The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 578 Fighting Little by Little

After the Utah Jazz were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns with a last-second shot, the first round of the 89-90 playoffs has concluded, and the semifinal matchups have been determined.

The situation was similar in the East and West, with strong teams advancing, but the fifth-placed team pulled off an upset against the fourth-placed team.

The young New York Knicks defeated the aging Boston Celtics and will face the defending champion Detroit Pistons in the second round.

Patrick Ewing averaged 31.6 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game in the series, showcasing the abilities of a superstar center.

在波士顿花园球馆的第五场决胜战中，尤因26投14中拿下31分8个篮板10次助攻4次盖帽。

Aside from his consistently poor rebounding (Okley grabbed 17 rebounds), Ewing was perfect in every other aspect.

In the words of ESPN, "Ewing's performance in the first round this year is close to Forrest Gump's playoff performance in his rookie season."

The author of this report is none other than Wu Zhixiong, and his current reporting focuses on Forrest Gump.

These remarks naturally drew great dissatisfaction from the New York media, who considered them insulting.

However, when ESPN presented Gan Guoyang's stats from the 1985 season and his 60-point game against the Nuggets, the usually defiant New York side fell silent.

Players like Gan Guoyang and Jordan achieved a level of performance in their rookie seasons, both in the regular season and playoffs, that many stars could not reach throughout their entire careers.

Jordan's Bulls easily defeated the Bucks in the first round, and their opponent in the semifinals will be the Washington Bullets.

Jordan and Barkley will face off in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and these two good friends will have a major battle.

Since then, the East and West have basically completed their generational transition. The star players who dominated the 80s have either retired or lost, and there are not many remnants left.

The NBA has officially entered the colorful and intense 90s.

Suns head coach Fitzsimmons, who advanced to the semifinals, led his team to Portland ahead of the semifinals.

In a pre-game interview, Fitzsimmons stated, "The Trail Blazers are a very strong opponent. They have been extremely competitive over the past few seasons. Last season, we went to a Game 7 and unfortunately lost. Hopefully, we can deliver another exciting game this season."

Fitzsimmons is not Doug Mo; he doesn't make boastful statements like "You need 60 points to beat me" when he's ahead, or "We have no chance" when he's behind. His statements are always balanced and calm.

Back in 1970, a young Fitzsimmons became the Suns' head coach, replacing Jerry Colangelo.

At that time, Colangelo served as the Suns' head coach, general manager, marketing director, and scout. In 1968, at the age of only 29, he became the Suns' general manager, making him the youngest executive in NBA history.

Fitzsimmons spent three years with the Suns, and then played for the Hawks and Spurs, but his home has always been Phoenix, and he has a very good relationship with Colangelo.

In 1986, Colangelo recruited Fitzsimmons back to the Suns as an assistant coach.

In 1987, the Suns suffered a major blow from a drug scandal, and the team's franchise was sold. Colangelo gathered a group of new investors to buy the Suns, and Colangelo continued to serve as the team's general manager.

The Suns' red card holder quickly built a new roster through a series of trades, drafts, and signings.

Among his notable moves were drafting Dan Mali, trading for Kevin Johnson, Danny Ainge, Mark West, and Eddie Johnson, and signing Tom Chambers in free agency.

The Phoenix Suns, previously built around Walter Davis, Anthony Edwards, and Larry Nance Jr., have been completely wiped out, and a brand new Suns team has been born.

Fitzsimmons became the head coach of the new Suns and was welcomed by Phoenix fans and commentators.

After the chaos of the 1988 season, the Suns returned to the playoffs in the 1989 season and battled the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference semifinals, forcing the Trail Blazers to a Game 7.

The two teams met again in the Western Conference semifinals this year, and both teams have improved compared to last season.

The Trail Blazers are a given, and on the Suns' side, Kevin Johnson is entering his prime, having been selected for the All-Star Game this season.

Danny Ainge, who plays alongside Johnson in the backcourt, is 30 years old and is at the peak of his cunning and form.

The Suns' starting lineup on the wing is quite unique, employing a small three-tall formation with no center and using three forwards.

