The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 749 Win
The weather forecast was mostly accurate; it rained in Portland on June 15th.

The consecutive deaths of Reggie Lewis and Petrovic surprised and shocked the entire city, the NBA, and the basketball world.

The drizzling rain seemed like the tears the city was shedding, and the citizens could hardly believe that tragedies were happening one after another.

The indefinite postponement of the Finals is unprecedented in the history of North American professional sports.

Portland was shrouded in a deathly gray. The Trail Blazers' fan hotline was inundated with calls, and the Rose Garden Arena was adorned with flowers and candles. Television stations were broadcasting reports of the two tragedies on a loop.

Everyone on the Trail Blazers is going through what is probably the most difficult time of their careers.

Jerry West spearheaded the formation of a funeral committee to handle all matters related to Lewis and Petrovich.

This legendary superstar, who is usually cold, serious, and experienced, rarely showed his vulnerability to the outside world.

At the press conference, West was overcome with emotion and choked up, announcing the cause of death of the two men with red eyes.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Reggie Lewis contracted a cold virus, which triggered myocarditis and an acute myocardial infarction during the game, leading to his death despite attempts to resuscitate him.

The Trail Blazers had previously diagnosed Lewis with a heart problem, but he has been undergoing conservative treatment. Lewis himself plans to have surgery in the summer.

But unexpectedly, he fell ill during the finals, which led to the unfortunate incident.

Petrovich was involved in a traffic accident after Lewis's death, when his girlfriend and friends went out with him to relax.

A truck on the other side made a wrong lane change and overtook the vehicle, causing it to swerve and overturn. The girlfriend and her friend sitting in the back seat only suffered minor injuries, but Petrovich was thrown out of the vehicle and died on the spot because he was not wearing a seatbelt.

According to his girlfriend, Petrovich was curled up asleep in the passenger seat and had no preparation or reaction when the accident occurred.

West also announced that the team will hold a memorial service for the two players within three days.

The remains of the two individuals will then be returned to their hometowns for burial.

After the relevant information was released to the public, the more difficult thing was facing their relatives.

Gan Guoyang undertook this extremely difficult task.

He comforted and reassured Lewis's wife and mother, and personally went to the airport to pick up Petrovich's family.

When Petrovich's mother saw Gan Guoyang, she hugged him and cried for half an hour.

Gan Guoyang couldn't say a word; he couldn't do anything.

For teammates and fans, the grief over their passing will eventually fade with time.

But for loved ones, it is a scar that can never heal in a lifetime.

On June 17, a memorial service for the two was held at the Rose Garden Arena.

Friends from the basketball world, well-known figures from Portland, the two men's family and friends, and many ordinary fans came to the scene.

The proceeds from the memorial service will be used as a pension fund for the couple's family to support their parents and children.

Many fans gathered outside the stadium, holding up Lewis and Petrovic's numbers 35 and 44 to bid them farewell.

Gan Guoyang, speaking as a team representative, was overcome with emotion and could not hold back his tears.

He's barely slept these past few days; he's been constantly busy. He can't let himself stop; he has to keep working.

The only thing he didn't do was play basketball—a career he had almost never stopped pursuing in the past 12 years.

The memorial service lasted longer than expected, and people were reluctant to end it and leave, as if that would allow them to avoid accepting the fact that the two were gone.

Gan Guoyang raised Petrovic and Lewis's jerseys to the ceiling of the stadium, where they fluttered alongside the team's championship banner.

The floor where Lewis fell has been replaced, and the new floor is engraved with Lewis's jersey number and his life story.

Looking up at the two jerseys fluttering in the air above the stadium, Gan Guoyang still felt dazed, as if it were all a dream.

"If only it were a dream, I could wake up and find them all still here..." This thought kept popping into his mind.

Gan Guoyang wasn't the only one who thought this way; all the Trail Blazers players who had a deep connection with Petrovic and Lewis felt the same way.

In particular, the successive departures of head coach Bobby Berman and the other two greatly impacted his mental state, leading him to be hospitalized.

The rain eventually stopped, and on June 18th, the remains of Petrovic and Lewis were taken away from Portland.

