The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 183 - 76: The Furious Train

On December 20th, the Trail Blazers hosted the San Antonio Spurs at home, with Parkson and Valentine returning from injury, so the full Trail Blazers team could play in this game.

In the Trail Blazers’ locker room before the game, Gan Guoyang somehow got hold of a Boombox tape player, set it up in the locker room, and played George-Thorogood’s famous song "Bad to the bone", energizing the whole atmosphere with its dazzling guitar sounds.

When the song was released in 1982, it wasn’t popular, but as its MTV video was played repeatedly and it was used in various commercials and movies, it began to become a pop hit.

Players like Kolter and Kenny-Carl, being African American, began to move to the music’s beat as if something in their genes had been awakened.

Drexler asked Gan Guoyang, "Ah Gan, where did you get that tape player? It’s not stolen, is it?"

To the Glider, it now seemed that anything Gan Guoyang brought into the locker room must be stolen.

Angered, Gan Guoyang retorted, "What do you mean stolen? Can what I do be called stealing? That’s called taking!"

"What’s the difference?"

"There is a difference, I took it with permission."

The Boombox tape player was a gift from Wang Zhengmin when he was in Los Angeles.

The ’70s and ’80s were a major development era for pop music, and the invention of cassettes and tape players greatly promoted the spread of pop music in the streets and neighborhoods.

In the streets, communities, sports fields, overpasses, subways, and even parking lots of big cities, young people could be seen with giant Boomboxes, adding background music to the world.

When Ramsay entered the locker room, right as the saxophone part started, everyone saw Dr. Jack and immediately stopped their rhythm.

Ramsay pointed at the tape player on the stool, asking, "Who brought this in? Why is there something unrelated to basketball in my locker room?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "It was me. I thought the locker room was a bit dull and needed some music for a change."

Ramsay said, "Hmm, you make a good point, listening to music can be beneficial to the mind and body."

This outcome was expected by everyone, as Ramsay’s favoritism towards Gan Guoyang had become as obvious as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

But nobody could really argue because Gan Guoyang’s performance on and off the court was impeccable; in just over a month, he had won everyone over and become the undisputed core of the team.

The music continued to dominate the Trail Blazers’ locker room, and the next song shifted to the B-side of the cassette album by Chuck Berry, No particular place to go:...With no particular place to go, No place to go particular...

Ramsay, upon hearing a song from a singer of his own era, felt a bit better and muttered, "This fart smells a bit sweeter."

Before going onto the court, Thompson and Kenny-Carl, two veteran players, bet each other whether Artis Gilmore or Gan was stronger.

Kenny-Carl believed it had to be Gilmore, claiming him to be the strongest player in professional basketball, "I’ve played against him, and I felt like a primary school kid. Have you forgotten his nickname? He’s the Train."

Thompson, who often sparred with Gan Guoyang in practice, shook his head, "Gilmore is strong, but I feel more despair when I confront Gan. He’s the guy who picked up and slammed Lan Bi’er."

"Gilmore is 7 feet 2, Gan is at a disadvantage in terms of height and size."

"That’s why I think Gan is stronger. Don’t believe it? Just wait and see. Bet one hundred US dollars."

"How do you prove it? Is Gan supposed to beat up Gilmore? That would be terrible."

"It will show during the on-court tussles, you fool. And it’s not like nobody has ever laid a hand on Artis; he’s been KO’d by Morris."

Kenny-Carl hesitated, although he instinctively believed the Old Train, who had dominated the League for many years, was stronger, but as a teammate, he knew Gan was a godlike figure in the gym.

In the ’80s, when NBA players generally did not train for fitness, Gan Guoyang worked out every other day, prompting the Trail Blazers to upgrade their training facility’s gym equipment.

The Avia company sponsored a professional strength trainer for Gan Guoyang, providing guidance twice a week, scientifically planning and enhancing his strength.

Kenny-Carl and other interior players would sometimes visit the gym for a free session. Carl himself tried it once but couldn’t handle it, thinking better of it, for a 30-year-old role player, why tempt fate.

"Are you betting or not? The game’s about to start, you fool."

"You’re the fool, I’ll bet! I still believe in the Train!"

Ever since Gan Guoyang threw US dollars into a bucket betting on who could dunk over Mark-Eaton’s head first, such small wagers had become a pre-game bit of fun in the Trail Blazers’ locker room.

The regular season was long and tedious. With a total of 23 teams in the NBA, the Western and Eastern Conference teams play twice per season, and most of the remaining games were against teams in the same conference, facing off five or six times a season. Sometimes, without a little excitement, the games could really get boring since not every player is obsessed with winning.

Gan Guoyang wasn’t aware he had become part of a bet. During the pre-game prep meeting, Adelman specifically warned him, "Be on guard when facing Artis Gilmore."

Center players like Artis Gilmore, who stand at 7-foot-2 with a strong build, abundant strength, and high mobility, are indeed difficult opponents to handle.

No matter if you want to overpower them with strength or shake them off with speed, both are exceedingly challenging. Theoretically, this is the kind of match-up Gan Guoyang dreads the most.

