The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 200 Injury

The next morning, Gan Guoyang got up at 5 a.m. as usual, put on his sneakers, washed up, and went out for a run.

Barkley lives in a pretty nice neighborhood. He was terrified of being poor before, so now that he has money, he's indulging in all sorts of pleasures.

When Gan Guoyang returned home after running for more than an hour, he found that Barkley had already gotten up, but he was still squatting in the toilet and wouldn't come out.

"Charles, what's wrong? Is your stomach upset?"

"It's nothing, maybe... I ate too much last night..."

Last night, Gan Guoyang made hamburgers for Barkley. He added a cooking technique when frying the patties, and Barkley thought they were delicious and ate 37 in one go.

Gan Guoyang went from being clumsy to becoming very skilled, and then to extremely frustrated, thinking that if he kept doing this, he could open a hamburger shop.

Finally, Barkley was satisfied, believing it to be the best hamburger he had ever eaten in his life.

Gan Guoyang didn't eat any of them. Since the beginning of his professional basketball career, he has avoided these kinds of high-calorie foods.

Although it tastes great, excessive amounts of oil and cholesterol can cause cardiovascular problems.

Basketball players have extremely high demands on their cardiovascular system. Prolonged high-intensity exercise combined with a diet high in calories and fat will likely lead to cardiovascular problems in the future.

Many basketball players develop cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases as they get older. Coupled with their tall stature and the high pressure on their heart and blood vessels, many of them die young from the disease.

Gan Guoyang has been given a second chance at life, and he wants to live a few more years and play ball for a few more years, so he pays close attention to his diet.

The last time he ate a hamburger was after the draft when he went to McDonald's with Jordan. At that time, although the two were famous throughout the United States, they were not yet stars.

Now, if Jordan wanted to go to McDonald's with Gan Guoyang, it would be impossible without bringing seventeen or eighteen bodyguards.

When Barkley came out of the bathroom, he looked weak and had cold sweat on his forehead.

Gan Guoyang said, "Charles, you ate too much and got an upset stomach, didn't you? I'll take you to the hospital to get it checked out!"

Barkley quickly said, "No, no need, I... I'll just take some medicine. I did eat too much, but it's okay, I'm perfectly healthy. Even if I ate mud, I could digest it and poop it out. Don't worry, we're going to have a big battle tonight, and I'll definitely get more rebounds than you!"

Gan Guoyang was very worried about Barkley, and even more worried that there might be something wrong with his hamburgers. He asked Barkley if the patties were fresh.

Barkley said, "It's fresh, I just bought it!"

"How close is 'closest'?"

"It's...it's around Christmas?"

"Christmas is called the most recent?"

"Meat patties can be stored for a long time. When I was a child, the meat patties in my family could be kept in the refrigerator for a year and we could still eat them."

Theoretically speaking, if deep-frozen, meat products can be stored in a freezer for decades and still be edible.

However, the refrigerator at home is not strong enough to cool down, and if there is a power outage or other problems, the food can easily spoil.

Gan Guoyang couldn't persuade Barkley, who insisted on not going to the hospital and told Gan Guoyang to go and meet up with the team as soon as possible.

As he left, Gan Guoyang said, "Charles, let me tell you, I won't hold back during the match. You better watch yourself, or you'll end up shitting your pants on the field."

"Let's see who beats whom to a pulp! See you tonight, Sonny!"
-
On the evening of March 1st, the Washington Bullets and the Portland Trail Blazers faced off for the first time this season at the Capital Center Stadium in Washington, D.C.

The Capital Centre Stadium, with its roof shaped like a potato chip, was one of the best stadiums in the 70s and 80s. A huge color screen was suspended above the floor to replay highlights of the game, allowing spectators in the back rows to see the details on the court.

This equipment later became standard equipment in all large indoor stadiums in the United States.

The Bullets have had a good record this year, ranking in the middle of the Eastern Conference and making the playoffs. There will be a large crowd at the Capital Center tonight.

The Bullets were lucky to draft Charles Barkley, giving them a versatile future star player, something they'd been missing.

Their starting lineup consisted of center Luland, power forward Charles Barkley, small forward Greg Ballard, shooting guard Jeff Malone, and point guard Gus Williams.

The bench was filled with a group of formidable players, including Rick Mahorn, Tom McMillan, and Charles Jones.

The Bullets have stockpiled a large number of forwards in their roster in order to counter the Celtics' front three.

However, while the Bullets' attacking line is strong, they lack skill and experience. Their most versatile player is Luland, who is positioned in the center circle ready to jump for the ball with Gan Guoyang.

This 6-foot-11-inch white center with broad, bear-like shoulders has recently returned from injury, having played only about 30 games this year due to injuries.

