The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 561 - 61: On-the-Hour Burger Feast

Before the finals began, Larry Fleisher left New York for Portland, seeking some finals tickets from Gan Guoyang as a fan.

Gan Guoyang found the team’s ticket manager, John White, who always reserved a batch of tickets for Gan Guoyang, about over twenty in total.

As it got to the playoffs, tickets became even tighter, and the number would shrink to a dozen or so.

Of course, this quantity far exceeded that of other players, like Drexler who could only get three tickets.

Gan Guoyang was a person with a comparatively small social circle, especially since he didn’t have many relatives like seven aunts and eight uncles.

But a dozen tickets were still not enough, in addition to friends, he often had to give some to businessmen and politicians to maintain everyday relationships.

In the Oregon area, Portland Trail Blazers game tickets were a hot commodity.

However, since it was Fleisher asking, Guoyang would somehow squeeze out some tickets for him no matter what.

The Fleishers, along with their two sons, Mark Fleisher and Eric Fleisher, visited Guoyang’s home.

This was the first time Fleisher had brought his family to Guoyang’s home since they had established their partnership.

Fleisher knew that Guoyang was about to become a father and brought many baby items as gifts from New York.

Fleisher would announce his retirement immediately after the conclusion of this finals, having already completed the handover of his work, waiting for the finals to end to finish his tenure as a union leader, and start his career as a full-time sports agent.

Gan Guoyang gave four tickets to Fleisher, who said, "Getting a ticket to a Trail Blazers finals game is really not easy these days."

Gan Guoyang said, "Yeah, I’m running out of tickets myself. I need to borrow tickets from Hornacek, Curry, and Anderson, otherwise, I won’t have enough to go around."

"The Trail Blazers should get a bigger venue," Fleisher said. "A championship team with a venue that only sits a little over 12,000 people, it’s really a waste of resources."

"Once there’s a new owner, I think they will find a way to build a new venue."

As the finals approached, people were not only concerned about who would win the championship but also began to pay attention to who would own the Trail Blazers next year.

The negotiations are still going on in secret, and no one knows who the new buyer will be, but according to the current trend, it’s bound to be a mogul-level owner.

By 1988, the Trail Blazers’ valuation had reached 150 million US dollars, more than forty times the value of 3.7 million US dollars when the team was founded in 1970.

In less than twenty years, with a forty-fold appreciation, Weinberg made a fortune.

This price was destined for only top-tier tycoons to afford.

Fleisher, curious, said, "You mean you don’t know who the new buyer is?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "I don’t know; I don’t have the energy to care about that right now. Securing the championship is the most urgent task. I guess Weinberg must have some preferred buyers in mind; he started negotiations very early. To ensure the championship and to not affect the team’s mentality, they kept it a secret. Nevertheless, it got leaked during the playoffs, and we still don’t know who did it."

In the NBA, there are no secrets, and news always leaks out inadvertently.

"At first, we suspected Sterling, then decided that guy didn’t have the brains for it. Later, when Weinberg came clean, it didn’t matter who had leaked the information anymore."

Fleisher wasn’t concerned with who leaked the news; he was more interested in Guoyang’s plans for the next season.

"Next season? I will certainly stay with the Trail Blazers. You were very busy before, and I never had the chance to properly discuss the new contract with you. After the Finals are over, and while you’re still in Portland, you can talk with the management and the new owner about the contract."

"Staying in Portland is the right move, but do you want a long contract or something slightly shorter?"

"A bit shorter. The NBA is flourishing, and the salary cap will keep rising. Signing a long contract with the current salary cap would surely be disadvantageous in the future. I think a four to five-year contract would be good for me. Ideally, I’d have the option to decide in the last year whether to sign a new one based on the salary cap then."

Gan Guoyang’s thinking was very clear; he knew NBA salaries were going to get higher and higher.

Though long-term contracts provide stability, they can cause one to miss out on the benefits of soaring salary caps, and Gan Guoyang was aware of these lessons.

Fleisher greatly admired Gan Guoyang’s foresight. When signing his rookie contract, Gan Guoyang had firmly chosen a four-year deal.

As it happened, his contract expired just as a new collective bargaining agreement came into effect and a new, wealthy owner appeared. The new contract was bound to set an NBA record.

Fleisher sighed and said, "Ah Gan, if only you were American, your future would be even more limitless."

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "Larry, there you go again, tempting me to become a traitor. I’m not Bobby."

Fleisher laughed heartily, but he felt a deep sigh within.

He had never intended to enter the basketball circle, but by a twist of fate, he became the head of the union, fighting for the welfare of the players.

In this process, Larry Fleisher, being white, met many black players and friends, such as Bill Russell, Lenny Wilkens, Oscar Robertson, Paul Silas, and so on.

Through his interactions with them, Fleisher realized that in this country, there were many people at the bottom, with dark skin, who had wisdom, dignity, and strong characters. If they received a good education and changed their skin color, they could enter Congress, they could enter the Senate.

But this country had designed a precise system that led these individuals to achieve their highest success in a sports league, spending their sweat, health, and intelligence.

Fleisher often imagined, if Ah Gan were American, or even just white, how immense his influence would be.

