The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 663 IOU
Gan Guoyang certainly didn't really want to fight until he was fifty; that was just a joke Jack Ramsey often made to him.

Although he possessed a miraculously powerful body, Gan Guoyang knew that he was not immune to aging or pain.

He just doesn't suffer major injuries, but minor injuries have never stopped since he first stepped onto the basketball court.

His hands were covered in calluses and wrapped in tape, and his toes were deformed from years of running and sudden stops.

Almost every muscle in his body had ached—except for the one on his face; he wasn't a talkative person.

Minor strains, bruises, and pain in his elbows and fists after hitting someone are constant companions to him.

On the court, he's like a steel robot, but sometimes he gets tired and exhausted.

Especially after having his son, he often felt that time flew by. His son could lift his head, roll over, talk, and walk...

With each step his child takes, Gan Guoyang feels himself getting older. Time moves slowly, but it is resolute, more determined than anything else, and unstoppable.

By 1991, Gan Guoyang had been in this time and space for a full 10 years.

From age 17 to 27, he hardly ever left basketball. Was he satisfied?

He was both satisfied and dissatisfied; he was satisfied with his achievements but dissatisfied that he hadn't played enough of the game.

Will there ever be a day when we've had enough? Maybe there will be, maybe there won't.

If so, that would be when he retired.

If not, Gan Guoyang will fight until he is too exhausted to continue.

But when will I be too old to fight anymore? At 35, or at 40?
Gan Guoyang himself was unaware that his goal was to fight until at least the 21st century.

There are still 10 years left. As for what will happen then, Gan Guoyang knows, but not much.

The world continues to move forward largely according to past memories.

Shortly after the finals ended, the Yugoslav civil war broke out.

On June 25, Croatia declared independence, and the war began with sporadic conflicts, gradually escalating into fierce fighting until a full-scale war broke out.

At Gan Guoyang's urging, Petrovich and his family stayed in the United States. For several months, Petrovich was restless and kept up with the war situation through television.

By September 22, the Yugoslav federal army began attacking Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.

The most intense fighting took place in Slavonia, a region inhabited by predominantly Serbians and located close to Serbia.

The residents of this region, due to their ethnic differences, went from being neighbors to enemies in an instant, and took up arms to attack each other.

Among them, there was an 87-day street battle between Vukovar in Slavonia and Vojvodina, which is separated by the Danube River, known as the Battle of Vukovar, in which nearly 3000 people died on both sides.

Due to long-term ethnic conflict, the war was extremely brutal, and in some areas it devolved into ethnic genocide.

Until the start of the new season, the conflict continued to spread and intensify in Croatia, which resulted in Petrovic not undergoing systematic training this summer.

In August, he went to Times Square in New York and joined a group of Croatian sports stars to speak out for their country and nation, hoping to draw international attention to this ethnic conflict.

However, the problems of war must ultimately be resolved on the battlefield.

Petrovic's poor performance in several matches in early November affected his mood.

In the Finals in June, Petrovic was the Trail Blazers' brightest star besides Forrest Gump.

But by November, his hands were ice-cold, not at all like a microwave oven, prompting Bielman to criticize him, "Did you spend the offseason in the Southern Hemisphere, so your hands got frozen?"

The Trail Blazers' record has also fluctuated, and the third year is always difficult for a team aiming for a three-peat.

Unlike in 1988, there were no problems with the internal relationships within the Trail Blazers team, after all, Drexler had already left.

There were no troublemakers in the locker room, and even if there were, Gan Guoyang had already dealt with them.

The problem still lies in injuries. Sabonis played two relatively healthy seasons, but his body finally couldn't keep up in the third season.

Due to knee effusion and ligament contusion, Sabonis missed the games in November and December, and the heavy responsibility of carrying the inside game fell back on Gan Guoyang's shoulders.

Bobby Bellman could not allow Gan Guoyang to continue playing like he did in 1987, endlessly posting up inside and playing for more than 40 minutes a game.

He continued to limit Gan Guoyang's playing time to under 40 minutes and began to give more playing time to Antonio Davis and Cliff Robinson.

Clive Robinson, in particular, was highly valued by Bellman for his versatility; he was good at both inside and outside play, and had all-around skills, making him a great all-rounder.

With Petrovic out of form, Reggie Lewis became the Trail Blazers' primary perimeter player.

After a championship season, Lewis has adapted to the Trail Blazers' system and atmosphere.

Rick Adelman believed that Lewis's talent should no longer be suppressed, and that he should only be used as a defensive specialist against Jordan.

Lewis is playing an increasingly important role on offense, showing signs of becoming the team's number two player—and he has always had the ability to do so.

