The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 622 The Power to Oppose

The Trail Blazers finished their road trip with a 3-2 record.

Due to injuries, Mitchell Thompson, Petrovic, and Reggie Lewis did not travel with the team on this trip.

Three wins would be a passing grade for the Trail Blazers right now.

The Trail Blazers maintain their top spot in the Western Conference, with the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns close behind, but the team isn't too worried about that.

Regular season results are no longer the most important indicator for them; the health and form of the players are what matters most.

In the game between Minnesota and the Timberwolves, Bellman only played Gan Guoyang for 30 minutes, as he was very worried that Gan Guoyang's body might have problems.

In this game, the Trail Blazers easily defeated the Timberwolves 129-110, ending their journey successfully.

Culp, who once focused on serving Bill Walton, is now turning his attention to Gan Guoyang.

This veteran rehabilitation therapist, who has worked with the Trail Blazers for twenty years, spends a lot of time every day helping Gan Guoyang relax his muscles and massage them to ensure his physical condition.

After returning to Portland, the team had a three-day break to rest, but Gan Guoyang still insisted on going to the gym to train.

Culp told him he should rest and allow his tired body to recover properly to prevent injuries.

Gan Guoyang said, "I've had enough rest during the competitions recently. I need to maintain the intensity of my training so that my body is less prone to injury."

Gan Guoyang's words also make sense. He is like a machine that keeps running. There will be no problems when it is running normally, but problems will occur when it stops and slows down.

Out of a sense of responsibility, Culp voluntarily gave up his vacation to accompany Gan Guoyang during training at the stadium to prevent any accidents from happening.

They drove together to Willamette University, only to encounter a demonstration at the school gate, where some people were holding banners opposing the Gulf War.

In the United States, various demonstrations are very common. People will find ways to take to the streets to demonstrate whenever they have any opinions, and situations like those in Portland are even more common.

Gan Guoyang gestured to Quentin Stephenson to drive around the crowd, and then he spotted a familiar figure in the crowd: it was Bill Walton!

He told Quentin to stop the car, rolled down the window, and yelled at Walton, "Hey Bill, Bill!"

Walton's red hair and tall stature made him stand out in the crowd; it was impossible not to see him.

After retiring in the 1987 season, Walton became a basketball commentator, and in 1990 he was hired by CBS.

After the partnership between CBS and the NBA ended, he signed with NBC and currently mainly commentates on NCAA and NBA Portland Trail Blazers games.

This guy was known in college for participating in anti-war marches and was even taken to the police station, where Coach John Wooden bailed him out.

Now he has "returned to his old ways" and mingled among the anti-war crowd again; he is undoubtedly a key figure.

Upon hearing Gan Guoyang's voice, Walton turned and jogged towards the car, leaning against the window and saying, "Sonny! You've come at the right time. We need you to attend a gathering."

Gan Guoyang waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, I'm not American, and I have no opinion on this war. I'm here to train, so why don't you play basketball with me for a while?"

Walton said, "Basketball? I can't play basketball anymore, sorry... Are you really not coming to the rally? I think you could say a few words. Of course, considering your nationality and business matters, it's normal for you to avoid it."

“I’m not avoiding Bill, I… what is the purpose of this rally? Is it to oppose the war and support Saddam?”

"Oh no, of course not. We don't support Saddam. We're just trying to preserve the right to dissent. You know the situation now, it's different from the 60s and 70s. Everyone loves their country and supports this war. Let alone dissent, even just not supporting it has become a sin. Everyone has suddenly become Richie Monty, forgetting that we should all have the right to dissent and the tolerance to accept different viewpoints."

Wharton said with some helplessness that in the 60s and 70s, college students were the main force in the anti-war movement.

In just over a decade, with the US economy booming and the Soviet Union declining, Americans’ patriotism soared to unprecedented heights in the 90s.

In the 70s, Richie Monty was a center fielder for the Chicago Cubs. During an MLB game, two protesters stormed the field and set the American flag on fire with a lighter.

At that moment, Richie Monty rushed toward the burning flag, snatched it from the two men, and extinguished the fire.

Because of this action, Monty became a national hero, but it also caused great controversy. From this incident onwards, the national flag became a symbol for different camps to express their positions.

After the outbreak of the Gulf War, American university basketball teams required players to wear national flag badges on their sports jackets. Most complied, but some did not.

Seton Hall University basketball player Marc Luca, of Italian descent, refused to wear a jacket with the American flag sewn on it, saying that supporting the war went against his Christian faith.

Luca played in the Italian professional league for two years before coming to West Holden University in the United States to play in the NCAA. It would be difficult for him to go directly into the NBA, so he prefers to train in the NCAA first to see if he has a chance to be noticed by an NBA team.

