The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 225 - 111: A Woman’s Sense of Smell

In my rookie season, by January, I had grown tired of playing basketball every day, even tired of watching basketball. The season had already been going for three months, but there was still another three months to go. If my last season at Auburn University was a chore, then in Washington, it had become my daily routine, my job.

Thanks to Gene Shue and Wes Unseld, I learned how to survive in the NBA: training both body and mind.

As a professional athlete, the primary task is to maintain physical health, which is no secret. But even the healthiest body can only last for 40 games. In the next 20 games, NBA players rely on willpower.

After February, every game seemed to be played in the "Yinyang Devil’s World," so far removed from the beginning of the season, that all the defensive plans designed for opponents at the start were no longer effective, and the tasks arranged in training camp were long forgotten. Everyone was playing based on feeling and form, fiercely competing for a spot in the playoffs.

However, there were two people, from the start to the end of the season, whose condition hardly changed. Constantly spirited and combat-ready, like two tireless sled dogs, they could run endlessly across the barren, snowy wasteland.

That was Ah Gan and Michael, who didn’t even need a donut.

————Excerpt from Charles Barkley’s autobiography "Outrageous!" published in 1992.

Later, there was much debate about whether a suppression incident actually took place between Michael Jordan and Thomas at the 1985 All-Star Game.

Some believed that Thomas indeed suppressed Jordan because the person who came out with the revelation was Thomas, Magic, and others’ advisor Dr. Tucker, not Jordan himself.

Moreover, considering the rivalry between the Pistons and the Bulls later on, Thomas was indeed unfriendly toward Jordan, and their personal conflict had a direct impact on the selection of Team USA for the 1992 Olympics.

Others thought it was entirely a strategy from Jordan’s camp, created to give Jordan an antagonist to perform better in games, while at the same time covering up his poor performance in the All-Star Game and stealing back the spotlight that was taken by Gan Guoyang.

Because with Thomas’s status in the League, there was no way he could direct Larry Bird and Dr. J Irving during the All-Star Game.

Moreover, given the relationship between Bird and Thomas, if Thomas wanted to do something, Bird was likely to do the opposite. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

So if Thomas were to urge the Eastern All-Stars not to pass to Jordan, then Bird would surely go out of his way to feed the ball to Jordan.

Years later, the truth about the incident remained elusive, with the media repeatedly bringing it up for discussion, to the point where no one was sure what the original event was anymore.

Gan Guoyang didn’t get a definitive answer from Jordan, and he discussed the matter with Wang Fuxi after returning.

Although Wang Fuxi was still studying, she had a unique feminine intuition when it came to gossip.

After hearing Gan Guoyang’s account, she analyzed that the incident was not premeditated but was simply blown out of proportion when someone (Dr. Tucker) mentioned the topic of "conflict between Thomas and Jordan" to the reporters.

Conflicts between players are all too common. Not to mention rivals like Jordan and Thomas, even teammates often have their disputes.

The whole furor over Thomas and Jordan was so heated, and it was definitely not just because a couple of people misspoke.

Dr. Tucker probably did not anticipate the uproar that would follow, as it was just like any usual locker room gossip with the reporters, but it somehow led to a major controversy that lasted throughout both men’s careers.

Such widespread and profound impact wouldn’t have been possible without a massive force in public opinion driving it.

As to whether this force was Nike or some other media outlet, Wang Fuxi speculated for a long time without a definitive answer.

After hearing Wang Fuxi’s analysis, Gan Guoyang thought that women indeed are suited for dealing with these intangible issues, as they can imagine the truth.

Wang Fuxi said, "You basketball players are really strange, being friends and opponents at the same time. For ordinary people, if there’s a competitive relationship and they’re fighting all the time, how can they still be friends? But you all are different; you fight like crazy on the court, then become brothers off the court. Aren’t you afraid that one day you’ll end up with a split personality?"

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "You don’t understand, playing a game is competition, but it’s actually a kind of cooperation because the more exciting the game is, the more fans will watch, the more attention the League will get, and everyone’s income will go up. So even though it seems like life or death on the surface, behind scenes we are all broadly colleagues, and it’s not bad to be friends."

"Hmm~ what you said makes sense. Then tell me, do you think the incident between Jordan and Thomas could have been driven by Commissioner Stern from behind the scenes? There had been many conflicts between players before, right? Usually, the media would just ignore these issues. Why was there no public relations attempt this time? Instead, it was left to run its course and even fanned the flames?"

Hearing Wang Fuxi say this, Gan Guoyang thought it might indeed be possible.

It was Stern’s first All-Star Game since taking office. The event was rich in content and the games exciting; it even had a legendary gossip story afterward.

