The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 234 - 120 I Don’t Like It

Beelman solemnly corrected Gan Guoyang’s choice of words, saying, "What do you mean by betrayal? Ah Gan, your words are too harsh. It’s called career planning."

"I signed a three-year contract with Gonzaga University, and it just expires this year. Fitz wanted to renew the contract with me, and I am still considering it. I’ve already gotten the high school championship, and I got the college championship too. This year I’ve proven myself, my methods are effective. So..."

"So you’re planning to come to the NBA to ride my coattails and grab an NBA championship? To complete the Grand Slam?"

"What kind of talk is that! What do you mean riding coattails? I want to achieve my dreams and showcase my talent on a bigger stage."

"Then you can apply for a head coaching position, there will definitely be teams that want you."

"Gan, I think with my qualifications, it’s better to start as an assistant coach. Besides, NBA championships aren’t that easy to get, Gan. According to Gus’s data model, it’ll be hard for you to get past the Lakers this year."

In the end, Beelman obviously wanted to work in the NBA, and the Trail Blazers were his primary target.

After all, Gan Guoyang was his best connection in the NBA, and Ah Gan was a disciple he had personally mentored.

Watching Gan Guoyang’s rapid rise in the league, Beelman really hoped to lend a hand in his growth.

However, it’s definitely not possible this season. The regular season is at its tail end, and the Trail Blazers are entering the final phase, preparing for the playoffs.

At this point, no major changes are likely in the works, especially not bringing in an assistant coach to change the team’s defensive habits.

As for Beelman, his work at Gonzaga isn’t over yet, and even if he were to leave, he would still need to do a good job of scouting for the next batch of Bulldogs.

Gan Guoyang may joke about it, but he took this matter to heart. The Trail Blazers indeed needed a good defensive coach to give some pointers.

"Bobby, I’ll use my influence to help you, but after all, I’m a player. It’s not good to interfere with management and the selection of coaching staff. In the end, it’ll still depend on your interview ability."

"I know that if I don’t get approval from the Trail Blazers, I can’t force my way into the team. Besides, you’re not my only connection, Ah Gan. In fact, the Pistons invited me, and I turned them down."

Gan Guoyang recalled that Beelman, while at University of Notre Dame, coached Bill Lambier, and according to Beelman, the two had a good relationship.

"Speaking of the Pistons, next month they’ll be coming to Portland for a game. Should I give you some face, and take good care of Lan Bi’er?"

"Sonny, just don’t hit him, and that’ll be giving me face. That guy’s a bit rough, but he’s actually okay."

"Okay? He always resorts to underhanded tactics to compensate for his lack of ability. And with his level of skill, he still manages to make the All-Star team."

"Ah Gan, you need to realize that not everyone in the world is blessed with the conditions you have."

It seemed that Beelman really had a good relationship with Lan Bi’er, even using lines from "The Great Gatsby" to advise Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang retorted, "You should say that to Lan Bi’er. His family conditions are much better than most people’s, and yet he ends up hurting others on the court. I don’t care about other teams, but the playoffs are coming soon, and if he dares to hurt someone in Memorial Coliseum, I’ll kill him!"

Beelman knew that when Gan Guoyang says he’d kill someone, he very well might.

Just that body slam, with a slight change of angle, landing on the neck, without professional training that much weight is bound to break a neck.

Having spent the most time with Gan Guoyang, Beelman knew he had a fearless boldness in him.

Where that boldness came from was a mystery, a sort of nonchalant attitude towards life and death, as if at a young age he had been through a lot, something no other player exhibited.

"Alright, if I get the chance, I’ll pass the message to Bill to just focus on playing the game, which shouldn’t be hard for him."

Putting aside those dangerous foul moves, Bill Lambier was actually a decent interior shot-blocking center.

Especially his backcourt rebounding was among the best in the league, relying entirely on experience, anticipation, and positioning without the benefit of jumping ability or speed.

