The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 596 Don’t say you didn’t predict what you said

It was a sleepless night for David Stern.

The reason he came to Portland to watch the Finals was because he was afraid that the Trail Blazers and Pistons would clash.

He wanted to personally supervise the situation from the sidelines and keep the tempers of both sides in check.

As it turned out, they really didn't give me any face and came at me with a huge blow.

When visiting Isaiah Thomas in the hospital, Stern wished he were the one lying in the hospital bed with his head wrapped in bandages.

"If Forrest Gump had elbowed me during the game, I would have sent him straight back to China," Stern thought. If that had happened, everything would have been much easier.

The situation is now difficult. The Pistons and Thomas are notorious, and it is foreseeable that many people will support Forrest Gump this time.

Legal principles are no different from human sentiments. There are far too many instances in American history where public opinion and popular sentiment have influenced the nature and outcome of events.

Besides, such on-field conflicts are unlikely to go to court, and Stern doesn't want to take it to court.

At the hospital, the Pistons coaching staff and general manager lodged a strong protest with Stern, demanding that Forrest be suspended and that he not be allowed to play in the entire Finals.

William Davis called, sounding furious. He berated Forrest Gump as an executioner, a heartless butcher, and demanded that he be dealt with seriously.

Stern said he would give the Pistons a fair result, but he could not make any promises at the moment and the office needed to study and decide.

Thomas lay in bed with his head wrapped like a matchstick, pain ravaging his face, but what tormented him even more was that the Pistons had lost the first game.

He told Chuck Daly that he wanted to return to play as soon as possible, and that his injury was to his head, not his hands or feet, so he could just wear a mask.

Looking at Thomas, Daly felt a mix of emotions: sorrow and admiration for his disciple, as well as hatred and anger towards Forrest Gump.

But deep down, he was also questioning himself: Was I wrong? Was I wrong from the very beginning?

Chuck Daly is primarily responsible for the Pistons becoming what they are today. Isiah Thomas has always been a tough guy, but being tough doesn't mean using dirty tricks.

When he first coached Thomas, Thomas was only 23 years old. He had a childlike smile on his face and was the most talented point guard in the league. Back then, he wasn't dirty.

As time goes by, the marks of growing up are as hard to remove as tattoos.

Daly longs to return to the town of Pusuttani and ask the groundhog Pusuttani-Fell whether he has been right all these years.

Forrest Gump's fists struck not only the bodies of the Pistons players and coaches, but also their souls.

In sports competitions, resorting to any means to win can ultimately backfire.

If not, it's most likely because someone is protecting you, or you're just lucky.

This applies not only to sports competitions but also to many things in society. When you use underhanded means to bully and exploit honest people, you may never get into trouble because you are lucky or have someone to protect you, but you may also ruin your life.

People aren't always lucky.

You may have someone to protect you, but there are probably many more people who would want to protect the other person.

Late at night, David Stern returned to the Hyatt Regency Portland where he was staying.

He originally planned to return to New York overnight after the game to handle the draft.

It seems that won't work now. He needs to work directly in the hotel and has asked the hotel to prepare a press conference room, which he will definitely need to use tomorrow.

Then, the secretary contacted the New York Union office and held an overnight conference call to discuss how to handle the incident.

David Stern suddenly remembered the deceased Larry Fleischer; if he were still alive, he would be in trouble.

Fleischer would definitely rush to the Hyatt hotel room and negotiate with Stern face-to-face, demanding leniency for Forrest Gump.

Back in the 1984-1985 season, Fleischer did just that. On his first road trip in the East against the Pistons, Forrest Gump tackled Bill Laimbeer, shocking the league.

At that time, the Pistons and Laimbeer were already infamous, and Forrest Gump's "righteous act" drew praise from all the teams.

Finally, after some lobbying by Fleischer, the newly appointed Stern only imposed a one-game suspension.

The same was true for the 1987 finals.

But this time it's really serious. Will a one-game suspension quell public opinion?
Stern didn't know, so he started missing Fleischer again, thinking that it might be nice if he were here.

Although they are rivals, they share a common stance on protecting the interests of the NBA.

So when the Suns drug case came up, the two worked together to successfully resolve the matter.

Forrest Gump was Fleischer's darling; if Fleischer were alive, he would surely come up with a perfect solution to this problem.

The phone in Stern's room kept ringing, many of them from reporters who wanted to know the outcome of the punishment in advance.

Stern's answer was always "no comment".

Soon, Stern received a very important phone call.

From Washington, Bill Clinton, chairman of the Democratic Supreme Council.

Clinton told Stern on the phone, "Forrest Gump is my friend and a great symbol of the NBA. You should protect him." Stern nodded in agreement, knowing that Clinton was a rising star in American politics and would most likely represent the Democratic Party in the presidential election in the future.

He is one of the most powerful people in the United States.

Then, Stern received a call from Willie Brown, the Speaker of the California State Assembly and a prominent Black political leader.

Willie Brown said, "Isiah Thomas is a Black athlete, but what he did was despicable. Forrest Gump is a kid from San Francisco, California, and he is the pride of San Francisco basketball, representing loyalty, integrity, and resilience. I hope the league will seriously consider this. We all love and support the development of the NBA."

