The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 601 Thoughts

Gan Guoyang left Argentina at the end of August and returned to the United States. After spending a few days with his family in Portland, he went to Washington, D.C. as agreed with Jordan.

There, their good friend Charles Barkley hosted a training camp, inviting superstar friends such as Jordan, Forrest Gump, and Ewing, as well as some newcomers from this year to train.

As a "reward," Washington Bullets owner Paulin organized a charity golf tournament, allowing these golf-loving stars to enjoy themselves on the green.

Jordan had traveled extensively throughout Europe, flying between different countries and cities, and participating in intense business activities. He was already physically and mentally exhausted and couldn't wait to return to the United States to play cards and golf.

Because his wife Juanita was pregnant, he returned to Chicago for two days, but soon couldn't sit still and immediately went to Washington to train and play golf with Forrest Gump and Barkley.

Gan Guoyang had little interest in golf, yet he was the best golfer among his friends. Even Barkley had to shake his head and sigh, "I consider myself to have exceptional athletic talent, but Sonny is the real genius. If he were to play golf, he would definitely achieve great things."

Whether it's a skill-based sport or a sport that requires superior physical fitness, Gan Guoyang can excel at it.

This person's athletic talent is truly amazing.

The simultaneous appearance of Jordan and Gan Guoyang greatly increased the exposure of this charity golf tournament.

A few people carrying golf clubs and wearing polo shirts rushed from one hole to another, followed by a large, dark crowd.

These reporters, armed with cameras and microphones, kept snapping photos of the two brightest stars in the basketball world.

Gan Guoyang and Jordan walked at the front. Gan Guoyang tilted his head and said to Jordan, "Michael, how could they compare you to me? You don't even have a championship."

Jordan took the cigar out of his mouth and said, "Because they sensed that I would have it soon, and that I would beat you to get it."

"This is the second funniest joke I've heard today."

The funniest joke Gan Guoyang heard today was Charles Barkley saying he would win both the scoring title and the rebounding title next season.

Jordan didn't think it was a joke. He said, "The Bulls are getting stronger and stronger. You won't be a match for us. Your backcourt is flawed. You can't guard me."

As he spoke, Jordan exhaled a puff of smoke, and the diamond studs on his ears sparkled in the sunlight.

This is Jordan's new look in 1990. His head is even balder than the previous season, as if it has been waxed.

Earrings and watches have become his standard accessories, a sign of a mature man; he is already 27 years old.

Everyone thought it was time for Jordan to win a championship.

As Jordan said, the Portland Trail Blazers' backcourt is indeed flawed. Their four guards are all offensive talents, and no one can match up against Jordan defensively.

However, Gan Guoyang is not worried about the roster. The Trail Blazers' backcourt can't stop Jordan, but the Bulls' frontcourt can't contain Gan Guoyang either.

Basketball games are not just simple matchups in the end; many factors need to be considered. In Gan Guoyang's view, as long as the Trail Blazers remain united, the Bulls will have no chance.

The problem lies in maintaining unity, which is what Gan Guoyang was most worried about after returning from Argentina.

Divac and Petrovich nearly broke off relations over the flag incident, which became a symbol of the antagonism between Croats and Serbs within Yugoslavia.

Now in September, the calls for Croatian independence are growing louder, and Yugoslavia is on the verge of civil war.

How they will act as teammates and get along harmoniously in the new season will be a critical issue for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Sabonis's days were just as difficult.

On March 11, 1990, Lithuania unilaterally declared independence from the Soviet Union.

As a Lithuanian, Sabonis held an awkward position within the Soviet national team.

He ultimately persevered and participated in the 1990 World Championships, helping the Soviet team reach the finals.

As a result, the Soviet Union lost to Yugoslavia in the final, which made Sabonis unpopular with both the Soviet Union and Lithuania.

In the Soviet Union, he did not win the championship, while in Lithuania, some people considered him a traitor, yet he continued to play for the Soviet national team.

Sabonis was a Soviet citizen from birth and played for the Soviet Union throughout his youth. In 1988, he became a national basketball hero.

But in just a few years, a powerful red nation was already teetering on the brink of collapse, and he couldn't help but feel lost, wondering who he really was.

After the World Championship final, Sabonis asked Forrest Gump, "Am I red or green? Am I still a Soviet citizen?"

Gan Guoyang had no way to answer him, so he could only accompany Sabonis as they wandered the streets of Buenos Aires at night.

If it's any other problem, whether it's economic, legal, or psychological, Gan Guoyang can lend a hand.

However, the fate of the nation and the choices of the people are like a mighty torrent, which no individual can resist.

Gan Guoyang knew that what followed would be the Yugoslav civil war and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and there would be no possibility of reconciliation between Divac and Petrovich.