6尺10的马克-韦斯特，6尺10的汤姆-钱伯斯，还有6尺8的科特-兰比斯。

This makes the Suns' lineup fast, agile, and very strong in outside shooting. Off the bench, the Suns also have two promising forwards, Dan Mali and Eddie Johnson.

It can be said that the Suns' lineup consists of two excellent guards and a group of forwards.

Their flexible and powerful frontcourt caused the Utah Jazz a great deal of trouble.

In the first round, the Jazz's interior behemoth, Mark Eaton, had his playing time reduced to 25 minutes, his shortest playoff appearance since his rookie season.

With his stats declining and his performance on the court mediocre, Mark Eaton failed to contribute defensively in the final moments of the fourth quarter of Game 5, a do-or-die game. He watched helplessly as Eddie Johnson hit a crucial three-pointer to take the lead and a game-winning three-pointer. These six miraculous points completely turned the tide of the game and paved the way for Kevin Johnson's game-winning shot.

Therefore, although head coach Fitzsimmons was very modest before the game, the Suns were still very confident in themselves.

In their view, the Portland Trail Blazers are simply an upgraded version of the Utah Jazz.

A giant center, a versatile power forward, who will use a combination of three tall players, a weak small forward position, and a crowded and short backcourt.

With almost identical personnel, the Suns don't need to change their playing style; they can just play like the Jazz.

Although everyone knows Forrest Gump is terrifying, they still managed to push the Trail Blazers to a Game 7 in the 1989 season, coming within one step of winning the series.

This gave the Suns confidence and determination, and they were determined to surprise and shock the entire league in the Western Conference semifinals.

Just as the Suns were all geared up in Portland, ready to give the Trail Blazers a taste of their own medicine and strive for their first win, Gan Guoyang left Portland and took owner Tang Jianguo's private jet to New York.

This is because it marks the first anniversary of Larry Fleischer's death.

Gan Guoyang, along with Fleischer's family and friends including Jim Quinn, went to the cemetery to lay flowers in his honor.

A full year has passed since Fleischer's unexpected death. Gan Guoyang has returned to life and competition, continuing his dominance in the NBA. Fleischer's son has followed in his father's footsteps and become a basketball agent, with his target clients mainly in Europe. Jim Quinn continues his legal work, and with the stabilization of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, his focus has shifted to the NFL, advocating for NFL players to become free agents.

Everyone has a bright future ahead of them, but Larry Fleischer is forever stuck in that moment from a year ago.

The atmosphere at the cemetery was heavy and sorrowful, and everyone was thinking how much better it would be if Larry were still alive.

Mark Fleischer will receive instruction from his father and access to a wealth of basketball resources.

Quinn can get professional, scathing advice from Fleischer, which will help the struggle unfold.

Gan Guoyang will continue to receive Fleischer's protection and guidance, and steadily move forward in the increasingly competitive and complex NBA.

Besides basketball, Fleischer was also a good friend of Forrest Gump, and they had a lot to talk about and exchange ideas about.

Forrest Gump holds a significant place in Fleischer's grand vision: to promote high-quality basketball to the world...

But everything ends with the passing of life, just like the heroic figures in Chinese and foreign history whose ambitions were never fulfilled. Everyone leaves this world with great regrets.

Jim Quinn privately asked Gan Guoyang, "When are you going to run for union chairman? Larry really wants you in that position, and if you run, you'll get a lot of support."

After the labor and management reached an agreement in 1988, Alex English, the then union president, completed his historical mission and chose to resign from his position.

Although Fleischer wanted to promote Forrest Gump to the position of union president, he chose to give up due to issues of nationality and qualifications.

Vice President Charlie Grantham was successfully elected as the new union leader. He supported Isaiah Thomas and was ultimately elected as the new president of the players' union.

Gan Guoyang said, "Thomas may not be popular, but he's doing a good job in the union. And you know, being the union president is a thankless job. The collective bargaining agreement doesn't expire until 1994, and before that, I'll try to become president and help the players get the best possible deal. Before that, I need to build my own dynasty, and Larry probably wants to see that even more."

Quinn nodded. Fleischer hoped that Gan Guoyang would achieve great things on the basketball court and become the next Bill Russell.

After the memorial service, Gan Guoyang flew from New York back to Portland to prepare for the semifinals.

Dynasties are built up little by little.

(End of this chapter)