The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 232 - 118: The Greatest in History

Because of a loss away from home, Ramsay would usually take a walk on the streets of Los Angeles at night, a habit he had formed while coaching in college.

He was a man with a strong desire to win. When he coached at Saint Joseph’s University and his team lost to the Naval Academy in a championship, he forbid his players from taking the stage to accept the fourth-place medals, feeling that not making the top three was a disgrace.

In his first year as the head coach of the 76ers, after losing a game to the Seattle SuperSonics, Ramsay was unaccepting. He believed that Billy Cunningham was fouled during his last shot and went to knock on the referee’s dressing room door for an explanation.

The referee did not open the door, telling him, "Let it go, Jack. Have your team get ready for the next game instead."

"So you didn’t kick the door open and give him a smack on the mouth afterward?" Gan Guoyang asked.

That night, Ramsay was not alone on the streets; he had invited Gan Guoyang to join him, and together they strolled under the twinkling lights of Inglewood on a warm California night in March.

The two did not discuss basketball tactics during the walk, as ever since Rick Adelman had become the go-between for the two of them, they no longer engaged in professional exchanges.

Ramsay simply shared stories with Gan Guoyang about playing and coaching in college, coaching the 76ers, and the Trail Blazers.

"If I had been like that, I would have left the NBA coaching position long ago. You still have to be calm when it’s time to be calm. Since that time, I’ve reminded myself never to take anything for granted and not to live in the past. It’s just that I didn’t expect everything would end so quickly."

The two walked westward along Manchester West Road, passing Los Angeles International Airport with plane after plane taking off and landing without pause.

They walked 15 kilometers in one go until they reached Playa Del Rey Beach, where they saw the bluish glow of the waves on the beach, a spectacle caused by the congregation of bioluminescent predators attracted by the red tide.

Seeing some people swimming in the blue waves, Ramsay said, "How about joining them for a swim?"

Gan Guoyang quickly declined, not wanting the headline in the Los Angeles Times the next day to be "Trail Blazers coach and captain, distraught over loss, drown in the Pacific Ocean in the early morning."

Instead, Ramsay took off his shirt and headed toward the ocean while Gan Guoyang hurriedly tried to stop him, "Coach, it’s just one loss to the Lakers, you don’t need to become a sea man, remember to keep calm, right?"

Ramsay replied, "Don’t worry, I’m a good swimmer, I’m in a good mood, just want to swim for a while, no need to be concerned."

Jack Ramsay joined the Navy at the age of 18, and was then assigned to the NCDU unit, the precursor to the Navy Seals, in the underwater demolition team.

He started his training in 1945 to prepare for the American landing on Japanese soil. The training involved approaching the beach in small boats before dawn, then swimming to land, acting as the vanguard to scout, mark the beachhead, and blow up obstacles to prepare for the large troop landing.

While the destroyer he was on was already sailing in the Pacific Ocean, two atomic bombs ended the war and the planned operation was aborted; he retired from the military.

Although he never saw combat, Ramsay tightly grasped the skills from his training and never forgot them. Swimming in the dark sea was a piece of cake for him.

Watching the old man, now in just his shorts, rush into the blue sea, Gan Guoyang yelled out, "Dr. Jack! Who will take over your coaching job!"

Gan really cared about the team, afraid that if Ramsay couldn’t make it out, there would be no one left to coach.

"You, of course! You can just be the coach!" Ramsay responded.

"Deal! I only need half your salary! Save some money so the guys can stay at better hotels!"

Perhaps genuinely concerned about losing his coaching position, Ramsay swam for a while before climbing back out of the sea.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself it was a pity that this beautiful sight was spoiled by an old man balding on top climbing out of the sea.

Ramsay dried off a bit before putting on his clothes and suddenly asked Gan Guoyang, "Ah Gan, what do you think of Clyde?"

"A scumbag who doesn’t even want his own kids."

"I was talking about his playing skills!"

Gan Guoyang thought for a moment and then replied, "Clyde’s talent is second only to mine on the team, with probably just a Jordan in between."

"What about Cheche? How is he?"

"Cheche has great skills, but his character is too weak to shoulder big responsibilities."

"Jim Paxson?"

"Very solid technically, but a bit behind the times."

"Thompson?"

"My best inside partner, very talented, you have not used him well."

"Valentine?"

"He lacks vigor, I think he is very tired, just like Parkson, a bit behind the times as well."

"Jerome Kossie?"

"Strong desire, brave, but too rough on the technique, not enough experience, worth grinding."

"Kenny-Carl?"

"Conscientious in his duties, but without any upward ambitions, can only do a good job at his position."

"Kolter?"

"Highly cultivated, makes few mistakes, lacks talent and imagination, and his willpower is also not strong enough."

Ramsay got dressed and asked about the remaining 11 players on the Trail Blazers, and Gan Guoyang quickly gave a precise assessment of each one.

Ramsay finally asked, "What about you? Ah Gan."

"Me? I will be the greatest in history," Gan Guoyang stated with conviction.

The sea breeze tousled his hair but didn’t disperse his voice.

The white moonlight and the blue luminescence cast upon his face, making him appear serene as if declaring an absolute fact.