Thinking of this, Gan Guoyang felt very helpless. The three of them used to be such close friends.

During the 1989-1990 season, the Eastern European trio were inseparable, making progress together and getting through the difficult rookie season.

All three are visibly talented, they all love basketball, and they lead clean and simple lives off the court. If they maintain their form, working together for five or even ten years shouldn't be a problem.

If they grow well alongside Forrest Gump and Jerry West makes the necessary moves to strengthen the team, the 90s will definitely belong to the Portland Trail Blazers.

However, the Trail Blazers benefited from the draft by playing overseas players, but they also had to bear cultural and political risks in return.

In this charity golf tournament, Gan Guoyang's powerful strokes did not produce a miracle; he used the most strokes, while Jordan used the fewest and took first place.

Forrest Gump seemed a little distracted.

Jordan was overjoyed after winning the championship and showed off the trophy to Forrest Gump, as if to say that next year's NBA championship would also be his.

During the basketball training camp for star players, the rivalry between Jordan and Forrest Gump reached an extremely intense level.

Everyone trained together behind closed doors, and Barkley, Ewing, and others quickly couldn't handle the intensity.

In the end, only Forrest Gump and Jordan remained on the court, while everyone else sat on the sidelines watching these two madmen engage in endless one-on-one duels.

Jordan is stronger than last season; his dedication to strength training has paid off. Although he is still no match for Forrest Gump, he feels less powerless.

Gan Guoyang's strength had reached its physical peak, and no matter how much he trained afterward, he could only maintain it and could not improve his strength further—unless he gained more weight.

However, gaining weight will affect flexibility. He has currently achieved a perfect balance between strength and agility, and disrupting this balance would be counterproductive.

This is also a problem that troubles Gan Guoyang. After all, he is only human, not a god. No matter how good his physical foundation is, there is a limit. When he reaches the limit and cannot make a breakthrough, he must find another way.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang began to pay more attention to technical progress. In the training camp, he and Jordan learned from each other. He learned Jordan's dribbling and ball-handling breakthroughs, while Jordan learned his positioning and low-post back-to-the-basket moves.

Gan Guoyang's dribbling skills are top-notch among interior players, but there is naturally a gap between him and a top guard like Jordan. This gap motivates him to improve, and he has higher expectations for his future.

During the two-week training camp, Barkley and others were exhausted. By the last three days of the camp, Barkley didn't even want to train anymore. "What rebounding champion? What scoring champion? I don't know, I never said that!"

"Sonny, I want a hamburger!"

"I'm going to San Francisco, I'm going to find your dad!"

Charles Barkley seems carefree and talks nonsense.

Jordan is known for his sharp tongue, but he was completely helpless against Barkley.

This big mouth never plays by the rules; he dares to say anything and doesn't care about anything.

However, Charles Barkley is not truly heartless. In the past two years, he has gotten married, had a child, overcome his financial crisis, and become one of the league's most popular stars.

"Big Mouth" is his persona, his trademark. He is very smart and has many ideas.

He befriended Forrest Gump, Michael Jordan, and others because he knew that the circles you move in often determine the kind of person you become.

Barkley also longed for a championship and to reach the Finals again; the 1988 Finals felt like a dream.

He woke up before he could dream of the best possible ending, and afterwards found it difficult to fall back asleep, as the Washington bullet was becoming increasingly obsolete.

Although Bernard King has miraculously returned to All-Star form, he is a player from the previous era; he belongs to the 70s.

In those days, small forwards didn't need to defend or shoot from long range; they just needed to score inside, score, and score again.

Now it's the 1990s, and the small forward position is seeing more and more monster players with all-around skills.

A mere scorer cannot contribute to a championship-caliber team, and the Washington Bullets show no promising future regardless of whether they are drafted or traded.

The entire league is currently hyping up "Gan vs. Joe," with everyone anticipating a clash between the Bulls and the Trail Blazers in the Finals.

But Barkley thought, "I made it to the Finals earlier and faced Forrest Gump earlier, so why has everyone forgotten me?"

1988 was a forgotten final, because the Bullets had come a long way and lost the final too decisively.

Their only role was to serve as a stepping stone for the Portland Trail Blazers' three-peat, becoming the backdrop for Portland's first empire.

Barkley's performance was nowhere near that of Forrest Gump; he acted like a naive young man, and the Finals were completely dominated by Gan Guoyang.

Charles Barkley was unwilling to accept this fate; he didn't want his destiny to linger outside the NBA Finals when the 90s arrived.

After the 1988 NBA Finals, Barkley signed a four-year, $1200 million contract with the Bullets, taking Forrest Gump's advice not to sign a contract that was too long.

