The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 474 Number One Fan
Phil Jackson's judgment was correct.

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

He once helped the team narrow the gap to 8 points.

But the game often progresses in waves.

Peaks are unsustainable, and competitors won't always be at their lowest point.

Situations are always complex and come in alternations.

After the Trail Blazers withstood the Bulls' fiercest counterattack, Gan Guoyang used his skillful low-post scoring and increasingly adept ball distribution to suppress the Bulls' comeback.

Especially the three-pointers from Hornacek, Porter, and Dell Curry.

Jack Ramsey's "two reductions and one increase" strategy, particularly the addition of three-pointers, is being executed better and better.

Three-point shooting has become a must-do item in the Trail Blazers' daily training.

Porter, Curry, and Hornacek all made decisive three-pointers from the outside.

Correspondingly, Gan Guoyang's assists and offensive rebounds, as well as those of Kexi and Drexler, are all increasing.

After all, three-pointers aren't that accurate, but you still need to grab rebounds.

Drexler's offensive rebounds have reached 3.1 per game this season.

He snatched more than most interior players in the league.
Gan Guoyang's rebounding average has also gradually rebounded, reaching 14.6 rebounds per game in January, continuing to maintain his dominance in rebounding.

The Trail Blazers' slow-paced, low-passing style of play dragged the game down more and more.

The Bulls needed to catch up, they needed to speed up, and the slow pace of the game meant that they could only rely on Jordan to play half-court sets.

Apart from Jordan, the others could only make sporadic plays, occasionally showing off their skills, and were unable to form a sustained offensive force.

This piecemeal approach can be easily handled by the Trail Blazers' one-on-one defense. Play however you want, I'm not afraid.

The point difference gradually widened to more than 15 points, and then the Trail Blazers began to maintain the point difference.

Jordan can score, and so can Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang's shooting touch wasn't great tonight, but he used his experience and skills to draw fouls and force his way to the basket.

Scottie Pippen's two good defensive plays in the first quarter vanished in the second half.

Pippen is still too inexperienced and lacks stamina.

Towards the end of the game, he was clearly in low spirits, and the double-teaming tactics were not yielding any benefits or feedback.

This is also the biggest challenge in defending against Forrest Gump—you might get beaten up continuously without getting any positive feedback.

That's how Kirk Rambis got crushed.

Pippen was also suffering from back pain, and by the time he came on in the fourth quarter, he was no longer actively helping to defend Gan Guoyang.

Therefore, Jordan had no choice but to step in himself.

But what use would it be for Jordan to play at this point?
The offense has found its rhythm, and Gan Guoyang scored 47 points in the game.

乔丹拿下51分4次抢断和7次助攻，但也比不上甘国阳高效47分16个篮板5次盖帽和5次助攻的全面。

Gan Guoyang looked very relaxed despite putting up such impressive numbers.

The game wasn't particularly intense, although Jordan played brilliantly.

His goals were still beautiful, and his shooting was more accurate than ever before.

His body has become stronger, and his subcutaneous fat has become noticeably thinner.

His arms are thicker and his physique is more robust, which makes his breakthroughs and explosiveness very sharp.

But it was no use; Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers, having taken the initiative, quickly seized control of the game.

The Bulls and Jordan were constantly struggling.

The organ in the Chicago stadium was broken and intermittent by Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers, and could not produce any exciting music.

The fans were trapped underwater for the entire match and ultimately left disappointed.

When the game ended, Gan Guoyang and Jordan embraced in greeting.

Gan Guoyang said bluntly, "Michael, you and the Bulls need to get stronger, otherwise playing against you seems a bit boring."

This statement deeply hurt Jordan.

Yesterday in the table tennis match, Jordan experienced firsthand what it means to be completely outmaneuvered.

Forrest Gump could play however he wanted; if he said he was leading by one goal, he meant he was leading by one goal—a complete domination.

How is tonight's situation different from yesterday's?
He was dominated from start to finish, and Forrest Gump had a shooting percentage of 67%.

They launched a fierce attack from the start, took the lead, and never fell behind again.

The entire match mirrored the two players' careers so far.

Gan Guoyang ran further and further away, while Jordan grew more and more tired as he chased after him.

Jordan is a naturally carefree and optimistic person, and he doesn't take any difficulties too seriously.

But seeing Forrest Gump towering over him, and the gap widening, it would be a lie to say he wasn't upset.

He was incredibly frustrated. So frustrated that he immediately sought advice from Gan Guoyang: "So what do you suggest I do? Change teams, apply to join the Lakers?"