Petrovich returned to Croatia, where the entire country mourned for him and a grand state funeral was to be held in his honor.

Lewis was sent back to his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, where he was buried in a small cemetery after a simple funeral. His simple tombstone bears the number 35 jersey and the inscription "Here lies a great but ordinary basketball player (1965-1993)."

The world will not stop moving forward because of anyone's departure.

However, at this moment, the Trail Blazers seemed to have been drained of energy.

They can't train together, they can't even get together.

Because whenever they get together, they talk about Lewis and Petrovich, and then they start crying.

The Finals restart was scheduled for June 24th. On the 23rd, Jerry West forced the players to come to the training facility for practice.

The training facility has been moved from Willamette University to the Portland Community College basketball court, the old training facility that the Trail Blazers used before 1990.

At that time, Petrovic and Lewis had not yet joined the Trail Blazers, and West hoped that doing this would make the players less sad.

This is the right thing to do. People are easily moved by what they see and hear. When a familiar figure is suddenly missing from the court where everyone has been training and playing, it can be psychologically difficult to bear.

Therefore, the match on the 24th was also scheduled to be held at the old Memorial Stadium, instead of the Rose Garden.

Even so, a somber atmosphere still enveloped the entire team. Everyone pretended to be calm, but in reality, they had no intention of training.

Surprisingly, Bobby Bellman looks like he's returned to normal; not only normal, he's even radiant.

His fatigue seemed to vanish, and during training he kept shouting and swearing, demanding that everyone cheer up and win the championship.

It's clear to everyone that the departure of Lewis and Petrovic hit Berman the hardest.

Before Lewis's accident, he had a final conversation with Behrman, who could not forgive himself for criticizing Lewis in the final moments of his life.

Petrovic was trained by Berman, and in fact, Berman still does not acknowledge that Petrovic has passed away.

During training, he kept telling Adelman, "When Pete recovers from his injury, we need to let him get used to this tactic."

He believed Petrovic was injured and needed to be treated in the hospital.

Adelman didn't know how to explain it to him, so after training he could only talk to Jerry West and tell him that in his condition, Bellman was no longer suitable to coach.

West spoke with Berman and Gan Guoyang. Berman insisted on coaching and ignored their claims that Petrovic was dead.

In such a chaotic situation, the Trail Blazers had no fighting spirit whatsoever. The rescheduled game on the 24th was played in an unusually quiet atmosphere, with both sides playing without passion.

Both sides held a memorial ceremony before the match.

The Heat returned to Miami for a period of adjustment, and Riley expressed deep regret and sympathy for the Trail Blazers' situation.

He was both shocked and conflicted; after the incident, his so-called revenge became insignificant.

Even this championship seemed insignificant to Riley, because no championship could compare to life, especially two lives.

When people recall the 1993 finals in the future, what they will remember most vividly and extensively will be the two unexpected events, not who won the championship.

Ultimately, the Heat won Game 3 at Memorial Arena 98-90, bringing the series to 1-2.

Based on the current situation, it is very likely that the Heat will win three straight games in Portland.

The Trail Blazers are not only demoralized, but more importantly, they have lost two key players.

After the match ended, both teams left the field indifferently. Drexler, who hadn't spoken to Gan Guoyang in the previous two matches, came over and hugged him tightly.

“Cheer up, Sonny, you have to cheer up,” Drexler said.

Gan Guoyang wanted to make a joke to Drexler, but he couldn't bring himself to say it, and could only laugh in the end.

However, playing the game has its benefits; it gradually brings everyone back to reality and to the problems they are facing.

Back in the locker room, the defeat was frustrating, but it was the frustration of failure that slowly overshadowed the grief of losing his teammates.

People started discussing the competition itself, who would win the championship, and what the future held.

Bernard King was the first to step forward, saying, "What are we going to do next? Are we just going to give up like this, lose this Finals, and then break up? Is this the kind of outcome we're leaving Reggie and Pete?"

King joined the team halfway through his career for the championship and his friendship with Forrest Gump; his emotional connection with Lewis and Petrovic wasn't as strong.

So after the grief subsided, he raised a very real question: what should he do next?

