The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 145 - 43 Grand Opening_2
"Gan, if you keep running like this, I’m afraid you won’t have the energy to play tonight,"
Johnson had just finished a round of shooting practice when he noticed Gan Guoyang was still running.
"I’m not running, I’m just a little hot and want to catch a breeze,"
"If you start talking like Larry, I’m going to throw the ball at you and kill you, so you’ll be out for the season."
After their training, the two had lunch together at the Forum Club. Johnson quite enjoyed the occasional Playboy Bunnies passing by and the seductive glances they shot his way.
He had enjoyed one-night stands with quite a few of them, but usually didn’t return for seconds; he liked the thrill of the chase.
Seeing Gan Guoyang buried in his meal, Johnson said, "Gan, are you a virgin? Look around, there’s so much more than food to enjoy here, and yet you’re only focused on eating?"
Gan Guoyang replied, "I like women too, but I guess these are all your old flames. I never covet what others enjoy."
Johnson leaned in and said, "Good resources should be shared, don’t you know that?"
Gan Guoyang replied, "Then would you share with me the trick to beating Jabbar?"
"Beat him? Just smile at him! Keep smiling, and after a while, he’ll think you’re crazy and won’t bother with you anymore."
Johnson said this with a big grin, and Gan Guoyang thought to himself; how could this off-court fool be so awesome on the court.
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At around three in the afternoon, Gan Guoyang and his teammates warmed up in the Great Western Forum, which was much livelier than the morning.
It was Gan Guoyang’s first time seeing so many people at the entrance to the team’s locker room: reporters, cameramen, and various onlookers.
Everyone crowded the corridor waiting for the Portland Trail Blazers to arrive, and when Gan Guoyang appeared, they swarmed around him, requesting interviews.
Back then, the NBA had not established a dedicated media day, nor was it mandatory for players to accept interviews. Many old-school coaches and players disliked dealing with the press. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Like Jabbar.
But outgoing personalities like Magic Johnson quite enjoyed interacting with reporters and fans.
Gan Guoyang didn’t resist interviews either because he knew that if properly utilized, the media could be a very sharp weapon.
A high-level NBA game is akin to warfare; anything on and off the court can affect the outcome.
Los Angeles, as the entertainment center of the West Coast, had an exceptionally developed media presence and placed great importance on the game between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers.
The damage Gan Guoyang had inflicted on the basketball-loving Los Angeles community was significant, and reporters were eager to know his attitude towards the game.
"You are the media from Los Angeles, and I represent Portland. What should I say? Hope for a tie? Everyone gets one point?"
Gan Guoyang’s joke brought laughter from the crowd. When asked about the Trail Blazers’ consecutive victories and his previous four star-level performances, and how he viewed the intensity of NBA games, Gan Guoyang pondered for a moment and said, "I have a feeling that I’m going to break a lot of sweat tonight, a lot. So I’m going in to hydrate, thank you."
Without saying much, Gan Guoyang entered the locker room, and the reporters who wanted to continue the interview were stopped by the staff.
Although the game was attracting attention, the head coach Ramsay didn’t hype it up as much as the media did, reminding everyone it was just a regular-season game.
In terms of tactics, Ramsay asked Gan Guoyang if he wanted to double-team Jabbar. Gan Guoyang shook his head: "I can handle him by myself."
The team looked at Gan Guoyang as if he were crazy, thinking he had no idea how difficult it was to deal with the Sky Hook.
To their surprise, Ramsay nodded in agreement, "No problem, Karim is yours. If you die in the paint, I’ll let you hang from his arm."
Thompson patted Gan Guoyang on the shoulder, as if to say, it’s not that I won’t help you, brother, but you’re the one taking on the big thunder.
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Around 7 PM, the radio stations in the Los Angeles area carried the calm yet fast-paced voice of Chick Hearn.