Ramsay nodded and said, "Let’s take a cab back, it’s getting late. Did you bring money? I came out to swim, so I left my wallet at the hotel."

"Ah? Did you drag me out here just to make me pay the cab fare?"

"That’s right, let’s go, get some sleep early."

-----------------

The season was entering its final phase, and the teams on the verge of the playoffs started their last sprint.

Teams with higher rankings didn’t give up on the games because of a guaranteed playoff spot, as the concept of load management did not exist in the 80s.

For teams, ticket sales were a major source of income, while television broadcast fees only made up a small part of the salary cap.

The annual salary cap was determined based on the total income from the previous year; the higher the income, the more money allocated to the players.

Therefore, as long as one was physically fit to play, one should take the court, especially for ticket-selling players like Johnson, Bird, Jordan, and Gan Guoyang, who would not slack off in front of the audience.

Their attendance rate directly affected the income of all players in the League. Stars like Johnson and Bird commonly played over 75 games a season when they were young and healthy, and they both had experiences of playing through minor injuries.

Of course, this came with risks. Larry Bird had back and spinal issues at a young age. Nowadays, he lay on benches in the locker room listening to tactical setups before games, which to the unknowing, might seem like a lack of respect for the coach.

Later, as his back injury worsened, he had to lie on the floor during breaks to ease the pressure on his spine and back and make himself slightly more comfortable.

Magic Johnson also suffered a serious knee injury in 1981, missing most of the season, and after "a hundred days of solitude," returned to the court with a pair of thick knee pads.

The Trail Blazers, a team plagued by injuries, had their medical standards raised a notch after Gan Guoyang’s arrival—not necessarily in terms of medical skill, but definitely in terms of the attention given to player health.

When players suffered injuries, everyone from the coaching staff to the management followed the principle of prioritizing player health. Players were given rest as needed, ensuring they fully recovered before returning to play.

According to the Trail Blazers’ new medical system, players needed written permission from two professional medical practitioners before they could return to the court, restricting coaches from allowing players to return to play arbitrarily.

Dr. Ogilvy even provided psychological therapy to injured players to help them overcome the trauma of their injuries—fortunately, this year the Trail Blazers players did not suffer any major injuries, and minor ones were properly managed.

On one hand, the improvements to the Trail Blazers’ medical system were due to Gan Guoyang’s strong arguments when he first joined the team, and on the other hand, Gan Guoyang’s presence significantly bolstered the team’s strength. They laid a solid foundation for their record early in the season, which meant they didn’t need to sprint at the end of it.

The Lakers, leading the Western Conference, began to surge in March and April, stringing together an unstoppable 13-game winning streak, which the Trail Blazers could not catch up to.

The Denver Nuggets had an astonishing performance this season, holding the top spot in the Western Conference for a considerable time at the beginning of the season.

However, they also experienced fluctuations in form around February and March, suffering consecutive losses and gradually sliding down to third place in the Western Conference standings.

Due to the division rules, the Nuggets ranked second in the Western Conference, while the Trail Blazers were third.

Just like last year, the Trail Blazers couldn’t climb over the Lakers’ mountain in the Pacific Division, so they had to settle for third place.

Because they were firmly in third place, without the risk of falling to fourth or the likelihood of advancing to first, the Trail Blazers felt no pressure in their record in the latter half of the season.

This allowed players with injuries to properly recover, such as Vandeweghe’s back injury, Valentine’s leg injury, and Parkson’s ankle, all of which could be fully rested.

But Gan Guoyang, the benefactor behind Portland’s medical forefront, didn’t miss a single game—the only game he didn’t play in was due to a suspension, which had Cleveland fans shouting for refunds throughout the game.

Gan Guoyang was too much of a ticket seller; as long as he was healthy, he would not be given a game off.

Mid-season, the team doctor conducted a physical examination on Gan Guoyang, paying special attention to his knees, ankles, and other joints.

After the examination, the team doctor declared, "He’s very healthy, could practically stamp a certified purple seal of approval."

His strong muscles provided excellent protection for Guoyang’s joints and ligaments, and originally he had maxed out his resistance to injury.

Plus, with his highly disciplined lifestyle and healthy diet, the probability of injury was very low.

After the physical, Guoyang thought to himself, "Damn, I bought insurance for nothing; I can’t even make use of the Trail Blazers’ upgraded medical system."

But just because Guoyang didn’t need it didn’t mean others wouldn’t. At the end of March, as the Trail Blazers were about to face the challenge of the New York Knicks and Guoyang had just made a friendly bet with his good friend Bernard King on who would score more in the upcoming game, King suffered a severe injury in the previous game against the Kings. His knee’s cruciate ligament was torn, and he was seriously hurt.

That’s when the player injury insurance pushed by Larry Flesher came into effect.

The Knicks were among the first teams in the League to join the insurance plan, ensuring that King’s salary during his injury recovery and a substantial part of his medical expenses would be covered by the insurance company.

This was a boon for both the players and the teams; the team minimized losses, and the player didn’t have to wrangle with the team over salary or stress about affording medical expenses during recovery.

But insurance couldn’t alleviate the pain of injury; King, who had only recently donned the crown in New York, had fallen from the throne abruptly.

The day after his injury, he called Guoyang and said, "Ah Gan, I’m finished."