The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 82 What's Lost

Gonzaga's advancement to Final Four was a bombshell that exploded like a stone thrown into a pond after the game on the evening of March 25th, its ripples spreading outwards throughout the United States.

The Final Four is the ultimate stage of the NCAA each year, the ultimate dream destination for all college basketball players.

Gonzaga University had never even made it to the NCAA national championships before, but this year they made it to the top, which is precisely the allure of the NCAA.

You never know when a genius will suddenly emerge from your alma mater and lead the team to great heights, like Larry Bird in 1979, before which Indiana State University had never made it to the NCAA national championships.

In 1979, their performance in the NCAA came within a hair's breadth of legendary status.

This year, the Gonzaga Bulldogs continued their legendary journey, with the final four matches taking place in Seattle, the capital of Washington state, while Gonzaga hails from Spokane, Washington.

The entire state of Washington is going crazy for Gonzaga University.

On March 31, Gonzaga University faced the University of Kentucky at Kingdome Stadium in Seattle. This mega-stadium, which can hold up to 40000 fans and once set an NBA attendance record, once again set a new basketball game attendance record.

In a previous game between the SuperSonics and the Bucks in 1980, this venue set an NBA record for the highest number of players in attendance, at 40172.

With additional seating added, the number of spectators at this match reached 41285.

However, the record won't last long and will soon be broken in the final.

Gonzaga University suspended classes for a week to allow students to watch the game, encouraging everyone to travel to Seattle.

The principal went to great lengths to obtain enough tickets to distribute to students and teachers to cheer on the Gonzaga bulldogs.

The organizers had to add seats to meet the high demand for tickets to watch the game.

Gonzaga University did not disappoint its alumni who had traveled a long way to support them. Facing the Kentucky Wildcats, who boasted a twin towers lineup of Sam Bowie and Melvin Tppin, Gan Guoyang dominated the paint with 27 points, 21 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Gan Guoyang, in superb form, single-handedly destroyed the Kentucky Wildcats' twin towers in the paint, scoring, rebounding, and blocking more points, rebounds, and blocks than the two combined, making them look like useless wriggling on the court.

During the game, ESPN commentator Dick Vitale claimed, "Agan is creating a completely new way of playing center. There has never been a center like him, who is agile, strong, has an extremely long shooting range, and has solid fundamentals under the basket. He is a combination of Bill Russell, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, and Jack Sikma. He is Larry Bird at the center position, an unparalleled miracle in Chinese basketball."

On the same day, after the game between Gonzaga and Kentucky, the University of Houston Panthers defeated the University of Virginia by two points in the second game, advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the second consecutive year. The two teams will meet on the ultimate stage to fight for survival.

Houston's center, Hakeem Olajuwon, recorded 12 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 2 steals in the game. This Nigerian-born superstar center was a beast in college basketball.

His overall performance this year can be said to be second only to Gan Guoyang, and their clash in the finals has sparked countless discussions.

People seemed to have returned to 1979, to that epic battle five years earlier, which was still fresh in their minds.

That game achieved an astonishing 24% television viewership, with an estimated 3500 million people across the United States watching it.

This is an unparalleled miracle in the history of American basketball television broadcasting, even surpassing the NBA Finals.

But on the evening of April 2, 1984, all eyes in the United States were focused on Kingdome Arena. Countless families tuned their televisions to CBS, ESPN, and local sports channels, quietly awaiting the start of an epic showdown. In the eye of the storm, in the Gonzaga University locker room at Kingdome Arena, the Bulldogs players remained calm, preparing for the game.

"Gan, how many people do you think will watch this game?" Stockton asked in the locker room as he bandaged his ankle.

"I don't know, maybe ten million." Gan Guoyang was checking his sneakers. This pair of Aiva was the fifteenth pair he had worn out, and he had changed into a brand new pair tonight.

“Spokane has less than 20 people, and I bet they’re all watching this game tonight.” Stockton thought of his hometown, where his parents, girlfriend, and friends were all at the game tonight.

"I think maybe 20 million people will watch the game. If each person pays me one yuan, I'll be rich," Gan Guoyang joked.

"One dollar per person? I'd be happy with one cent per person."

However, Gan Guoyang and Stockton underestimated the impact of the match and the number of viewers.

In a commentary box at the Dome Arena, Bob Blackburn, known as "The Voice of the Supersonics," a commentator for Seattle's local television and radio stations, was broadcasting the details of this heavyweight game to television viewers and radio listeners throughout the Seattle area.

"To all viewers in front of your televisions and radios, if you still have any work to finish, please hurry up and feed your babies, feed your puppies, hang the clothes out of the washing machine, and take the cookies out of the oven, because this highly anticipated competition is about to begin. According to predictions, the audience for this competition is likely to be close to forty million people, yes, forty million. As one of those forty million, I hope you won't miss this classic final."

Blackburn's voice was loud and deep, and he spoke for a long time without taking a breath.

The players from both sides began to warm up on the field. The huge dome of the Kingdome made the players on the field feel as if they were in a magnificent palace.

While warming up by shooting hoops, Gan Guoyang's eyes searched the stands. He soon spotted Gan Guohui holding a "Gan Family Restaurant" flag, with his father Gan Youwei and his uncle Gan Youtang's family sitting next to him.

They recently closed their shop and traveled all the way from San Francisco to witness the most important moment of Gan Guoyang's life so far.

Behind them was a huge group of Chinese fans. It can be said that every Chinese fan on the entire West Coast who could buy a ticket came to the scene. Gan Guoyang has become a spiritual totem for Chinese Americans.

However, Gan Guoyang stared at it carefully for a while but couldn't see the familiar pink hat. Was she sitting in a too-off spot? Or were there too many people and he couldn't see clearly?

Wang Fuxi was present at the last match. She cheered for Gan Guoyang from the sidelines. After winning the match, she jumped and shouted excitedly, completely losing her usual gentle and quiet demeanor.

"Perhaps they are still on their way."

With a slight sense of unease, Gan Guoyang finished his warm-up and went to the sidelines for the entrance ceremony.

Tonight, Gonzaga University is wearing white jerseys, while the University of Houston is wearing red jerseys.

Gan Guoyang and Hakeem Olajuwon took turns on the court, standing on opposite sides of the field, as the two great centers were about to engage in a duel.

On April 2, 1984, I finally had the chance to compete against Forrest Gump for the championship. I had waited a whole year, and I wanted to take back what I had lost.

—Excerpt from Hakeem Olajuwon's autobiography, *Living The Dream*, published in 1996.

(End of this chapter)