The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 671 Sacrifice
On February 18th, Gan Guoyang welcomed the birth of his second child.

That day, the Trail Blazers were playing the Phoenix Suns at home, and Wang Fuxi began waiting to give birth at the hospital that afternoon.

Gan Guoyang was worried about his wife and children and remained restless until the start of the competition.

Berman urged Gan Guoyang to go to the hospital as soon as possible and be allowed to miss the game.

But Gan Guoyang still decided to participate, as the Trail Blazers desperately needed a victory to boost morale.

Before and after the All-Star break, the Trail Blazers' performance on the court was mediocre, and their record was now on par with the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors.

The Jazz have played very strongly this year. After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for several consecutive years, the Jazz continue to adjust their roster.

They traded away their old friend and Stockton's good friend Bailey, and acquired forward Tyron Corbin to bolster the team's weak small forward position.

For a long time to come, the strength of the small forward position will determine the ceiling of the Utah Jazz. This is the role that the "point guard-power forward" roster structure most needs to be strengthened.

The Golden State Warriors also made a big trade in November, sending away their excellent shooting guard Mitch Richmond and acquiring forward Billy Owens from the Sacramento Kings.

The Warriors' TMC trio disbanded after two seasons.

In the long run, this trade is not good. Richmond is an All-Star caliber shooting guard, while Billy Owens is only a competent small forward.

However, judging from the results that season, acquiring Irving strengthened the Warriors' defense, making them a more balanced team rather than a purely offensive one.

Mike Dunleavy has brought a more balanced approach to offense and defense to the Warriors, whose record this season has been phenomenal, propelling them into the top half of the standings.

Both teams have defeated the Trail Blazers this season, and the new situation requires the Trail Blazers to be prepared for potential challenges.

If the Trail Blazers lose tonight's game against the Suns, they will lose their top spot in the Western Conference, which is something Gan Guoyang doesn't want to see.

“They have professional doctors taking care of them in the hospital, so there is absolutely no problem with their safety. Even if I went there, I wouldn’t be able to help much. But here, I can help, and I can help a lot.”

Gan Guoyang's words made sense, so Berman patted him on the shoulder and said, "If you choose to compete, then do your best. Don't lose the chance to witness the birth of your child if you don't play well."

"Understood, I will try my best to end the game as soon as possible and get to the hospital."

The battle with the Suns began at 7 p.m. Pacific Time in the Trail Blazers' third game at the Rose Garden.

This time, Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers players were no longer bothered by the new arena, and they finally felt the benefits of the new arena.

The brand-new changing room, fully equipped, allows everyone to relax better.

The massive stadium can accommodate 20,000 fans, and the atmosphere is incredibly lively and magnificent.

The floor, the rim, the lights—everything was new and state-of-the-art, making the Trail Blazers players feel: We are the best team in the league.

The Trail Blazers had their full roster available tonight, with players like Sabonis and Lewis recovering from injuries, bringing the team's rotation back to health.

So right from the start, the Trail Blazers launched a relentless attack on the Suns, with Sabonis delivering his best first quarter since returning from injury.

He dished out 5 assists, grabbed 5 rebounds, and scored 7 points in the quarter, helping Agan and the twin towers in the paint to dismantle the Suns' three-second defense.

Like Sabonis, Sam Bowie has been plagued by leg injuries this season, resulting in frequent stoppages in his games.

Bowie was a crucial defensive anchor in the Suns' paint, but he fouled out in the first quarter, forcing the Suns to rely on Mark West to guard both Agan and Sabonis.

How could they possibly withstand that? The Trail Blazers outscored the Suns 39-27 in the first quarter, taking a 12-point lead into the second quarter and completely controlling the game.

In the second quarter, the Trail Blazers continued their fluid half-court offense. Gan Guoyang handed over the offensive stage to Sabonis, Lewis, Petrovic, and Porter, among others, focusing more on rebounding and defense.

After a season and a half of training, integration, and games, the essence of the Princeton offense has been integrated into the Trail Blazers' tactical DNA. Every move, every pass, and every movement embodies the Princeton philosophy, focusing on finding backdoors and getting the ball moving, not pursuing absolute speed, but striving to completely control the rhythm.

When the Trail Blazers completed an eight-pass set offense, finally opening up the paint for Gan Guoyang to receive the ball and dunk with both hands, the Rose Garden reached a climax that evening.