Everyone fell silent and looked at Gan Guoyang, whose face was ashen. He knew in his heart that the championship was the best consolation for Lewis and Petrovic.

But he couldn't stay firm in his heart. This was the first time in his basketball career that he felt wavering. Are championships and victories really that important?
He had no answer, so he couldn't respond. In the end, everyone left in silence, waiting for the next round.

Back home, Gan Youwei made Gan Guoyang a late-night snack. Seeing how busy and sad Gan Guoyang had been lately, Gan Youwei had been personally cooking for his son every day.

Gan Guoyang took a few bites and said, "Dad, you'd better not make me a midnight snack. You should get some rest. So many things have happened lately, I don't have much of an appetite."

Gan Youwei said, "The more things happen, the more we need to eat. Those who are alive must live well and live better."

Gan Guoyang forced himself to eat a few more bites and said, "It's too bland. Did you forget to add salt? I'm not eating anymore. You should go to sleep early."

Gan Youwei took a few bites, muttered a couple of things, watched his son go back to his room, and sighed deeply.

By June 26th, the series had reached its fourth game, and the atmosphere of the finals was slowly returning.

As fans and media gradually emerged from the shock and sadness, they began to discuss who would win the championship.

If the Trail Blazers lose Game 4, the momentum will completely shift to the Heat.

Regardless of the outcome of Game 5, the NBA Finals will take place in Miami, where the Heat will most likely win the championship.

If the Trail Blazers lose the Finals for this reason, people can completely understand it, but it is still a huge regret.

Many Portland fans are hoping the Trail Blazers can turn things around and win the championship trophy back.

People made signs that read, "For Reggie and Drazen, win this championship."

The latest issue of Sports Illustrated features Petrovic and Lewis on the cover, while posing the question: Can the Portlanders still pull off a miracle?

"The passing of these two players not only brought immense grief, but from a practical standpoint, they also lost two very important core players. This loss is multifaceted, combining spiritual and material losses, resulting in devastating damage. The Trail Blazers' chances of winning the championship may be less than 1%."

"However, perhaps a 1% probability is too harsh. They still have a chance, not only because they won the previous two away games, but also because they have Forrest Gump."

People have various reasons for not being optimistic about the pioneers and for feeling sorry and regretful for them.

But there's only one reason to still believe in the Trail Blazers: they have Gan Guoyang.

However, on the day of the competition, June 26, when Gan Guoyang woke up in bed early in the morning, he still felt like he was dreaming.

Every morning before the finals, he would wake up with a strong belief: a new day, new hope, we will win.

But recently, this belief has become blurred. His mind is in turmoil, and he has to lie in bed for a while to make sure that Lewis and Petrovich are gone and that time cannot be reversed before he can get up.

He trained at the Portland Community College gymnasium in the morning, and the team looked to be in better form than in the last game.

Bobby Bellman gradually returned to normal from his manic and delirious state, and he tried his best to encourage everyone while hiding his sadness.

Jerry West stayed with the team throughout, and after seeing the team's situation, he shook his head and muttered to himself, "The time is still too short, too short."

West didn't have much hope for victory, especially after he noticed that the determination in Gan Guoyang's eyes had disappeared, which was their only hope.

However, he couldn't blame Forrest Gump at all; no one could blame him or force him to do anything.

"Perhaps he was too strong, which is why God was so cruel as to strip him of his right and left arms."

At noon, Gan Guoyang went home for lunch. He planned to rest before going to the memorial gymnasium in the afternoon to warm up.

As soon as he got home, he saw Wang Fuxi rushing out of the house. His hurried and flustered appearance made Gan Guoyang's heart tighten.

He has suffered too many and too heavy blows recently, and he can't withstand any more. He has reached the point of being extremely paranoid and seeing threats everywhere.

Wang Fuxi grabbed Gan Guoyang and said, "Honey, something's happened! Dad's gone missing!"

Gan Guoyang's mind went blank for a moment, but in just an instant, he became incredibly clear-headed again, every pore on his body opened up, and his adrenaline surged to its peak.

"Dad's gone? What do you mean he's gone!"

“You went to training this morning, and Dad said he was going out to buy some things to make you lunch, but he hasn’t come back yet.”

