The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 775 The Age of Being Constantly Hit by Bullets
The weather is getting colder day by day. Portland has gone from rain to snow, and Christmas is just around the corner.

Gan Guoyang announced his comeback in July, officially started competing in November, and then in December, almost half a year has passed.

Returning to the basketball court made his life busy again, and the brief period of relaxation after retirement felt like a dream, as if it were a distant memory.

Compared to his life before his comeback, Gan Guoyang's life has changed somewhat. He has reduced his social activities and spent more time with his family, especially his father and son.

Under meticulous care, Gan Youwei's illness progressed very slowly, and he never forgot his son throughout.

Especially after Gan Guoyang resumed playing, he didn't miss a single home game, and he would also watch the away games live on TV.

Gan Youwei always watched the games very carefully, took notes, and placed bets by phone before each match, never betting large amounts, just to remind himself not to forget to watch the games.

Gan Guoyang is very satisfied with his father's current quality of life. He is glad that his decision to return to acting has benefited his father, which makes him feel much more at ease.

As for his son, Gan Wenshan, he was very happy to return to Portland because he could play with the Thompson and Love brothers at Lake Hill Park again.

In September, he started first grade. Whenever Gan Guoyang stayed in Portland, he would take his son to school and tell him before getting out of the car, "Don't hit anyone."

Within just one month of enrolling, Wang Fuxi was called to school twice by his teachers because Gan Wenshan got into a fight with a classmate.

The reason for the fight is simple: boys are always combative, they don't like each other, and a fight can easily break out over just a few words.

Gan Wenshan is an Asian with yellow skin. Kids don't care who your father is, whether he's a basketball superstar or the President of the United States.

They thought Gan Wenshan was easy to bully, but Gan Wenshan didn't argue with anyone. He would rush up and fight at the slightest disagreement.

He punched someone in the nose until it bled, and he tore someone's clothes, forcing Wang Fuxi to go and apologize in person.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang has a huge reputation in Portland, and the parents of the schools he attends are all wealthy and influential. As long as the kids don't get seriously hurt from their squabbles, it's fine.

Moreover, Wang Fuxi was not someone to be trifled with. She first tried to be polite, then took a firm stance, apologizing before reminding the school that there might be issues of racial discrimination and bullying involved.

The school immediately took it seriously. In short, after getting through the initial adjustment period, Gan Wenshan's relationship with his classmates gradually improved—and of course, no boy dared to mess with him anymore.

Gan Guoyang was worried that Gan Wenshan would bully others, so every time he took him to school, he would add a word of advice to remind him.

Once, Gan Wenshan became so impatient with being reminded that he said, "Didn't you hit people before? Why are you criticizing me?"

Gan Guoyang said, "I... I was just doing my job."

"Is your job to play ball, or is your job to beat people up?"

"..."

"In short, I won't allow you to fight casually. Don't use violence in everyday life. It's different for Dad on stage. When you use violence, you're also exposing yourself to violent retaliation, understand? Of course, there are exceptions if you're really being bullied."

Gan Wenshan seemed to understand but not quite, and simply nodded, saying, "Anyway, I promise I won't fight with anyone this year."

Gan Guoyang only realized after Gan Wenshan got off the bus that it was already the end of December, and there weren't many days left in the year!
Watching his son's departing figure, Gan Guoyang made sure he entered the school before instructing Quentin to drive to the training hall.

On the way, he sighed deeply, wondering if he had said the same things as his father before.
Back then, he had just joined the league, young and impetuous, and had gotten into countless fights. Gan Youwei worried about him every day...

Gan Guoyang's life has reached a stage where he is beginning to face the bullets he once fired.

With more than half of the December games completed, the Trail Blazers' performance has been relatively stable, but not overwhelmingly dominant.

After a six-game winning streak by defeating the Timberwolves, the Trail Blazers suffered a setback in Salt Lake City – the Utah Jazz have become incredibly strong this year after welcoming Hornacek.

Jerry Sloan, along with Stockton and Malone, quietly worked on a tactical system for almost ten years.

Like someone with average martial arts skills but strong willpower, who has practiced a solid and profound set of skills for ten years.

For ten years, he fought against others, losing repeatedly but never thinking of changing schools or learning a new set of martial arts.

He studied this set of skills more and more deeply, making them more and more refined, and his inner strength became more and more profound.

After ten years of honing his skills, while other masters were either declining in strength for various reasons or starting from scratch, he experienced a breakthrough.

Moreover, he acquired a very handy weapon, which greatly increased his strength, making him unrivaled in the west.

By December 22, before Christmas, the Utah Jazz had a record of 21 wins and 4 losses, ranking first in the Western Conference.

