The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 69 Too late

The little incident with Rick Barry did not affect Gan Guoyang's good mood for Christmas in 1983.

In fact, Barry and Gan Guoyang got along well during the evening activities that followed.

Barry is annoying mainly because he speaks without restraint. Whether it's a teammate, opponent, colleague, boss, senior or junior, fan or friend, he speaks indiscriminately. Such a person will not be liked anywhere.

Now that he's older and retired for a few years, he's found a job as a commentator at a TV station, and his temper has somewhat subsided—though it's said he still has a bad relationship with his colleague Bill Russell.

Gan Guoyang is open-minded and treats everyone with neither arrogance nor servility. He never takes minor frictions to heart.

Barry unusually praised Gan Guoyang's shooting skills and also discussed his face-up offense and three-point shooting with him.

Barry was surprised that Gan Guoyang held a positive attitude towards three-pointers, considering that when the NBA decided to introduce three-pointers in 1979, there was widespread opposition from players, coaches, owners, and fans.

By 1983, the three-pointer was still seen as an anomaly by most NBA coaches, something flashy but impractical. Anyone who took a three-pointer out of desperation on the court, even if it went in, would be met with a severe scolding from the coach.

Barry can be considered a pioneer of the three-point shot. He played in the ABA for a few years and was not averse to the three-point shot.

In his final season, 1979-1980, he ranked second in the league in both three-point attempts and makes, and he was even more confident in his long-range shooting than Bird.

"I've said it before, playing in the ABA is more fun than in the NBA because of the three-pointer. The three-pointer is a great thing, but none of those old fogies care about it. They'd rather get rid of the 24-second shot clock, or even the paint altogether, and let some big men just throw the ball into the basket like monkeys picking bananas. Who would come to watch the game then?"

After having a few drinks, Rick Barry started spouting off again, using racially discriminatory terms like "monkey" and "banana." However, the good-natured Nate Thurmond simply shook his head and didn't get angry.

He knew Barry was just like that; after all, he was the kind of guy who publicly said Bill Russell's smile looked like a watermelon—what good could you expect from him?

After finishing his meal, Gan Guoyang wanted to go home early, so Thurmond saw him out of the bar and said that he would definitely not let Barry come to the Christmas party again.

Gan Guoyang didn't plan to stay in San Francisco for too long. The day after the holiday, he flew directly to Portland because he had a game on the 27th.

This was a four-day "Far West Classic Basketball Tournament" held in Portland, with multiple teams participating, taking place at Memorial Arena, the home of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Before leaving, Gan Guoyang called Wang Fuxi and said that he would arrive in Portland on the afternoon of the 27th.

As a result, Portland was hit by a blizzard on the 27th, and flights from all over the world to Portland were canceled, so Gan Guoyang had to postpone his trip to Portland.

Gan Guoyang will be unable to play in the game against Morris University tonight. At the same time, Stockton's roommate, the team's third-leading scorer, and Stockton's backcourt partner, Rice McPhee, will also be unable to play due to a fibula fracture.

Despite missing two key players, the Bulldogs displayed tenacious fighting spirit in the game on the 27th, showing no signs of surrendering despite the absence of their leader and core players.

John Stockton, who usually prioritizes playmaking and passing, showcased his impressive offensive abilities in this match.

In the game, he scored 25 points and 8 assists, and also contributed a game-high 4 steals, helping the Bulldogs easily defeat Morris University, who came all the way from Moontown, Pennsylvania, 73-60.

This victory greatly boosted the team's morale. After returning to the hotel, Stockton called Gan Guoyang to inform him about the day's game.

"Gan, I think you don't need to come anymore. You can just go back to Spokane."

"Heavens, you're getting cocky after just one win? Tomorrow's the semifinals, I bet you can't do without me." "The semifinals are at 3 PM tomorrow, do you think you'll make it?"

"If we're not late, we should be able to make it to the second half. Oh, how's McPhee's injury? Is it serious?"

"It's nothing serious. Coach Deron said he'll recover in about a month. You should still come. I know your girlfriend is in Portland. Even if you can't play, you still have to come!"

Gan Guoyang did not deny it, but he and Wang Fuxi did not reach the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend.

The relationship between men and women is very delicate, like a pawn on a chessboard, which can only move forward and not backward.

If you were originally friends, but then became lovers, and you feel it's not right, it's very difficult to go back to being friends.

The two of them are still like pawns who haven't crossed the river yet, unable to move in either direction, but still holding onto the hope of moving forward.

On the 28th, Gan Guoyang went to San Francisco Airport in the morning and called Wang Fuxi before boarding the plane.

More than two hours later, Gan Guoyang saw Wang Fuxi waiting for him in the lobby of Portland Airport. She was wearing a pink baseball cap and could be spotted at a glance.

Because she was worried that Gan Guoyang wouldn't be used to the sudden drop in temperature from San Francisco to Portland, she specially brought him a long fleece blanket and a red scarf.

"This is for you." Wang Fuxi handed the scarf to Gan Guoyang, her expression as shy as ever.

Gan Guoyang took the scarf. He remembered that in novels, girls always knitted scarves for the male protagonist, but usually, before the scarf was finished, the two would either break up or one of them would fall in love with someone else.

He generously tied the scarf around his neck and said, "Thank you, it's very warm."

"It's nothing, my roommate knitted it for her boyfriend, but they broke up before it was finished. I thought it was a shame, so..."

"Oh? You really broke up? So the rest of the knitting was the one you finished?"

"I don't know how to knit sweaters, all I know is programming. I helped her with her homework, and she finished knitting my scarf for me. You don't mind, do you?"

Gan Guoyang smiled and shook his head. He didn't mind at all; he appreciated Wang Fuxi's frankness and straightforwardness.

He believes that honesty is more important than anything else in a relationship. Most relationships between men and women start with sweet talk, then sweet words, then cold words, then rude words, and finally crazy talk, ending in silence, which is really meaningless.

The two chatted as they got into a taxi and sped off to the Memorial Stadium. By the time they arrived, the game had already been going on for over forty minutes, and it was the second half.

After getting off the car, Gan Guoyang grabbed Wang Fuxi's hand and ran towards the stadium, entering the locker room through the players' tunnel.

After quickly changing his clothes, Gan Guoyang came out and asked Wang Fuxi, "How's it going? What's the situation on the field?"

Wang Fuxi said, "I checked, you're down by 20 points, and there are still 15 minutes left in the second half."

"15 minutes left? Thank goodness, we'll make it."

(End of this chapter)