The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 595 Those who attain the Way receive much help.

Forrest Gump told Detroiters to say goodnight to the world, but in reality, because of the events of Game 1 of the Finals, the entire American sports media industry stayed up all night, rushing to report this big news.

On-court violence is nothing new, but this is the NBA Finals, and it's between the Trail Blazers and the Pistons, two teams with a long-standing feud.

The Pistons have become infamous across the United States in the past two years. Those who love them are crazy about them and are extremely arrogant, while those who hate them wish they would be kicked off the court and never be allowed to participate in NBA games again.

Now, someone has stepped forward to help everyone fulfill their wishes, and Isaiah Thomas has actually been knocked into the hospital.

A reporter from the hospital sent over the diagnosis: Thomas's facial bones had collapsed, and the fracture required 58 stitches.

Although this wasn't as severe as the one Kermit Washington hit Tomjanovich back then, it was still terrifying enough.

Tomjanovich was an innocent victim; he tried to mediate a fight but was attacked by Washington and his brains were splattered out.

Thomas is different. In recent years, he has acted recklessly by taking advantage of his position as the Pistons' leader, and has openly made personal threats in interviews.

Despite his small stature, he employed a variety of tactics during the match, including hitting, eye-gouging, groin kicks, and foot-planting—all sorts of dirty tricks and dirty tricks were used to completely disrupt his opponent's mental state.

With the league's leniency, the referees' laxity, and the Pistons' unity, Thomas, Laimbeer, and their group could be said to have run rampant in the league.

In 1989, the Trail Blazers suffered a series of unexpected setbacks and were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals. The Pistons' success in the NBA Finals further fueled their arrogance.

But retribution is inevitable, it's just a matter of time. Their retribution came when they met Forrest Gump in the 1990 World Championship Finals.

With Thomas sent to the hospital and Laimbeer, Aguirre, and others beaten into a daze, the Pistons lost all fighting spirit for the remainder of Game 1 and just wanted to end the game as soon as possible and go back to rest.

The Trail Blazers were united, with Bobby Bellman shouting, "If we can't win this game, we'll have no face to face Forrest Gump. He fought for a fair and clean game for us with his fists, and all we can do is win."

Even without Forrest Gump, the Trail Blazers still possessed a complete offensive and defensive system in the latter half of the third quarter and the fourth quarter.

Sabonis was originally a lower-tier alternative to Forrest Gump (though his height and weight were still considered high-tier), which is different from the Trail Blazers during their first three-peat.

Without Forrest Gump, the Trail Blazers during their first three-peat would have struggled to even get past the first round, let alone win the championship.

The current Trail Blazers rely less on Forrest Gump, have a more mature system, and their players have more diverse roles.

The Pistons suffered heavy losses, not only losing their core player Thomas, but also significantly reducing the strength of players like Laimbeer, Rodman, and Aguirre.

With only Turpin and Joe Dumars holding on for the Pistons, the two sides battled until the latter part of the fourth quarter.

Finally, Porter and Hornacek hit consecutive three-pointers, and then the Trail Blazers used the counterattack to launch an 11-1 offensive run, which exhausted the tired and frightened Pistons.

The final quarter went exceptionally smoothly, with no interruptions, no aggressive fouls, no dirty tricks, and everyone played the game properly.

In this situation, the offensive-minded Trail Blazers naturally had the advantage. They played better and better, and after a wave of attacks, they brought the score to 95-107. The depleted Trail Blazers defeated the depleted Pistons by 12 points and won the first game of the Finals.

The score is 1-0.

But people weren't really concerned about the outcome of the Finals; they were more interested in how the league would handle this unprecedented on-court brawl.

Forrest Gump will definitely be suspended, but just for one game? Or for the entire Finals?

How serious is Thomas' injury? Will he be able to play in the Finals?
Could this matter go beyond the scope of the NBA and escalate to federal court as a case of intentional injury?

Will the NBA change its rules in the future to deal with extremely violent situations on the court? In short, all sorts of questions fill people's minds.

As soon as the competition ended, the reporters busied themselves like bees in a garden, gathering pollen and nutrients from the flowers.

In the press conference hall, Chuck Daly's left cheek was even more swollen.

The game was over, and he had lost. No longer able to contain his anger, he said, "This is the most brutal game I've ever experienced. The only one comparable is Game 3 of the 1987 NBA Finals, also a Forrest Gump production. I don't understand why such a butcher-like player can still be active in the NBA? He's the league's regular season MVP, a big name! I can't believe it, I absolutely can't believe it!"

“Our core player is still in the hospital, his life hanging in the balance. I don’t think Forrest Gump should be seen in the later games of the Finals. He was an amazing athlete, I respect him, I admire him, his skills were amazing, but his violence was equally amazing. This shouldn’t be a violent league.”

If any other coach said this, it would carry weight, but when Chuck Daly said it, some reporters couldn't help but sneer.

A reporter from The Oregonian immediately retorted, "The Pistons' violence is just as astonishing as your record. Shouldn't you guys also disappear from the NBA?"

Daly glared at the reporter, offered no response, and after briefly answering two more questions, hurriedly ended the press conference and went to the hospital with the players to visit Thomas.

Regardless of how much the outside world dislikes the Detroit Pistons, the Pistons themselves are indeed a very united team, working together to do evil.

Unfortunately, he ran into Forrest Gump.

In the Trail Blazers' locker room, Gan Guoyang said "Goodnight to the people of Detroit and the world" and then made no further comments related to the one-sided beating. He simply chatted with reporters until the end of the game.

The Trail Blazers players returned to the locker room with a victory in hand, and Jerry West closed the locker room door.

One by one, his teammates came forward to hug Gan Guoyang, and Petrovic and Divac lowered their heads to kiss Gan's bandaged hand.

There was a solemn atmosphere in the locker room. Everyone was waiting for Gan Guoyang to speak. At this moment, he only needed to say one word, and everyone would be willing to go through fire and water for him.

Gan Guoyang didn't say anything grand or impassioned. Instead, he said, "I'm really sorry. I was too impulsive. I left you all on the field to play, while I could only hide in the locker room praying for the team. There's nothing worse for me. Thank you for the victory. Thank you for helping me, for being understanding, and for supporting me. Thank you."

As he spoke, tears welled up in Gan Guoyang's eyes.

He wasn't remorseful for assaulting the Pistons player, but rather saddened by the thought that if he were suspended, he wouldn't be able to play alongside his teammates.

Veteran Mitchell Thompson was the first to speak, saying, "Whether you play or not, Forrest, we will keep the championship trophy in Portland. I swear to God."

Jerome Koch jumped out and said, "I'll give my life on the court to win the championship and I will never give the Pistons another chance!"

Potter and Hornacek were both men of few words, but they stepped forward and silently embraced Forrest, giving him strength with their powerful arms.

Then Jerry West spoke up, saying, "I will never let Forrest miss the entire Finals, at most two games, at most a two-game suspension. I will do everything in my power to protest to the league, I will use all my connections. Donald also assured the audience, 'Don't worry, Sonny.' If you were playing Mark Price tonight, I would have to take you to court. But Isaiah Thomas? If he's not dead, it means God has forgiven you, after all, even Satan doesn't want to take him in."

The atmosphere in the locker room became more relaxed.

Just then, Culp pushed open the side door and entered, saying, "Sonny, your phone."

"Who?"

“Uh… a lot, your wife, Dad, Secretary Clinton, the Governor of Oregon, the Speaker of the California House of Representatives, the chairman of Avia, and… and Michael, two Michaels… the phone has been ringing off the hook, there are too many.”

"Okay, I'm coming, I'll be right there."

(End of this chapter)