Their record is second only to the Chicago Bulls' 22 wins and 3 losses in the entire league, and better than the SuperSonics, Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Lakers.

Gan Guoyang still delivered an outstanding performance against the Jazz, but unlike against the Knicks and Timberwolves, one person's superb performance was no longer enough to win against the Jazz.

The Trail Blazers' loose defense was riddled with errors in the face of the Jazz's skillful offense, and they suffered a crushing defeat in Salt Lake City.

After that, the Trail Blazers were very good at beating weaker teams, but when they faced top teams, they clearly lacked stamina and control over the game.

Bird and the coaching staff studied the game together and discovered a very serious problem: the gap between Forrest Gump and his teammates was too large, and his teammates could not keep up with his pace.

In some games in December, Gan Guoyang's shot attempts increased significantly, while the team's assists, positioning, and teamwork decreased.

Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang's average number of turnovers per game has reached a new career high. It's not that his skill level has declined, but rather that his teammates are unable to catch some of the balls.

Bird could sense Gan Guoyang's anxiety. After all, it's understandable for a high-level player to have a mental breakdown when he sees his teammates falling behind in every aspect.

Bird understood this perfectly, but as the head coach, he had to maintain a balance in the locker room while also calming Gan Guoyang down.

On the 20th, the Trail Blazers lost to the Seattle SuperSonics at home again. Ewing was beaten badly by Gan Guoyang, but Payton exploded and scored 31 points.

The SuperSonics relied on their overall performance to narrowly defeat the Trail Blazers by one point on the road.

With two seconds left, the Trail Blazers had a chance to win, but a turnover on the inbound pass cost them the game.

This loss left Gan Guoyang extremely dissatisfied, and he unusually lost his temper with his teammates in the locker room.

The next day, after the team's practice, Bird found Gan Guoyang in the locker room and said, "Sonny, sometimes you need to slow down a little, otherwise your teammates won't be able to keep up, which will really hurt the team's morale."

Gan Guoyang said, "Do you think I wouldn't take the chance? I really can't stand wasting opportunities and making mistake after mistake, especially mistakes, you understand, Larry?"

“I understand, but the problem won’t be solved immediately. You said you would be patient and wait for them to grow.”

"I've shown enough patience. In some games, I wish I could go back to the style of play I had in 1987, where I could single-handedly beat my opponent under the basket. You can't, Michael can't, Chamberlain can't, but I can!"

"Can you beat the Utah Jazz or the Chicago Bulls like that in a single series?"

Gan Guoyang fell silent; he already knew the answer in his heart: no.

This is the most grueling aspect of the NBA, as the playoffs require playing series.

If it were a tournament format, Gan Guoyang's dominance would be even stronger.

He can lead the Chinese team to the finals and win a silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics.

But if the Olympics were also a series, and it wasn't a best-of-seven series, but even a best-of-three series, the Chinese team would be in serious trouble.

A series requires collective strength and a margin for error; to go all the way, every player on the bench needs to contribute. The current Trail Blazers are, at best, a playoff-caliber team capable of posing a significant threat to championship-caliber teams in a series.

However, the chances of defeating the Jazz, or even the current Chicago Bulls, in this series are not high.

Only if Gan Guoyang has a super-explosive performance will there be a significant chance of dragging the series into a Game 7.

This is not what Gan Guoyang wants to see; he hopes to work together in a united and strong team.

“So, sometimes you need to wait and be more patient,” Bird tried his best to comfort Gan Guoyang.

"Larry, I was only in my early 20s when I first entered the league. In my first year, we made it to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Lakers. I was very patient back then, and I found the whole season very interesting. Losing was painful, but winning was especially joyful. Every night was exhilarating and incredibly exciting."

“I remember Inman asking me back then if we should trade Vandeweghe, because that guy’s defense was terrible. We could get Marquez Johnson, and then we would immediately become strong championship contenders. But I refused. I didn’t want to trade anyone. I had the patience to grow with everyone and win a championship.”

“Winning is still very enjoyable, and I’m glad that my joy hasn’t been taken away. But the pain of losing… no, it’s not pain, it’s increased anxiety. Maybe it’s because I’ve been retired for two seasons, but I always feel like I’ve lost a lot, and I want to get everything back as soon as possible.”

Bird sat down next to Gan Guoyang. The afternoon winter sun shone through the glass onto the bench, and Gan Guoyang was still steaming.

"Do you want a deal?" Bird asked.

When a team leader loses patience with the team, the most common option is to make the team a trade.

Either trade yourself, or trade for a reliable helper.

In Bird's view, Gan Guoyang may no longer be 20 years old and can wait patiently.

