The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 582: Natural Born Killer
Kevin Johnson had no idea what Kurt Rambis was talking about.

Sometimes this guy is just weird, crazy, a freak.

These two men are so different: one is black, the other is white; one is a highly talented defender, the other is an ordinary forward.

Rambis's basketball career is different from Kevin Johnson's. Johnson was a prodigy who became a star on the court at a very young age.

Rambis was consistently overlooked. After being selected in the third round by an NBA team, he was not signed by the team and had to play in Greece for a year.

In Greece, Lambis shared an apartment with two waitresses and enjoyed a happy time there, where he was a celebrity.

After returning to the United States, he became unknown again, and because of his scholarly black-rimmed glasses, he was constantly subjected to strange looks from players and fans.

He made a name for himself with the Lakers, and even after leaving the Lakers, he still wore those glasses and maintained many strange habits—for example, every time he went to an away game, he would take the hotel's toothbrush, shower cap, toothpaste, and soap with him and leave them in the locker room.

After joining the Suns, Rambis became the oldest player on this young team. He is 31 years old, and all the other players are younger than him.

However, he did not become the locker room leader he was expected to be, although he delivered an inspiring speech in January that turned the team's fortunes around.

Other young players thought he was too strange. Even though his experience with the Lakers was inspiring, he lacked the kind of charisma that could convince everyone.

Kevin Johnson knew that Rambis had been repeatedly defeated by Forrest Gump, and he was unhappy with Rambis's demoralizing words, replying, "Play well, Kurt. Where did your courage go? The series has only just begun, and you've already lost your confidence because of Forrest Gump?"

Lambis shook his head and said, "You must have played against Forrest Gump in high school, right? Don't you know anything about him?"

Kevin Johnson recalled his game against Forrest Gump at Sacramento High School, which was indeed a bad memory, but it was a long time ago.

Lambis continued, “It’s normal that you don’t understand him. You’re a really good guy, Kevin, but he… he’s actually a really nasty person, though only on the court. He torments every one of his opponents like a cat toying with a mouse. Didn’t you feel that? It only came to my senses today. This guy has hidden his nasty side very well.”

As Rambis said, Kevin Johnson is indeed a good person, and a very good person in the traditional sense.

Although he was a Black player, he excelled academically and in character, achieving excellent grades from high school to college. In college, he would spend all his time in the library until closing time.

After being traded to the Phoenix Suns, he rented an apartment near the training center.

The first thing I do when I get home every day is to clean the house myself, with a sponge, rag and bucket in hand, cleaning inside and out.

The apartment contained a piano, a chessboard, and a desk. On the desk were his replies to fans, as well as works by Martin Luther King Jr., Erich Fromm, Malcolm, and Plato—his family didn't even have a television, let alone pornography.

He is so different from most of the hedonistic NBA players that he is more like John Stockton.

But on the pitch, he was more honest and straightforward than Stockton, who was known for his dirty tricks and cunning schemes.

Kevin Johnson is so honest that even the referees trust him. When the ball goes out of bounds and the referees didn't see it clearly and there's no video replay, they'll ask Kevin Johnson who touched the ball last.

Kevin Johnson honestly admitted that he was the one who knocked the ball out of bounds.

In a game against the Hawks, Kevin Johnson and Moses Malone were fighting for the ball when the referee called a foul.

Kevin Johnson complained, saying, "I thought I made the steal, but the referee said it must have been a mistake on my part. I'm sorry."

Kevin Johnson is such a good guy on the court, and of course, he is also a tough and fearsome opponent for many opponents—except for Forrest Gump.

Upon hearing Rambis's words, Kevin Johnson seemed to realize that playing against Forrest Gump was indeed more than just a game; it was a terrifying contest.

The price of losing is being ravaged and trampled by him, not just in one or two games, but throughout his entire career.

Rambis continued, "Actually, great athletes all have a very ruthless side. They're fiercely competitive and will stop at nothing to win. Forrest Gump was the cleanest one; he never resorted to underhanded tactics. But on the other hand, he was also the most cruel because he didn't just want to win; he wanted to completely destroy you. That was his passion for playing. He was more terrifying than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Maggie Jackson, or Michael Jordan—it was like… a born killer." Listening to Rambis's words, Kevin Johnson thought this guy was exaggerating. It's just basketball; is it really that serious?
Dude, you're really traumatized by Forrest Gump, aren't you? Are you out of your mind and starting to talk nonsense?

In fact, Rambis's words make some sense. In the history of professional sports, none of the athletes who have achieved great success have been mild-mannered, easy-going people.

An excess of hormones in their bodies and a strong competitive spirit determine that they will not be honest people; some are even of bad character and have a very bad nature.

If it weren't for the halo of sporting honors surrounding them, fans wouldn't even have time to hate them, let alone admire them.

Kevin Johnson is still young and cannot fully understand Kurt Rambis's words. He still holds a positive view of the future and success.

He believed that as long as he worked hard and diligently, he would one day reach the other side of victory and defeat opponents like Forrest Gump.

While the two were talking, the Suns gradually closed the gap on consecutive fast breaks – Eddie Johnson's three-pointer was instrumental in this.

Eddie Johnson, who came off the bench, hit two consecutive three-pointers in the second quarter, and the Suns shot exceptionally well from three-point range in this game.

In the first-round game against the Jazz, Eddie Johnson made 12 of 19 three-point attempts, a remarkable 63% success rate. His three-point shooting was incredibly accurate, making him a key figure in the Suns' comeback victory.

With the score at 27-33, the Trail Blazers led by 6 points, and Bobby Bellman called a timeout.

Unlike the regular season, Gan Guoyang didn't rest for long in the second quarter, returning to the court immediately after a three-minute break.

The Trail Blazers' defensive problems on the wing are glaringly obvious. They lack height and speed at the small forward position, and Bellman needs Gan Guoyang to use his help defense to counter the increasing number of wing shooters in the league.

Low-post one-on-one forwards like Aguirre and Dantley will only become increasingly rare in the future.

Kevin Johnson and Kurt Rambis also returned to the court, making the playoff rotation very tight.

Kurt Rambis told Fitzsimmons, "I can guard Forrest Gump, I'm fine."

Fitzsimmons glanced at Lambis and asked, "Can you handle Forrest Gump?"

Lambis shook his head: "I can't, but I'm not afraid. I'll make things a little trouble for him."

Fitzsimmons appreciated Rambis's attitude and decided to continue having Rambis match up against Gan Guoyang.

As a result, Gan Guoyang scored an unusual 20 points in the second quarter, bringing his total to 33 points by halftime, leading the Trail Blazers to widen the gap.

With a score of 45-63, the Trail Blazers led the Suns by 18 points at halftime, almost making the game a foregone conclusion.

Back in the locker room at halftime, Kevin Johnson asked Rambis, "How are you so confident in guarding Forrest Gump?"

Lambis said, "I said I couldn't, I'm just not afraid."

"You also said you would cause him some trouble."

"Yes, I caused 'a little' trouble, and he didn't get at least 30 points."

"..."

Kevin Johnson is certain that Rambis has probably gone mad.

(End of this chapter)