The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 722 The Lost Gan vs. Qiao

Before the game, Bellman was worried that the Warriors' strong backcourt offense would destroy the Trail Blazers' weak perimeter defense.

In fact, judging from the first half, Chris Mullin played exceptionally well.

Hardaway also scored 11 points, and the Warriors' offense was running smoothly.

The arrival of Don Nelson gave the Warriors greater offensive freedom.

The team significantly reduced its low-post offense and increased its drives and shots.

But it was no use; Gan Guoyang scored 34 points in a single quarter, breaking down the Warriors' defense in the first half.

The Trail Blazers led the Warriors by 21 points in the first half, single-handedly destroying their opponents.

During halftime in the locker room, his teammates came up one by one to give Gan Guoyang a high-five.

With 44 points in the first half, that scoring efficiency and speed is absolutely terrifying.

Petrovic had a breakout game last time, but he only scored 44 points. Agan did it in just two quarters.

At that moment, Petrovich realized that Forrest Gump was still as unattainable as ever.

This makes his idea of ​​winning the MVP at the beginning of the season seem ridiculous.

If Forrest Gump were 38, he might have dropped out of the MVP race.

The problem was that Petrovich was already 38 years old at that time.

However, Gan Guoyang, who set a new record, did not seem particularly happy.

He just smiled faintly a few times, then sat down in his seat and kept chewing gum.

Chewing gum can help people relax, but it seems that a 21-point lead doesn't make him feel at ease.

In the second half, Gan Guoyang and his teammates returned to the field, and the crowd cheered.

A large number of Chinese fans wore the Trail Blazers' number 11 jersey to watch the Trail Blazers' game.

Before the match started, a young Chinese fan wearing a baseball cap rushed to the sidelines to ask Gan Guoyang for an autograph.

Before the security personnel arrived, Gan Guoyang quickly wrote his name on his T-shirt.

"Thank you, thank you, Forrest Gump!" the young man shouted as he was led away by security.

This situation occurs every time we come to San Francisco for a competition, and it's a persistent problem.

These fans couldn't wait to get up close and personal with their idols.

Once the competition is over, it's hard to have another chance.

Gan Guoyang glanced at him and found that the young man was quite handsome.

She's just a bit thinner and slightly darker.

Many years later, a Chinese actor named Daniel Wu became a household name in China and a synonym for "handsome".

He is a die-hard basketball fan and has said more than once, "I've been a Forrest Gump fan since my teenage years."

"I'm in Oakland, I support the Warriors, but when the Trail Blazers come, we all support Forrest Gump."

"I decided to go to the University of Oregon because of Forrest Gump, so that I could watch the Trail Blazers games."

Gan Guoyang didn't have a deep impression of this later, because too many young people asked him for his autograph.

However, Gan Guoyang also encouraged the young man, saying, "Your handsomeness is no less than mine."

The commentators and fans at the scene were hoping that Forrest Gump could break his regular season scoring record of 81 points tonight.

Given the Warriors' defensive intensity, this possibility is not entirely out of the question.

However, the Warriors players clearly didn't want Agan to set such a record over them.

But Chris Mullin knew that you couldn't provoke Forrest Gump.

If you push Forrest Gump to his limits, it's not impossible for him to score 100 points if he gets angry.

Mullin and Agan are old acquaintances; they often trained together during the Olympic selection camp.

During the 92 Olympics, they stayed at the same hotel, and Mulin stayed next door to Gan Guoyang.

Mullin understood the Forrest Gump principle: praising Forrest Gump was much more effective than talking trash to him.

However, Mullin noticed that Forrest Gump's aura was a bit off today.

Excessive praise may not be effective and could even backfire.

Scratching his face, Mulin decided to try a different approach.

During the match, Mullin took a break to chat with Agan.

"Sonny, I've started drinking again recently."

"What? Didn't the doctor already tell you to quit drinking?"

"Yes, but I can't resist. How about we grab a drink together tonight?"

"That's not good, Chris. You can't do this to me."

"I can't help it, Sonny."

Mullin has been troubled by alcohol problems for many years.

He was already well-known for his alcoholism during his university years.

After joining the league, his drinking problem continued on and off.

All of Mullin's friends knew that he was plagued by alcoholism.

Alcohol is different from drugs; it is legal, readily available, and its direct harm is less.

