The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 224 - 110 Can’t Bring Myself to Hate You
The All-Star game ended on the 10th, and Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi returned to Portland together.
This All-Star event truly broadened Wang Fuxi’s horizons, a student who followed Gan Guoyang and experienced the glamorous side of the professional sports circle.
The young Wang Fuxi was somewhat naive in handling some situations, such as when Gan Guoyang took her to private parties with the players, where she clearly felt restrained.
In the entire buffet restaurant, only the two of them had yellow skin. In high society, it was rare to see Asian figures, and when they appeared, they were often supporting roles or simply extras.
But Gan Guoyang’s confidence and composure influenced Wang Fuxi, reminding her of what he had said when they first got together, that in the future they would face many situations ordinary people wouldn’t encounter.
Wang Fuxi tried hard to overcome her nervousness, chatting and greeting other players’ family members and children. Her beautiful yet non-aggressive face and her gentle demeanor quickly helped her fit into the wives’ group, and in three days, they all became good friends.
The friendship among women always develops quickly, feeling like they have known each other for several years after just one day.
After the "Frozen-out" incident involving Jordan-Thomas came to light, Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi talked about it.
Wang Fuxi said, "I heard from the wives’ circle that some of the veteran players indeed don’t really like Michael, because he... doesn’t quite seem like a black person."
Gan Guoyang expressed surprise, "Doesn’t seem like a black person? Isn’t he black enough?"
Wang Fuxi explained, "It’s not about looks, it’s about black people having their own cultural system, like slang, jazz, rap, black food, and so on. They say Jordan doesn’t have these, he looks more like a white person, and the people around him are mostly white people."
Although Jordan was a black player, he came from an ordinary middle-class family, grew up in a white neighborhood, and received the same education as white students.
Apart from his skin color being black, his speech and behavior didn’t differ much from that of white youths, and he had no interest in the things ordinary black people liked.
Besides basketball, Jordan’s favorite sports were baseball and golf, both of which are quintessentially white sports, even if there were famous black athletes, they were more like white people.
Basketball is different; basketball is more a black sport because of its street roots. Many of the league’s black players come from the slums and streets, carrying a strong street vibe with them. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Even someone like Jabbar, who appears as a noble and cool philosopher on the court and follows Islam, grew up in New York’s Rucker Park, and is part of the street legend.
"So you think that Michael was indeed ostracized, and that Thomas and others suppressed him in the All-Star game?"
"Well... I don’t know. Actually, when watching the game, I didn’t feel that way. The reports say that Thomas and the others weren’t passing the ball to Jordan, but in reality, Jordan took 9 shots, which is quite a lot, he just didn’t make them."
Wang Fuxi paid close attention to the game, noting that Jordan took 9 shots. Gan Guoyang, also a rookie, took only 8 shots, while Olajuwon only had 2.
Looking at the number of shots, Olajuwon was the one who was really suppressed. Gan Guoyang scored 15 points from 8 shots because all his points came from dunks and layups, along with free throws and a three-pointer.
Jordan scored low because he didn’t play well, and he was quite earnest during the game, even blocking Sampson once, clearly wanting to perform well.
Thinking this, Gan Guoyang thought maybe Jordan lied, just to create an enemy for himself? To burst Thomas?
"This spineless Jordan, you can create an enemy, but why not pick me instead of Thomas? Damn it, he’s looking down on me, this coward."
Gan Guoyang’s thought process was unique; he felt that Jordan lying about creating an enemy to motivate himself and choosing Thomas instead of him made him feel underrated.
On February 12th, the Trail Blazers hosted the Boston Celtics at home. In their last encounter, the Celtics suffered a buzzer-beater defeat by Gan Guoyang, so they were expected to come back with vengeance this time.
However, tonight at Memorial Coliseum, everyone on the Celtics team was off their game, especially Kevin McHale, who struggled with only 3 successful shots out of 10 attempts under Mychal Thompson’s defense, scoring only in the single digits.
McHale, facing his former college senior, had all his moves figured out and played poorly after the long rest during the All-Star break.
Apart from McHale, Maxwell had an average performance throughout the season, and it was evident from his average rebound count of 4 per game just how lackadaisical he was on the court.
On the other hand, after experiencing the All-Star weekend, Gan Guoyang and Drexler became exceptionally bold, especially Drexler. Although he suffered a crushing defeat in the dunk contest, his confidence increased even more after the All-Star experience.
Tonight, Vandeweghe was absent due to a back issue, and Drexler started, achieving a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Teaming up with Gan Guoyang’s 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks, the pair shone together, helping the Trail Blazers beat the Celtics at home with a 112-102, a 10-point margin victory.
Sweeping the defending champions in the season showed the enormous potential of the Trail Blazers.
Despite the loss, the Celtics still stood out in the Eastern Conference standings.
But the frontcourt combination they took pride in started to show signs of fatigue, McHale’s immaturity, and Maxwell’s lack of focus both threatened to be landmines on their path to the championship.
At the end of the game, Gan Guoyang said to Bird, "Lucky for you that you’re in the Eastern Conference. If you were in the West, you’d have to watch out in the playoffs."
