The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 163 - 61 Comprehensive Competition
The night before the game, Jordan called the room where Gan Guoyang was staying, and the two chatted for quite a while.
On the phone, Jordan didn’t talk about basketball with Gan Guoyang, but two other things:
First, how to deal with the annoying parts of life after becoming famous;
Second, Jordan was curious how Guoyang could be so strong as to lift the 245-pound Lambier into the air and slam him to the ground.
When Jordan first arrived in Chicago, he was just a nobody, but he quickly caught the attention of the entire city of Chicago with his unparalleled court performances and high-scoring games.
Chicago is different from Portland; as America’s third-largest city, it was once one of the two main centers in the north of America alongside New York.
Anyone who has seen mob movies knows that the two strongholds of the Mafia are New York and Chicago.
The presence of the Mafia shows that there are enough spoils here; only a place large enough has sufficient shadows under the sunlight for the rats to hide.
A coastal city known for its roses like Portland is probably where the mob guys retire.
The social life in Chicago is rich and varied. Previously, the social pioneer here was Reggie-Seth, the guy who looks like an Indian.
He often stole the show at various parties in Chicago and was called "Street Busy Reggie." After he was traded, Jordan quickly filled the void, becoming the top socialite in Chicago.
The advantage of being a celebrity is that everybody knows you, but the disadvantage is also that everybody knows you, and you no longer have any privacy.
"I can’t even eat a burger at McDonald’s without being recognized now, a bunch of people would come to me for autographs. I now need to bring a bodyguard even when I go out to eat, Sonny. Is it the same for you in Portland?"
Jordan complained about his life being crowded everywhere, while Gan Guoyang was trying to figure out if the kid was genuinely seeking advice or just showing off in disguise.
After two seconds of thought, Guoyang, based on his understanding of Jordan, was sure it was the latter!
"Actually, I started enjoying this kind of treatment back in high school in San Francisco. You know, my skin color is quite unique on the basketball court, making it easy for people to recognize me. I don’t have to pay for meals at any restaurant in San Francisco; everyone comes over to say hello. As for bodyguards, people naturally protect me; I don’t need something that makes me look like a slave driver."
"Hehehe, Sonny, you’re bullshitting."
"Mike, you know I never bullshit."
"No, you’re bullshitting." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"Bullshit, what makes you say that?"
"Because it doesn’t make sense! Without a bodyguard, people would just crowd around you relentlessly, asking for this and that, and some might even want to hug you."
"The type of fans that like a certain player have similar temperaments, my fans wouldn’t do that."
"Tomorrow I’m going to blow you out of the water."
"Fuck you, I’m going to crush you."
The two started bickering like kids, neither willing to give in, both wanting to get the upper hand in the argument.
But when it came to crushing someone, Jordan was curious why Guoyang’s strength was so immense.
Considering how heavy and tall Lambier was, he wondered how Guoyang could toss him so effortlessly.
Guoyang said, "Actually, it’s simple, like why you’re so fast. It’s a combination of natural talent and subsequent training."
Jordan said, "Bullshit, I don’t train for explosive speed."
"Cut the crap, Mike, we trained together in Indiana. I took you through strength training and you couldn’t handle it; your legs were soft the next day."
"Your training regimen is indeed unbearable but now I can manage it. Honestly, I must thank you, Gan, hitting that guy Lambier felt damn good."
Some time ago, Jordan had just been knocked down by Lambier, and as a guard, he couldn’t physically tussle with Lambier and could only challenge him fearlessly with his basketball skills.
Gan Guoyang was different; sometimes violence is the best solution to a problem.
"I didn’t do it for you; besides, I will refrain in the future. On the basketball court, it’s better to settle things with basketball. I think after this incident, there probably won’t be any blind guys who’d dare to provoke me or treat me violently."
"Fuck, you didn’t take him out just to establish your authority, did you?"
"Strike one to avoid a hundred, you Americans should understand that best."
After more idle chatter, they wished each other good luck for tomorrow’s game and hung up the phone.
Thinking about the competition with Jordan tomorrow made Guoyang excited; he loved matching up against strong opponents.
He hadn’t played well in the recent games, being too preoccupied with fighting, which wasn’t the way Gan Guoyang liked to play.
But faced with provocation, he had to respond, and he felt that the physicality of the ’80s big men was a bit too weak, not sturdy enough.
Back then, players didn’t typically undergo specialized strength training, so physically, centers were much slimmer compared to those 10, 20 years later.
Lambier was nicknamed "Elephant" because he was massive and robust, but his weight was only 245 pounds.
At that time, it was the standard weight for a big center, but fast forward more than 20 years later, and an NBA heavy small forward could weigh 250 pounds.
The weight of centers started to reach 260, 270, 280 pounds, with some super-heavy tanks hitting 300 pounds, making them real behemoths.
Weight plays a crucial role in physical confrontations; a difference of a weight class, even 5-10 pounds, can make a significant difference in their ability to compete physically.