However, Luca is only 187cm tall, and his talent is quite average in the talent-rich United States. Coupled with the incident of refusing to accept the national flag, his reputation among fans has plummeted.

Some fans attacked him indiscriminately, even targeting his pregnant wife, completely disregarding the fact that Luca is not American, he is an Italian citizen, his father is Slovenian, and he has absolutely no connection to Iraq or the Gulf.

Unable to withstand such public criticism, Luca prematurely ended his basketball journey at West Holden University and returned to the Italian league.

Because of this incident, protests broke out in various places, but the number of people involved was small, with only a few scattered individuals participating, and they were unable to form a large-scale movement.

Gan Guoyang knew that if he participated in this rally and it was exposed by the media, it would definitely cause a stir.

Even if he were a Chinese man unrelated to the war, judging from Mark Luca's attitude, he would certainly be attacked by the American public.

To be honest, the common sense of ordinary Americans is terrifyingly lacking. Many people supported the Gulf War, but they may not even know where the Gulf or Iraq are.

As for how Saddam Hussein rose to power, what his intricate connections were with the United States, and how to view the true purpose of the US in launching the war, they neither understand nor want to understand.

Unlike the Vietnam War, this time the United States launched a "just" war with the approval of the United Nations and together with multinational forces.

The fervent patriotic atmosphere in the United States is uncontrollable and cannot be affected by one or two anti-government rallies.

“I think you’re right, Bill, but once war starts, there’s no room for rational survival.”

"Sonny, you'll face the same question later: will you wear a warm-up jacket with the American flag printed on it?"

"No, I can't, I'm Chinese."

"But some people will think you're against war, and they don't care."

While the two were chatting, the crowd was dispersed by Portland police, and a conflict broke out at the school gate.

Gan Guoyang first let Bill Walton get in the car, then he got out himself and communicated with both sides to keep them calm.

The moment Gan Guoyang appeared, the situation immediately calmed down. Both the students and the police shifted their attention from the rally to Gan.

A short while later, the entrance to Willamette University turned into a makeshift fan meeting, with everyone coming up to ask Gan Guoyang for autographs and photos.

The sheriff in charge of the dispersal operation even pulled Gan Guoyang aside for a cup of coffee. Gan Guoyang asked, "If I refuse to wear a warm-up shirt with the American flag sewn on it before the competition, will I be arrested by the police?"

The sheriff hurriedly said, "Oh no, at least in the Portland area you won't, absolutely not. America is a free country. And you're Chinese, you can choose your own jacket."

"I hope so. I support just wars, but people also have the right to choose not to support them, as long as they don't cause destruction, right?"

"Hmm...hmm...that makes some sense."

Ultimately, the conflict was resolved, and Gan Guoyang invited the police and students to visit his training facility.

This event was much more interesting than the anti-war rally, and the students went to the training hall without much thought.

Walton witnessed the whole thing from his car. He shook his head, sighed, and said, "Young people are losing their fighting spirit. They've all become idol worshippers. Michael Jackson and Forrest Gump are like drug addiction for modern teenagers..." Despite saying this, when he was a commentator on NBC, Walton was a die-hard fan of Gan Guoyang, as die-hard as could be.

Walton is right about one thing: as the war escalates, the atmosphere in the United States is becoming increasingly fervent, and this is spreading to the NBA.

After a three-day break, the Trail Blazers hosted the Boston Celtics on January 22nd.

Before the game started, staff affixed an American flag to the lower right corner of the backboard, and the Trail Blazers' warm-up jackets also had the flag sewn onto the right chest.

Of course, foreign players on the Trail Blazers team like Gan Guoyang, Petrovic, and Sabonis did not have their jerseys sewn on; they have their own freedom.

In addition to the NBA, the NFL has also started displaying the American flag on players' helmets to align with the current patriotic atmosphere in the United States and to show support for the war effort.

The United States is a country that highly values ​​military force and is an out-and-out war machine, but its facade of freedom and prosperity masks it.

After a period of rest, Petrovic and Reggie Lewis have both returned to the rotation.

Tonight, Petrovic will face his former friend Divac, while Reggie Lewis will take on his old team, the Celtics.

After a summer of trades, signings, and coaching changes, and overcoming a talent crisis, the Celtics have regained their vitality this season.

Before this game, the Celtics still held a firm hold on the top spot in the league with a record of 30 wins and 8 losses, leading people to exclaim that the Green Army was back.

The trade involving Lewis, Divac, and Hornacek was initially thought to have helped the Trail Blazers, making their path to defending their title easier.

Surprisingly, it seems the Celtics are the big winners.

Divac and Hornacek are both excellent fits for the Celtics' system.

They both have a selfless playing style, and one inside and one outside, they enrich the Celtics' aging frontcourt and backcourt.