Compared to the 80s, the Trail Blazers have successfully transformed from a "forward team" into a 90s team with a basic "guard + center" structure.

Gan Guoyang gradually transformed from a brave cavalryman charging into a central general commanding the army from the front lines.

However, the team's performance at the start of the new season has been less than satisfactory.

At the beginning of the season, they suffered three consecutive losses, losing to the Suns, Spurs and Rockets. After that, their performance was very unstable, with wins and losses going back and forth.

Before facing the Chicago Bulls on November 29th, the Trail Blazers had a record of 8 wins and 7 losses, just over 11 percent.

People once thought the Trail Blazers were finished, the defending champions were showing signs of fatigue, and a second three-peat would be difficult for Forrest Gump to achieve.

The media and fans are so fickle. Last season's finals were still chanting "God of Basketball", but in just a few months, they started expecting the idol to collapse.

That's the fun of the NBA: creating idols, worshipping them, then overthrowing them and creating a new one, endlessly repeating the cycle.

Gan Guoyang knew, of course, that he was far from being overthrown; the Pioneers were just as slow to warm up as usual.

The team needs to deal with injuries and aging issues, and save more energy for the second half of the season and the playoffs.

Besides Sabonis, Porter and Cosy have both encountered some injury problems.

Over the years, they have played almost the entire season each time, with 82 regular season games and more than a dozen playoff games, and no one has suffered a major injury, which is already a miracle.

By the 1991-1992 season, everyone's bodies were starting to give out.

Of course, what's even harder to sustain is one's mental state; who wouldn't want to relax after achieving success?
The Trail Blazers have become the most legendary and famous team in the United States.

Even though the players are relatively low-key, they are still well-known throughout the United States, and they participate in many commemorative events during the offseason.

The citywide parades and celebrations were a decadent affair, until the start of the season when Magic Johnson announced he had contracted AIDS, and the league's playboys realized they should rein themselves in.

In this atmosphere, it was difficult for head coach Berman to whip the players into action, as he himself was deeply in love with his new girlfriend, and they were inseparable.

And so, on November 29th, the Trail Blazers, in poor form and with a depleted roster, faced the Chicago Bulls, who were eager for revenge, at home.

Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.

Jordan and Gan Guoyang were once best friends.

They remain best friends, but their relationship has deepened to include that of biggest rivals. The loss in the 1991 NBA Finals was a devastating blow to the entire Bulls organization.

Jordan fell into deep self-doubt, which led him to sink deeper and deeper into the abyss of gambling.

Back in the 1987-1988 season, when Jordan won the MVP and Gan Guoyang won the championship, Jordan used gambling to dispel his inner self-doubt.

Gambling is a quagmire; once you fall into it, it's hard to get out.

Even if many people manage to get through it, it's only temporary.

When you feel frustrated, disappointed with life, and doubt your own worth, this devil will beckon you, inviting you to relieve your boredom and sorrow.

People often think of gambling as a way to make quick money, but in fact, gambling is a philosophy of life, a distorted and flawed weapon to combat a boring life.

Most of the time, Jordan used gambling to amuse himself, but sometimes he would get deeply involved, venting the restless fire within him.

After losing to Forrest Gump in basketball, Jordan channeled all his competitive spirit into golf.

He played many high-stakes golf tournaments with Richard Eskinaz, a shareholder of the San Diego Sports Center.

Jordan initially won $9.8 from Richard, but Jordan wasn't going to stop there; he agreed to play one more round with Richard.

If Richard wins, the $9.8 debt will be wiped clean; if he loses, he will give Jordan another $9.8.

Did Jordan need $9.8? No, but he still agreed because he wanted to gamble and win.

As a result, the two engaged in a high-stakes gamble at the Avilaya Golf Club for ten days, during which Jordan not only lost the $9.8 but also lost an additional $62.8.

At this point, Jordan also said that he wanted to play one more round. If he won, all his debts would be wiped out; if he lost, the $62.8 would be doubled.

That's what makes gambling so terrifying, and that's also what makes it so exciting. Winning or losing can happen in an instant; you might win everything before, but then lose double the amount later.

Richard didn't want to play anymore, but Jordan insisted on playing, saying he could afford $120 million and that Richard shouldn't worry.

So the two played another game, and Jordan's debt increased to $120 million.

Jordan could certainly afford $120 million, but it was no small sum.

Keep in mind that Jordan's annual salary at the time was $325 million, but after taxes, he only received a little over a million dollars.

A few rounds of golf cost Jordan $120 million. It would be really difficult for him to come up with that much cash all at once, considering that Jordan earns a lot but also has huge expenses.