Over a week had passed since the All-Star Game, and it was still a hot topic in society, all thanks to this freezing incident.

Fans liked to see conflicts between stars, direct confrontations with underlying grudges – the more dramatic, the better.

Often, what attracted fans was not the game itself but the stories behind the game.

These stories turned the NBA into a real-life show, a drama, drawing fans to care about the players’ fates and wanting to know what would happen to them next.

Old friends reunite, enemies meet, new stars rise, former champions fall—these are the story arcs people love, and none would be possible without the media’s portrayal and promotion.

Gan Guoyang was initially drawn to these stories, and now he’s poised to become part of one, determined to make it the most legendary tale of them all.

The next evening, the Trail Blazers and the Bulls were set to clash at Memorial Coliseum, with both Gan Guoyang and Jordan having undergone thorough preparations.

Vandeweghe continued to be sidelined due to injury; his back problem was an old issue dating back to his college days. The Trail Blazers now treated player injuries with extreme caution, and with the team in form, they decided to give him more time to heal.

Drexler replaced Vandeweghe in the starting lineup. The Glider’s performance before and after the All-Star Game had been impressive, and he was thrilled at the prospect of facing Jordan tonight.

The game was fiercely competitive from the outset, with the lead changing hands from the first quarter and both teams entering halftime tied.

In the third quarter, Gan Guoyang stepped up, leading the Trail Blazers to an 11:0 run that helped secure a lead in the score.

The Bulls, guided by Jordan, gradually closed the gap, until the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

Trailing by three, Jordan boldly shot from beyond the three-point line and nailed a three-pointer, equalizing the score and pushing the game into overtime.

Although the Trail Blazers held an overall advantage over the Bulls and had twice defeated the Celtics, the Bulls’ roster and strategy posed challenges for the Trail Blazers.

Against teams like the Celtics with strong frontcourt offense, the Trail Blazers had Gan Guoyang and Thompson on the inside and didn’t give an inch to the Celtics.

The Bulls’ strength lay on the perimeter, and the Trail Blazers’ defensive pressure there was lacking. Lou Holtz persisted with his gamble-style defense against the Trail Blazers, consistently doubling the inside and leaving the perimeter open to shoot.

Both Parkson and Drexler scored their fair share of shots, but their offensive efficiency and impact were not threatening enough.

The two sides struggled back and forth, with Jordan eventually leading his team to catch up in points—Drexler couldn’t contain Jordan, leaving the Glider dejected.

Of course, Jordan couldn’t exactly shut down Drexler either; the Glider was the second-highest scorer of the team that night.

The first overtime ended in still a tie, and so did the second overtime.

By the start of the third overtime, both teams’ stamina had hit rock bottom, with almost every player holding their knees and gasping for air.

At that point, only Gan Guoyang and Jordan still had abundant energy. In their Knight-like showdown, Gan Guoyang single-handedly scored 10 points in the third overtime.

Jordan, possibly exhausted from shooting so much earlier, kept missing shots, leading the Bulls to crumble unexpectedly in the third overtime.

The Trail Blazers won on home ground 139 to 131, an 8-point victory over the Bulls, with Jordan racking up 39 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Gan Guoyang secured 40 points and 16 rebounds - ever since Vandeweghe had rested, Gan’s rebounding numbers had plummeted because Drexler could grab boards as well.

As soon as the game ended, Jordan began to slip away when he saw Gan Guoyang approaching him, but Gan quickly caught up in three steps and said, "Michael, don’t go, we’re friends, aren’t we? Say hello."

With no other choice, Jordan turned around, shook hands with Gan, and said, "Next season, I will definitely beat you."

"Next season? My goodness, don’t you have the confidence to make it to the finals?"

"I’m confident, not arrogant. Of course, I hope to see you in the finals."

"I’m also confident, but not arrogant... By the way, I’m going to Washington in a few days. Do you have any messages for Charles?"

"Tell him to eat less. And, can you knock him out for me? Every time he plays against me, he knocks the wind out of me."

"No problem, I’ll make sure to leave a lasting impression on him."

[In college, the best players can coast by on their skills, but in professional games, every opponent is as good as the next, so you need a psychological edge to reach peak performance every night. That means engaging in mental warfare.

The best at playing psychological games in the League are Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Dominique Wilkins, and Chuck Person. They talk more than anyone else in the League, but not crudely, not profanity, just the fun among competitors.

Oh, you must be wondering why I didn’t mention Ah Gan? That’s because Ah Gan is different; Ah Gan is a devil.]

————Excerpt from Charles Barkley’s autobiography, "Outrageous!", published in 1992.