A white player who had won the California basketball championship, led the Christian University team to an NCAA championship, and then clinched the championship in a white city...

Moreover, Fleisher knew that Ah Gan and Larry Bird were different. Bird, although white and therefore very popular,

was actually a "white-skinned black heart." He was born into a poor white family in rural Indiana and had never received much benefit for his skin color. Instead, he was branded a hillbilly because of his background.

That’s why Bird refused to become the so-called white hope. Few people knew that Bird was an oddity among white people.

Of course, Fleisher was also grateful for Ah Gan’s identity, which could greatly promote the NBA’s internationalization.

Especially the Asian market—Japan, Korea, China—according to what was understood, Gan Guoyang’s popularity had reached an unbelievable level.

Fleisher was planning to arrange an Asian tour for Ah Gan this summer, to harvest goodwill in Tokyo and Seoul and establish his status as the number one sports figure in Asia.

Fleisher shifted the topic from nationality to summer recruitment plans. He said, "Last week, President Reagan delivered a speech at Moscow University. It’s a signal."

"Reagan went to Moscow?"

"Yes, relations between the two sides are easing."

"Is that so? Looks like the Soviet Union is about to be done for..."

"What?"

"Nothing, do you have any plans?"

"I’ll try to bring some of Europe’s finest players to the league, including some from your Trail Blazers."

In the 1987 NBA Draft, the Trail Blazers selected Sabonis and Petrović.

"Are they any good?"

"They’re geniuses."

"Compared to me?"

"Don’t always compare yourself, is that fun for you?"

Anyway, they started thinking about the summer.

It was as if the Finals had already finished and the Washington Bullets were not even in Gan Guoyang’s consideration.

It wasn’t that Gan Guoyang underestimated the opponent, but rather, the Bullets’ playing style was exactly what he and the Trail Blazers were least afraid of.

Against the Bullets, the Trail Blazers hardly had anything to prepare for.

If they were to face the Detroit Pistons, the Trail Blazers would have to seriously prepare.

Although last year the Trail Blazers swept the Pistons 4:0, this year was different.

The Pistons’ forward line had matured, and they were driven by a strong desire for revenge.

They also played dirty, and if the two teams met again, it was sure to be a bloody battle.

But the Pistons unexpectedly faltered and lost to the Bullets.

The Bullets, a team cobbled together, were playing purely on tenacity.

Yesterday, during the pre-game preparation meeting, the team watched footage of the Bullets’ games against the Pistons and the Celtics.

The only impression they got was that this team brought opponents down to their level and then beat them with rich experience.

The Trail Blazers’ job was to avoid being dragged into the mud of 1970s basketball by the Bullets.

Even if they were accidentally pulled into the mire, Gan Guoyang was still confident that he could smother the opposition in it.

After all, he was an expert wrestler.

The Finals that started on June 9 also proved that Gan Guoyang’s judgment was not wrong.

The Bullets, who had come through two game sevens to get to Portland for the Finals, were completely off their game in the opener.

In the midst of the cheers and shouts of more than 12,000 fans at home, they lost themselves.

For a team like the Bullets that relied on defense and momentum, once their defense crumbled, a crushing defeat was inevitable.

76:108, the Trail Blazers swept the Bullets by 32 points at home, starting off the Finals with a victory.

The Trail Blazers took a solid first step toward a three-peat with a 1:0 lead in the series.

Gan Guoyang easily scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the first game; his opponent fell before he even exerted his full strength.

During the post-game interview, Gan Guoyang said, "The Bullets are a good team, any team that makes it to the Finals stage can’t be too bad, I think they’ll perk up for the next game, and so will we."

As he left the arena, Gan Guoyang ran into Charles Barkley and others, to whom Gan Guoyang said, "Charles, you have a responsibility to make these Finals more interesting, otherwise I might just sweep you guys."

Barkley clenched his fists and said, "Wait till I kick your ass, Ah Gan, just you wait!"

Barkley rarely talked tough to Gan Guoyang. After getting on the bus to return to the hotel, Barkley asked Moses Malone with some hesitation.

"Moses, can I do it?"

"If you’re scared, just give me the ball; I’m not afraid after all."

In the first game, Barkley only scored 11 points.

He was off his game in his very first Finals appearance.

This put a lot of pressure on Barkley, who at 24 wasn’t as mature as every other player his age like Ah Gan.

Coming into the Finals, Barkley received overwhelming praise and finally earned the right to challenge Ah Gan, a step ahead of Jordan.

When he returned to Washington after beating the Celtics, he was greeted like a hero, but within just a few days, he was about to face a barrage of criticism.

The rise and fall was tough for a young man in his twenties to endure without strong mental resilience.

Seeing the hesitant look in Barkley’s eyes, Malone patted him on the shoulder and said:

"Let’s grab a burger tonight."

"A burger?"

"Yeah, how many do you want?"

"Give me twenty."

"Alright, twenty it is. I know a place in Portland that makes a good burger."

"Which place? Ah Gan’s?"

"What are you talking about... Stop thinking about Ah Gan, let’s get some burgers to eat first."

"Alright... but the burgers Ah Gan makes are really good."