Cheers and applause surged like a tide, forcing the Phoenix Suns to call a timeout.

Charles Barkley was quite frustrated; he's been having a run of bad luck lately and is very unhappy with his performance.

He was the focus of attention at last year's All-Star Game, but this year he's just a supporting character, and he even lost $10,000 in a golf game between Forrest Gump and Jordan.

Afterwards, Barkley felt like he had been tricked, as if Jordan owed him money and he had been dragged into it to offset part of the debt.

In his personal life, Barkley's biggest problem is his relationship with his wife, which is experiencing some crises.

A series of events have happened to Barkley in the past two years that have damaged their relationship, with rumors circulating that they have separated and are preparing for divorce.

Things weren't that bad, but they weren't exactly pleasant either; the couple's marriage was already quite controversial.

Maureen was a beautiful, tall white female model, while Barkley was once a poor black man.

If they hadn't entered the NBA, the two would never have crossed paths in their lives. Now they are husband and wife and have children.

Even so, their relationship was still the subject of ridicule and attacks, with people saying that Maureen married a beast for money, or that Barkley, now rich and famous, wanted to marry a beautiful white woman to escape his past social class, and so on.

No one believed that they were together purely out of love and mutual attraction, which troubled Barkley.

Of course, what bothers him the most is the performance on the court, as the Suns' roster this year is not much different from last year.

They remain highly competitive, but injuries have plagued them, and Fitzsimmons simply doesn't offer much more to the Suns.

The Suns remain among the top teams in the Western Conference, having won some important games, but Barkley knows full well that this version of the Suns cannot beat the Portland Trail Blazers.

They need more mature, fresher talent, better teamwork, or rather, a newer system. In short, Barkley no longer dares to boast that he can defeat the Trail Blazers this season.

They don't even have the confidence to win a single game in the playoffs.

At the end of the first half, the Trail Blazers were leading the Suns by as many as 22 points.

The Trail Blazers were in excellent form tonight, with Gan Guoyang scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the first half, including 6 offensive rebounds.

Forrest Gump was aiming for 30 rebounds again; this beast's energy on the court was despair-inducing.

Many years later in his autobiography, Barkley admitted that the long-term struggle against Forrest Gump was a very despairing thing.

"It's like a race on a track. I've won many races like this in the past. After a certain distance, everyone gets tired. My opponent and I are both panting. At that moment, I know that if I grit my teeth and persevere, victory is just around the corner. I'm tired, and my enemy is tired too. I will try my best to encourage myself, and finally wear down my opponent and win."

"But Forrest Gump was different. You couldn't see any signs of him getting tired. I'm not talking about physical fitness, but the desire to win and the game. I was about to break down, and then I turned around and saw this guy running around with a smile, just like when he first started. God, that's more devastating than fatigue itself. You think, 'Forget it, give up, it's impossible to win, it's really impossible.'" During halftime, Barkley felt a sense of despair. Thinking about coming to the West and having to compete against Forrest Gump for many years to come, he felt that this road was dark and endless.

At this moment, he felt a pang of regret. Perhaps he shouldn't have come to the West. Staying in the East to fight Michael would have been a bit easier than fighting Forrest Gump. After all, he had made it to the Finals once with the Bullets.

Thinking about all this nonsense won't affect the game. Everyone on the Trail Blazers team has one belief: blow out the game in three quarters so that Forrest Gump can leave early to see his child at the hospital.

So in the second half, the Trail Blazers' offense became more aggressive and cautious, seizing every opportunity precisely, avoiding mistakes, denying the Suns counter-attack chances, and carefully managing every possession – this is the essence of the Trail Blazers' offense.

They are not like the Nuggets or Lakers, who use speed and rhythm to overwhelm opponents with their fast-paced offense. Their core has always been two words: efficiency.

Always maintaining an offensive efficiency superior to the opponent, never giving the opponent a chance for a large-scale counterattack, perfect rhythm control, and victory is won without them even realizing it.

After three quarters, the Trail Blazers led the Suns by 27 points.

Actually, the Suns played quite well tonight, but the Trail Blazers played too well.

The entire team had only one belief: to get Forrest to the hospital as soon as possible to be with his wife during childbirth.

Therefore, with the outcome of the game no longer in doubt in the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang left the court early.