But precisely because of this, the damage that alcohol inflicts on NBA players is often more profound and insidious.

Bobby Bellman, who was close to Gan Guoyang, had once been deeply mired in alcoholism.

Then there's Bernard King, who was an alcoholic and troublemaker early in his career.

They put in a lot of effort to get out of this situation.

As a friend, Gan Guoyang often kept an eye on them.

Upon hearing Mullin say that he had been drinking again, the kind-hearted Agan became worried once more.

“You need to take this seriously, Chris, and control your drinking.”

"So many years have passed, and you still haven't had enough? Do you want to drink yourself to death?"

Mulin shook his head and said, "It's been enough for a long time, but... I can't stop."

Mullin wasn't just making things up; he had indeed recently had the urge to drink again.

For him, life is like a rollercoaster with its ups and downs.

He always oscillated between sobriety and intoxication.

Whenever he decides to quit drinking, he begins a rigorous training regimen.

He was as crazy as Forrest Gump and Jordan, which brought him good form.

But after a while, he felt a lack of motivation.

Life seems to have become too dull and boring, or perhaps too clear-headed.

He wasn't the kind of person who liked to wander around aimlessly and roam the glamorous world.

At this moment, alcohol is a good thing to lead him to another world.

The feeling of being drunk all day relaxed him and allowed him to stop thinking about anything.

He will become addicted to this feeling until everything goes wrong.

At that time, he decided to quit drinking and make some changes.

This back-and-forth swinging happened to him many times.

He sensed that he was already on the verge of intoxication this season.

Gan Guoyang hit a three-pointer, followed by a big block on Lister's layup.

After securing the defensive rebound, he initiated a fast break, passing the ball to Ellie on the wing.

Ellie received the ball, faked a shot, then drove to the basket from the baseline, but missed the layup.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound but didn't rush to go for a layup.

He passed the ball out, reorganized the attack, and slowed down the pace.

With half of the third quarter gone, the Trail Blazers still lead the Warriors by 19 points.

Under Mullin's "crying pitiful" offensive, Gan Guoyang was no longer so focused on scoring.

He found an outlet for his emotions by showing concern for his friend's health.

The three-pointer he just made was his first basket in the third quarter.

The Warriors can rest assured that Forrest Gump won't be obsessed with breaking the scoring record tonight.

During the timeout, Chris Mullin warned Sprewell, "Don't do anything to provoke Forrest. I had a hard time calming him down."

"Tonight is just an ordinary game. 34 points in a quarter is enough. Let's not have any more than 82 or 83 points."

He harbored resentment towards others, but he respected Mullin.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang's 34 points in the first half had a significant psychological impact on him.

He could clearly sense that Forrest Gump was more than a level above everyone else on the court.

When he gets into a hot hand, defense is practically nonexistent.

He can hit me however he wants; struggling is futile.

Don Nelson also agreed with Mullin's approach, although it seemed somewhat weak.

But this is still the regular season, and it's the right thing to do when facing a superstar in hot form.

In the later stages of the game, Gan Guoyang gradually calmed down and focused on defense and playmaking.

He kept creating opportunities for his teammates, passing the ball, grabbing rebounds, and chatting with Mullin along the way.

Mullin initially just wanted to play the victim, but he realized that Forrest Gump really cared about him.

When the fourth quarter was almost over and the outcome was no longer in doubt, Mullin told the truth.

“Sonny, I’m definitely on the verge of alcoholism, but I haven’t had a drink recently.”

I said that to try and distract you.

"Of course, it's not about winning, it's just... I don't want to die too miserably."

Gan Guoyang chuckled, hands on his hips, and said, "I knew it. I knew it the moment you started talking to me."

"Praise me, or talk to me about something to distract me, instead of trash-talking and provoking me, right?"

"Since you have a good attitude, I won't try to rack up more points. 50 points is more than enough."

Gan Guoyang only scored 6 points in the second half, but finished with 50 points, 21 rebounds, and 13 assists.

These are his stats even without playing at full strength, yet they are enough to lead his team to an easy victory over the Warriors.

Mullin had no idea that everything was already under Agan's control.

Come to think of it, when it comes to playing mind games and scheming, who can rival him?
This manipulative and ruthless leader knows every team inside and out.

"But I'm serious about you, Chris. You really shouldn't drink anymore."

"I know, I know... but..."

