The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 678 Riot
The Trail Blazers played better and better towards the end of the season, winning all their road trips in the East and each game quite easily.

On the one hand, Gan Guoyang was in exceptionally good form. He was on the verge of a breakthrough, and his understanding of basketball games exploded. He could enter a "flow" state in almost every game.

This greatly increased his efficiency, allowing him to score high points, grab many rebounds, and dish out many assists in a series of games with extremely high efficiency, giving the impression that he had both teammates and opponents under his control.

Of course, the relatively weak level of his opponents was also one of the reasons for his outstanding performance.

In short, Gan Guoyang is becoming more and more confident on his path to a second three-peat.

On the other hand, the Trail Blazers' young players stepped up, with Davis, Cliff Robinson, and others becoming the backbone of the second unit.

Petrovic and Reggie Lewis are entering their prime, and their individual abilities, combined with Gan Guoyang's ability to draw defenders, are forming a powerful offensive triangle.

Due to injuries, Sabonis's statistics and tactical importance have declined compared to 1990 and 1991.

Bobby Bellman made adjustments to address this situation, and the Trail Blazers gradually transformed from a "twin-tower core team" into a "center + shooting guard team".

Adelman's initial idea of ​​"making Forrest Gump suffer a little" worked, eventually turning Gan Guoyang into a well-rounded monster in position 5.

From this perspective, Adelman deserves much credit for Gan Guoyang's ultimate evolution.

Overall, the 1992 Portland Trail Blazers were more united and stable than the 1988 team. They were not satisfied with a three-peat and even aimed for a four-peat.

Of course, they also faced much stronger opponents.

The Chicago Bulls maintained their dominance throughout the season.

Apart from losing to the Portland Trail Blazers, they were virtually unstoppable in the subsequent series of games.

After the off-court gambling incident was temporarily resolved, Michael Jordan devoted all his energy to basketball games.

In the final stages of the regular season in March and April, the Bulls went on a 19-2 run.

They finished with an impressive 69-13 record—the same as the Portland Trail Blazers in 1990.

Phil Jackson commented on his team after the regular season ended: "We really had a terrifying year. We won 69 games, and I even think that if we hadn't pulled back a bit and relaxed a little in some games, we could have won 70 or even 75 games..."

Jackson's statement was somewhat exaggerated; 75 wins is indeed an exaggeration, but 70 wins is not impossible.

The Bulls were originally aiming for a historic 70 wins, surpassing the Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers.

However, Jordan said, "If we can't beat the Trail Blazers in the playoffs, it's meaningless to win 82 games."

So, in a game where they could have won 70, the Bulls chose to let their key players rest early to prepare for the playoffs, and ultimately lost the game.

Due to the requirements of the triangle offense, Jordan's average points per game this season were "only" 30.1, behind Gan Guoyang's average of 32.5, thus losing his scoring title.

This was the second time he had lost to Gan Guoyang in a scoring title matchup, but Jordan didn't care anymore; he was only thinking about the Finals and the championship.

The teams ranked second through eighth in the Eastern Conference are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and New Jersey Nets, respectively.

Looking across the East, no team can rival the Bulls. The Cavaliers, ranked second, have a balanced roster and have performed exceptionally well this season, but there is still a significant gap between them and the Bulls.

Without Bird, the Celtics, with Hornacek and Divac at their core, and Kevin McHale and Parry still having fuel in the tank, had a great season. However, the roster as a whole lacked talent, and the Celtics were not capable of challenging the Bulls.

The Pistons have completely declined, while the Miami Heat are thriving. However, rumors about Hakeem Olajuwon near the end of the season have affected the team's internal unity, and fans are focusing their expectations on the offseason and the next season.

The New York Knicks, under John McLeod's leadership, have been mediocre, struggling to find their niche.

Ewing is entering his prime, but his performance is not meeting expectations, and the team's development is also in trouble.

Like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing was also caught up in rumors of being traded to another team.

Ewing hasn't had a happy season in New York these past few years; his personality clashes with the Big Apple.

As the world's number one city, New York needs an extroverted superstar like Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan.

Ewing was too reserved, even a little eccentric; his Georgetown quirks were too deep and strong.

After a very brief honeymoon period with the New York media, Ewing has been living amidst ridicule and criticism ever since.

Some New York fans also believe that Ewing is not good enough for New York, and not good enough for the Knicks, the "center of the universe".

The root cause is clear to everyone: Forrest Gump's presence puts immense pressure on every superstar center.

He weighed down on these people like a mountain: Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson.

Everyone entered the league one after another, and in many people's eyes, they were originally on the same starting line. Even if there was a difference in their order of entry, there was no difference in their level.

But as Forrest Gump built the Trail Blazers dynasty and repeatedly delivered superhuman performances in the regular season, everyone realized that Forrest Gump was not on the same level as them.

Furthermore, in the past two seasons, Forrest Gump has become less and less like a center. In terms of both ability and performance, he seems to have transcended the three realms and is no longer subject to the five elements.