Before the game, Gan Guoyang watched a video clip of his game. He is a very versatile center with a very unique playing style.

He is technically gifted, relying on strength and footwork to survive under the basket, and he has a good long-range shot on the perimeter, capable of hitting three-pointers.

He also has excellent ball-handling skills; after grabbing a rebound, he can dribble the entire length of the court and dunk. These characteristics are almost identical to Gan Guoyang's, only slightly different in some aspects.

Luland also possesses an ability that Gan Guoyang currently lacks: a strong ability to facilitate passing and support.

He averages 4.4 assists per game and is very good at making wide-ranging one-handed passes, showing the flair of a European center – he once played a year in a professional league in Spain.

He was selected for the Eastern Conference All-Star team this season, but did not participate in the games due to injury.

With the playoffs approaching, Luland, who had previously suffered a foot fracture, chose to return to the court to make a final push and preparation for the playoffs.

Gan Guoyang knew that Luland had a foot injury, and said before the jump ball: "It's better not to come back to play easily if you have an injury. I won't hold back during the game. If I bump into you, it may aggravate your injury."

Luland knew of Gan Guoyang's "fearsome reputation," but he was not afraid. Most of the big men in the NBA are tough guys.

Gan Guoyang then looked at Charles Barkley, who had been staring blankly since entering the arena, looking completely exhausted. He wondered how many times he had urinated that morning.

Gan Guoyang asked with concern, "Charles, are you sure you're alright? Your butt looks thinner."

Buck replied in a rough, hoarse voice, "Bring it on, Sonny, and I'll kick your ass."

Before the jump ball, Gan Guoyang looked at Luland's Nike shoes and said, "Be careful of getting injured wearing Nike. I suggest you wear Avia, which is specially designed for centers and can reduce the chance of foot injuries."

Gan Guoyang didn't forget to give Avia a shout-out, as the referee had already tossed the ball into the air, and the match had begun.

Luland was hampered by injury and clearly hesitated to put force into his jump. Gan Guoyang tipped the ball to the Trail Blazers, giving them possession on the first possession.

The Trail Blazers were also affected by injuries. In addition to Vandeweghe not being able to play tonight, Valentine was also out due to injury.

Steve Colter replaced Valentine in the starting lineup, with Paxson and Drexler on the perimeter, and Gan Guoyang and Thompson remaining in the frontcourt.

This season, Gan Guoyang and Thompson have truly been iron men. If either of them were to collapse from exhaustion, the Trail Blazers' interior defense would crumble. There simply isn't enough players.

The game had just begun when Gan Guoyang moved to the high post to receive the ball and set up his teammates. This was a recent change made by Ramsey, who asked Gan Guoyang to set up his teammates more often in the first and second quarters.

Because all teams have started targeting Gan Guoyang's low-post isolation plays and high-post shooting, if you can make good use of this defensive attraction to open up your teammates' offense, then the opponent's targeting will break down on its own.

After receiving the ball at the high post, Gan Guoyang repeatedly fed the ball to Mitchell Thompson, who was backing down in the low post. Thompson then overpowered Barkley twice in the low post and scored.

A hook shot after a turn, and an easy layup after squeezing under the basket.

Barkley was already at a disadvantage on defense due to his height.

Tonight, he seemed particularly weak and listless in the low position, and Gan Guoyang didn't hold back, seizing every opportunity to hit him.

The Trail Blazers quickly took the lead in the first quarter, with their weak interior defense allowing the Bullets to score repeatedly. Barkley also made some mistakes on offense.

At this point, Gan Guoyang did not verbally provoke Barkley, after all, he was only upset because he had eaten his own hamburger.

Gan Guoyang simply reminded Barkley, "If you're feeling too uncomfortable, rest next game, kid. You're hurting the team by doing this."

"It's none of your business... I know what to do..."

As the two were talking, Barkley suddenly rushed into the paint and grabbed an offensive rebound.

Just as Barkley was about to make a layup, Gan Guoyang rushed over and blocked his shot from behind.

Under the tremendous impact, Barkley was knocked to the ground by Gan Guoyang, where he lay groaning in pain.

"Hey, Charles, are you alright?"

Barkley rolled over, hugged his knees, and looked pained.

Did he hurt his knee? Gan Guoyang was very worried.

At this moment, the team medic came over and inquired about Barkley's condition.

A little while later, the team doctor helped Barkley up and limped him back to the locker room.

The fans at the scene booed Gan Guoyang, and everyone was worried that Barkley might get injured.

This chubby guy is now Washington's most popular basketball player.

While Gan Guoyang was worried, he thought to himself that he hadn't used much force just now, and the referee hadn't called a foul.

How could he have injured his knee when he fell to the ground? And why was he covering his buttocks when he left?

He fell face-first!
(End of this chapter)