Mulin was touched for a moment, realizing that there weren't many people who truly cared about him over the years.

He also recalled that when he first joined the Warriors, many players on the team rejected him.

They wouldn't pass the ball to Mullin, "freezing" him because he was white.

Because of his alcoholism, many people were skeptical of him.

The NBA doesn't promote him much either.

The league's attitude towards him is vastly different from that towards Larry Bird.

He knew he was not a good idol, much less a beacon of light for white people.

Mullin has considered returning to New York to play many times.

He missed home, even though New York was cold and San Francisco was warm.

This summer, he almost got involved in a three-way trade involving the Warriors, Knicks, and Heat.

The Warriors will sign and trade him to New York, while Ewing will go to Miami, giving the Warriors enough resources to rebuild.

Ultimately, the trade fell through due to a complaint from the Knicks, and Mullin lost his chance to return home.

After Nelson took over as coach of the Warriors this season, Mullin felt his situation had improved considerably.

Nelson brought a more relaxed system and placed greater emphasis on offense.

The Warriors have also made the most of their talent potential, and everything looks pretty good.

Mullin performed very well in the previous few games.

However, the Warriors were no match for the Trail Blazers, who were missing key players, tonight.

The Warriors couldn't even find a single player who could slightly stop Forrest Gump.

The only option was for Mulin to plead for mercy, which ultimately salvaged some face.

The game ended with a score of 124-110, and the Trail Blazers won easily.

Mullin took the initiative to hug Agan, and the two made a promise that when the Warriors went to Portland for a game, Gan Guoyang would treat him to a Coke.

At the same time, Mullin had a thought: he thought that instead of going to New York, going to Portland to find Forrest Gump might be a good idea.

Winning the game made Gan Guoyang feel a little better.

That evening, Gan Guoyang did not have time to go to the hospital.

He had to take a plane and leave overnight to return to Portland.

They will face the New York Knicks at home in a back-to-back game tomorrow.

Mike Dunleavy has become the Knicks' head coach for the new season.

Dunleavy is committed to building a more balanced offensive and defensive team in New York.

For the Trail Blazers, the biggest problem is still injuries and fatigue.

With few players available, they used all the substitutes on the bench.

Back-to-back flights, especially back-to-back ones, are very physically demanding.

Gan Guoyang, who scored 50 points in the previous game, including 34 points in a single quarter, had a terrible game.

To paraphrase Kenny Carr, his first "Ugly Duckling Night" of the season has arrived.

尤因倒是发挥出色，20中11，拿下了25分11个篮板球3次封盖。

The Knicks defeated the Trail Blazers 101-97 on the road, handing the Blazers their first loss of the new season.

In the previous game, Gan Guoyang's superhuman performance masked the Trail Blazers' problems with perimeter defense.

Covering up is ultimately just covering up; it's not a solution, it only delays the time it takes for the problem to erupt.

In this game against the Knicks, the Trail Blazers' outside shooting was completely exposed.

Doc Rivers, who was acquired from the Clippers, scored 21 points and had 6 assists.

Apart from Gan Guoyang and Petrovic, the other Trail Blazers players performed only moderately.

The person who disappointed Bellman the most was Jerome Kossie.

He returned from injury in the last game and played for 20 minutes, performing adequately.

But against the Knicks, Kossie was subpar on both offense and defense.

Especially on defense, he appeared slow and clumsy, completely failing to play the supporting role that Forrest Gump had.

Gan Guoyang often gave Ewing many opportunities in order to cover up his mistakes.

Otherwise, if Gan Guoyang had guarded Ewing one-on-one the entire game, Ewing would not have been able to score 25 points.

In the past, Cauchy was a key player who could switch between the three and four positions, a versatile player.

Although he plays small forward, he is physically strong and can easily play power forward.

With the Trail Blazers having a twin towers in the paint, Korsey has always played as a shadow power forward.

Sometimes the data isn't displayed, and the performance isn't immediately impressive, but it can actually be very important.

But with the start of this season, the Trail Blazers may have to accept Kossie's decline. After the game, Gan Guoyang reminded Kossie, "You should be more serious about getting back into form."

Kexi nodded silently; he always listened to what Forrest Gump said.

But whether he listened this time or not, only he himself knows.

After that, Porter and Lewis made their contributions in games against the Spurs and Kings, respectively.

