The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 457 - 74 The Future Is Yours

After the game, the Trail Blazers’ visiting locker room was packed with people, truly packed.

Those unaware might think a wedding was being held here today, with all the fun and frolic of a bridal party.

Everyone was waiting for Gan Guoyang to come out of the shower room to be ready for the interviews.

With a staggering performance scoring 81 points in the final game of the regular season, Gan Guoyang clinched this year’s scoring title.

In fact, Gan Guoyang could have scored more, but after hitting that mid-range shot, he asked Coach Ramsay to take him out.

Firstly, he was genuinely tired, and secondly, after reaching that ideal number, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

Once that weight was lifted, it was hard to gather that energy again, and Gan Guoyang knew he couldn’t score any more points.

He sat out the rest of the game, savoring the achievement, enjoying the cheers and applause from the tens of thousands of fans in the stands.

This was an away game, in Atlanta, and Gan Guoyang had won over everyone with his performance.

Although the Hawks have been recognized as a strong defensive team over the past few years, Jordan scored 61 points, Bird scored 60 points, and now Gan Guoyang contributed an 81-point game.

It seems a strong defensive team needs the scoring of these stars for confirmation. After all, if you’re too weak and get beaten too early, it’s not worth padding the stats.

When Gan Guoyang finished his shower and came out, the flash of cameras in the locker room never stopped. Gan Guoyang was speechless, "Taking photos of me after my bath?"

Luckily, he was fully dressed.

Reporters swarmed him, their microphones almost hitting Gan Guoyang’s face.

Everybody wanted to ask questions, and naturally, the one they wanted to know the most was why Gan Guoyang decided to leave the game after scoring 81 points.

Gan Guoyang had been thinking about this during his shower, expecting that a reporter would ask such a question, so he had been contemplating his response.

He couldn’t just say, "I dreamed of this number, so I had to score 81 points," could he? How did this number appear in the dream in the first place?

Could it be because of a game he saw...

Unable to explain, Gan Guoyang thought of other explanations.

It could symbolize the ninety-nine trials in ’Journey to the West’, but Americans don’t understand the reference.

Or it could symbolize the accumulation of the previous 81 games, but then why not score 82 points?

After going back and forth, Gan Guoyang could only give a fairly honest answer, "Because I was tired."

"And the other team was defending me with four players, I knew they wouldn’t let me score any more, 81 points was enough. It’s a target for others to surpass."

Gan Guoyang spoke casually, the reporters diligently jotting down notes. Every word he said would become the headline; this was Gan Guoyang’s night.

After answering a couple of questions, Gan Guoyang stood up from the bench and said, "You shouldn’t just surround me. I scored 81 points tonight, but it was really a team effort. Porter, Clyde, Walton, Thompson, each of them gave up their chance to shine and passed the ball to me. You know I’m a center; if the guards kept the ball to themselves and didn’t pass it to me, I would never have had this opportunity."

"Hey! Everyone, come over here, let’s take a picture together. Clyde, stop reading!"

Drexler put down the book he was holding, glanced at Gan Guoyang, and said, "Do I dare not pass the ball to you?"

"Next time I’ll pass to you, how about you aim for 50 points?"

"Forget about it, I don’t have the stamina..."

Muttering under his breath, Drexler still shook hands and hugged Gan Guoyang. Tonight, Drexler’s passes were on point.

Porter, Thompson, Walton, Vandeweghe, and others all came over, and everyone lined up in the locker room.

A reporter brought over a cardboard with the number 81 written on it and handed it to Gan Guoyang.

Just like when Chamberlain scored 100 points and posed with the number, the difference was that this time the picture included the entire Trail Blazers team.

Gan Guoyang walked the talk; he turned the 81 points into a team honor, not merely a personal record.

The entire Trail Blazers team, along with those 81 points, would forever be recorded in the classic albums of NBA history.

When the Trail Blazers were finally ready to leave the arena to return to the hotel for some rest after the post-game activities, the parking lot was filled with fans once again.

They were all chanting Gan Guoyang’s name; it was hard to imagine this was an away game — Atlanta fans were clearly more accommodating than Boston fans.

If you score 50 points on me, I’m upset. If you score 60 points, I’m astonished. 70 points, you’re pretty impressive. But score 80 here? 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

My goodness, you’re a god, a god on the basketball court.

Gan Guoyang had to sign autographs for many fans, even thoughtfully adding the number 81.

These signed T-shirts, notebooks, and basketballs sold for a high price years later.

Avia also was incredibly "sharp" by releasing a commemorative Atlanta red edition scoring 81 points right after the game, and it was the best-selling model of the season in Avia’s Skyscraper series of various quirky versions.

