The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 681 Another Road
Gan Guoyang won the Slam Dunk Contest title at the Seattle All-Star Game with a "flying umbrella" dunk, earning him the nickname "Rain Man".

Seattle and Portland are both cities that are shrouded in continuous rain all year round, and they are both known as rain cities.

However, Gan Guoyang's most famous nickname is "Sun King," which is really out of place with Rain Man.

Therefore, news media and magazines rarely used the nickname "Rain Man" for Gan Guoyang, and he was almost forgotten by people.

Kemp, who hails from Seattle, also has his own nickname because of his explosive playing style; people call him "Reign Man."

And since Reign is pronounced the same as Rain, and Seattle is already rainy, coupled with Gan Guoyang's line "The Rain Man belongs to you," Camp went from being a ruler to someone with dementia...

Regardless, the Supersonics' performance tonight was amazing.

A group of young players, with their energetic defense and wolf-pack-like hustle, ended the Trail Blazers' undefeated home record.

In an interview, Gan Guoyang bluntly stated that they had been careless in the match and had not performed as expected.

"We didn't even watch the SuperSonics' first-round game footage properly before the match. We underestimated our opponents and then paid the price."

After the interview, Gan Guoyang punished himself by practicing three-point shots for two hours in hopes of regaining his form in the next game.

In fact, the Trail Blazers lost the first game not only because the SuperSonics played well, the Trail Blazers underestimated their opponents, and there was a lot of external pressure, but also because Gan Guoyang hesitated during the game.

His hesitation wasn't due to a fear of losing or a desire to win, but rather because he felt he was on the verge of a breakthrough, experiencing a painful sense of breaking free from his cocoon, like the darkness before dawn.

He couldn't share this feeling with anyone, he couldn't express it to anyone; it was a wondrous state of being.

To be honest, Gan Guoyang didn't like this feeling, as if he had suddenly forgotten how to play ball.

One thing that Gan Guoyang and Jordan have in common is that neither of them is the type of person who thinks about basketball in a complicated way.

Both of them possess strong animal instincts and an exceptional killing instinct, which makes them extremely adept at handling situations and even more outstanding in crucial moments.

But recently, Gan Guoyang has felt that his bloodthirstiness is gradually fading away, and something new is taking its place.

He wondered if the birth of his daughter had changed him, or if years of victories had lessened his murderous intent; he was simply tired of it all.

After ruling out both possibilities, Gan Guoyang realized that he was on the verge of a breakthrough; this was his eighth year in the league.

At 28, the accumulation of quantitative changes had reached the point of qualitative change, which occurred in the semi-finals.

But everything seemed to be going against the grain. After admitting his mistake after the match, Gan Guoyang didn't make any grand pronouncements.

He didn't lash out at his teammates in the locker room, nor did he watch video with Bobby Bellman.

He simply went home, cut off all communication with the outside world, spent time with his son and daughter, and then went to his private basketball court.

I played basketball with myself for a while, shooting, dribbling, hook shots, everything was so skillful, so smooth, without any flaws in the details.

He lay in the center of the court, staring at the empty ceiling, his mind replaying everything that had happened in the first game.

Everything was clear; the details were all in his mind. Right or wrong, instinct would provide an answer.

Gan Guoyang shook his head, got up from the ground, and said to himself, "I never used to think so much when I played basketball. I just beat them and that was it. It's so annoying."

Gan Guoyang doesn't like to overthink things. Just like in the 1986 NBA Finals against the Celtics, when Jack Ramsey was racking his brains over his lineup, Gan Guoyang told him, "Give me the ball, and I'll score 50 points and we'll win."

He did it, he succeeded, he won.

He recalled what he had said to Larry Johnson, and what Xu Xun had told him: don't think, feel.

Furthermore, whenever he blocks an opponent's shot, he never looks at the ball; instead, he relies on his sense of touch, keeping his eyes focused elsewhere.

This is his secret to being able to defend against two opponents at once.

But why are my thoughts becoming more and more numerous and chaotic?
Gan Guoyang sat on the ground and asked himself, finally arriving at an answer:
"Maybe I should be the coach and send Bobby back to Gonzaga."

Unfortunately, this was not the answer Gan Guoyang wanted.

Ultimately, he stopped thinking and decided to give everything to the game, to basketball.

