The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 823: Hard Talk
The world-renowned Christmas battle has come to an end.

The Portland Trail Blazers escaped Chicago with a victory, extending their winning streak.

28-game winning streak! The Trail Blazers continue their undefeated run.

After the game, back in the locker room, Larry Bird said to the players, "Forget this moment, forget about winning or losing, Merry Christmas everyone!"

The group had a simple Christmas celebration in the locker room. It's a little past six in the evening, and it will be very late when we head to the airport to catch our flight back to Portland.

As victories continued to accumulate, the atmosphere in the Trail Blazers' locker room became harmonious and relaxed. Everyone was united, shared common goals, and their relationships grew stronger.

Gan Guoyang invited everyone to his home on December 31st to celebrate New Year's Eve. 1997 was about to end and 1998 was just around the corner.

Back in Portland, in the final few games of 1997, no one could stop the Trail Blazers.

They defeated the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat in consecutive home games on the 27th and 29th, achieving a 30-game winning streak!
This is only the second team, after the Lakers in the 1972 season, to break the 30-game winning streak record.

That day, Sports Illustrated published an article titled "Who Will Beat the Portland Trail Blazers and Forrest Gump?"

In the 1997 portion of the 1997-1998 season, the Trail Blazers were undefeated and won every game easily.

No team, including the mighty Chicago Bulls, has been able to close the gap to within 8 points.

The article states, "The Portland Trail Blazers, led by Forrest Gump, have entered a whole new realm; they play a different kind of basketball than other teams."

"It's hard to believe that we've encountered a team like this since the 1996 Chicago Bulls. Although it's too early to talk about the outcome, I really can't imagine who could beat the Portland Trail Blazers."

Who can beat the Portland Trail Blazers? That's the question on everyone's mind, since nobody could take them down in 1997 anyway.

December 31st passed, and it was now 1998, a new year had begun.

The world continues to move forward amidst change and turmoil, and it will not stop for anyone or anything.

The Trail Blazers' winning streak continues, while the Asian financial crisis is brewing a new storm.

People throughout Southeast Asia are paying unprecedented attention to the basketball league across the ocean.

Everyone knows that the Trail Blazers can't keep winning forever, just like stocks can't keep rising forever.

Even the best stocks will eventually fall, because there will always be a price at which there are more sellers than buyers.

Similarly, there will always be a game in which the Trail Blazers are unable to perform at their best.

This is the NBA, not the NCAA. The NCAA has far fewer games, more rest, and far more low-level teams than the NBA.

The last team in NCAA history to win the championship with a perfect record was Gonzaga University in 1984, led by Gan Guoyang.

See, it's related to Forrest Gump again. His name is always mentioned in basketball records of victory.

On January 1st, the Trail Blazers faced the Utah Jazz on the road, an obstacle on their path to setting a record.

Last season, the Trail Blazers were defeated by the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals, losing the opportunity to challenge the Bulls in the NBA Finals.

The Jazz have maintained their strong momentum from last season and remain the Trail Blazers' biggest rival in the West.

Karl Malone, who is a year older, has not only not regressed, but his performance this season is even better than last season.

In the summer, he continued to train his muscles as he had for ten years, and he even gained a little weight to further enhance his fighting ability.

However, Stockton's form has declined as he has begun to suffer from injuries and age.

Last season, Stockton lost his chance to win the assist title for the ninth consecutive year.

Stockton missed all of November's games due to injury.

In 1997, he missed more games than in the previous 13 seasons combined.

At 35, Stockton realized that he was about to experience a turning point in his career, and a decline was inevitable.

This is a hurdle that not everyone can easily overcome; even Stockton couldn't.

Therefore, Stockton's desire for the championship is exceptionally strong this season, and he knows that his chances are running out.

With his good brother Forrest Gump back, and a few veteran fighters assembled, their fighting strength is once again heading towards the atmosphere.

Stockton felt both anxious and helpless.

Unlike Jordan, Stockton had one consolation: I beat Forrest Gump in the playoffs.

Stockton returned to the game in December last year, and Karl Malone led the team through November, with the Jazz still maintaining a high winning percentage.

Both teams are at full strength tonight, and the entire city of Salt Lake City is hoping to end the Trail Blazers' winning streak.

The center of the triangle is just as noisy and disruptive as it was last summer, giving me a splitting headache.