"Good evening, friends, I’m Chick Hearn. I don’t know if you’re ready to enjoy another Los Angeles Lakers performance at the Great Western Forum, but I think the Portland Trail Blazers across from them are definitely ready to enjoy it,"
Since 1961, Chick Hearn had been doing play-by-play commentary at Lakers’ home games, transmitting the live atmosphere to every household’s radio.
Even though television broadcasts were now available, with TV stations equipping their own commentators, Los Angeles fans still preferred to mute their TVs and turn on their radios, watching the TV broadcast while listening to Chick Hearn’s commentary.
At this moment, players from both teams stood in their respective tunnels, ready to take the court.
"Relax Ah Gan, if you keep hopping around like that, I’m going to get dizzy. Are you going to box instead?" Mychal Thompson said to Gan Guoyang, who had been bouncing around for quite some time.
"I have so much energy, I can’t use it all up; I need to burn a bit off, otherwise I’m afraid I’ll foul out too early." Facing a tough opponent in such an important game excited Gan Guoyang.
"You’re really a weirdo."
"Who isn’t? If you weren’t a weirdo, who would enter this damn League?"
"You’re right. Alright, everyone get ready, let’s take the court!"
Captain Thompson yelled, and the Trail Blazers players rushed onto the court in order.
The starting lineup for the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang, Thompson, Vandeweghe, Parkson, and Valentine.
The starting lineup for the Lakers, Worthy, Johnson, Byron Scott, Jabbar, and Wilkes.
After the opening ceremony filled with boos and applause ended, Gan Guoyang finally stood opposite Jabbar.
This was their first face-off on the court, and also the first time Gan Guoyang had encountered Jabbar, after two near misses.
If Gan Guoyang had joined ULCA, Jabbar might have taught him the sky hook, but now they were opponents on the court.
Jabbar, at 37 years old, was going bald and looked somewhat odd wearing sports glasses—a sort of oddness not uncommon among giants.
At 7 feet 2 inches tall, from watching TV Gan Guoyang thought Jabbar seemed thin, but it was only face-to-face that he realized how massive Jabbar was.
"Jabbar is in position, facing him is this year’s number two draft pick, Sunny Gan, the only Asian face on the basketball court, as rare as a bear in a winter national park. I hope he cherishes the two hours he has at the Great Western Forum, I believe he’s got a lot to learn, like how to wear high socks," quipped Chick Hearn, with the kind of arrogance typical of the elite.
In those days, the choice of wearing shorts was already tough on Gan Guoyang, let alone most others were wearing high socks.
Gan Guoyang couldn’t stand that trend, and despite the other Trail Blazers wearing high socks, he was determined not to.
As the jump ball approached, Gan Guoyang recalled Coach Beelman’s words, "From the first second of the game, maintain your focus and competitiveness, then when the results come in, you’ll have no regrets about your commitment and effort."
From the moment of the jump ball, Gan Guoyang gave his all—when the referee tossed the ball into the air, he immediately leaped.
Relying on his outstanding jumping ability, he tipped the ball to Thompson on his left, who caught it and was ready to pass it to the guard.
But Gan Guoyang, having already landed, sprinted towards the frontcourt. He bulldozed through Worthy and Wilkes like a running back in football, charging down the middle of the court.
Thompson, understanding Gan’s intent, risked a long pass to the frontcourt; Gan Guoyang turned and leaped, catching the ball despite being sandwiched between two defenders, and without dribbling, he soared from within the three-second zone and slammed the ball into the basket with both hands!
This slam sent Worthy on the right flying, toppled Wilkes following from behind, and knocked Magic Johnson out of bounds.
"Oh my God, the Trail Blazers’ center, Gan, charged to the frontcourt, Thompson threw the ball out between defenders, and Gan dunked with both hands, the referee blows the whistle, and Worthy’s been called for a foul!"
Gan Guoyang casually let go of the rim and landed steadily, the referee blew the whistle, preparing for the free throw.
"Hmm~~" A low chorus of boos came from the stands, clearly, everyone was stunned by Gan Guoyang’s magnificent opening.
