastern culture to the fullest, which was intoxicating. What woman wouldn't want to experience such a wedding, let alone two?

Jordan is now playing basketball all over the place, while Juanita stays home alone with the children—and now they're planning to have a second child.

Jordan could sense his wife's agitation and irritability over the phone, and he tried his best to soothe her and make her feel better.

"I promise I'll beat Forrest Gump in tomorrow's game."

"You killed Forrest Gump to make yourself feel better, what does that have to do with me?"

"You envy his wedding."

"Then you should give me a nice wedding instead of killing him on the field!"

"Okay, okay... let's not talk about this... how about Jeffrey?"

Seeing that his words were about to provoke his wife's anger again, Jordan had no choice but to change the subject.

After hanging up the phone, Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. He had wanted to call Gan Guoyang, but looking at the time, he figured Gan was probably training at this hour. He decided to leave him a message on his pager instead.

A short while later, the phone in Jordan's room rang; it must have been Forrest Gump who brought it.

"Hello, Sonny?"

"Michael! Someone's trying to kill you!"

"what?"

"I said someone's going to kill you in tomorrow's game!"

"Fuck, that person isn't you, is it?"

"No, no, I would have killed you several times over. I have no interest in that. You're a newcomer on our team."

(End of this chapter)