After that, Jordan left San Diego to attend various events and put the matter behind him.

When Richard asked Jordan for money before the start of the new season, Jordan joked, "If you ask me for a check for $120 million, I might shoot you at the same time."

It was a joke, but coming from Jordan, it terrified Richard Eskinaz, who feared being seen as a threat by Jordan.

Because Jordan is a celebrity, he needs prestige and is afraid of his scandals being exposed, and many people rely on Jordan for their livelihood.

Jordan might not do anything to him, but what about the people around him? Sports businessmen, advertisers, team owners, and so on.

After Richard probed a few more times, Jordan made it clear that he would not pay the money and would default on the debt.

Richard Eskinaz, for various reasons, dared not make the matter public, nor did he dare to blackmail Jordan.

In order to protect himself and to get the money, Richard thought long and hard and came up with an idea: he would tell Forrest Gump about it.

He drove to San Francisco and waited at Gan's Restaurant for several days. At that time, Gan Guoyang happened to be back in San Francisco to participate in an event at Beiqiao Middle School.

After hearing about this, Gan Guoyang asked Richard why he told him, was it so that he could persuade Jordan to pay back the money?
Richard said, "I trust your character, Sonny. I know you and Jordan are rivals and friends. I don't expect Jordan to pay me back, but I do hope that someone of sufficient standing knows the truth. If one day I encounter misfortune or suffer unwarranted slander, you can stand up for me."

Richard then gave Gan Guoyang a copy of the IOU Jordan had written to him for safekeeping.

Gan Guoyang hesitated for a moment, and he even considered helping Jordan pay off the debt and get the IOU back.

But then I thought, $120 million is too much, my wife would beat me up.

Besides, that bastard Jordan made a lot of money, why should I help him pay it back?

In the end, Gan Guoyang accepted the photocopy of the IOU, promising to keep Richard's secret.

"You are the NBA's Vito Corleone, thank you for your protection."

Despite Richard's words, Gan Guoyang warned him not to easily reveal this matter.

“I’ll find a way to get Michael to pay that money back, if that’s true. And let me tell you, actually, if you offend Michael, no one will dare to touch you; Michael is just all talk. But if you lie to me, or try to play me, things are hard to say. After all, I am Vito Corleone.”

Hearing Gan Guoyang say this, one wonders if Richard Eskinas will regret asking Gan Guoyang to resolve this matter.

So when the Bulls came to Portland for an away game, Jordan had no idea that a $120 million IOU for him was in the hands of Gan Guoyang.

After the start of the new season, the Bulls went on a scoring spree, with the entire team united in their determination to avenge their loss to the Trail Blazers.

First, they need to secure all home-court advantage; they don't want to start the series in Portland again.

Secondly, they need to win in Portland, where they lost all three Finals games.

If you can't win away from home, don't even think about winning a championship.

Tonight, the Bulls come with a strong desire for revenge.

The Trail Blazers were playing with a depleted roster, and the Bulls were confident they could defeat them.

Unexpectedly, Gan Guoyang, who weighs 270 pounds, had a career-high night, scoring 51 points and grabbing 32 rebounds.

He single-handedly dominated the Bulls' interior defense once again, leading his team through two overtime periods to secure a narrow 1-point victory over the Bulls.

When the score was 118-119, the Bulls were incredibly disappointed; they had still lost.

Although it was just a regular season game, it was decisive for both sides' psychological advantage or disadvantage.

Gan Guoyang would not allow his biggest rival to gain momentum and eliminate psychological pressure at the Memorial Stadium.

His stellar performance of 51 points and 32 rebounds also showed the Bulls players that Forrest Gump in the last Finals might not have given it his all.

This puts enormous pressure and implications on the Bulls players.

At the end of the game, Gan Guoyang said to Jordan, "Michael, stop gambling, train hard and play well, and stop gambling."

Jordan looked at Gan Guoyang, wondering if this guy knew something. Why was he saying that?
Filled with doubt and panic, Jordan left Portland. He once told Phil Jackson, "You don't understand Forrest Gump."

However, he now feels that he understands Forrest Gump less and less, and they seem to have more and more differences.

Although Gan Guoyang was reminding Jordan out of friendship, it also caused a rift to appear between the two.

Of course, the fundamental reason is that they met in the finals and became their biggest rivals.

An opponent is an opponent; their stance cannot be changed.

As Gan Guoyang watched Jordan leave, he suddenly realized that they hadn't called each other in a long time.

They can no longer be as close as they were when they were young.

(End of this chapter)