The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 558 Inner Demon
Gan Guoyang hung up the phone and returned to the training hall of Willamette University.

The three-hour training session in the morning had ended, but for Gan Guoyang, the training had only just begun.

Because he will be playing against the Bulls tomorrow, Gan Guoyang wants to get himself into top form.

During lunch, Gan Guoyang received a pager from Jordan and immediately called him back.

Gan Guoyang had been considering buying a mobile phone—in that era, the so-called "big brother" mobile phone.

The earliest mobile phone appeared in 1973; it was a two-kilogram mobile cellular phone from Motorola.

By 83, the first commercially available mobile phone was available, mainly used by business people, especially those in the financial industry.

These so-called mobile phones have long charging times, short talk times, are very bulky and inconvenient to carry, and are expensive, resulting in low adoption rates.

NBA players travel all year round by plane. They don't need to conduct business, so they don't need to carry a bulky mobile phone around. A pager is enough.

However, by the 1990s, mobile phones were becoming smaller and more convenient.

Companies like Nokia and Motorola are working hard to innovate, and it's believed that practical portable phones will be available soon.

At that time, Gan Guoyang insisted on buying four: one for himself, one for his wife, one for his father, and one to give to Jordan.

Inside the training facility, the young Trail Blazers players were still training; Sabonis, Divac, and Petrovic were all there.

Gan Guoyang waved to Petrovic and said, "Pete! I just called Jordan, you know he's my friend. He just said on the phone that he'll score 40 points against you in tomorrow night's game, and he told you to be mentally prepared."

Hornacek had caught a cold in Milwaukee but insisted on playing in the game against the Clippers. He developed a fever after the game.

Therefore, he will miss tomorrow night's game against the Bulls, and Berman is preparing to start Petrovic.

Petrovic has been performing exceptionally well lately, scoring a career-high number of points against the Heat.

In subsequent games against the Bucks and Hawks, he scored in double digits with considerable efficiency.

He is very decisive when taking three-pointers, dares to shoot, and can make them. Every time he comes off the bench, he can quickly score points.

Petrovic is adapting to the NBA, and according to past patterns, he will reach a peak in form in December.

Then in January and February, like most rookies, they will enter a period of fatigue because they have not experienced the long test of the NBA regular season.

At that time, the Trail Blazers' deep backcourt will be able to step up and make a difference.

Now is the perfect time for Petrovic to improve his game, especially his confidence.

Petrovic snorted when he heard Gan Guoyang's words, said nothing, and continued his shooting practice.

Petrovic didn't boast that he would score 40 points; he knew there was definitely a big gap between him and Jordan.

After arriving in the United States, I read basketball news and magazines every day, and the most frequent reports were about Gan Guoyang and Jordan.

This season, Jordan has maintained his dominance in scoring as always, and in terms of skill and popularity, he is on par with Forrest Gump.

Most importantly, he is a shooting guard, playing the same position as Petrovic.

Even before this game, Petrovic had already set Jordan as his target and opponent to surpass, and was secretly making preparations.

Starting tomorrow night is both a challenge and an opportunity for him. When he heard Gan Guoyang's words, he felt both nervous and excited.

Michael Jordan, the best point guard in the United States, and possibly the best point guard in the world.

Many players in the same position feared Jordan, just as centers feared Forrest Gump.

But Petrovic isn't afraid; he's the best defender in Europe, and being the best in the world is his goal.

After training, in the locker room, Petrovic said to Gan Guoyang, "Sonny, pass me the ball more often in tomorrow night's game."

Gan Guoyang laughed when he heard this and said, "No problem. If you miss, I'll help you grab the rebound."

"It's a word."

"It's a deal. Remember, if you want to surpass me, you have to surpass Jordan first. Once you surpass him, you'll be close to me. After all, I told you, the only difference between us is Jordan."

Petrovich found Gan Guoyang's statement quite reasonable.

The more time Petrovic spent playing and training with Gan Guoyang, the more he realized the gap between them.

Just imagine it: if the Trail Blazers didn't have Petrovic, things wouldn't be much different from what they are now.

