The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 621 is missing an Agan.

On the same day the Trail Blazers played the Nets, the Chicago Bulls were playing an away game in Orlando.

The Bulls players also watched the news of the US airstrikes on Iraq in the locker room, where the atmosphere was electric.

Jordan is an American, and he wouldn't be indifferent to war like Forrest Gump or Sabonis, especially since his brother is at a military base in Germany and might be involved in the war.

"We'll teach them a lesson! Let them know that America isn't to be trifled with!" Jordan shouted in the locker room.

Jordan has never been particularly interested in politics, but when war breaks out, as an American, he cannot remain detached from the emotions.

His emotions infected the entire Bulls team and distracted everyone from tonight's game.

Of course, not every Bulls player can be so "united against a common enemy," and Craig Hodges was very conflicted.

Although he is American, he is a Muslim and a follower of Islam—in a sense, religious believers have no statehood.

He felt sympathy for Iraq, which also adheres to Islam, but in the United States, he had to remain silent in order to protect his family and himself.

During his time with the Bulls, he was always popular with his teammates and often discussed religious, national, and political issues with Paxson and Grant.

But when war breaks out, these things become taboo. At that time, there are only positions, and you will not be given the opportunity to debate.

The game between the Bulls and the Magic that night was not exciting. The Bulls were far stronger than the Magic, but they were not focused in the first three quarters and played loosely. The Magic, playing at home, maintained their lead throughout the game.

At the end of the third quarter, the Magic led the Bulls by 7 points heading into the fourth quarter.

Then in the fourth quarter, the Bulls suddenly surged ahead, going on a 15-2 run against the Magic in just five minutes, turning the tide of the game.

Jordan led this offensive surge, and in the fourth quarter, his ball-handling offense was unstoppable; the Magic's defense was practically invisible to him.

The Magic, who had a good offense in the first three quarters, suddenly went cold in the fourth quarter.

Not only because the Bulls suddenly intensified their defense, but also because Magic point guard Sam Vincent suddenly lost his mind.

He didn't pass the ball to his teammates for seven consecutive possessions, instead trying to force his way through the defense himself. As a result, he committed four consecutive turnovers under the Bulls' defense, allowing the Bulls to capitalize on fast breaks.

Sam Vincent, who previously played for the Bulls, seems eager to prove himself against his former team.

As a result, he suffered a setback against his former team, underestimating how solid the backcourt defense built by Jordan and Pippen was.

After this game, Sam Vincent lost the trust of the Magic's head coach and management, and Scott Skiles was given the starting position.

The Bulls ultimately won 100-88, a 12-point advantage, securing a hard-fought victory.

A strange scene unfolded in the crucial final moments of the game: when Phil Jackson called a timeout, Bulls players like Hodges and Grant were clearly keeping their distance from Jordan.

The reason behind it is both laughable and absurd: Saddam Hussein had threatened to send a special agent team to assassinate important American figures if the United States launched an attack.

During the game, Hodges told Horace Grant and others, "I think Michael is a national treasure of American basketball. If Saddam wanted to assassinate influential people, Michael Jordan would definitely be one of them."

Grant actually agreed with Hodges's words. By the fourth quarter, many Bulls players felt that even if the possibility of Hodges's words was very low, what if it was true?
If it's true, and Michael was assassinated during the game, then being too close to him would either result in being caught in the crossfire or getting splattered with blood.

So for safety's sake, it's best to stay away from Jordan both on and off the court. After all, it's fake, so there's no harm in it.

Phil Jackson soon learned of all this, and he found it ridiculous, infuriating, and helpless.

Because Jackson knew that Saddam had indeed said that, after careful consideration, he felt that keeping his distance from Michael was a rational choice.

Anyway, Jordan wasn't close to his teammates. Ever since the Bulls traded Charles Oakley and Rod Higgins, Jordan had no friends left on the team.

Scott Williams was his younger brother, and Jordan took good care of Williams, but the two were not equal friends.

Pippen and Jordan's relationship on the court grew closer, with Pippen being Jordan's best assistant, but their relationship off the court remained ordinary.

Horace Grant and Michael Jordan's relationship was strained from the very first year. This season, with the arrival of Buck Williams, Grant was stripped of his starting position, and the conflict between the two deepened.

Cartwright, Hodges, Armstrong, and Jordan all had their share of disagreements. On the court, they admired Jordan's skills, but off the court, they kept their distance from him.

It's difficult for ordinary players to truly understand Jordan. Without time to reflect or gain Jordan's approval, it's hard to build a deep friendship with him.

Surrounded by the adoration of business capital, media, and management, Michael Jordan became increasingly extraordinary, and the gap between him and ordinary players widened.

Although Jordan had never won a championship or even reached the Finals, by the seventh year of his career, he was already an absolute superstar.

Because of his immense commercial appeal, Buck Williams pointed out after joining the Bulls that "Forrest Gump won four championships before he could rival Michael in commercial value."