When the two stood at center court ready for the jump ball, Gan Guoyang was already pondering how to deal with this renowned ’Train.’

Gilmore, at age 35, was a senior player, and his performance had greatly declined last season due to injuries.

However, after healing over the summer, the ’Old Train’s condition noticeably improved. He hadn’t missed a game so far this season and was putting up star interior numbers, averaging 20+10, marking his best half-season since 1979, a real example of aging like fine wine.

Both players jumped simultaneously for the ball, and Gilmore bumped Gan Guoyang in the air, touching the ball first and tapping it to a teammate.

That bump was somewhat painful for Gan Guoyang. It’s normal to have some physical contact during a jump ball, but he felt like Gilmore did it on purpose.

Following that, in the first offensive-defensive sequence, Gilmore posted up low, forcefully shoving Gan Guoyang’s back to receive the ball, then immediately spun around for a slam dunk.

Trail Blazers’ home commentator Bill Schonely complained, "Was that a foul by Gilmore? He shoved Ah Gan before sealing the position, but the referee didn’t blow the whistle. It looks like the veteran wants to give Ah Gan a lesson in strength."

After being scored on right at the start, Gan Guoyang smacked the ball hard and passed it inbounds to Valentine.

His eyes signaled Valentine who understood what to do next, and as soon as Gan Guoyang reached the frontcourt, he immediately sunk into the low post.

The Trail Blazers spaced out to give Gan Guoyang a one-on-one isolation against Gilmore. Gan Guoyang pushed for position deeply, and the two engaged in a tussle below the hoop.

Gilmore’s strength was indeed much greater than the average interior player’s, his resistance from behind was second only to Mark-Eaton.

But Gan Guoyang still secured his position, receiving Valentine’s pass before dribbling in—against other centers, Gan Guoyang would usually shoot right after catching the ball, hardly ever dribbling to adjust.

Fans near the floor of the Memorial Coliseum could hear the sound of their muscles colliding. Gan Guoyang used his left arm to hold down Gilmore and flicked a right-handed hook shot, scoring two points.

This shot was deeply forced by Gan Guoyang, the final touch on the ball was a lick on the rim, just to prevent Gilmore from having any chance to block it.

"Sunny Gan, returns the favor to Gilmore! An impressive showdown of strength and clever footwork under the basket. I bet tonight the ’Train’ will bring out the best in Ah Gan,"

Gilmore looked surprised; he didn’t expect Ah Gan to start with such a powerful and skillful approach, going head-to-head and scoring the first points.

He remembered the first time he faced the top draft pick Ralph Sampson in 1983, that kid always tried to handle him by shooting mid-range jumpers at the beginning, but it wasn’t very effective.

Later, once he got into his shooting rhythm, he managed to hit some beautiful shots, but to Gilmore, that kind of play didn’t fit a center.

Quickly, the surprised expression on Gilmore’s face turned to anger as he threw himself into the battle, pushing and jostling with Gan Guoyang under the basket.

Gan Guoyang wasn’t afraid of confrontation; in fact, the more intense it became, the more excited he felt. He loved battling in the paint and enjoyed grabbing rebounds over the heads of taller players.

In the first quarter, Gan Guoyang grabbed 4 offensive rebounds right over Gilmore’s head, scoring 8 points and 7 rebounds total, drawing one defensive foul from the ’Train’, as well as causing him two turnovers under the basket, completely dominating over the ’Old Train.’

Gilmore indeed brought out the best in Gan Guoyang, who pushed his speed, strength, skill, and energy to their limits, focusing solely on facing this furious giant.

But Gan Guoyang wasn’t sure what was causing Gilmore’s anger, and by the middle of the second quarter, the clash between them intensified until Gilmore, overcome with rage, pushed Gan Guoyang hard.

Gan Guoyang only stepped back two paces from the shove; he immediately confronted him again, and a conflict was imminent.

Thompson, who was nearby, quickly came over to get in front of them, hugging Gan Guoyang and saying, "Don’t get physical, calm down Ah Gan, calm down!"

On the bench, Karl muttered, "Let them fight, Mitchell. After they’re done, we’ll know who’s tougher, won’t we?"

At that moment, the Trail Blazers were leading the Spurs by 6 points, 37:43. If Gan Guoyang threw a punch and got sent off, the Trail Blazers would be at a disadvantage.

Gan Guoyang calmed down and just glared at Gilmore, thinking that if an old player like you doesn’t respect the game, and you want to start something, let’s have it then.

The referee called a technical foul on Gilmore, and Spurs coach Fitz Simmons subbed him out to let him cool off.

Fitz Simmons reminded Gilmore, "Hey Artis, it’s good to be competitive, but you need to keep your cool. Our goal is to win. Control your emotions; you seem a bit unusual today."

Gilmore sat on the bench with a thud, responding, "I’m fine. I just can’t stand that kid. And I can’t stand the whole Trail Blazers team either."

Fitz Simmons knew about the grievance between Gilmore and the Trail Blazers, so he said nothing more.

But deep inside, Gilmore was thinking, this number 11, Ah Gan, his ability to handle physical confrontations is truly astonishing.