Willie Brown was very popular and beloved in San Francisco and was one of the most powerful legislators in the United States.

He has always been known for his support of ethnic minorities, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce has provided him with a great deal of financial assistance. Forrest Gump has known him for a long time.

Faced with these politicians' high-sounding pleas, David Stern struggled to cope, and the pressure on him grew increasingly intense.

Not only politicians, but also several senior bosses and managers in the alliance called, all of whom pleaded for Forrest Gump.

Jazz owner Larry Miller said, "John called me last night, begging me to plead with you. I also think Forrest Gump is an honest and good person. His violence wasn't to hurt others, but to stop violence. And his influence on the league is unparalleled. You should think more about David."

Stockton pleaded with Miller to call Stern, offering to lower his salary when signing free agents in exchange for saving Miller a significant amount of money.

Bulls owner Reinsdorf also called Stern: "Your phone is really hard to get through to, I've dialed it a hundred times! David, if there's going to be a shareholders' meeting, I'll definitely support Forrest Gump! Look what the Detroiters have done to us? Seriously, if I could, I'd send Michael to jail for Forrest Gump, since they're best buddies anyway."

Stern was overwhelmed with calls, even Auerbach called to say that Forrest did a great job, "This is the best boxing match I've ever seen! David, in my limited life experience, the world will be on Forrest's side this time. You can punish him, but you have to know how to do it right, or it will be your biggest mistake."

Stern was busy until the early hours of the morning and couldn't sleep at all because he kept getting phone calls.

It was only then that Stern realized just how many connections and friends this monster, who dominated the league on the court, had accumulated off the court.

Compared to those Black players who only knew how to play on the court and cause trouble off the court, Forrest Gump did much more.

He is charismatic on the field, and his skills and performance have won over many team owners, managers, and fans. Apart from occasional violence, his sportsmanship is excellent.

Offstage, he participated in many activities and used his influence to help many people, including businesses, groups, and individuals.

He got Avia to sign many ordinary star players and released a lot of affordable sneakers so that even poor people could afford them, thus promoting the influence of the NBA and basketball.

He made friends with many politicians, but didn't get too involved in politics. Politicians knew that being friends with Forrest Gump was a form of self-promotion.

Forrest Gump has this kind of social influence.

To allow for a full discussion of how to handle the matter, David Stern scheduled the press conference for the afternoon of the following day.

As a result, Stern saw and heard even more voices in the morning, from the stadium, from all walks of life, and even from across the ocean.

Michael Jordan, who was training at home, was among the first to speak out, saying, "I stand firmly in support of Forrest Gump. Maybe he should be suspended for a game or two, but he absolutely shouldn't be suspended for the entire Finals. I know the Detroit media has been fanning the flames since last night, calling for Forrest to be suspended for the entire Finals. I want to say that if Forrest is to be suspended for the entire Finals, then a certain team should withdraw from the NBA, withdraw forever."

This was the first time Jordan had so openly vented his anger in the media while simultaneously supporting his friend.

Although his agent David Falk and Nike wanted him to remain silent, Jordan, who always listens to advice, refused.

Jordan firmly believed that Forrest Gump attacked Isaiah Thomas to avenge himself.

At a time like this, he couldn't let Forrest Gump down.

Also speaking out were a group of Gan Guoyang's NBA friends, including Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing.

The most important voice from the world of entertainment and sports came from Michael Jackson, who personally traveled to Portland for the occasion.

In June 1990, Jackson was suffering from chest pains and had to be hospitalized while dancing due to severe chest pains.

After being discharged from the hospital, he returned to his self-built dream estate to recuperate, and watched the game between the Trail Blazers and the Pistons on the night of the Finals.

After witnessing the entire incident live, Jackson immediately called Forrest Gump to find out the whole story.

That night he left Dream Manor and flew overnight to Portland on a private jet, where he went to Gan Guoyang's home.

Michael Jackson's arrival raised the level of news attention by two notches.

The following day at noon, Jackson gave an interview to reporters, saying, "I spoke with Forrest Gump. He opposes violence, but violence has always surrounded the basketball court. This attack wasn't impulsive; it was a powerful response to the league's tolerance of violence. Forrest will receive the punishment he deserves, but I don't think any more blame should be placed on him. He's truly a very good person..."

Jackson's statement brought public support for Gan Guoyang to a peak.

Letters, phone calls, and telegrams flew like snowflakes to the NBA's New York office and the hotel where Stern was staying.

The league staff are about to have a meltdown. We didn't punish Forrest Gump at all! We didn't do anything!
Gan Guoyang was also helpless. He didn't expect that just throwing a few punches would involve so many people and so many favors.

He wanted to tell everyone that he could bear all the consequences; if he dared to do it, he should dare to take responsibility.

He was fully prepared when he made his move, and he wasn't afraid of being suspended; he could always come back next year.

But things had escalated to this point, and he had no choice in the matter. A large-scale "Saving Private Forrest Gump" scenario was unfolding across society.

The American commercial society is, at its core, a performative society where everyone can be an actor and everyone can participate in the performance.

Unfortunately, our motherland across the Pacific Ocean also got involved, with Xinhua News Agency publishing an editorial that began:
"The football field is like a battlefield. Some teams need to understand this; don't say you weren't warned..."

(End of this chapter)