Basketball won't deceive him; it will eventually give him the answer.
-

Unlike Gan Guoyang's modesty, George Karl quickly revealed his arrogant side after winning a game; this guy can only pretend for one game at most.

"Sonny said they underestimated us, but I don't agree with that. It's an excuse. Does he mean that if they took us seriously, they would definitely win? Bouchert, a loss is a loss. I didn't expect a player like Forrest Gump to make such a lame excuse as 'carelessness and underestimation.' This isn't like him. Is this still the Forrest Gump I remember?"

"Forrest Gump is becoming arrogant, which is to be expected, and arrogance will cause them to lose the game."

During the open training session the day after the game, George Karl commented on Gan Guoyang's interview from the previous day.

Although Karl did not openly attack Gan Guoyang, criticizing him for being "arrogant" was undoubtedly a strong slander.

On the other hand, he was also subtly implying that Gan Guoyang was hypocritical.

Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn't tolerate Karl's overly arrogant behavior.

Before the start of the second game, Gan Guoyang went directly to the door of the away team's locker room at the Rose Garden Stadium to block Karl.

When Karl saw Gan Guoyang standing there, his legs immediately went weak and he almost knelt on the ground.

When Kemp saw Forrest Gump trying to cause trouble, Payton quickly pulled him back and whispered, "Brother, don't go, don't go."

Payton and Gan Guoyang have known each other for many years. He understands Gan Guoyang and knows that Gan Guoyang is incredibly strong, but he will not act recklessly.

It's better if you don't go up there; if you do, it will escalate the conflict, and nobody knows what will happen next.

Gan Guoyang put his hands on his hips, looked down at Karl, and said, "George, when you returned to the NBA, Whitsett called all the coaches and management in the league to ask for their opinions on you. Guess who gave you a good review?"

George Karl scratched his bald forehead and said, "Uh... I know, Bobby, Bobby Bellman."

"Do you know that Bobby's opinion has always been my opinion? He came to me to discuss what I thought about George Karl wanting to come back to the NBA. Guess what I said?"

"This... I really don't know..."

“I told him that George would be a great coach and stay in the league for a long time. He told Whitsett exactly what I said.”

Gan Guoyang was telling the truth, which made George Karl break out in a cold sweat and momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.

He actually hoped that Gan Guoyang would curse at him, yell at him, or threaten him, so that he would have the energy and passion to attack the Trail Blazers later.

Now, he stood awkwardly at the locker room door, only able to shrug and say, "I...you know, some things are just pre-game...uh, tactics, it's normal." "Yeah, it's normal, so you won't get any punishment except losing the game. Good luck, George."

As Gan Guoyang left, the atmosphere in the entire Supersonics locker room immediately became much more relaxed.

After George Karl entered the locker room, he straightened his tie and said, "Why didn't anyone step in to stop this guy?"

Peyton, chewing gum, replied, "Because we're all normal."

For the young SuperSonics, securing a home game against the Trail Blazers is already a significant achievement.

Karl had hoped to use this opportunity to ignite the players' desire to win and continue to create miracles.

But what just happened was like a bucket of cold water, chilling him to the bone.

Because he realized that he himself was afraid of Forrest Gump, so how could he get his teammates to get over him?
"I should have just punched him, or called security, or reported him to the league office for punishment! Or... at the very least, I should have yelled at him..."

George Karl was filled with regret, thinking he had been too cowardly. If he had been more assertive, he might have won tonight.

In fact, George Karl himself knew deep down that they would most likely lose tonight, and that winning two games in a row in Portland was completely impossible.

Indeed, in the second game, the Trail Blazers made only a simple adjustment and immediately overwhelmed the SuperSonics.

Bellman designed the first quarter's tactics as a pick-and-roll between Porter and Gan Guoyang, with Gan Guoyang hitting consecutive mid-range and long-range shots from the top of the key and the 45-degree angle.

He was in excellent form in this game, and Kemp experienced the feeling of "I tried my best but I just couldn't stop him".

George Karl continued his strategy of allowing Gan Guoyang to shoot from mid-range and long-range in the previous game, and paid a heavy price for it.

95:115，开拓者在主场20分的优势轻松击败了超音速，大比分扳成了1:1平。

甘国阳全场三分球6投4中，中距离11投7中，高效拿下35分外加18个篮板球。

He completely dominated the Trail Blazers' offense and defense tonight, and the Trail Blazers didn't make any further adjustments besides starting with pick-and-rolls.