But the Trail Blazers would be a completely different team without Forrest Gump.

After Petrovic left, Divac leaned over and asked Gan Guoyang, "Sonny, why did Jordan score 40 points against Pete? There shouldn't be anything between them, right?"

Gan Guoyang glanced at Divac but said nothing.

Divac immediately realized what was going on and understood in an instant.

He then said to Agan, "Sonny, you won't use this method on me in the future, will you? Have your friend come over..." Gan Guoyang said, "No need, you're a center, I'll take care of you. You need to work on your strength, come lift some weights with me later."

"..."
-
On the evening of December 14th, at Memorial Arena, the Portland Trail Blazers faced off against the Chicago Bulls.

A highly anticipated battle before Christmas: the 11th showdown between Gan and Joe.

In their previous head-to-head record, Gan Guoyang held an absolute advantage with 8 wins and 2 losses.

Before the game, a large number of media reporters blocked the players' tunnel and locker room tunnel in the stadium.

Unlike in 1985, when fans could come and go near the locker room.

Before and after the match, players can walk off the field and walk with the fans.

Things are different now. As the NBA continues to develop, player salaries are getting higher and higher, star players are becoming more and more influential, and the distance between them and fans is getting further and further apart.

Only those with press passes are allowed to approach the players, and the security team is responsible for protecting the players' safety.

The reporters, split in half, surrounded Gan Guoyang and Jordan for interviews before the game; everyone enjoyed interviewing them.

Not only because their matchup attracts a lot of attention, but also because the two are good friends, so they never say anything polite in pre-match interviews.

No matter what seemingly tricky questions the reporters asked, the two would answer directly and straightforwardly, without beating around the bush or saying anything ambiguous.

For example, a reporter asked Jordan, "Can the Bulls make it to the Finals this season and face the Trail Blazers?"

Jordan replied, "The Bulls can make it to the Finals, but it's uncertain whether the Trail Blazers can. I think Forrest Gump is past his prime."

When a reporter asked Gan Guoyang, "Who do you think will win the MVP this season, you or Jordan?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "It's definitely me. I might even win Most Improved Player. Michael is a good fit for the All-Star MVP."

A reporter asked Jordan, "The Bulls were at a disadvantage in their previous game against the Trail Blazers. Will the situation change?"

Jordan said, "The situation has been changing since last season. They've been on a downward spiral, while we've been on the opposite."

A reporter asked Gan Guoyang, "Did you train with Michael this summer? Do you think his level has improved?"

Gan Guoyang said, "Yes, I think he has improved. He can see my back now."

The back-and-forth, sharp-tongued interview between the two provided endless material for reporters and the media.

This season, everyone is hoping that Jordan and Gan Guoyang will meet in the Finals.

The regular season was merely a small preview of the final showdown between the two.

When the interview ended and they went on the court to warm up, the two became good friends again, chatting while dribbling the ball in midcourt.

Unlike Barkley, the two didn't have much interaction in their lives; Jordan had his own private circle of friends.

Their friendship is like that of bosom friends on the basketball court, admiring each other, being rivals, and feeling like the two of them are the only heroes in the world.

Just like Russell and Chamberlain.

Phil Jackson saw all of this.

Since becoming the Bulls' head coach, he has been worried about one thing.

That is, Jordan and Forrest Gump had such a good relationship that Jordan was unable to perform at his best.

Jordan has performed exceptionally well every time he faces Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.

But Jackson believed that was still not the best Jordan.

Because he lacked hatred and murderous intent, he didn't hate Forrest Gump.

Conversely, Jordan harbored resentment towards Isaiah Thomas.

That kind of hatred can engulf the stadium and kill an opponent.

Jordan was too lenient with Forrest Gump, and his killer instincts were not fully unleashed.

This is a question Jackson has been pondering: how to make Michael hate Forrest Gump.

Jackson isn't Larry Brown; he wouldn't pull Jordan aside and say, "Don't talk to Forrest Gump and become his friend."

That would only backfire, so Jackson needed another way.

Otherwise, Jackson was certain that Forrest Gump would become Jordan's eternal mental demon throughout his career.

forever.

(End of this chapter)