"Shouldn't someone be following him when he goes out to buy things?"

Peiyu followed and said that he went into the supermarket and didn't come out for a long time. When they went in to look for him, they couldn't find him.

Although Gan Youwei is old, he is clear-headed and agile. He usually goes out alone and does not need to bring bodyguards.

Recently, due to a series of events, Gan Guoyang asked Feng Peiyu to go out and accompany Gan Youwei to protect his safety.

But when he went to the supermarket, Gan Youwei insisted on buying things himself. He wasn't a celebrity and wasn't used to having followers.

Where is Feng Peiyu?

"We're looking for them. We've already called the police and are checking the supermarket's CCTV footage." "You stay home with the kids, I'm going out to look for them. Remember, don't let any information out the window, given the current situation..."

After calming down, an overwhelming sense of powerlessness washed over Gan Guoyang.

Although it was still unclear what had happened to Gan Youwei, Gan Guoyang didn't know how he would face everything if something happened to his father as well.

Does a god really exist in this world? What does he want to do? Does he want me to die?

If you want me dead, why don't you just let a meteorite fall from the sky and kill me? Why torture me like this?
How important was Gan Youwei to Gan Guoyang?
Before this, Gan Guoyang himself couldn't explain it clearly.

But at this moment he knew that if anything happened to Gan Youwei, he would never touch a basketball again in his life.

Gan Guoyang's mind was in complete chaos; he was unable to think straight, and he had no time to care about the game that night.

At this point, Wang Fuxi firmly insisted on going with Gan Guoyang to find Gan Youwei, as his mother was taking care of his children at home.

She knew that Gan Guoyang needed someone by his side now, and she had to stay with her husband.

The two got into the car, and Quentin asked, "Where are we going?"

Gan Guoyang was stunned. Yes, where to go? Where to look?

Wang Fuxi thought of something and said, "Let's go to that bar! The one Dad called about before!"

Gan Guoyang realized what was happening and immediately had Quentin drive to the bar owned by the female boss.

They arrived at the bar called "Eastern Star," which hadn't opened yet in the afternoon and was deserted.

The chairs were placed on the table, and the room was dark, with only a small amount of light shining in.

Gan Guoyang met the female boss who had been talking to Gan Youwei on the phone; she was Chinese.

When she saw Gan Guoyang, she looked surprised. She was even more surprised when she learned that the old man she had spoken to on the phone was Gan Guoyang's father.

“Oh, he…he’s your father? My God.”

"Actually, his phone call with me was a misunderstanding. He dialed the wrong number and called me instead."

"Later on, we got along quite well and he would call me at night. It seems he had the wrong person."

"Oh, by the way, he buys lottery tickets from me—basketball tickets, which I recommended to him. He always bets on you to win."

The female boss's explanation was completely unexpected for Gan Guoyang; it turned out that they did not know each other and had never met before.

The two were purely "chatting buddies," though the female boss would help Gan Youwei place bets on sports lottery tickets, earning some money in the process.

Gan Guoyang never expected that his father would buy basketball lottery tickets; no wonder his father always asked him about the details of the games.

But why is that? Lack of money? Impossible.

Too boring? But Gan Youwei has no interest in gambling.

There's no time to dig further; we must find Gan Youwei first.

If he were to be kidnapped by some bad guys, things would really get out of control.

They then had no choice but to search near the supermarket and seek help from the police.

They searched from afternoon until dark, and finally, around 6 p.m., the police received a phone call.

A couple from a neighborhood near the supermarket encountered an elderly man sitting on a swing in the park, lost in thought, and he sat there for a long time.

When questioned, he couldn't remember many things, so the community social worker was notified. The social worker relayed the information up the chain of command, eventually reporting it to the police.

The police told Gan Guoyang about the situation, and after getting the address, Gan Guoyang ran like a madman toward the community's social work station.

When Gan Guoyang saw Gan Youwei sitting there with a blank look in his eyes at the workstation, he plopped down on the ground and couldn't stand up for a while.
-

On the way home, Gan Youwei sat awkwardly between his son and daughter-in-law, rubbing his hands and saying, "I...I really can't remember anything. I can't remember anything at all. I...I can't even remember who I am..."

