The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 226 I slipped
On May 16, the NBA officially announced the Rookie of the Year for the 1984-1985 season.

Gan Guoyang shared this honor with Michael Jordan, becoming the second pair of rookie players to receive this honor simultaneously, after Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie in 1971.

Gan Guoyang thus became the first Asian in the history of Major League Soccer to receive this honor.

According to Stern's new rules at the time, all awards ceremonies would be held together in San Francisco on June 24.

Gan Guoyang received a call from Larry Fleischer at noon, who told him the good news. Gan Guoyang appeared calm on the surface, but he still clenched his fist tightly.

Rookie of the Year is not as prestigious as MVP, but you can win MVP every year, while you only have one chance to win Rookie of the Year. After your rookie season, you don't get another chance.

Although Jordan also won the award, preventing Gan Guoyang from widening the gap with him in this category, at least he didn't fall behind.

Moreover, the fact that they were the first to enter the playoffs made Jordan afraid to answer the phone.

"You absolutely must come to the awards ceremony in San Francisco on June 24th. It's your second home, it's fantastic."

"Can I still win the regular season MVP? It would be even better if I won both."

"I don't know yet, but it's a bit risky. It's already quite an achievement for you to win Rookie of the Year. Basketball is the most open and least conservative sport. Of course, your performance is impeccable, and you deserve the Rookie of the Year award."

"I know. Is there anything else? If not, I'm hanging up now. I need to go to training."

"There's one more thing. The summer China tour is looking promising. Because Bernard King is injured, the teams have been changed to the Trail Blazers, Celtics, 76ers, and Lakers. Avia and Converse are sponsoring it, and the Chinese side is providing strong support. The Trail Blazers will be the main team, so get ready."

"No problem. By the way, aren't Nike and the Chicago Bulls participating?"

"Nike and Bulls? They are your competitors. They entered the Chinese market earlier than Avia. If you let them go, wouldn't that just encourage their growth?"

"Larry, I think it's better to cooperate and compete with Nike than to directly confront them. The Chinese market is huge, and no one can monopolize it. Even if you don't include Nike in your China tour, they can still succeed. Nike has been in the Chinese market for a long time, and cooperating with them allows us to share resources and develop the market together. Cooperation and mutual benefit are the way forward, instead of fighting each other before we're even ready. Michael and I are opponents on the court, but we're friends off the court. I believe Chinese fans will also really like Michael."

Larry Fleischer pondered for a long time on the other end of the phone before saying, "Gan, your thinking is more profound than ours, and perhaps you are right. I will try to communicate with Avia, Converse, and Nike again. You should focus on preparing for the Western Conference Finals."

After hanging up the phone, Gan Guoyang went to the training center for extra practice in the afternoon. Standing on the court, he continued to think about how to deal with the Lakers and kept simulating and imagining various scenarios of playing against the Lakers.

The reality was even more difficult than he had imagined, but Gan Guoyang calmed down and searched for the best solution.

He knew his chances of winning the series against the Lakers were slim; the playoff Lakers and the regular season Lakers were two different teams.

The Trail Blazers have absolutely no way to deal with Magic Johnson, and Valentine has been completely shut down on both ends of the court in the last three games.

But in this long war, this is just the beginning. Gan Guoyang has the patience to hone his skills and find the Lakers' weaknesses.

On May 17th, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers, who had already established their dominance, swept through Memorial Arena like a storm, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson both performing as expected.

James Worthy and Byron Scott stepped up, scoring 27 and 31 points respectively, one inside and one outside.

Byron Scott made all three of his three-point attempts, and Michael Cooper made both of his. The Lakers hit six three-pointers in total, winning 127-109 against the Trail Blazers.

The series score is now 3-1. The Lakers' powerful offense, outstanding talent, and abundant energy have given them an overwhelming advantage in the game.

Although Gan Guoyang scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Vandeweghe also scored 21 points, the overall gap in the team left the Trail Blazers with almost no room for resistance.

The fans who came to the memorial arena to support the Trail Blazers were in despair. The Lakers were definitely the stronger team, and the Trail Blazers were confused and didn't know where to begin.

At this point, the Boston Celtics had already defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1, advancing smoothly to the NBA Finals, where they awaited their turn at Boston Garden.