Some New York fans, especially younger ones, would hold up signs while watching games at Madison Square Garden, asking Ewing, "Why can't you shoot threes?" "Why is your passing so bad?" "Why can't you run a fast break?"

These tasks weren't originally the center's responsibility, and even if Ewing didn't perform well, he shouldn't be subjected to such questioning.

But Gan Guoyang set a new benchmark, showing people how well-rounded a center can be and how many different playing styles he can have.

As a result, traditional centers like Ewing began to be questioned: If Forrest Gump could do it, why can't you?
Why do you guys play so rigidly and so ugly? Where are your three-pointers? Where are your beautiful passes?

In fact, Gan Guoyang's playing style and ability are completely ahead of their time and unprecedented, but the fans don't care.

Once Hakeem Olajuwon leaves Houston and sets a precedent, it may only be a matter of time before Patrick Ewing leaves New York.

Similar to the situation in the East, the Trail Blazers are also the only dominant force in the West.

After two-thirds of an unstable season, the Trail Blazers swept the league in the final third of the season, achieving a record of 60 wins and 22 losses.

With 60 wins, this was Gan Guoyang's second-worst season since joining the Trail Blazers, but it was enough for them to take the top spot in the Western Conference and firmly keep the Jazz, Suns and Warriors behind them.

Gan Guoyang averaged 32.5 points per game this season and, with Dennis Rodman close behind, grabbed an unprecedented 18.8 rebounds per game – winning the league rebounding title for the seventh consecutive year by a mere 0.1 rebounds per game.

Because Gan Guoyang is dominant in scoring, his rebounding ability and overall impact have been consistently overlooked.

It wasn't until he won seven consecutive rebounding titles that people truly realized how much impact his rebounding and offensive play could have on the outcome of a game.

In many competitive games, one or two rebounds can determine possession and often decide the outcome.

The teams ranked fifth through eighth are the SuperSonics, Spurs, Clippers, and Lakers—this is the first time the Clippers have made the playoffs since moving to Los Angeles, and their ranking is even ahead of the Lakers, which is truly unprecedented.

This ranking result means that the Trail Blazers will face their old rivals, the Lakers, in the first round.

Before the season started, the Trail Blazers considered the Lakers their number one rival in the West. However, with Magic Johnson's unexpected retirement, the Lakers' glorious era came to a complete end.

Magic Johnson held his retirement ceremony at the Great Western Forum after a great All-Star Game performance.

His number 32 jersey was retired along with him and hangs in the rafters of The Forum, alongside the numbers of legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West. Of course, Magic Johnson wasn't content to leave the court just like that. After overcoming his fear of AIDS, he discovered he could still play.

So before his official retirement, he had been considering whether to make a comeback and continue playing. It wasn't until this moment that he realized his love for basketball far exceeded his love for women.

However, his friends and advisors all advised him against doing such a capricious and foolish thing. The retirement press conference was held, the retirement All-Star game was played, and the retirement ceremony was prepared. Why would he make a comeback and continue to compete while still infected with HIV?

Aren't you just making a fool of everyone? If you do that, then you really are a magician.

Johnson eventually abandoned the idea and, after retiring, chose to become a commentator for NBC.

Moreover, his basketball career was not completely over; the 1992 Olympics were beckoning him, and he still had the opportunity to play.

Without Magic Johnson, the Lakers are like a car without a core engine. You can replace the engine and it will still run, but it will never be as fast as it used to be.

On April 23, after a week's rest, the NBA 1991-1992 season playoffs officially began.

In the first two games, the Portland Trail Blazers will face the visiting Los Angeles Lakers at their new home arena, the Rose Garden.

Don Nelson has temporarily kept his job as head coach because of Magic Johnson's retirement, as Jerry Buss knows that without Magic, no one can replace him.

Why not let Nelson play for another season? The team can rebuild next season, and then we can find a suitable coach later. Buss's target is the Trail Blazers' assistant coach, Adelman.

The outcome of the game was not much of a surprise, with the Trail Blazers winning both of their previous games by a large margin against the Lakers, heading to Los Angeles with a 2-0 lead.

But what the Trail Blazers players didn't expect was that a major event was about to happen in Los Angeles in April 1992.

Back in March 1991, a little over a year ago, a black man named Rodney King was pulled over by police on the highway and subsequently beaten.

The entire beating was filmed by a resident living near the highway with a home video camera and then leaked to the media.

At first, the incident did not have a significant impact, but as time went on, several police officers were arrested and brought to trial.

A growing number of people of color are watching the court verdict closely, hoping that the police officers who beat Rodney King will be punished by law.

However, the police officers who were brought to court on charges of "excessive use of force" were acquitted by a jury.

This caused a huge uproar among the Black community in Los Angeles, with people taking to the streets to protest, and the situation gradually spiraled out of control.

Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers players arrived in Los Angeles and checked into their hotel. From time to time, they could hear police sirens blaring.

Gan Guoyang called his parents-in-law to inquire about their situation and told them to be careful at home and to go to Portland if necessary.