Gan Guoyang was filled with guilt. Only then did he realize why Gan Youwei had been acting so strangely lately and why he was so different from before: because he was forgetting, forgetting who he was.

Gan Guoyang had many suspicions: he suspected his father had cancer, he suspected his father was in a relationship, he suspected his father had become indifferent to everything because of his uncle's death, but he never thought that his father was forgetting him.

Forget who to call, forget to add salt when cooking, forget your own hobbies.

"Dad, when did you start doing this?"

"I... I can't remember. But this must be the first time. I've been fine before, it's just that my memory isn't very good."

Seeing the blank look on his father's face, Gan Guoyang felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He realized that he had neglected his father for far too long.

He's busy playing ball, competing, and participating in social activities every day, so he has very little time to actually spend with him.

In those 12 years, was there a single year that you truly spent completely with him? Not a single one.

Gan Guoyang held Gan Youwei's hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

Gan Youwei suddenly asked Quentin the time, and Quentin told him that it was already 7:23 p.m.

Gan Youwei hurriedly said, "Oh dear, you have a match tonight, hurry up and play your match! It's the finals, you can't miss it!"

Gan Guoyang shook his head and said, "No, I won't go to today's match. I won't play. I'll stay with you."

Gan Youwei patted his leg and said, "How can we not go? How can we not go to the finals? We bought tickets! Hurry up, we can make it. A lot has happened recently, but life goes on. You still have to play basketball, and you have to look forward!"

Gan Guoyang shook his head again, and Gan Youwei said anxiously, "You have to go! I... I bet on the Trail Blazers to win tonight, how can we win if you don't go! I'm going to lose money!"

Gan Guoyang was both amused and exasperated, saying, "Dad, why are you betting on football? If... if you get caught, I..."

Gan Youwei said, "I just play around a little, it's very small. I've found that I easily fall asleep when I just watch the game, but it's different if I bet on something, I'll pay more attention to the game. The more I pay attention to the game, the more I can remember it, and... I can also remember you."

Gan Guoyang then realized that Gan Youwei had recently started paying attention to basketball because he was afraid of forgetting his son; he wanted to remember what was most important to him.

Gan Guoyang turned his face away, cleared his throat and said to Quentin, "Quentin, go to the Memorial Stadium, and hurry up."

Quentin wiped his eyes and turned to head towards the Memorial Stadium.
-

Meanwhile, at Memorial Stadium, fans were surprised to find that Forrest Gump was not on the field before the game started.

Everyone panicked. Had something happened to Forrest Gump too?
If that's the case, then Portland will truly become a land of divine retribution because of winning too many championships.

The reporters at the scene were in chaos, asking around for information, and no one was paying attention to the game itself anymore.

Various rumors began to circulate, with some saying Forrest Gump was seriously ill and never recovered, and others saying he committed suicide because he couldn't bear the loss of his teammates.

This may be the most chaotic Finals in NBA history, with the entire arena filled with anxiety and unease.

Just before the match started at around 7 p.m., Tang Jianguo stood up and explained the situation to the fans.

It was stated that Forrest Gump might miss the game due to family reasons, but he is safe and there is no need to worry.

The fans' hearts were temporarily relieved, but what about the game? What will happen to the game?
Two of our three core players are dead, and one is absent. What's the point of fighting? Let's surrender.

Portland fans have truly experienced the rollercoaster of emotions from heaven to hell during this period.

Even they themselves suspect that they have won too many championships before, which is why they have to suffer this kind of torment.

Once the game actually started, the Trail Blazers were indeed suppressed by the Heat from the very beginning.

Without their three core players, the Trail Blazers are no longer a championship-caliber team; they're just an average team.

They can put up a fight in some rounds, but overall, in the long run, Gan Guoyang is bound to lose if he doesn't fight.

In the first quarter, the Heat led the Trail Blazers 30-21, a nine-point advantage, despite the Trail Blazers putting up a fierce fight.

Terry Porter and Domantas Sabonis, dragging their injured legs, engaged in a fierce battle with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

The Heat are a typical defensive team, relying mainly on individual skills for offense and relentless, tenacious defense.