Of course, his rebounding posture was quite intimidating, casually swinging his big elbows, and if anyone so carelessly contested him for the offensive boards, he might just greet your face with an elbow.

So he did benefit from those hazardous moves.

In terms of personality, Lan Bi’er was actually quite similar to Gan Guoyang. As their teacher, Beelman even entertained this thought.

Only, due to different backgrounds and personal circumstances, they had set out on different paths.

Their characters didn’t have too much hypocrisy, although to some degree, everyone has hypocritical characteristics, especially public figures.

Like Thomas and Magic Johnson, these two always had sweet smiles on their faces, behind which who knows how many unknown stories were hidden.

This has nothing to do with whether a person is good or bad but depends on the attitude they take towards the world. Lan Bi’er and Gan Guoyang were almost the same in this respect, facing everything almost stark naked without much concealment.

Some players did all sorts of evil on the court when they were young, and after retiring, suddenly became gentlemen, starting to confess and reinterpret their past to the public.

Some players, after having had a falling out and cutting off relations, would one day, old and in the public eye, reconcile and weep in each other’s arms, as if without cameras and a studio, they couldn’t bury the hatchet.

But Lan Bi’er wouldn’t, and neither would Gan Guoyang. They would never jump out one day in the future to confess and reinterpret the things they had done and the words they had spoken, or perform a kind of century-long reconciliation, attempting to sprinkle gold dust over time to make it shine attractively.

From the moment Lan Bi’er arrived at the Pistons and decided to be an asshole, he was destined to be one for life. He would not reconcile with anyone, nor apologize to anyone.

The moment Gan Guoyang decided to start playing basketball and to struggle tirelessly to make it his life’s pursuit, his steps would not stop—nothing could stand in his way except time itself.

They had similar engines but were installed in different vehicles, moving on different roads.

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

The time quickly arrived at April. After a month of fierce battles in the NCAA, 64 teams were whittled down to just two—Georgetown and Villanova.

It was the second time in four years that Georgetown University had made it to the NCAA Finals. In 1982, they lost to North Carolina and Jordan.

This was Patrick Ewing, the All-America superstar center’s last chance to stand on the highest stage of college basketball.

He was a senior and would leave college next year no matter what to join the NBA Draft, taking his talent to the professional leagues.

Four years of college had consumed too much of Ewing’s time. Seeing the rookies from 1984 dominate in their first year in the league, becoming the core of their respective teams, it was unknown whether Ewing regretted not joining the NBA with Ah Gan, Olajuwon, and Jordan.

However, standing on the floor of the Rupp Arena, Kentucky, the only thing in Ewing’s mind was to win the championship.

This time, Ewing did not let the chance of winning the championship slip through his fingers. He scored 20 points throughout the game, breaking free from the tactical constraints set by Coach Thompson, taking shots continuously at critical moments and helping Georgetown seize the damned NCAA championship!

The reason Ewing did this was that on the spectator seats at courtside, Gan Guoyang and Jordan kept shouting at him, "Offense! Offense Patrick! Offense!"

The three were friends from the Olympic training team, who personally attended the game to cheer for Ewing, witnessing him successfully complete his college studies, ending his NCAA career, ready to enter the NBA.

On April 1st, as soon as the NCAA Finals were over, the NBA regular season approached its finale.

On April 3rd, the Trail Blazers hosted the Detroit Pistons at home; it was the second meeting of the two teams this year.

Before the game started, Lan Bi’er took the initiative to greet Gan Guoyang, saying, "Hey Sonny! Bobby called me a few days ago, he mentioned you, and he had nothing but praise."

Gan Guoyang glanced at Lan Bi’er and said, "I’m going to score 50 points on your head."

"What?"

"I said I’m going to score 50 points on your head."

"Why? First of all, I haven’t provoked you."

"No, you have."

"How so?"

"When you entered the court, you stepped with your left foot first. I don’t like it."

"..."