If they make significant adjustments after losing a game against the Supersonics, it proves they lack confidence in their own abilities.

After winning the second game, Gan Guoyang remained calm. Back in the locker room, he unusually refused to be interviewed by reporters and then asked Jack Sharoff to show him the video of the game.

"It's not edited yet, Sonny," Shalov said.

"It's okay, I'll pick out the important parts to look at myself, just put them away."

Gan Guoyang watched the game video in the locker room.

He held the remote control in his hand, sometimes fast-forwarding, sometimes pausing.

I watched the entire match in about half an hour.

Everyone left then to get some rest, as they were taking a flight to Seattle early the next morning.

Seeing that Gan Guoyang was still watching the video, Berman asked, "Sonny, are you not satisfied with this match?"

Gan Guoyang shook his head, then nodded, and said, "Not quite satisfied. I could have played better."

“35分18个篮板球4个盖帽，赢20分，还要怎么更好？非要拿50分吗？”

"No, Bobby, no... Bobby, do you think I could be any better?"

Bellman was tidying up her closet, sorting out and getting rid of all the things her ex-girlfriend had given her.

Hearing Gan Guoyang say this, Bellman was stunned for a moment. He wanted to say, "Sunny, you've been good enough. How much better do you want?"

But before he could finish speaking, Behrman swallowed back the meaningless words. He had a feeling that Forrest Gump was seeking a breakthrough.

Berman had been Gan Guoyang's head coach for over a decade and knew him better than his own daughter. Gan Guoyang rarely asked such weak and powerless questions.

So he changed the subject, saying, "Of course, you can do even better. Cheer up, you son of a bitch, do a better job. I'm going to give you 45 minutes of playing time next game, and make those Seattle scumbags go crazy, especially that George Karl guy, XXXXX..."

After a string of vulgar and offensive insults, the master and apprentice burst into laughter in the locker room.

Afterwards, Gan Guoyang got dressed, and Berman threw a box of old things into the trash can. The two then left the Rose Garden Stadium.
-

On another court, in the East, the Chicago Bulls and the Heat were also tied 1-1.

This scoreline was also unexpected, as the Miami Heat have demonstrated remarkable fighting spirit in the playoffs.

In their first game, the Bulls unsurprisingly defeated the Heat at home, securing a winning start and crushing the new team by a large margin.

Jordan had a clear advantage over Drexler, dominating him on both offense and defense.

Just when people thought the Bulls could easily take a 2-0 lead and head to Miami, the Heat put up an extremely tough defense in Game 2.

The most impressive player was Heat center Ronnie Sekkali, a strong and handsome Lebanese center who dominated the Bulls' frontcourt with his agile footwork and strong rebounding.

He scored 19 points, grabbed 21 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots, causing the Bulls' interior defense to suffer greatly.

Sekali once grabbed a career-high 34 rebounds in a single game, making him one of the few monsters in the league during the 90s to achieve 30 rebounds in a single game.

Although Sekkali was embroiled in trade rumors surrounding Hakeem Olajuwon at the end of the regular season, his performance in the playoffs was impressive.

The Bulls' struggles against strong centers were on full display, leading the media to question their future prospects this season once again.

Ronnie Seccari is just a completely weakened version of Forrest Gump, and you guys were beaten up like this. What would you do if you encountered the real Forrest Gump?
Of course, the real headache for the Bulls wasn't Secarly, Drexler's triple-double, or McDaniel's fight with Pippen, but rather the Heat's head coach Pat Riley.

Phil Jackson realized that Pat Riley was building a strict, military-style team in Miami, challenging the Chicago Bulls with a tough defense.

If the trade rumors come true and the Heat acquire a superstar center like Hakeem Olajuwon or Patrick Ewing, the Heat will undoubtedly cause the Bulls a lot of trouble.

Bill Cartwright and Buck Williams are inevitably aging; both are over thirty and their performance is visibly declining.

Moreover, Bill Cartwright is thin and Buck Williams is short, which is more than enough to deal with other big men in the league, but they are easily at a disadvantage against strong centers.

Forrest Gump is the most powerful big man in NBA history, even stronger than Wilt Chamberlain, and the Chicago media has reason to worry about the Bulls.

But what the Chicago media and the Bulls didn't know was that Forrest Gump was transforming into someone else entirely.

(End of this chapter)