They are very effective against arrow-shaped teams, making them powerful, but they often fail to gain a significant advantage against weaker opponents.

Furthermore, compared to the Trail Blazers, the Heat's morale wasn't very high either; after all, defeating a team like the Trail Blazers would ultimately be an unfair victory.

In the second quarter, when both teams' second units were competing, the Trail Blazers slowly caught up.

Bernard King, who came off the bench, suddenly erupted, scoring on consecutive jump shots and fast breaks, leading a 6-0 run that forced the Heat to call a timeout.

During the timeout, Bernard King kept encouraging his teammates, telling them to persevere and fight for victory.

He is a player who has come back from serious injuries twice, and he has a very strong will.

"Never give up hope, never give up!"

Gradually, the Trail Blazers players' morale and fighting spirit are slowly returning.

Terry Porter said something very encouraging: "I believe Forrest will come back, sooner or later. Until he comes back, we have to hold on. We've already lost Pete and Reggie, but Forrest won't abandon us, he won't abandon the team."

The Trail Blazers players decided to fight to the death, determined to win no matter what, and even if they lost, they couldn't let the Heat have it easy.

Meanwhile, in the Trail Blazers' locker room, Tang Jianguo was constantly on the phone communicating with his team.

He had just received news that Gan Guoyang had found his father and was now on his way to the memorial stadium.

During this period, Tang Jianguo lost two key players, and his four-peat championship was on the verge of collapse. Old Tang was in a daze.

However, his first reaction after the grief was twofold: first, to conduct a relevant investigation to see if there were any conspiracies or tricks; and second, to control public opinion.

He knew that such a thing would be used by certain groups to create negative comments about the Trail Blazers, Forrest Gump, and himself.

Old Tang waited anxiously, waiting for Forrest Gump to arrive, waiting for an opportunity to turn the tide.

The phone rang, and stadium security relayed the message: "Forrest Gump's car has entered Memorial Stadium."

Tang Jianguo immediately instructed his subordinates to have reporters wait in the players' entrance tunnel to film Agan's entrance.

He continued to wait in the locker room, pacing back and forth, his mouth and brows tightly furrowed, as he prepared his emotions.

A few minutes later, he heard footsteps, and the figure he had been waiting for finally arrived in the locker room.

The man who seemed like a god now had the sorrow of a mortal etched on his face.

Tang Jianguo quickly went to greet them and immediately closed the locker room door, keeping the reporters and cameras outside.

He held Gan Guoyang's hand tightly and said, "Sunny, you're finally here. Go on stage!"

Gan Guoyang walked up to the locker and said, "Of course, otherwise why would I be here as a spectator?"

Tang Jianguo said, "Very good, we must win tonight, we must win the championship!"

Gan Guoyang glanced at Tang Jianguo and said, "Donald, I can't guarantee that anymore. Competing is the limit of what I can do."

Tang Jianguo's expression changed, and he roared, "No! No! This isn't your limit! You have to win, you absolutely must win! Win this championship! This championship is more important than any of the past! This is the moment you absolutely must win! You think that because someone has died, we have a reason to fail, and that everyone will sympathize with us and understand us? Wrong! Utterly wrong! It is precisely because someone has died that we must win in our most critical moment!"

“Go look outside, go look outside, Sonny! Look at those terrible rumors, how many people are waiting for us to lose, waiting for you to fail! Defeat plus death, attacking you, attacking us! Never be a tragic footnote, be a winner who ignores everything. Reggie and Drazen leaving us is very sad, but precisely because they are gone, we need to win even more!”

"You might think I'm mercenary, a businessman, a shameless manipulator who likes to manipulate people and generate traffic. But look at Michael, what is he going through? Who is on his side? Who is hurting him? That's how the world is. The tragedy of the winner is legendary, it's about sentiment, the tragedy of the loser is utter tragedy. Don't let yourself, Drazen, and Reggie become utter tragedies."

"Take this damn championship, you can do it, I believe in you."

Only Tang Jianguo and Gan Guoyang were in the locker room. After a heated discussion, the room became unusually quiet.

Gan Guoyang looked at Tang Jianguo and asked, "How long have you been preparing these words in your mind?"

