The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 130 - 30 Creating his death_2

After a while, Barkley’s call came through, and Gan Guoyang picked up the receiver.

"Charles, are you munching on a burger?"

"Bullshit, I’m in season mode, I’ve already started dieting!"

"You’re playing against Jordan tonight, make sure to bring your A-game and aim to kill him out there."

"Did you guys place a bet or something?"

Barkley knew Jordan and Gan Guoyang well; those two would often make bets during training camp on all sorts of trivial matters.

It was the first match of the season for both Jordan and Gan Guoyang, and it would be strange if they didn’t bet.

"That’s right, we’re betting on who scores more."

"I want half of that!"

"We didn’t bet money."

"Then what’s the point? Why the hell did you call me, just to interfere with my eating?"

With that, Barkley hung up the phone, but Gan Guoyang had achieved his purpose.

He figured Barkley would give it his all against Jordan in their first NBA encounter, even if not just to help him out.

As Gan Guoyang expected, Barkley played with great effort in the opening game, facing off against Jordan in front of 13,000 viewers at the Chicago Stadium.

Jordan tried his best, scoring 18 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists, and making an impressive 5 blocks—including two against Barkley.

Barkley managed to score 15 points and added 6 rebounds and 3 assists, but the Washington Bullets lost 100:109 to the Bulls on the road.

After the game, Gan Guoyang teased Barkley for not getting as many rebounds as Jordan, to which Barkley retorted that he had less playing time!

"But you still got blocked twice by Michael."

"I... I’ll definitely get back at him later."

Scoring 18 points wasn’t a particularly big challenge for Gan Guoyang.

But Gan Guoyang knew that his goal for the first game was to help the team win, not just to outscore Jordan.

Their bet was nothing more than a bit of fun amidst the tedious game schedule; he wasn’t going to shoot extra just to outscore Jordan for the sake of winning the bet.

The evening of October 27th, in Kansas’s Kemper Arena, the 1984-1985 season opener.

This sports arena with its rather peculiar design had over 14,000 spectators that night, with an attendance rate that exceeded seventy percent, which was quite good back then.

After all, the Kansas Kings had changed cities back and forth since the ’50s, but had trouble finding a stable footing in Kansas City—a basketball town where most fans were die-hard supporters of the Kansas Jayhawks and nobody wanted to watch the poorly-performing Kings.

To expand their market influence, the Kings established a second home court in Omaha, Nebraska, but that didn’t work out well either.

In Nebraska, there were hardly any people, let alone spare time to watch basketball.

The good attendance that night owed somewhat to the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang; during his college road trips, Gan Guoyang had visited Kansas.

Donning the Trail Blazers’ red and black number 11 jersey, lacing up in Avia’s red and black sneakers, Gan Guoyang looked quite different as he walked onto the court.

In the dimly lit gymnasium, which had less than perfect lighting, Gan Guoyang shone like a beacon, standing out among the black players so that everyone couldn’t help but notice him.

Ramsay put Gan Guoyang in the starting lineup; the power forward was Mychal Thompson, the small forward Vandeweghe, the shooting guard Jim Paxson, and the point guard Valentine.

A roster that is reasonable in terms of both age and ability, with Drexler sitting on the bench as the sixth man.

If there’s a problem with this starting lineup, it’s that the Vandeweghe + Paxson forward-guard combo is too weak on defense.

Two white perimeter players, brimming with firepower, but their defensive abilities and attitudes leave much to be desired.

If the NBA allowed zone defense, their shortcomings would be greatly reduced, but since the NBA only allows man-to-man, it poses a real problem.

Jack Ramsey is certainly aware of this problem, but he also knows that there’s no such thing as a perfect team; everyone is playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses.

Gan Guoyang stepped up to the center circle to jump ball, facing Lasalle Thompson, a center who stands at 6-foot-10 but is exceptionally muscular.

A few minutes later, Lasalle Thompson, like many centers who faced Gan Guoyang for the first time, exclaimed, "How is this guy so strong."

This was akin to the first time players faced Jordan, "How can this kid move so fast."

Right from the start, both teams launched into an offensive battle, as the existence of a 24-second shot clock made the pace of NBA games much faster than in NCAA.

Since the mid-1970s, the average NBA scoring has been on the rise, fluctuating around 110 points.

Last season, the league’s average score was 110.1 points—without much use of the three-point shot, the 110 points per game were achieved through multiple rounds of fast-paced two-point play.

Gan Guoyang, following Valentine, Paxson, Vandeweghe, and others, sprinted back and forth over several rounds, already grabbing a number of rebounds.

Lasalle Thompson is an expert in offensive rebounds, but when Gan Guoyang firmly boxed out beneath the basket, he couldn’t get through at all.

With the assurance of defensive rebounds, the Trail Blazers had no worries on offense, allowing Vandeweghe and Paxson to push forward boldly without having to stay within the free-throw line to compete for the defensive rebounds.

Within the first five minutes of the quarter, after a clattering barrage of shots, when the Kings called for a timeout, the score was just 15:12, the Trail Blazers ahead by three.

The shooting percentages for both teams were unsightly; one at forty percent and the other in the mid-thirties. Guoyang had already snagged 6 rebounds, including 2 offensive rebounds.

"If you guys keep bricking like this, I’m going to grab 40 rebounds tonight!" Gan Guoyang reminded everyone from the bench.

The Trail Blazers’ offense, although fast, was not sloppy; on the contrary, their plays were very organized.

Valentine was a steady orchestrator, and white players like Vandeweghe and Paxson had a high tactical literacy.

Thompson, having played several years in college, was likewise seen as a reliable big man by his coach.

As for Gan Guoyang, needless to say, despite his cursing and fancy tricks in training, come game time, he played more disciplined basketball than anyone.

Ramsay even praised him, saying that Gan Guoyang’s picks at the top of the key were textbook-level, solid and perfectly executed, better than most centers in the league today.

Unfortunately, his teammates didn’t capitalize on the opportunities and missed their shots, failing to extend the lead.

Ramsay encouraged his players, shoot more boldly, run faster, "Find your offensive rhythm in the first quarter."

At the start of the season, the players’ tasks included not only winning games but also finding their form and getting the body in sync with game tempo.

An NBA season is very long, with ups and downs, and a good start can smooth out the path ahead considerably.

"Gan, do you want to take a break?" Ramsay asked Gan Guoyang, who was drinking water.

"Rest? You’re so kind to me. If I keep playing under you, I could play until I’m fifty," said Gan.

"Quit your bullshit and get back on the court. If they’re not shooting well, can’t you damn well score yourself?" said Ramsay.

Ramsay was slightly critical of Gan Guoyang for passing to teammates rather than going for his own shot after grabbing two offensive rebounds.

Of course, he was just talking; he knew Gan Guoyang was trying to help his teammates find their shooting touch.