This result spurred the entire Lakers team, who were eager to defeat the Trail Blazers, end the series at the Western Conference, and seek revenge in Boston.

However, Gan Guoyang may perform better at the Great Western Forum, or perhaps Los Angeles is indeed his lucky place.

On May 19th, Gan Guoyang racked up 25 points, 22 rebounds, 11 blocks, and 4 steals at the Western Conference, breaking the Lakers' dazzling showtime into a fragmented, physical battle. Jack Ramsey changed his lineup, using a high-ball lineup of Drexler, Gan Guoyang, Thompson, Kenny Karl, and Vandeweghe, with Drexler playing point guard against Magic Johnson to slow down the Lakers' pace.

Gan Guoyang completely stopped engaging with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, letting Thompson handle the defense while Gan Guoyang matched up against James Worthy, suppressing the fast-moving Cobra and dragging the Lakers into more half-court offense.

During the confrontation, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's glasses were knocked off by Kenny Karl, and he punched Kenny Karl, resulting in his ejection from the game.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 110-107 in the Western Conference. Gan Guoyang played all 48 minutes, marking his fourth consecutive game where he played the entire game without a break.

On May 21, the Lakers, in a state of anxiety, returned to Memorial Arena in Portland, hoping to avoid a Game 5.

The risk of a Game 7 is just too great. Gan Guoyang's winning percentage on the Western Conference is astonishing. Los Angeles is not the Lakers' home court; it's a death trap.

Before the game, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led his teammates in yoga and meditation in the locker room to calm everyone's anxiety. This was the first time Abdul-Jabbar had done this, acting like a true captain to soothe everyone's hearts.

This was the most brutal game in the Western Conference Finals. In the first half, Mitchell Thompson was injured and had to leave the game. Then, Rambis was knocked down by Gan Guoyang for the third time this season and had to be carried back to the locker room by the team doctor.

Vandeweghe received the first technical foul of his career – he punched James Worthy in the third quarter and was ejected from the game.

Jerome Kossy, who replaced Vandeweghe, flew out of bounds while trying to save the ball, knocking over the scorer's table and equipment, but immediately jumped up and continued the game.

Veteran player Kenny Karl gave it his all when defending Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, engaging in a heated verbal exchange with him. He showed no fear of the former god and almost came to blows.

Drexler risked a headbutt to dunk, narrowing the gap with the Lakers to 3 points in the final moments of the fourth quarter.

Jim Paxson made a crucial steal, successfully intercepting Johnson's pass while double-teaming him.

Gan Guoyang made a mid-range shot that narrowed the gap to 1 point, bringing his total to 33 points tonight.

But the Lakers did not call a timeout.

Magic Johnson quickly inbounded the ball, received it, and rushed to the basket. Gan Guoyang chased back and jumped to block, but failed to touch the ball. When he landed, his legs suddenly gave way and he fell heavily to the ground.

Johnson switched hands and made a layup, but when Magic Johnson landed, there was no joy in his eyes, but a kind of desperate exhaustion.

Ramsey quickly called a timeout. The team doctor checked on Gan Guoyang and asked about his condition. Gan Guoyang, sitting on the bench, shook his head and said, "I'm fine, I just slipped."

When Ramsey came over and touched Gan Guoyang's shoulder to ask how he was doing, Gan Guoyang said, "I'm sorry, Coach, I'm a little tired."

This was the first time Ramsey had heard Gan Guoyang say he was a little tired this season, with only a few seconds left for the Trail Blazers.

There is still a chance to defy fate, but as Gan Guoyang becomes exhausted, the chances become fewer and fewer.

Ramsey devised his first and only three-point shot play of the season.

This tactic was not clever at all. They had never practiced together before and relied purely on their tacit understanding. In the end, the ball was passed to Gan Guoyang, who took a three-pointer from the outside.

The shot went wide from the first attempt. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got the ball under the basket, the buzzer sounded, and the Los Angeles Lakers won the game 115-112, a 3-point advantage.

The Lakers defeated the Trail Blazers 4-2 to advance to the NBA Finals.

Gan Guoyang stood outside the three-point line for a long time. He stretched out his hand and made a shooting motion towards the air.

"Make sure you make it next time, Forrest Gump," Gan Guoyang said to himself.

His 1984-1985 season has come to an end.

(End of Volume 3, "Beat it".)
(End of this chapter)