The Celtics' new coach, Chris Ford, has revamped the team's offensive and defensive systems, adopting a twin-tower system of Divac and Parish, and placing Kevin McHale on the bench as the sixth man.

When McHale first entered the league, he was the team's sixth man, and now he has returned to his familiar position.

Ford's move was mainly to solve the Celtics' long-standing bench problem. In the mid-to-late 80s, the Celtics were almost a five-man starting team with an exceptionally weak bench.

With KC Jones gone, new coach Ford and the Celtics management are working to solve this problem. In addition to McHale, the Celtics have also unearthed backup players like Kevin Gamble and Dee Brown, greatly increasing the strength of the Celtics' second unit.

With a starting lineup that excels at passing and creates fluid team offense, outstanding individual scoring ability, and well-rounded substitutes both inside and outside, the Celtics' balanced and clearly defined roster naturally leads to a strong record.

The Green Army has rekindled its hopes of returning to the Finals and even winning the championship again.

The biggest concern for the Celtics right now is how long their veteran core player, the 34-year-old Larry Bird, can keep up.

Before the game started, while the other players were warming up, Bird was lying on the sidelines receiving back treatment; his back injury had become very serious.

Aside from his back injury, Bird was plagued by injuries all over his body starting in 1987, from his toes to his eyes, and even his hair became thinner.

In 1988, his nose was broken by Rasmussen during a match, and his eye was swollen, forcing him to wear goggles for four matches.

Because of his declining free throw percentage, Bird quickly abandoned this protection.

This has always been his attitude towards basketball: to win, he is willing to give up a lot, including his own health.

Before every game against the Celtics, Gan Guoyang would inevitably have a verbal battle with Bird.

During the Celtics' peak period, from 1985 to 1987, tensions between the two sides were always high.

Gan Guoyang aims to psychologically overwhelm the Celtics in order to increase the Trail Blazers' chances of winning.

Under Gan Guoyang's blows, the Celtics' arrogance waned considerably, and the defeat in 1986 further accelerated their decay.

Now, Gan Guoyang won't do that anymore. He's much more relaxed now, and the team's strength doesn't require him to do it.

He just ran over to the Celtics' side during warm-up and joked with Bird, "Hey Larry, time to get up, the game's about to start."

"Your pose is so alluring, you should be careful with your back."

"Sonny, protect your Ezehau, I'm going to have some fun tonight!"

"Woh, you mean you're going to defend my one-on-one? I can consider giving you 50 points, as long as you don't double-team me."

Gan Guoyang's words silenced Bird.

If he were to guard Forrest Gump one-on-one, he'd probably ruin his old back.

This season, Bird has become a well-rounded point forward.

His scoring average dropped to below 20 points per game, while his assists rose to 7.3 per game.

This season, the Celtics have risen to second place in the league in assists per game.

The arrival of Divac and Hornacek opened up endless possibilities for the Celtics' positional warfare.

The Portland Trail Blazers are ranked number one.

Bird only got up from the floor a few times to warm up before the game started.

He asked Gan Guoyang if he would participate in the three-point contest. Gan Guoyang shook his head and said, "One three-point championship is enough. What, does the league want you to play?"

“Yes, they need ratings, but I really don’t have the interest or energy for it. However, I’ll consider it if you participate.” Bird remained highly competitive despite facing formidable opponents.

Gan Guoyang shrugged and said, "If you participate in the dunk contest, I will participate. I think it's more interesting than you participating in the three-point contest."

Bird participating in the Slam Dunk Contest would be comparable to Jordan participating in the Three-Point Contest; the effect would definitely be explosive.

However, Bird was self-aware and, having learned from Jordan's example, he would never do such a thing.

Compared to the long-standing rivalry between Gan Guoyang and Bird, the rift between Divac and Petrovic is difficult to untangle.

During warm-up, the two remained silent with cold expressions until just before the match began, when they lightly bumped fists at mid-field, and that was all.

As the Gulf War broke out, the domestic situation in Yugoslavia became increasingly turbulent, and ethnic conflicts became more acute, turning the country into a pressure cooker that could explode at any moment.

Serbia and Croatia are already irreconcilable enemies, and even a simple fist bump between them carries the risk of negative public opinion.

Gan Guoyang looked at Petrovich's melancholy expression and knew that he was feeling bad.

Before the game, he put his arm around Petrovic and said, "Play well, Pete. Basketball will make you forget all your troubles."

Petrovich nodded; he knew Gan Guoyang was right.

During his recent recovery period, he has not missed any training sessions.

Despite his elbow injury, he continued to practice leg exercises, and his lower body became more and more solid.

Petrovic is becoming the number one ruthless thug among Portland's bench players.

(End of this chapter)