Gan Guoyang was silent for a moment, then said, "No, I don't want that. Actually... our lineup is quite good, and I believe in my teammates."

Bird patted Gan Guoyang on the shoulder, stood up and stretched his arms and legs, and said, "We still have some time, how about playing a horse game? Or, shall we have a one-on-one match?"

Upon hearing about a one-on-one match with Bird, Gan Guoyang perked up and jumped up, saying, "Of course! Let's have a one-on-one match, how about we bet something?"

"Oh no, no, no, we were just having a simple activity and exchanging techniques. Besides, I've quit gambling."

Bird and Gan Guoyang then returned to the court for a one-on-one duel.

Gan Guoyang agreed that they wouldn't use physical strength; they would mainly rely on their skills to exchange ideas.

After years of honing his skills, Gan Guoyang has become a well-rounded technical expert.

His dribbling and shooting skills have reached the level of an outside player.

Bird was not good at one-on-one duels, and after a few rounds, Gan Guoyang scored consecutively.

Gan Guoyang felt that playing like this was not very interesting, so he pulled Kobe and Jermaine O'Neal over and they played two against two.

Bird and O'Neal were paired together, and Gan Guoyang and Kobe were paired together.

With the help of his teammates, Bird played much more smoothly, constantly cooperating with Jermaine O'Neal.

Jermaine O'Neal was matched up against Gan Guoyang, while Kobe Bryant went to defend Larry Bird. Kobe was clearly at a disadvantage due to his lack of experience.

The two teams played back and forth, greatly increasing the fun of the competition, and they played for more than half an hour.

Finally, Bird couldn't keep up physically any longer, collapsed on the ground, and waved his hand, saying he couldn't play anymore.

Gan Guoyang felt satisfied and pulled Bird up from the ground. Bird said, "How was that? Did you feel good? I know you're tough, but sometimes you have to wait for us."

Kobe replied, "No need to wait, I can catch up."

"Shut up! Go practice your three-pointers, kid. Besides, you can't even guard me. I suggest you go back and watch some video replays."

Kobe went off to practice three-pointers, looking rather annoyed. He was undeniably the most hardworking in training, always the last to leave each day.

His performance has been getting better and better recently. In the game against the Jazz, he scored in double digits for the first time, completing a small milestone in his career.

His defensive experience is accumulating little by little, and the effects are not immediately apparent, but Bird can sense his progress.

High school players need to develop many habits from scratch, and with the NBA schedule being so packed, everything depends on their effort.

Feeling much better, Gan Guoyang returned home after training. Gan Wenshan rushed over and asked him a question: "Dad, Dad, I have a question for you!"

"what is the problem?"

"Dad, who is the best center in the NBA right now?"

"Number one center? Of course it's your dad, me."

"No, my classmate said that the best center is Shaquille O'Neal, not you."

"Which student said that? Give them a good beating!"

"Didn't you tell me not to hit people?"

"People who distort the truth like this should be beaten."

"No, he said, he said, O'Neal is a center, so he's the number one center. And you're not a center anymore, your playing style doesn't resemble a center at all."

Gan Guoyang was amused. It turned out that the reason he wasn't considered the best center wasn't because he wasn't number one, but because he wasn't a center.

Gan Guoyang's playing style is indeed becoming less and less like a center. He makes a lot of outside jump shots, drives to the basket, can play inside and outside, and often takes step-back shots.

It's no wonder, in the eyes of children, a center should stand in the paint and not play like Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang patiently explained to his son, "Dad is a center, but my playing style is a little different from that of a typical center. That doesn't mean I'm not a center. I have all the skills and abilities that a center needs, and I'm top-notch at them."

Gan Wenshan shook his head and said, "I don't believe it. Center is center, Gump is Gump."

"..."

Gan Guoyang was speechless for a moment. This was an advertising slogan from Avia in the 80s, which Gan Guoyang himself came up with.

The original intention was that centers don't sell shoes, but Gan Guoyang is different; this advertising slogan is used to highlight his uniqueness and make shoes easier to sell.

This phrase became increasingly well-known as Gan Guoyang's achievements continued to accumulate, eventually becoming a classic advertising slogan familiar to everyone.

Unexpectedly, after so many years, it turned into a bullet, passing through his son's mouth and striking Gan Guoyang's heart once again.

"Okay, Dad's going to play the Lakers in a few days. I'll go head-to-head with Shaq as a center and show you and your classmates who the best center is, okay?"

"Okay! No problem! But Dad, you can't hit people if you can't win."

"It's okay. If Dad can't win the game, he'll come back and beat you up to vent his anger."

"..."

(End of this chapter)