Their return was crucial, and the Trail Blazers' wing and guard positions were revitalized.

However, at this point, Jerome Kossie had already been relegated to the bench by Mario Elie.

Ellie's performance was more consistent, and she played with more effort and discipline on the field.

Kossi has a bit of a shrewd, old-timer vibe; he doesn't really listen to anyone except Forrest Gump.

December arrived quickly, and the Trail Blazers had a record of 8 wins and 3 losses in November.

They still hold the top spot in the West.

As with past schedules, the Trail Blazers always have the easiest month in November.

They played only 3 away games out of 11, with the rest in Portland.

As soon as December began, they were greeted with a four-game road trip to the East.

Moreover, their opponents are the Knicks, Pacers, Bulls, and Cavaliers.

This includes a back-to-back away game, which will further test the players' stamina and physical condition.

As the team boarded the plane, preparing for their away trip, even the airport staff knew: "The Trail Blazers' terrible December is about to begin."

From the start of Gan Guoyang's rookie season in 1984-1985, their record in December was consistently the worst.

Berman wasn't too worried about the results; his energy had been mostly taken up by the wedding lately.

Moreover, after winning three consecutive championships, it's impossible not to relax in the fourth year.

His only concern was Gan Guoyang's health.

He feared that at some point this year, Forrest Gump, who had been taut for 10 years, would suddenly break down.

If that happens, the Trail Blazers can forget about winning four consecutive championships.

But Forrest Gump's resilience was clearly beyond imagination.

Recently, Gan Guoyang has been arguing with Berman about his playing time.

Berman wants to keep Gan Guoyang's playing time around 37 minutes.

But Gan Guoyang insisted on playing for 40 minutes, at least no less than 38 minutes.

"You've played even more than last season!"

"I'm going to play even more than last season! I've lost weight, and I'm in great shape."

"You need to consider your health."

"I've thought about it, and I'm very healthy."

Bellman had no choice but to let Gan Guoyang play more.

A very interesting thing:
Gan Guoyang negotiated with the Trail Blazers during his rookie season due to the team's poor medical reputation.

At the time, Stu Inman chose to compromise, changing his attending physician and the medical system.

Later, the Trail Blazers made player medical care a top priority in team building.

They were the first in the entire league to establish a player injury response mechanism.

Injury grading assessments are conducted on players to determine their condition.

This system has protected the health of the Trail Blazers players, and many of them have benefited from it.

These include key players in the championship victory such as Vandeweghe, Drexler, Sabonis, and Porter.

This system not only helped the Trail Blazers players, but also, with the help of the Larry Fleischer insurance system, benefited the entire league.

But over the years, the only person who has not benefited and has not enjoyed any of the benefits of the response mechanism is Gan Guoyang.

Aside from being suspended for fighting, this kid has only missed one game due to the flu, and has never missed a game due to injury.

This ironman is incredibly consistent, and his passion for the competition is incredibly enduring.

On December 1st, the Trail Blazers will play against the New York Knicks on the road.

The two sides met again shortly afterward.

This time, Gan Guoyang will not let Ewing and the Knicks off the hook again.

At Madison Square Garden, Gan Guoyang defeated the Knicks with a triple-double of 37 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Meanwhile, he guarded Ewing one-on-one throughout the game, resulting in Ewing only making 3 of 13 shots and scoring only 9 points and 9 rebounds, failing to achieve a double-double.

In the final stages of the game, when Ewing faced Gan Guoyang's defense and made a mid-range shot that missed the target, the crowd booed.

Ewing has been in New York for eight years, and his career so far has been disappointing.

The more excited Dave DeBuscher was when he won the number one draft pick in 1985, the more frustrated New York fans and media are now.

Ewing has never fully lived up to his potential, even though he is excellent and the Knicks' undisputed core player.

But people's expectations for him were for Russell and Forrest Gump, but the Knicks have never even reached the NBA Finals.

In the Eastern Conference, the Bulls remain dominant, while the Heat have risen to prominence under Riley's management.

Ewing, once a shining star and a college prodigy, is now revealing more and more of his flaws.

The tough label that Georgetown once gave him has become synonymous with rigidity.

In the megacity of New York, his quiet and uninteresting nature made him an outsider.

Along with his fellow students Mourning and Mutombo, they all bore the stench of John Thompson.