Gan Guoyang is stronger in terms of winning the championship, but in terms of attracting fans, Jordan has to be admitted to be a step ahead.

There's no doubt that guards sell more shoes than centers.

This season, Jordan earned $1000 million off the court through endorsements and advertisements, four times his contract income.

Along with Forrest Gump, he surpassed Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and others to become one of the most sought-after and lucrative commercial spokespeople in the United States.

He has so many commercial endorsement deals that he simply ignores smaller invitations.

For example, a shopping mall opening event worth $20,000 or a business conference attendance worth $25,000 are simple projects that only require people to go once to earn money, with one income exceeding that of a bottom-tier player for half a season.

Jordan didn't want to go to any of those places; he preferred to play golf or play cards with his friends.

However, apart from Jordan, no one else on the Bulls could secure high-value endorsement deals.

John Paxson did a razor commercial because he has a decent image.

Bill Cartwright was invited to film a public service announcement, but he didn't receive a single penny.

As the second-in-command, Pippen received a $20 shoe contract, making him the highest-paid player in terms of endorsement income besides Jordan.

This is the biggest difference between Jordan and Forrest Gump. Both of them were very good at making money, but Forrest Gump led his team to four championships, and his teammates' net worth also increased.

Players like Kossie, Porter, and Thompson have secured numerous endorsements in the Oregon region, earning significantly more than the average NBA player.

If the Bulls can't win a championship, then the only truly valuable player is Jordan; his teammates can't benefit from his success.

Therefore, it was only natural that Jordan and his teammates became increasingly estranged.

This became even more prominent and obvious after the outbreak of the Gulf War, as the major external event caused a mental upheaval within the team.

Hodges was like an internal time bomb; although he hid his beliefs and opinions, he was always secretly expressing his dissent.

After their away game in Orlando, the Chicago Bulls flew to Atlanta to face the Hawks.

Martin Luther King Jr., the famous leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, was born in Atlanta, where the renowned Martin Luther King Jr. Center is located.

According to U.S. law, the third Monday of January each year is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 1991, this day was January 15th, the day before the outbreak of the Gulf War and also the deadline set by the U.S. military for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

On January 18th, several Bulls players, including Bill Cartwright, Hodges, and Grant, visited the center at the invitation of Turner TV, together with Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, Clyda.

During the visit, Hodges and Mrs. Cryta discussed the war, noting that after the outbreak of war, more than 50 percent of the front-line combat troops were Black, making them the most vulnerable in the war.

Fortunately, Turner TV did not broadcast the visit live, nor did it put their conversation on the front page of the news; otherwise, it would have caused another media storm.

Of course, not every Bulls player is keen to participate in these serious social events; most NBA players are indifferent to such incidents.

Many players will be very happy to come to Atlanta because there are many nightclubs here, especially some adult nightclubs with restricted access.

When a player like Livingston arrives in Atlanta, his first thought is to have the PR manager arrange a VIP nightclub getaway, otherwise the long away trip is just too boring. He ended up at the Golden Club, enjoying the services of large breasts pressed against his face.

On the night of the 19th, the Bulls played the Hawks on the road.

The Bulls maintained their lead throughout the first three quarters and entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point advantage.

But in the fourth quarter, the Hawks launched a counterattack, taking advantage of the Bulls' sudden cold spell on offense and narrowing the gap to 1 point with fast breaks.

The Hawks changed head coach this season. Mike Fratt left the coaching position. Before leaving, he told the team management that Dominique Wilkins was an extremely selfish player and that the Hawks would never win enough victories and championships with him on the team.

Bob Weiss, who replaced Fralott, played for the Chicago Bulls during his playing career and later served as an assistant coach for several teams.

After taking over, Westbrook adjusted the roles of the Hawks players.

He asked Wilkins to get more involved in defense and rebounding, to transform the aging Moses Malone into a role player—he's no longer the MVP he once was—and to give Spade Webber a bigger role.

This little potato is averaging 14 points per game this season, and as the second shortest player in the league, he has become an important member of the Hawks' backcourt.

Bob Weiss gained more control over the team, and it's said that he would not let a player play if he didn't play according to his ideas, in order to reform the overly disorganized and selfish team.

In the fourth quarter, the Hawks turned the tide. Although Jordan still scored 30 points, the Bulls' bench played terribly.

The Bulls' bench scored only 21 points, while the Hawks' bench scored 47 points.

Grant had 11 points and 10 rebounds, accounting for half of the bench players' points.

However, his playing time was limited because Buck Williams firmly held onto the starting position.

Jordan also received preferential treatment from referee Darrell Garrison (the robot referee) tonight, only getting two free throw opportunities throughout the game.

Jordan's average free throw attempts this season are 8.2, a significant drop from previous seasons, because he has fewer opportunities to attack with the ball.

Two free throws were far too few, indicating that Jordan's offensive threat to the Hawks' interior was severely insufficient.

Phil Jackson was very unhappy about this, believing that Garretson was biased against Jordan and that he didn't like star players like Jordan enjoying special treatment on the court.