Bird replied, "If you were in the East, you wouldn’t be able to beat us consecutively. If you’ve got the guts, let’s meet in the finals."
At that moment, Gan Guoyang asked about the rumor of Jordan being suppressed during the All-Star game and whether it was true.
All Bird left him with was, "Do you think Thomas could dictate me?"
Tonight, Bird was clearly in a bad mood. He played consistently, making 9 out of 20 shots for 27 points.
But losing to the Trail Blazers again made him sense a crisis within the team.
Bird was frustrated with Maxwell and McHale’s attitudes, their lack of strong emotions towards winning or losing.
In his opinion, if one was held to single digits by an opponent in a game, one must reclaim their dignity, at least by scoring 30 points on that individual in the next encounter.
Tonight, Bird fed McHale many times for low-post plays, yet McHale couldn’t move Thompson an inch. After losing the game, he still seemed as cheerful as ever, even able to joke and laugh with his senior, Thompson.
This was the fundamental reason why Bird and McHale couldn’t be friends – their differing natures. One couldn’t stand seeing the other always so merry, while the other loathed the sight of someone who seemed to be in deep resentment revolving around basketball all day.
Next, the Trail Blazers defeated the visiting Kansas Kings, New Jersey Nets, and Cleveland Cavaliers in succession, celebrating a four-game winning streak post-All-Star game and looking to be in fine form.
The Trail Blazers had achieved a record of 37 wins and 15 losses, successfully surpassing the Los Angeles Lakers and moving to the top of the Western Conference, putting immense pressure on the Lakers.
On February 19th, the Trail Blazers finally welcomed their last Eastern Conference guest, the Chicago Bulls. After facing the Bulls, they would start their road trip through the Southwest Division.
Gan Guoyang finally got to meet Jordan. Before the game started, Gan Guoyang found Michael, who was warming up in the gym, surrounded by his bodyguards and some friends.
When Jordan saw Gan Guoyang, he had the bodyguards and friends leave, allowing the two of them some private time to talk.
"You’ve been ignoring my calls lately, fuck, are you scared your lies will be exposed by me?" Gan Guoyang went straight to the point, as he and his friends never minced words.
If there was a misunderstanding between them, he always made sure to get it clarified. If it could be cleared up, he would do just that. If things remained ambiguous, then it was better not to remain friends; there was no need to hold onto a relationship with underlying issues.
As he spoke, Gan Guoyang picked up a basketball off the ground and threw it at Jordan, who caught it with one hand and said, "What lies? What are you talking about?"
"About the conflict between you and Thomas; lately, you haven’t been taking my calls."
"Something happened at my mom’s recently, she wouldn’t let me use the phone to contact people directly, plus I’ve been on the road for games."
"So the business between you and Thomas, were you lying?"
"Why would you think I lied? We’re friends, are you doubting me first?"
"Because during halftime I sensed something was off. I noticed you weren’t performing well, so I asked Magic if he and Thomas were targeting you. If they were, I would’ve stood up for you. But Magic denied it, and in the second half Thomas passed to you, I didn’t see anything unusual. The next day the news blew up, and it wasn’t leaked by you, but someone’s agent or advisor talking to reporters at the airport. What is this, deliberately creating public enemies for yourself?"
Gan Guoyang fired a series of questions. He stared intensely at Jordan, who didn’t avert his gaze, but responded, "What happens on the court is one thing, and off the court is something else you don’t understand. I could feel Thomas was really annoyed with me. In the elevator, he just stared at me coldly, and when I greeted him, he ignored me. During the game, I was off form, but I didn’t blame Thomas. I didn’t feel like Thomas did anything to me, because I don’t believe that sort of suppression happens at an All-Star game. But later, it was Thomas, Magic, and Gervin’s medical advisor who leaked the news, not me telling reporters they were suppressing me. I’m not one to whine or complain; I’m the last to know. When I heard people say I was being targeted, I got angry. Shouldn’t I be angry?"
"Sonny, I consider you my best friend. At times like this, you shouldn’t doubt me. I’m the victim, do you understand?"
"I’m not doubting you. I also consider you my best friend; otherwise, I wouldn’t have questioned Magic during halftime. But, I don’t want you to be someone who lies. Maybe you should find out the truth, figure out if Thomas and Magic really did that to you, rather than being used by the media."
Jordan shook his head and said, "The truth actually isn’t important. So what if he suppressed me, it’s perfect, I need that anger to drive me to victory. You know, during the game against the Pistons, I played angry and scored 49 points. That feeling was too good, just amazing. The regular season is too long; it would be boring without these things."
Gan Guoyang replied, "Playing angry? Isn’t playing against me enough for you? You haven’t beaten me yet."
"I can only play against you twice a year unless we both make it to the finals. Besides, Sonny, I can hate Thomas, but I can’t bring myself to hate you."
With that, Jordan turned and shot a mid-range jumper toward the hoop, but it didn’t go in.
Gan Guoyang didn’t say much more, and as he left he said, "I’ll still win tonight’s game. And next time, I’ll explode against Thomas and the Pistons for 50 points."