Barkley has two years left on his contract, but he's getting impatient.

During the charity golf tournament hosted by Pollin, Barkley spoke with Pollin, hoping he could trade for a stronger player.

Whether it's the center or the backcourt, the Washington Bullets are now riddled with holes in both the frontcourt and backcourt, and are no longer the formidable team they were in the 1988 season.

In the 1990 season, Barkley reached his peak, but in the Eastern Conference semifinals, they were defeated by Michael Jordan.

Jordan's 43-point series completely crushed the Bullets and Barkley, leaving Barkley feeling powerless. He was thoroughly outmatched by these two beasts, Forrest Gump and Jordan.

In Barkley's view, Forrest Gump once had Drexler, and now he is surrounded by many good guys.

Jordan had Scottie Pippen and other talented players around him, but he only had the aging Bernard King.

The passing of his spiritual father, Moses Malone, had a profound impact on Barkley.

This summer, Moncrief also retired, Steve Colter left, Muggsy Bogues was traded, and Ball left, completely shattering the former Eastern Conference champions.

But Pauline didn't seem to be in a hurry. During the charity game, his attention was focused on Jordan and Forrest Gump, while he neglected his own superstar.

This made Barkley very unhappy, but that's just his personality. The Bullets are his team, and in his eyes, Barkley is just his employee.

On the last day of the training camp, these stars will play an open match, which is open to the media.

Before the game, Barkley approached Forrest Gump and suddenly opened up, saying, "Sonny, I'm thinking of leaving Washington. What do you think?"

Gan Guoyang didn't understand Barkley's meaning at first and said, "Leave? Sure, come back to Portland with me and spend a couple of days at my place?"

Barkley shook his head and said, "That's not what I meant. I meant... leave Washington forever, leave the Bullets, and go play somewhere else."

Gan Guoyang turned to look at Barkley and found that Barkley, who was usually jovial, had a serious expression on his face. He was serious.

"You're planning to have Pauline trade you?"

"Yes, I've been hoping the team would make some moves in the summer since the playoffs ended. But four months have passed and nothing has happened, absolutely nothing. And I don't like the lifeless atmosphere in Washington. You should remember the 88 Finals, the Capital Indoor Stadium looked like a funeral!"

Gan Guoyang agrees with this point; the Washington Bullets haven't been doing very well in the past two years, whether it's drafting or making trades.

Looking back now, it was pure luck that they managed to put together a roster and make it to the finals in 1988, and luck is something that comes and goes as it pleases.

The Bullets' subsequent moves were not very good. The most critical problem was that Bullets owner Paulin had little interest in building a championship roster.

They had already won the championship in 1978 and had tasted the joy of victory. As ordinary businessmen, they didn't have a strong motivation to win the championship again.

Barkley was different; he was ambitious and unwilling to be constantly trampled underfoot by Gan Guoyang and Jordan.

"Then you can directly request a trade from management. For the next two weeks, this will be the hottest sports news in the country: 'Where is Barkley going?' Be prepared to be cursed by the Washington, D.C. media, have your jersey burned by fans here, and then be booed by all the fans when you go back to Washington to play. Some young fans will be heartbroken, tear down the posters on your study wall, and even poke two holes in your eyes. In short, if you are prepared to do whatever it takes, then you can leave, no problem at all. You are free, and you can work somewhere else."

"Oh, right, one more thing. You're going to become Robin Fickel's target. He'll no longer be your fan and supporter, but your number one enemy. That's one of the costs. Are you prepared for that?"

Robin Fickel is a Washington political activist, real estate agent, lawyer, and avid Bullet fans.

He has a special seat behind the away team's bench at the Capital Sports Center, and he sits there to have "in-depth exchanges" with the away team players during every Bullets game.

Fickel is one of the most hated fans in the league. He's sharp-tongued, eloquent, and can unleash a barrage of sarcastic remarks on the visiting team's players throughout the entire game.

During the 1988 NBA Finals, he made up at least 20 jokes about Jack Ramsey's bald head and mocked him behind his back, almost causing Jack to punch him.

Charles Barkley lowered his head in thought. Ten seconds later, he looked up and said, "I don't care about any of that. I just want to win and win championships."

Gan Guoyang asked, "Do you want to come to Portland?"

"Oh, don't joke around. I don't want to take what's readily available. Unless the Trail Blazers trade you for me, I won't go."

“If the Trail Blazers trade me for you, Pollin will knock you out, stuff you in a sack, and airlift you to Portland to be dumped outside Jerry West’s office. Make your own decision, I support you. But I must warn you, if you come to the West, you’ll never even get close to the NBA Finals.”

Barkley looked at him with disdain. He stood up and said, "We'll see, Sonny. You won't always win."

(End of this chapter)