But tonight, the entire Trail Blazers team remained very calm, and victory after victory filled everyone with confidence.

The impact of confidence is very positive. In the first quarter, the Trail Blazers were in excellent form, repeatedly hitting long-range shots from beyond the arc.

Mullin and Blake made five three-pointers in the first quarter, showing great confidence in their three-point shooting.

The fact that center Gan Guoyang is good at rebounding is a major headache for the Jazz.

Gan Guoyang was clearly angry during this game, as he was very frustrated by the loss to the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals last season.

Since it's not the playoffs yet, they naturally need to find opportunities to vent during the regular season.

In the first quarter, Gan Guoyang grabbed 5 offensive rebounds and 4 defensive rebounds, nearly reaching double digits in rebounds in a single quarter.

Last season, the Jazz relied on their methodical offense to suppress the Trail Blazers' individual performances and ultimately achieve victory.

As a result, this season, the Trail Blazers' half-court offense was more organized, coordinated, and refined than the Jazz's.

With both sides having similar tactical skills, and the Trail Blazers even slightly superior, the difference in talent became apparent.

Gan Guoyang didn't even need to take a shot; in the first half, he almost overwhelmed the Jazz just by grabbing rebounds.

The Trail Blazers retaliated tonight by opening up their three-point shooting from the center of the triangle area. Mullin, Blaylock, Sabonis, Kobe, and others took every opportunity to shoot three-pointers from the outside.

If he scores, that goes without saying; if he misses, Gan Guoyang's success rate in grabbing offensive rebounds is astonishingly high.

He grabbed 5 offensive rebounds in the first quarter and 6 offensive rebounds in the second quarter. Even after grabbing the rebounds, Gan Guoyang didn't attempt a second-chance opportunity but instead passed the ball to his teammates on the perimeter for further shots.

Eleven offensive rebounds in the first half gave the Trail Blazers plenty of second-chance opportunities. It didn't matter if they missed from beyond the arc; they could just keep shooting until they made it.

Therefore, the Trail Blazers' three-point shooting percentage in the first half was not high, at 38%, but they made a lot of shots, 8 of 21 attempts, including 8 three-pointers.

Both field goal attempts and made in the first half set season records, and the Trail Blazers led by 11 points at halftime.

The Jazz realized at halftime that the Trail Blazers were using them as a target tonight!
The Jazz's biggest problem on the perimeter defense is their height and lack of athleticism. Stockton and Hornacek, two white guards, often struggle to find effective solutions against the Trail Blazers' strong outside shooting.

Before the start of the third quarter, Stockton and Gan Guoyang chatted on the sidelines.

"Sonny, are you guys using us as target practice? Shooting three-pointers like crazy?"

"Um... we're just exploring tactical possibilities. One day in the future, shooting three-pointers like crazy will become the mainstream in the league."

"But grabbing offensive rebounds like crazy won't work. Are you trying to break the offensive rebounding record? Don't do that, Sonny."

"What, are you worried that Karl can't handle it? He's a professional player, this is what he deserves."

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang glanced at Karl Malone, who was warming up not far away.

Ma Long was thoroughly outplayed by Gan Guoyang in the first half.

When Gan Guoyang doesn't focus on scoring but instead concentrates on defense and rebounding, he becomes truly terrifying.

Malone felt he was finished; the experience he had accumulated over the past 12 years of his career was wasted, and his body, which he had trained hard for in the summer, was also ruined.

He couldn't score in one-on-one situations under the basket, and he couldn't grab rebounds in the midcourt. He was completely shut down by Gan Guoyang and didn't make a sound.

However, Malone is better than Duncan in that he can also score with mid-range jump shots, scoring 8 points in the first half, so he was not shut out by Gan Guoyang.

It is very difficult to shut out an experienced and powerful MVP-level player like Malone; it requires the opponent to be in poor form as an assist.

However, Malone's expectations for himself are not limited to 8 points. In Stockton's absence, Malone can be said to have carried the team on his own.

In their first game of the season against the Lakers, without Stockton, the Jazz suffered a crushing defeat, losing to the Lakers by 20 points.

The team then suffered a series of losses, seemingly losing the momentum of the previous season.

But Malone quickly became the backbone of the team, consistently delivering consistent performances every night, fulfilling his duties like a postman delivering mail.

When Stockton returned in December, the Jazz's performance was decent, and they didn't lose by too many margins.