Finally getting on the team bus, the whole team returned to the hotel, and Drexler invited Gan Guoyang to go out for a drink, to celebrate the fantastic scoring feast.

It was the final regular-season game; everyone could take a little break before the playoffs started.

Gan Guoyang turned them down, saying he was too tired and wanted to rest well.

Then, he pulled out some cash from his pocket, handed it to Dell Curry, and said, "Later when you go out for drinks with them, pick up the tab. Pretend it’s your treat."

It’s common for rookies to be bullied and pressured in the team, to buy drinks, breakfast, carry luggage, purchase tickets, and settle accounts—most rookies grind through like this.

Only a few, like Gan Guoyang, with strong capabilities and a dominant personality, act like the boss as soon as they enter the league, making carrying luggage out of the question for them.

And when a rookie player joins the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang never bullies them. He looks after them off the court, only being strict with them on the court.

Curry was somewhat grateful. As a rookie, his salary was really not high; constantly picking up the check was burdensome, and it was much easier with the support of the big guy.

"Sonny, why don’t you come with us too? Everyone wants to really celebrate for you."

"No, no, I really need to rest, and I have more important things to do when I get back."

With that, Gan Guoyang returned to his own room, shut the door behind him, and immediately picked up the phone!

First, he called home to Portland to report to his wife on tonight’s event.

Wang Fuxi excitedly shouted in the phone, her admiration for her husband overflowing in her words.

Even after becoming husband and wife, Wang Fuxi never lessened her admiration for her spouse, something quite rare among couples.

How many men and women who admired each other before marriage begin to tire of their close contact after marriage, even belittling each other.

Wang Fuxi didn’t. She remained, just like in her student days, her husband’s most dedicated fan and supporter.

After a tender moment with Wang Fuxi, Gan Guoyang hung up the phone and immediately dialed the main line of the hotel in Boston, asking for an extension.

He had to call Michael Jordan after the game! Without this step, Gan Guoyang would feel like today’s performance was incomplete.

Though he had a feeling Jordan might unplug the phone, what if he didn’t? What if ’His Airness’ was overwhelmed by his performance?

The busy signal buzzed in his ear, revealing Jordan indeed hadn’t unplugged the phone. After many rings, Gan Guoyang persistently waited, and the call finally went through.

"F*ck you, Sonny, and then congratulations, damn it, you scored 81 points!" came Jordan’s cursing and congratulations through the phone.

This mixture of insult and congratulations reflected Jordan’s complex feelings at that moment.

As a friend, as a basketball player, seeing Gan Guoyang score 81 points, he was astounded.

But as an opponent, Gan Guoyang’s performance had him dejected; it wasn’t just the scoring title he had taken, but also a piece of Jordan’s confidence.

The Bulls’ game had ended earlier, with Jordan putting up 40 points and then beginning to pay attention to Gan Guoyang’s performance.

The entire locker room was holding radios, listening to the commentary, and when Gan Guoyang hit 71 points, the whole room erupted in exclamations.

Indeed, not just in the Bulls’ locker room but in many teams’ locker rooms, everyone was following the game.

Listening to the commentary progressing from 71 points, a basket, 73, another basket, 75, everyone’s nerves were continually stimulated.

It was said in the Lakers’ locker room, even during halftime with the third quarter about to start, nobody wanted to leave their listening spot.

Leading to the third quarter about to commence, the referees noticed that neither team was taking the court.

Meanwhile, Jordan sat in a corner of the locker room, covering his head, wincing in disbelief at every basket Gan Guoyang scored afterward.

No regular-season game had ever had such attention, not even the Christmas Day games.

When Gan Guoyang’s score surpassed 80, the cramped visitors’ locker room in Boston, filled with the smell of champagne, boiled over.

"I heard that in the Celtics’ home locker room, Larry Bird was getting a massage on the treatment table and when he heard you scored 81 points, he jumped straight up," said Jordan on the phone, telling Gan Guoyang about the miraculous scene in Boston.

The two laughed heartily, and Gan Guoyang consoled Jordan, saying, "Even if someone scores 81 points, it doesn’t mean they’re better than you. Look at Wilt, he scored 100 points, so what! Of course, that’s not me, I am better than you."

Jordan replied, "You’re good at comforting, Wilt would definitely come after you if he knew."

The two talked for a long time, discussing technical aspects of basketball, with Gan Guoyang sharing many technical details with Jordan.

Jordan benefited greatly from the conversation, realizing he might really be far behind Gan Guoyang.

"It’s okay, Michael, you’re young, the future is yours," Gan Guoyang assured.