The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 626 - 23 Friendship Years_3
Thomas, Aguirre, and Magic Johnson were like brothers in arms, having all entered the NBA in the years 1979 and 1980 – Thomas and Johnson as first overall picks and Aguirre as the second.
Similar to Gan Guoyang, Barkley, and Jordan in 1984.
In the ’84 Finals, after losing Game 7, Magic Johnson, due to flight issues, was forced to stay in Boston and witness the Celtics’ victory parade.
At that time, Aguirre and Thomas went to the hotel in Boston to stay with Johnson and comfort him.
By 1989, Aguirre and Thomas ended up on the same team.
The hot-tempered Aguirre, once tyrannical with the Mavericks, immediately changed his behavior after joining the Pistons.
He became a self-described brick, moving wherever needed and following the coach’s arrangements without question.
His playing time dropped from 34 minutes with the Mavericks to 29 minutes.
His scoring average decreased from 21.7 points to 15.5 points; he completely integrated himself as part of the team, casting aside selfishness and attachment to personal stats.
Moreover, at 29, Aguirre was younger than Dantley, making the trade a definite win for the Pistons.
Yet trading away Dantley, who had been instrumental to the team’s success, at that time felt somewhat like discarding a worn-out tool.
The 1989 Finals brought friends Magic, Aguirre, and Thomas together on the grandest stage.
Initially, they were still on good terms, exchanging kisses on the cheeks before each game.
But as the series intensified, so did the fierceness of the games and the emotions; the smell of gunpowder grew stronger.
Both teams had a profound obsession with winning the championship, having longed for it for too long.
In the end, Thomas and Johnson fell out with each other, finding their ritual kisses repulsive.
As an observer, Larry Bird bluntly said, "Watching those two put on that charade made me want to throw up."
In the end, the Pistons proved to be the better team and won the championship, and afterward, the three friends reconciled.
However, this Finals competition had planted the seeds for a complete fallout between Thomas and Magic Johnson.
Regardless, for the Pistons, the trade was a success; Aguirre was younger, more compliant, and the team became stronger.
While the Mavericks, in addition to Dantley, received two draft picks from the Pistons which they couldn’t immediately use.
With the departure of Aguirre and Dick Motta, the spirit and soul of the Dallas Mavericks seemed to have been taken away.
Though Aguirre wasn’t exactly a superstar, he was the first star and core player of the Mavericks since the team’s foundation.
To this date, every record and fond memory in the history of the Mavericks is associated with Aguirre.
Aguirre’s departure marked the end of the first era for the Mavericks, like the end of one’s first love.
On Valentine’s Day of 1989.
The Mavericks were waiting for their next true love to arrive, not knowing when it would be.
On the night of November 10th, the Trail Blazers easily secured a victory.
The Mavericks had a loose start to the season, with 1 win and 2 losses, showing a lack of spirit.
The Trail Blazers, however, were in great form and the away games hadn’t affected their stamina.
Bobby Berman once again employed an 11-man rotation, giving Anthony Mason a chance to play and earn three fouls.
Gan Guoyang had another ordinary night, with a triple-double of 28 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Needless to say, the first Player of the Week award of the new season was his for the taking.
The Trail Blazers claimed the Texas Triangle with a perfect start of three wins.
Since the beginning of the new season, they had five wins in as many matches, with heavy player rotation in every game.
The cost of this strategy was that Gan Guoyang’s minutes increased by 2 minutes from the previous season to 42 minutes. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
If you’re going to play with the bench guys, the Big Brother has to be on the court to keep an eye on them, otherwise, things can go wrong.
It was a perfect week for the Trail Blazers as they headed home, traveling back to their nest on the "Trail Blazers One", owned by Tang Jianguo.
After returning to Portland, Gan Guoyang received a call from his friend, Charles Barkley.
The Bullets were coming to Portland to play a game the next day, and over the phone, he asked Gan an important question: "Sonny, what baby formula are you feeding your kid? Why does my child get diarrhea after eating baby formula?"
"You didn’t feed your kid hamburgers, did you?"
"F*ck, of course not! I’m asking for your advice, don’t joke around."
"Come over to my house tomorrow. I’ll give you some to take back. Try the formula I’m buying."
In May 1989, Charles Barkley became a father too, and he made the effort to raise his child, becoming a black adult male with a child.
After the 1988 Finals, his friendship with Gan Guoyang actually grew stronger.