What was the NBA like in the 90s?
The scene was dazzling and spectacular, with even the team's jerseys and logos becoming increasingly vibrant and flashy.

Ewing, cold and unyielding, was like a rusted iron sculpture amidst a field of flowers, making one want nothing more than to move him away.

But when the Heat and Warriors really wanted to poach him, the Knicks got upset.

The main issue is that the offer wasn't attractive enough; the Knicks need a better price.

Tonight, Gan Guoyang's dazzling performance once again overshadowed Ewing.

After the ordeal of the Olympics in the summer, Ewing's knees became even more swollen and painful.

He wore thick knee braces, and in front of Forrest Gump, he moved as slowly as an old tree.

In fact, when facing other centers, Ewing is quick and energetic.

He's been in great form this season, and his rebounding has finally reached the peak of his career.

Unfortunately, Forrest Gump was too fast and too energetic, and Ewing was always afraid of him.

Among all the centers in the league, only Hakeem Olajuwon was fearless in a head-on confrontation with Forrest Gump.

Ewing's eyes flashed with anger at the boos, but he remained silent.

He sat on the bench, head down, alone, reliving the pain of defeat.

Gan Guoyang, as a friend, did not comfort him; he knew it was not the right time.

However, at the post-game press conference, Gan Guoyang stated bluntly that it was extremely unfair for New York fans to treat Ewing this way.

“Patrick just won a game in Portland, he beat me, but the Portland fans didn’t boo me for it.”

“I got my revenge in New York tonight, which is normal, and Pat had an off night, which is also normal.”

"You should have seen that Pat has delivered many outstanding performances over the past seven seasons, and he is undoubtedly the best basketball player in New York."

"If the New Yorkers don't cherish Pat, they'll never know when the next player better than Pat will come along."

"Perhaps it will never come."

You Yin called Gan Guoyang the next day to express her gratitude for his righteous words.

Gan Guoyang said to Ewing on the phone, "Patrick, you don't have to lock yourself up in New York. Give yourself some freedom. Look at Hakim, that guy's doing so well on the South Coast, damn it..."

Gan Guoyang is right. After being traded to the Heat, Hakeem Olajuwon is having the best season of his career.

In November, the Heat achieved an 11-1 record, ranking first in the entire league.

With Drexler undergoing surgery and struggling at the start of the season, Olajuwon became the Heat's primary star.

He won the Player of the Month award in November with his amazing offensive and defensive performance, and surpassed Jordan and Gan Guoyang to take first place in the MVP voting.

The Heat's entire tactical system revolves around Hakeem Olajuwon.

Hakeem Olajuwon is also in very good form.

He made significant progress during the summer, despite not participating in the Olympics.

The Heat have a very promising future this year.

It was Gan Guoyang's words that planted a seed in Olajuwon's heart.

Now, Ewing's heart is also stirring with desire.

Why put all your eggs in one basket?

While you're young, you should go out and explore.

Especially those foul-mouthed media outlets and fans in New York.

If you play well, no one praises you; if you play poorly, you get scolded every day.

Of course, Ewing also had his own problems.

As the team's core player, he holds the largest contract, yet he is not someone who dares to take responsibility.

Whenever the team needs someone to step up, it's usually Oakley, not Ewing, who steps up.

He lacked leadership qualities and was overly arrogant in his interpersonal interactions.

It may be that the "anger" he experienced during his time in Georgetown influenced him.

He always seemed superior to others on the team, and his teammates had to coax and flatter him.

He is indeed the highest-ranking person in the team, but his status is earned through his performance, not through flattery.

What is presented as genuine and forced affection is often just a facade; when it comes to crucial moments, they become disloyal and estranged.

Only a position truly earned through hard work can win genuine support.

During the phone call, You asked Gan Guoyang many questions.

Gan Guoyang answered all the questions one by one, showing no arrogance towards Forrest Gump or Ewing.

Gan Guoyang was also willing to give some pointers to this sometimes pitifully simple-minded guy.

During the most important stage of his life, he was "raised" by Thompson.

His basketball skills were not the only thing that was suppressed; his personality development was also hindered.

In this respect, Gan Guoyang, as the director of the mental hospital, had a lot to teach him.

After hanging up the phone, Gan Guoyang checked the time; it was already very late.

He suddenly sighed, wondering why he had been nagging so much lately.

Why should we care about these bastards? They're all millionaires.

