The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 164 - 61 Comprehensive Competition_2

Gan Guoyang, at 6 feet 10, didn’t look particularly muscular, but he had already reached a weight of 250 pounds upon entering the league, which was about 10 pounds heavier than in college.

Through extensive and scientific training, he managed to increase his weight and strength without affecting his speed, agility, and shooting touch.

Centers in the 80s who didn’t engage in specialized strength training couldn’t compete with him, especially since he was naturally endowed with prodigious strength.

Not just the centers, but other players seldom did strength training, like Larry Bird, who was a training fanatic, yet he bench pressed only single-digit times throughout a season.

But at colleges, like Gonzaga University, many coaches had realized the importance of strength training, which could not only enhance muscle and physical confrontation but also reduce injuries, increase stamina, and maintain stable performance.

As new players joined the NBA each year, they brought some fresh concepts from college into the league.

Gradually, everyone came to realize this and started to emphasize strength training, slowly turning the NBA from a fast, elegant running game into a battlefield of muscle collisions.

As one of the pioneers, on the evening of November 28th, Gan Guoyang stepped into the Chicago Stadium with an unstoppable force.

Normally, the venue’s attendance rate was around thirty to forty percent, but since Jordan’s arrival, it had gradually improved, recently reaching close to eighty percent.

And tonight’s much-hyped battle between the 1984 draft’s second and third picks was naturally packed to capacity, with fans still trying to enter the stadium to watch the game up to half an hour before it started.

This sports venue, built in 1929 and over fifty years old, was more dilapidated than the Rifield submarine. The night before, Jordan had warned Gan Guoyang on the phone that the changing rooms here were damp and moldy, and to be careful when changing.

Later, Gan Guoyang admitted that the changing rooms at Chicago Stadium were among the worst he had ever used, and he preferred not to return to them during halftime, choosing instead to sit and rest by the court.

After changing into his gear and warming up on the court, the situation inside the stadium was much better, with fans filling the venue and creating a great atmosphere.

When Chicago didn’t have Jordan or when he had just arrived, the ambiance here was as cold as a graveyard, dead and lifeless.

But Jordan gradually boosted the popularity of the Chicago Stadium with one show-stopping performance after another, and so far, the attendance was already double that of the same game last year.

Compared to that, Gan Guoyang was much luckier in Portland; past, present, and future, there was no chance that even a single seat at the Memorial Coliseum would go empty.

The opening ceremony was as simple and plain as always, with no fancy performances, and the DJ’s introduction was similarly unremarkable—the teams back then didn’t really know how to create a spectacle.

But the passion and frenzy of the fans made up for everything, and Boston Garden Plaza, despite being even more run-down, offered the best game atmosphere and feel in the entire league.

When Gan Guoyang was introduced as a starter, applause actually rang out in the stadium, which was an appreciation and encouragement for his body-slamming of Lan Bi’er.

The Trail Blazers’ starting lineup remained unchanged, with Gan Guoyang, Vandeweghe, Parkson, Valentine, and Thompson—a very formidable roster.

The Bulls’ starting lineup, by contrast, was much less impressive, featuring Michael Jordan, small forward Orlando Ulrich, power forward Steve Johnson, center Caldwell Jones, and point guard Ennis Witely.

Among them, only Orlando Ulrich was considered a near all-star player with the strength to alleviate some of Jordan’s offensive burden; the rest were mediocre in ability.

Quinn Daly coming off the bench was the team’s sixth man, and together with Ulrich and Jordan, these three backcourt players accounted for the Bulls’ offensive framework.

It was conceivable that for Jordan to achieve greater success in the NBA in the future, none of those teammates would remain.

Standing on the court, Gan Guoyang and Jordan shook hands, with Jordan noticing that Gan Guoyang’s mouth was moving as if he was chewing something.

"What are you chewing on in your mouth?"

"Wrigley’s gum."

"Why did you start chewing gum?"

"Chewing green arrow relaxes me, plus it keeps my breath fresh. I’m afraid I might overwhelm you with it later."

"Fuck, chewing gum won’t save you from your halitosis."

Jordan cursed, while Gan Guoyang just smiled and blew a bubble at Jordan.

At the time, quite a few players chewed gum to concentrate, including Jordan during his high school games.

However, in college and the NBA, due to stricter regulations, Jordan temporarily gave up gum.

Jordan didn’t expect Gan Guoyang to start chewing gum. Before the jump ball, he yelled to the team physician on the bench to find him a piece of gum to chew during the next timeout.

The competition between the two was comprehensive, extending even to a piece of gum.

The reason Gan Guoyang chewed gum was twofold: to maintain focus and to craft his image—suggestions from Wu Zhixiong.

Beyond attire, managing little details was necessary, like classic moves, small quirks, and habits.

Gan Guoyang wasn’t keen on crafting a persona, but the thought of beating Nike and Jordan had him all in.

When he stepped onto the Chicago Stadium, his Avia sneakers, his black lining shorts longer than the jersey shorts, and his constantly chewing mouth, every aspect drew attention from the fans and the cameras on the sidelines.

By comparison, Jordan, with just a pair of Nike sneakers, seemed somewhat plain.

Standing at center court for the jump ball, the game began.

The old, slender Bulls’ center Jones was no match for Gan Guoyang from the start.

At 34, he was well past his prime. He was a typical center of the 1970s: tall, somewhat thin, focused on the inside, with decent skills.

Gan Guoyang began by receiving the ball in the low post against Jones. He executed a Sikma move, then turned facing the basket, using footwork and strength to directly challenge Jones.

Jones was pushed back repeatedly by Gan Guoyang, who dunked the ball with one hand into the basket, eliciting a "woo" throughout the Chicago Stadium.

This aggressive and explosive face-to-basket style was Gan Guoyang’s common tactic on the Eastern away trips, starting games more fiercely.

The Bulls didn’t go on the attack initially with Jordan; instead, they executed their half-court tactics, with Ulrich wrapping things up—clearly, coach Lou Holtz wanted to target the defensive issues of the Trail Blazers’ small forward.

Ulrich broke through the non-existent defense of Vandeweghe, attacking Gan Guoyang at the rim. Gan Guoyang, realizing he couldn’t block the shot, stepped aside, and Ulrich scored with a dunk.

Gan Guoyang immediately responded on offense, receiving a pass from Valentine, and scored with a turnaround jumper.

Thirty seconds later, he repeated the same move, another turnaround jumper that scored, racking up 6 points consecutively.

The Trail Blazers led 6:2 against the Bulls at the start, with Jordan yet to take a shot.

On the way back to defense, Gan Guoyang called out to Jordan, "Michael, surely you can’t lose the game and also the scoring title, right?"

After that, Jordan took the ball and started to accelerate.