The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 522 - 25 The Number One Fan

Phil Jackson’s judgment was correct.

Jordan, in the latter part of the second quarter and the second half, initiated a counterattack against the Trail Blazers using his superb individual offense.

He at one point helped his team narrow the gap to 8 points.

But games often advance with ups and downs like waves.

The crest of a wave is not sustainable, and the opponent will not always be at a trough.

The situation is always intertwined, coming in alternation.

After withstanding the Bulls’ fiercest counterattack, Gan Guoyang used clever low-post scoring and increasingly fluent ball distribution to suppress the Bulls’ comeback.

Especially the three-point shots of Hornacek, Porter, and Dale Curry.

The increased three-point shooting in Jack Ramsey’s "two reductions and one increase" strategy was being executed better and better.

Three-point shooting had become a mandatory part of the Trail Blazers’ daily training.

On the perimeter, Porter, Curry, and Hornacek all shot three-pointers decisively.

Accordingly, Gan Guoyang’s assists and offensive rebounds, as well as Kossie and Drexler’s offensive rebounds, were on the rise.

After all, three-pointers are not that accurate, and you still have to fight for rebounds.

Drexler’s offensive rebounds had reached 3.1 per game this season.

More than most of the big men in the league.

And Gan Guoyang’s average rebounds were also gradually increasing, reaching 14.6 per game in January, continuing his dominance in rebounding.

Trail Blazers’ slow pace and minimal passing slowed down the game even more.

The Bulls needed to score, they had to speed up, the result of the slow game pace was that they could only rely on Jordan for set plays.

Apart from Jordan, others could only chip in occasionally, unable to form a sustained offense.

This kind of chipping away was something the Trail Blazers could handle with one-on-one defense; play however you like, I’m not afraid.

The gap gradually widened to over 15 points, and then the Trail Blazers began to maintain the lead.

Jordan could score, but so could Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang’s shooting wasn’t particularly good tonight, but he used experience and skill to draw fouls, forcing his way to the basket.

Scottie Pippen’s good defensive plays in the first quarter disappeared without trace in the second half.

Pippen was still too inexperienced and lacked the physical stamina.

As the game progressed, he obviously became demoralized, trapping without any benefit or feedback.

This is the biggest challenge of defending Ah Gan—you might be continually beaten without any positive feedback.

Kurt Rambis was broken down this way.

Pippen, also suffering from back pain, was no longer proactive in helping defend against Gan Guoyang by the fourth quarter.

Then, Jordan had to take over by himself.

But what use was it for Jordan to take over at that point?

The offensive rhythm had already emerged; Gan Guoyang scored a total of 47 points for the game.

Jordan racked up 51 points, 4 steals, and 7 assists, but it wasn’t as efficient as Gan Guoyang’s comprehensive 47 points, 16 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 5 assists.

Key to generating such stats, Gan Guoyang seemed to do so effortlessly.

The game didn’t look particularly intense, although Jordan’s performance was brilliant.

His scoring was still beautiful, his shooting more accurate than before.

His body too had become stronger, the subcutaneous fat noticeably reduced.

His arms thicker, his physique looked more robust, making his drives and bursts very sharp.

But it was of no avail, as Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers had taken control of the game trajectory from the start.

The Bulls and Jordan were always struggling.

The organ music of Chicago Stadium was interrupted repeatedly by Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers, failing to play any rousing music.

The fans were submerged underwater for the entire game, leaving disappointed in the end.

When the game ended, Gan Guoyang and Jordan embraced and exchanged courtesies.

Gan Guoyang straightforwardly said, "Michael, you and the Bulls need to become stronger; otherwise, playing against you seems to have become somewhat uninteresting."

These words hit Jordan hard.

Yesterday in the Pong game, Jordan had already experienced what it meant to be completely dominated.

Ah Gan would play however he wanted, claiming a one-point lead was exactly that, complete suppression.

What was different about tonight from yesterday?

Suppressed from start to finish, Ah Gan’s shooting percentage hit a high of 67%.

After a fierce sprint at the start and taking the lead, they never fell behind again.

The entire game was like the two men’s professional careers up to this point.

Gan Guoyang ran further and further ahead, while Jordan kept getting more tired the more he chased.

Jordan was naturally carefree and optimistic, never taking difficulties too much to heart.

But as he saw Ah Gan tower above him, the gap growing ever wider, it would be a lie to say that it didn’t bother him.

It bothered him so much that he felt like he was about to burst.

So much so that he asked Gan Guoyang for advice right then and there, "So what do you think I should do? Switch teams, apply to join the Lakers?"

Gan Guoyang laughed and replied, "That wouldn’t be a bad idea, that way I could beat you up five times a season."