Tang Jianguo honestly replied, "Fifteen minutes."

"It seems a bit hasty. You use Windows too much; you should have prepared more thoroughly."

"However... you're right about one thing: I can win the championship, I can win."

Tang Jianguo's tightly furrowed brows and mouth relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.

Gan Guoyang changed into his jersey, took a deep breath, and opened the locker room door.

"Kakakaka!"

The reporters at the door fired their flashes at him like machine guns.

The loud noise coming from the stadium instantly drowned out the brief silence in the locker room.

Gan Guoyang straightened his jersey and ran towards the tunnel, towards that shiny white tunnel.

The cheers around him grew louder and louder, and as he rushed into the white light, a tsunami-like roar destroyed everything.

The sadness, pain, hesitation, and forgetfulness of the past have all been temporarily washed away, carried to a distant corner.

(End of Volume 10, "History".)
[P.S.: This concludes the first part of "The Golden Age." These two chapters were written rather hastily. Yesterday's chapter was written and revised simultaneously, and many preconceived notions were overturned, including the order of deaths, which many people have mentioned. Originally, I did plan to write it gradually, inserting it into different times and events. However, the final change to the current writing style was mainly due to structural considerations. I didn't want too many twists and turns on this matter, so I opted for a clean cut, a bloody but satisfying one. Therefore, I accept everyone's criticisms. There are indeed better and smoother ways to develop the foreshadowing.]

Today's chapter was originally planned to be 20,000 words long, continuing until Forrest Gump starts anew, providing a more satisfactory explanation for Petrovich and Lewis' departure, forming a cycle. However, as I wrote, I realized it wouldn't work; there's too much to explain in the middle, and I simply couldn't finish it today. Writing it all would be rushed, so I'll have to leave it for the beginning of the next book, *The Silver Generation* (yes, that's right, *The Silver Generation*). *The Silver Generation* won't be a separate book; it will continue later. Also, Forrest Gump won't retire easily; there will be an explanation.

Regarding the question of Forrest Gump's father, I've been struggling with it since the beginning of the rewrite, and even when I started writing this volume, my original plan was for Gan Youwei to die. But as I wrote, I realized it wouldn't work; I couldn't do it. His fate was no longer something I could easily manipulate. If Gan Youwei died unexpectedly, there would be a major problem: after suffering such a series of blows, especially the final one, would Forrest Gump still want to continue playing basketball? If he didn't want to play anymore, the book would end. In fact, putting myself in Forrest Gump's shoes, with his teammates leaving one after another and his father passing away, it would be impossible for him to return to the court. Forrest Gump's situation is very different from Jordan's. Jordan's father was a scoundrel, while Forrest Gump's father was an ordinary, simple, and traditionally good Chinese father. Moreover, Jordan still had his mother and siblings after losing his father, while Forrest Gump had nothing but his father. Before, when I was conceiving the scenes of Gan Guoyang reminiscing about his father after Gan Youwei's death, I couldn't even put pen to paper. Just thinking about it made me cry uncontrollably; it was truly heartbreaking. I'm reminded of the scene in *The Deer and the Cauldron* where Chen Jinnan, whom Wei Xiaobao considered a father, dies in his arms. The book describes Wei Xiaobao's inner thoughts: "In the end, I'm just a wild child without a father." After that, a piece of Wei Xiaobao's soul is missing, and *The Deer and the Cauldron* comes to an end. Similarly, if Forrest Gump were to lose Gan Youwei, no matter how much he achieved, he would truly become a wild child, a wild child without a father. I simply cannot do that for him.

So I rewrote it, hoping that Forrest Gump could have a family member always by his side, someone who would never forget him even if he forgot everything else, so that he could continue to have the motivation to compete on the court and continue his legend. Finally, thank you all for your support. Please look forward to the next installment, "The Silver Generation," which will gradually introduce more familiar characters and basketball history stories, unlike the 80s which may be less well-known. Please feel free to point out any opinions or questions. My personal knowledge and ideas are limited, after all. Thank you again for your continued support and subscriptions. See you tomorrow or the day after for the second installment.

(End of this chapter)