Unexpectedly, his father-in-law, Wang Zhengming, said he had no intention of going to Portland at all. "Damn it, these black people are saying they're protesting, but they'll soon be using the protest as an excuse to loot and vandalize. Damn it, if they dare come to my territory, I'll bring my men and kill them!"

Gan Guoyang was not at ease, so he immediately called Wang Fuxi and asked her to persuade his parents-in-law to leave Los Angeles and stay in Portland for a while, so as not to get involved in the conflict.

Watching the news on TV, the situation was deteriorating. Based on Gan Guoyang's understanding of ethnic minorities in major American cities, these so-called protests would eventually evolve into zero-dollar purchases.

It's not just Los Angeles; Portland is also gradually becoming like Los Angeles, with rising crime rates and increasingly severe ethnic divisions.

The harmonious neighborly relations of the past, where people could freely open their doors and camp in the city, are becoming increasingly rare, existing only in a few mid- to high-end communities.

The number of squalid and chaotic slums is increasing, and their scope is expanding. Drugs, violence, and guns are breeding and spreading in the forgotten corners of the city.

Once a certain event acts as a trigger, the pent-up elements of chaos in the city will erupt, and now the vast city of Los Angeles is engulfed in flames.

Before the game started, both teams were uneasy. The Trail Blazers' bus was attacked by unidentified people on its way to the Great Western Forum.

They were hit with stones, their windows were smashed, and the bus's rearview mirrors were damaged. Police immediately deployed additional security personnel to protect the players' safety.

Back in the locker room, everyone speculated about why the Trail Blazers were attacked. Bobby Bellman said, "Because we have the most foreign players, and now those crazy guys in Los Angeles are attacking other ethnic groups everywhere. I guess the attacker might have mistaken Forrest Gump for a Korean."

In March 1991, a Korean convenience store owner in Los Angeles shot and killed a 15-year-old black girl who was stealing, sparking hatred towards Koreans among African Americans in Los Angeles.

During this riot, the black people who bought things for free decided to take revenge and began looting and attacking Koreans and their shops and stores.

In the Trail Blazers' locker room, instead of watching game footage before the game, everyone turned on the TV to watch the live broadcast related to the riots.

On television, Los Angeles looked like a city in the midst of war, with thick smoke everywhere, burned cars, and destroyed shops lining the streets—it was nothing like the Hollywood dream city it once was.

Gan Guoyang was angry about being mistaken for a Korean, but at times like this, Asians are united. Those black people don't care if you're Korean, Chinese, or Japanese; they treat anyone with yellow skin and black hair as an easy target.

However, South Koreans who are required to serve in the military are not easy to bully. Those black men who tried to storm into Koreatown to burn, kill, and loot were met with a strong counterattack from the South Korean shop owners. Everyone has guns, so who's afraid of who?
Military-trained South Koreans took up arms and climbed onto the roof to protect their property after the police had completely abandoned the area.

As the camera panned across Koreatown, Gan Guoyang spotted a somewhat familiar face among the armed Koreans.

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, Gan Guoyang was certain that the person was his high school classmate, Xu Xun.

"Good job, this kid looks pretty brave."

Although Gan Guoyang doesn't particularly like South Koreans, his ability to unite and use weapons to protect his business in the face of violent robbery is worthy of respect.

In that night's game, the Lakers fought desperately, but Gan Guoyang gave the Los Angeles team no chance to recover, delivering a 40-point offensive performance and taking the Lakers away at the Great Western Forum.

With a score of 3-0, they easily eliminated the Lakers, who were without Magic Johnson, in the first round and smoothly advanced to the semifinals.

As the Trail Blazers left the Forum, fires raged across Los Angeles that night, with Inglewood being the epicenter of the riots.

Under the protection of guards, the players quickly boarded the bus. Not far away, thick smoke was billowing out, and it was unclear which shop had been burned down.

On the way back to the hotel, the nearby shops had been looted, and there was a scene of devastation everywhere. A curfew was in effect throughout Los Angeles, and the streets were deserted.

After arriving at the hotel, Gan Guoyang immediately called Wang Fuxi. Only after confirming that his parents-in-law had safely left Los Angeles for Portland did he feel relieved.

If the Trail Blazers lose this game, their fourth game against the Lakers will not be played in Los Angeles and will instead be moved to Las Vegas.

The Clippers vs. Jazz game is a good example.

Due to the unrest, the road from the hotel to the airport was blocked, and the Trail Blazers players had to stay in the hotel and wait for news.

At night, the entire city was ablaze, with fires everywhere and sirens blaring all around.

On a street not far from the hotel, a car was set ablaze.

Gan Guoyang and his bodyguard Quentin left the hotel and came to an empty street. Quentin was holding a gun and he was very nervous. He didn't know why Gan had run out. It was too dangerous.

"Sonny, let's go back, it's too dangerous!"

"I know, I'll go back right away. I just wanted to come down and see for myself, to experience it."

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang walked to the car that was almost burned down to its frame, took out a cigar from his pocket, and lit it over the flames.

He took a couple of puffs, exhaled a puff of smoke into the night sky, turned around and said, "Let's go back."

(End of this chapter)