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "This is not a bad idea. This way, I can beat you up five times every season."

"Stop bragging, you guys got thrashed by the Lakers this year."

Gan Guoyang didn't refute him. He said to Jordan, "Pay attention to your team's number 33. He's a formidable guy. I felt like I had some trouble playing against him today. You can't just focus on yourself. You need to pay more attention to your teammates, communicate with them more, and motivate them. You're a leader, understand?"

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang punched Jordan in the chest.

No one on the Bulls could lecture Jordan in that tone.

If anyone spoke to him like that in everyday life, Jordan would definitely retaliate.

This guy is a complete contrarian; he has to argue with everything he says and always tries to gain the upper hand verbally.

But Gan Guoyang can teach Jordan a lesson; they are good friends, and Jordan respects Gan Guoyang.

His championships, his achievements—his scoring title, dunk title, three-point title—each one made Jordan want to challenge him, while at the same time admiring him from the bottom of his heart.

No other player could make Jordan do that, including Magic Johnson, whom Jordan always admired.

If we were to name Gan Guoyang's biggest enemy in the entire league, it would undoubtedly be Michael Jordan.

Whether now or in the future that Gan Guoyang knows, Jordan will definitely be the biggest obstacle for Forrest Gump to reach the top.

Moreover, the two brands are also fiercely competitive in the business world.

But if we're talking about who Gan Guoyang's biggest fan is, it's definitely Jordan.

He often watched Gan Guoyang's game videos and studied how he played (but strangely, he didn't do much to target him, unlike Jordan). He would even gossip about collecting photos, news reports, interviews, and anecdotes about Gan Guoyang in high school and college.

He bought and collected every Skyscraper shoe Aiva produced, including the 81-point commemorative edition, the 60-point rainbow edition, the green umbrella dunk edition, and the less popular Jason Statham edition.

He wouldn't wear those sneakers; he just found them interesting and kept them as a collection.

He acted like a stalker, trying to understand his greatest enemy and best friend.

Of course, he and Gan Guoyang were not the closest of friends, but they were definitely the most special.

After hearing Gan Guoyang's instructions, Jordan glanced at Pippen, who was sitting on the bench chatting with the team doctor. That guy had been complaining about back pain lately, which Jordan considered a cowardly act.

Jordan didn't admire Pippen for a simple reason: he came from the relatively unknown University of Arkansas.

Jordan's criteria for judging players have always been relatively simple: he trusts players from prestigious colleges, especially those from North Carolina, who are considered the best.

As for the players from those diploma mills, in his opinion they were all lacking; they didn't understand basketball.

"Are you sure? This guy can be an asset to me?"

"Of course, the premise is that you value him and train him well. That way, our future matches will be more interesting, since your team's development is too poor."

Jordan silently noted down Gan Guoyang's words. He decided to challenge Pippen to a one-on-one match during tomorrow's training session to test the kid's abilities.

Meanwhile, Pippen was still discussing his back condition with the team doctor. The doctor suggested giving him a back massage, but Pippen said it wouldn't help and that he needed a full check-up.

The team doctor ignored his request and told him to go back to the locker room to relax.

At that moment, Jordan walked over, patted Pippen on the shoulder, and said, "See you at the training facility at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Pippen, puzzled, asked, "What?"

"Tomorrow at eight o'clock, we'll train together at the training hall."

"But I..."

"Back pain? Are you dying?"

"No, it's not that bad."

"That's good. See you at eight."

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

His diagnosis was reasonable: a herniated disc.

The Bulls kept thinking it was just a muscle spasm, but I told Klaus they were wrong and that I had a problem with my back.

Klaus said nothing, so what could they say?

At that time, I understood that the team doctor was concerned with the overall situation of the team, not the health of a particular player or his long-term future; he was concerned with the present.

After all, he didn't know if one of the players he was carefully treating would be traded away next season.

Due to a herniated disc, I was only at 7% performance most of the time during my rookie season. Some nights I felt like I was 22, and some nights I felt like I was 42.

Back then, the league was very competitive, and sometimes I had to take some medication (a mixture of muscle relaxants and painkillers).

On January 1, 1988, after playing against the Trail Blazers, my back pain worsened. I helped defend Forrest Gump for most of the game and then he beat me.

After that game, Jordan suddenly told me he wanted to train with me and asked me to wait for him at the training facility at eight o'clock in the morning.

My back was sore, but I still agreed. I didn't want to suffer his contempt.

I got wrecked again at 8 AM.

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

(End of this chapter)