Darrell Garretson is to the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan what Jack O'Donnell is to the Portland Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang.

This season, two of the few games the Bulls have lost have been officiated by Darrell Garretson.

In one of the games against the Milwaukee Bucks, Darrell Garretson appeared with his son, Ron Garretson, making it a father-son duo in the refereeing arena.

Then, in this game, Darrell spent half the time blowing the whistle to control the game and the other half teaching his rookie son how to position himself and how to control the game, which made Phil Jackson very unhappy.

During a break in the game, Phil Jackson mocked Garretson: "This is a basketball court, not your study. Focus on the game, and besides, your son is an adult!"

The conflict between the Bulls and Garretson may have started here.

The Bulls' seven-game winning streak came to an end after losing this game.

It seems like this is just a minor setback in the long regular season.

But Phil Jackson sensed a dangerous undercurrent, believing that the Bulls were fractured and the players were becoming isolated.

Jordan, in particular, seemed increasingly lonely, as his teammates drifted further and further away from him for various reasons.

After leaving Atlanta, the Bulls flew to Miami.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Jordan suffered from insomnia. Like Gan Guoyang, he had the privilege of staying in a single room.

When Jordan caught a cold in December, he asked the team for leave and was unable to participate in practice. The team sent trainer Shaffer to Jordan's house to deliver medicine.

A week later, John Paxson also caught a cold, but the team asked him to come to training so that the coach could assess whether he could take leave.

Whenever he went out to play an away game, Jordan was always the last to board the bus, and they would leave immediately after boarding, because he didn't like waiting for others.

On one occasion, after Jordan boarded the bus, Rory Spalloché was still in the hotel lobby before the bus drove off.

These are privileges reserved for superstars, which Jordan and the management took for granted, but teammates inevitably felt some dissatisfaction.

But Jordan didn't care. He knew he had earned it all himself. That's how NBA teams are; they have a clear hierarchy.

Therefore, he had no intention of getting closer to his teammates, and the reason for his insomnia was not the defeat or a bad relationship with his teammates.

As dawn approached, Jordan still couldn't sleep, so he left and went to Adolf Sever's room next door, knocking on the door.

This was another privilege Jordan had: he could bring his friends and the Bulls to away games.

Besides Adolf Severus, there was also driver and bodyguard George Keller, the Fred brothers (not real brothers but three people with the same name), Gert Rice, and others.

When Jordan couldn't sleep or felt bored during his travels, he would play cards, gamble, or drive around to kill time with his friends.

This time, Jordan invited Sever and Keller to drive him to a large parking lot in Miami, where he wanted to play with cars.

Severus and Keller knew what trick Jordan was up to and said with some concern, "You should get some rest since there's a game tonight."

Jordan shook his head and said, "This is a break for me. I need to relax. I'm a bit tense."

With that, Keller handed the driver's seat to Jordan, who gripped the steering wheel and began to floor the gas pedal.

The large parking lot in the suburbs was deserted in the early morning, with almost no one coming. Jordan instantly accelerated the car to 110 km/h and rushed towards the wall of the parking lot!

Keller and Severus gripped the handle tightly; if they continued to accelerate and crash into it, all three of them would die in this deserted, large parking lot.

Jordan slammed on the brakes, the car screeched to a halt, and the speed decreased rapidly until it came to a stop just centimeters from the wall.

Severus and Keller were both startled, but their expressions showed that this wasn't the first time Jordan had done this.

Jordan seemed very excited. He turned the car around and sprinted and braked sharply towards another wall.

This is a thrilling game that Jordan likes to play when he's bored, as a way to challenge his reaction speed.

He was very confident in his reaction speed.

Another reason he liked the game was that Forrest Gump was afraid to play it that way.

During the summer, when Gan Guoyang was with Jordan, Jordan sped through the streets and alleys of Chicago, scaring Gan Guoyang half to death.

Because of his memories from his past life, Gan Guoyang was already afraid of activities like roller coasters and high-speed cars, while Jordan was even more reckless.

This amused Jordan greatly, so much so that Gan Guoyang refused to ride in Jordan's car ever again.

After going back and forth in the parking lot several times, Jordan finally got tired of it, felt a bit sleepy, so he gave the driver's seat to Keller and went back to the hotel to sleep.

That evening, the Chicago Bulls played the Miami Heat on the road, marking Jordan's second encounter with Drexler this season.

This time, Jordan showed no mercy and went all out, making 20 of 28 shots and scoring a whopping 44 points over Drexler.

He used all his offensive skills to overwhelm the Glide in three and a half quarters, leading the Bulls to a 121-105 victory over the Miami Heat, a 16-point margin that prevented them from suffering consecutive losses.

When the game ended, Jordan didn't let Drexler off the hook, chewing gum as he said to him, "Clyde, the difference between you and me is a Forrest Gump."

Drexler was taken aback, thinking, "Why does this sound so familiar?"

Besides, am I really that bad? Why are you all stepping on me like that?!
(End of this chapter)