After that, the Jazz gradually overtook the Los Angeles Lakers and the Seattle SuperSonics in terms of record, stabilizing their second place in the Western Conference.

In this respect, Karl Malone, like Michael Jordan, supported the team when his most reliable teammates were absent, and waited for their return.

Therefore, Stockton, as a teammate, felt supportive and sympathetic towards his old comrade.

The two have worked together for 12 years, and "Stockton to Malone" has become a well-known catchphrase.

When people mention the Jazz, they always think of Stockton and Malone; the two are inseparable best partners.

However, Stockton knew in his heart that his closest partner was actually Forrest Gump.

The duo's pick-and-roll variations and effectiveness are several times greater than "Stockton to Malone".

From the moment Malone joined the Jazz in 1985, when Frank paired Stockton with Malone, Stockton couldn't help but compare Malone to Forrest Gump.

At first, Stockton simply couldn't stand Malone's roughness and clumsiness.

Why is your pick-and-roll so rigid? Why is your roll to the basket so monotonous? Your shooting is terrible, and your drive to the basket is too weak.

Leaving aside the differences in details, the more Stockton compared them, the more unbearable it became.

But he persevered, enduring until Ma Long made gradual progress and learned little by little.

They are stronger physically, shoot better, screen more effectively, and handle the ball more intelligently.

Stockton knew that Malone had been learning from Forrest Gump, learning his shooting, his drives to the basket, his ball handling, and so on.

Although he could only learn about 60% of it in the end, it was enough for Malone to dominate the league. However, every time a fake met the real thing, he would get beaten badly.

Even at the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, people expected Malone and Stockton to stand on the MVP podium together, but Forrest Gump still snatched the MVP award.

Deep down, Stockton harbored resentment towards Malone, not only on the court but also off the court, and the two couldn't get along.

Stockton wasn't very interested in the things Malone liked, and he was quite disgusted by Malone's blemishes in his private life.

However, out of consideration for his teammates and after so many years together, Stockton didn't say much.

Until last season's Western Conference Finals victory over the Trail Blazers, although Malone's individual performance still couldn't compare to Forrest Gump's, the team ultimately won.

From that moment on, some things in Stockton's heart finally calmed down. He was no longer so critical of Malone, and those slight feelings of disdain finally disappeared.

Malone's years of persistent effort finally paid off. Although the Jazz ultimately lost to the Bulls in the Finals, 1997 was a year in which the Jazz made a name for themselves.

Stockton already sensed that if the season continued as it was, the Jazz wouldn't be a match for the Trail Blazers.

Their efforts over the past decade may very well come to naught again.

That's how it is in the league when Forrest Gump is there; he'll leave you a very small window of opportunity.

If you catch him, you'll win the championship and your mission will be accomplished. But if you miss him, things will get complicated once he recovers.

“No, I didn’t mean for you to go easy on me. It’s just… Sonny, you know, sometimes the way you defeat your opponents is a bit too ruthless, it’s really… inhumane. I know you don’t like Carl, but he’s still my teammate,”

Stockton is right, especially this season, Gan Guoyang has often humiliated his opponents.

It's common for them to shut out their opponents defensively, and tonight they're going to completely dominate Malone on the boards, leaving Malone helpless.

Gan Guoyang did not deny this. He told Stockton, "Your contract expires this summer. If you're considering coming to the Trail Blazers, I'll let Malone off the hook."

Stockton chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Don't joke around, Sonny. I'm 35 years old. My career, family, and friends are all in Salt Lake City. I don't think I'm going anywhere else. I just want to stay here."

Gan Guoyang said, "Why? That way you might never win a championship. Don't you want to win a championship with me?"

Stockton was silent for a moment, and the second half was about to begin, with both teams' players gathering towards the center of the field.

"Of course I want to, but... Sonny, I've already won a championship with you, so even if I don't win another NBA championship, I don't feel too much regret."

"Besides, it's not really right to win a championship by riding on someone else's coattails, is it? You know I value my reputation, Sonny."

After speaking, Stockton went to the backfield to receive the ball and start the second half of the game.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "That's what Bernard King said back then."

Later, he finally won a championship with the Trail Blazers, completing his career.

35 is still a long time. Gan Guoyang doesn't believe that Stockton will still be so stubborn a few years from now, when he's nearing the end of his career.

(End of this chapter)