"Don’t brag, this year the Lakers have been pummeling you guys."

Gan Guoyang didn’t argue, but he said to Jordan, "Keep an eye on your number 33, he’s a formidable guy. Playing against him today, I felt some trouble. You can’t just focus on yourself; you need to pay more attention to your teammates, communicate with them, and motivate them. You’re a leader, understand?"

With that, Gan Guoyang thumped Jordan in the chest.

At the Bulls, nobody had the audacity to lecture Jordan in that tone.

If someone spoke to him like that on any other day, he would’ve snapped back.

The guy was a thorough contrarian, always ready to argue, ensuring he had the last word in every discussion.

But Gan Guoyang could lecture Jordan; they were great friends, and Jordan genuinely respected Gan Guoyang.

His championships, his accomplishments, his titles as scoring champion, slam dunk champion, and three-point king, each one was something Jordan aspired to challenge, while also admiring Gan Guoyang deep down.

No other player could make Jordan feel this way, including Magic Johnson, whom Jordan had always liked.

If there was anyone in the league who was Gan Guoyang’s biggest enemy, it was definitely Jordan.

No matter the present or the future as far as Gan Guoyang knew, Jordan was sure to become the biggest obstacle in Ah Gan’s journey to the peak.

And the competition between their brands was just as fierce in the business world.

But if you asked who was Gan Guoyang’s biggest fan, it had to be Jordan.

He frequently watched tapes of Gan Guoyang’s games, analyzing his plays (strangely though, he didn’t really strategize against him, as these thoughts didn’t seem to occur to Jordan). He even compulsively collected high school and college photos of Gan Guoyang, news reports, interviews, and odd trivia.

He had bought every model of the Skyscraper sneakers released by Aiva, including the 81-point commemorative edition, the 60-point rainbow edition, the green umbrella dunk edition, and even the obscure Jason serial killer edition.

He wouldn’t wear these sneakers; he just found them intriguing and kept them as collectibles.

Like a passionate fan attending every gig incognito, he tried to understand his greatest adversary and best friend.

Of course, he and Gan Guoyang weren’t closest of friends, but they certainly had a special bond.

After hearing Gan Guoyang’s advice, Jordan glanced at Pippen, who was chatting with the team doctor on the bench. Lately, that guy kept complaining about his back pain; to Jordan, this was a sign of weakness.

Jordan didn’t think highly of Pippen, for a simple reason: he was from the relatively unknown University of Arkansas.

Jordan had a straightforward standard when evaluating players; he trusted those from prestigious colleges, especially North Carolina, which had to be the best.

As for players from obscure universities, they seemed subpar to him; they just didn’t understand basketball.

"Are you sure? Can this guy really help me?"

"Of course, but only if you take him seriously and coach him well. That way, our matches would become more interesting, because your team’s construction is rather weak."

Jordan silently made note of Gan Guoyang’s words, deciding to challenge Pippen to a one-on-one in practice the next day to test his mettle.

Meanwhile, Pippen continued to discuss his back issues with the team doctor, who suggested a back massage. Pippen insisted it was useless and that he needed a complete examination.

The team doctor dismissed his request, advising him to head back to the locker room to relax a bit.

At that moment, Jordan walked up to Pippen and said, "Eight o’clock tomorrow morning, see you at the training gym."

Pippen was puzzled, "What?"

"Eight AM, training gym, we’ll train together."

"But I..."

"Back pain? Are you dying?"

"No, not quite."

"That’s good, see you at eight."

[A month after the 1987 season ended, I sought advice from Dr. Michael Schafer, the Cubs Team doctor, to diagnose my back pain.

His diagnosis made sense: a herniated disc.

The Bulls had always considered it to be just muscular spasms. I told Krause that you guys got it wrong, that I had a problem with my back.

Krause said nothing. What could they say?

At that point, I realized that the team doctor cared more about the overall team situation than about an individual player’s health and his long-term future; his concern was the present.

After all, he couldn’t be sure whether the player he was painstakingly treating would be traded away the next season.

Due to my disc issues, I spent most of my rookie season at about 70% capacity, feeling 22 years old some nights, and like I was 42 on others.

At that time, the league was highly physical, and sometimes I had no choice but to take a cocktail of medications (a mix of muscle relaxants and painkillers).

After finishing the game against the Trail Blazers on January 1, 1988, where I’d been defensive against Ah Gan for most of the game and then got exploded on court, Jordan suddenly said he wanted to practice with me and asked me to wait for him at eight o’clock the next morning at the gym.

My back was killing me, but I agreed anyway; I didn’t want to endure his contempt.

At eight in the morning, I got blown away again.]

— Excerpt from Scottie Pippen’s autobiography "Unguarded," published in 2021.