He scored 24 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the first three quarters. If the fourth quarter had been played, he might have been able to reach 30 rebounds.

Before leaving the field, Gan Guoyang picked up the microphone to explain to the fans, "My wife and children are waiting for me at the hospital. I have completed my task on the field, please allow me to leave early. This is not to disrespect my opponents, teammates, or you, but... I am unsettled. I'm sorry, everyone, I'm really sorry."

After Gan Guoyang finished speaking, the fans at the scene gave him applause of understanding and blessings. He waved goodbye and left through the player tunnel to go to the locker room.

Reporters and cameras followed Gan Guoyang closely along the way. Gan Guoyang returned to the changing room, quickly washed and changed, and then left Rose Garden by car for the hospital.

The game continued, and the Suns were trying to fight back, hoping to teach the Trail Blazers and Forrest a lesson. How wonderful it would be if they could pull off a great comeback.

Unfortunately, even without Forrest Gump, the Trail Blazers' roster remains strong, making it almost impossible for them to concede a massive 20-point lead.

Moreover, the team was in high spirits and full of confidence. After several rounds, the Suns couldn't even narrow the gap.

Less than halfway through the fourth quarter, the Suns gave up the fight, substituting their key players for substitutes, and the game entered garbage time.

Charles Barkley returned to the bench dejectedly, with only one thought in his mind: I must perform well in the Olympics, the US team must meet the Chinese team, absolutely...

It's not just Barkley; every star player selected for the US Olympic team is now hoping and praying to crush the Chinese team on the Olympic stage.

This is the best opportunity to get revenge; it's a chance that won't come again.

At this time, Gan Guoyang was already waiting at the hospital. Wang Fuxi went into the delivery room, and the whole family began a long and anxious wait.

Despite it being his second child, Gan Guoyang was still very anxious, more so than during any other competition.

"I wasn't even this nervous during the finals." Gan Guoyang paced back and forth outside the ward.

In the Finals against the Bulls, the closer to the crucial moments, the calmer and clearer Gan Guoyang's mind became.

But now he is in a state of great confusion, his mind is a complete mess, and after the third quarter he really couldn't hold on any longer and couldn't stay on the court.

Every minute and every second was torture. He worried about his wife's health and his children's well-being. His mind kept replaying the past, his abandoned self, and his lively yet lonely childhood.

He hadn't thought about the past for a long time, and he thought he was completely integrated into this era, but when a new life was about to be born, the deepest things still surfaced.

Beside him was Gan Wenshan, who was a little confused but could tell that his father was worried and his mother was working hard.

Seeing Gan Guoyang pacing anxiously, he went over and tugged at his father's hand.

Gan Guoyang picked up his son, held him in his arms, and then continued to walk with him at the door.

Gan Wenshan gently touched Gan Guoyang's face and said, "Don't worry, Dad."

Gan Guoyang kissed his sensible son and said, "I'm not worried. Mom and the second son will be fine. I just really want to see them."

Finally, the delivery room door was pushed open, and the wife and child were wheeled out on a hospital bed. Wang Fuxi looked to be in good spirits, while the tiny life was curled up beside its mother, like a flower bud yet to bloom.

"It's a girl, and she's very healthy," the nurse said.

It was a girl, and Gan Guoyang was filled with immense happiness.

He had always hoped to have a daughter, so that he could have both a son and a daughter.

Seeing his wife and daughter together, Gan Guoyang was very happy, but tears streamed down his face.

Wang Fuxi reached out and wiped away the tears on Gan Guoyang's face, asking softly, "How does our daughter look?"

"good, very good."

"She looks a lot like you."

"This is not good news..."

"Daughters always resemble their fathers more."

Gan Guoyang gently touched the child's head and suddenly asked the nurse, "Is her heart okay?"

The nurse nodded and said, "Very good, no problem."

Wang Fuxi asked curiously, "You asked the same question when Wenshan was born, asking if his heart was healthy. What's wrong?"

"Ah...yes, my...our family's children should all have big hearts."

At that moment, news came from the arena that the game between the Trail Blazers and the Suns had ended.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Suns by a margin of 23 points, 104-127.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "I'm sorry, Charles, I've made you the scapegoat again."

Who told you to have so much flesh? You're a good offering.

(End of this chapter)