What do the lives they lead have to do with me?

Why do I feel like an old man saying goodbye to a friend?
The very next day, after playing against the Indiana Pacers, Gan Guoyang gave Reggie Miller a good dressing down.

That same evening, he received a call from San Francisco informing him that his great-uncle had passed away.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang requested leave from the team and was unable to travel to Chicago.

The Trail Blazers will face the Chicago Bulls without Forrest Gump.

This marks the first time since the 1986-1987 season that the Gan-Cho rivalry has failed to materialize.

Since Jordan's injury during the regular season of 86 prevented the Gan-Jordan showdown, every year since then, the Gan-Jordan showdown has been comparable to a Christmas Day game.

Every match attracts countless fans, and both players deliver explosive performances each time.

Fans were thrilled, tickets sold out, and viewership soared.

The league had been hyping up this encounter between the two in Chicago for a long time.

The 92 finals were a fierce battle between the two teams, and it's foreseeable that every encounter this year will be a clash of titans.

As a result, when the Trail Blazers' plane landed at Chicago Airport, reporters did not catch a glimpse of Forrest Gump.

Shortly after, the Trail Blazers' spokesperson announced that Forrest Gump would miss the game against the Bulls due to personal reasons.

As soon as this news came out, ticket prices for the Chicago Arena plummeted, and scalpers couldn't even sell their tickets.

In a pre-game interview, Jordan expressed his deep disappointment, saying, "It's such a shame, such a shame."

Jordan certainly knew why Gan Guoyang was absent, so his words were a double entendre.

We express our regret for Gan Guoyang's absence, and also for the loss of an important family member.

The Bulls have had a relatively good season, but in November, unlike the Trail Blazers, they faced an extremely difficult schedule.

After only a few home games, they embarked on a seven-game road trip. The league really doesn't treat the Bulls' players like human beings.

Despite this tough schedule, the Bulls also achieved an 8-3 record in November.

Within the team, Buck Williams is aging further, and his starting position has been completely replaced by Horace Grant.

Phil Jackson gave Pippen and Jordan more rest time, allowing them to miss practice.

Because the two players expended a lot of energy at the Olympics, they need to maintain their physical condition in the new season.

However, this angered Horace Grant.

The outspoken man complained to reporters that this was a double standard and special treatment.

Even now, Grant still doesn't understand that there is no fairness in the NBA.

Grant even thought that Pippen, who was qualified to participate in the Olympics, had become arrogant.

The two are no longer the rookies who supported each other and went through tough times together during their early careers.

Their friendship grew thin, and their close relationship gradually came to an end.

Like the Trail Blazers, the Bulls also suffered injuries, with Paxson and Cartwright both undergoing surgery.

The Bulls still want to win the championship, but their roster, which has failed twice in a row, is on the verge of collapse.

Jordan's exceptional abilities ensured the Bulls possessed championship potential.

But Miami in the south is growing into a huge threat, a very huge one.

On December 4th, the Bulls will face the Trail Blazers, who will be without Forrest Gump.

The Trail Blazers put up a fight, but without their inside advantage and lacking their twin towers, they were easily overwhelmed by the Bulls.

The Bulls easily won the game with a score of 91:108.

It was only after losing the game that people realized how important Forrest Gump was to the Trail Blazers.

During the 1992-1993 season, the Trail Blazers were practically two different teams with or without him.

The backbone and soul of the pioneers are stored in that man's body.

Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang was in San Francisco attending his great-uncle's funeral.

In accordance with his last wishes, everything should be kept simple and low-key to avoid trouble.

After cremation, his ashes were sent back to his ancestral home on the island by his grandson Gan Guohui and buried in the ancestral grave.

His soul returned to his hometown, thus ending his short yet long life.

After seeing Gan Guohui off at the airport to leave San Francisco and return to his hometown, Gan Youwei looked sad and disappointed.

He said to Gan Guoyang, "Son, after I'm gone, remember to send me back to my hometown and bury me next to your mother so I can see the sea."

"Dad, what are you saying? This is too early to think about."

"It will come eventually, and we'll have to think about it eventually."

Gan Guoyang thought about what he would do if he lost his father.
He felt a surge of fear, more intense than ever before.

He forced himself not to think about it and hurriedly left San Francisco.

I'm heading straight back to Portland to prepare for the next game.

(End of this chapter)