The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 698 The Dream Begins

The bullying of young players within the Dream Team allowed Gan Guoyang to successfully recruit a spy.

Of course, Lightner himself didn't think so; he was just calling Forrest Gump to chat and share his thoughts.

He certainly had a lot to say, a lot of grievances to vent, and was filled with fear and uncertainty about the future.

A week earlier, on June 24, the 1992 NBA Draft was held in Portland, Oregon, a rare move for the draft to leave New York and move to the Rose Garden Arena in Oregon.

This draft was truly memorable, with several incredibly talented rookies entering the league, including Laettner.

The top three picks were all taken by new teams: the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, and Minnesota Timberwolves, who all secured valuable high draft picks.

It's hard to say whether there were any underhanded tactics by the league involved. It seems the NBA really wants to acquire more talent in these new markets, improve their record, and expand their market share.

The side effect of doing this is that talent is further diluted, making it much more difficult for traditionally dominant teams to acquire superstar rookies.

If there hadn't been an expansion, the top three picks might have gone to teams like the Dallas Mavericks or the Denver Nuggets. Once they have a superstar rookie, they would immediately become strong contenders for the playoffs.

Whether weaker teams like the Magic and Hornets can make good use of their favorable draw picks remains to be seen.

The Orlando Magic selected Louisiana State University's monster center, the exceptionally talented rookie, a behemoth that ravaged the paint, Shaquille O'Neal, with the first overall pick.

There was no controversy over Shaquille O'Neal's number one draft pick. Even if the Magic's management were blind, they would know to choose this amazing Shaq.

The Charlotte Hornets selected Georgetown University center Alonzo Mourning with the second pick, while Laettner was selected by the Timberwolves with the third pick.

The top three picks were all big men, with the first two being exceptionally talented players who had already made a name for themselves in college basketball and were destined to become superstars.

Laettner is quite controversial. Although he has led his team to great success, the NBA draft rarely looks at a player's record, championships, or other honors, but rather at their future potential.

As a white center, Laettner was not highly regarded to begin with, especially after Forrest Gump entered the league, he almost wiped out the slow and explosive white centers.

Although Laettner wasn't a traditional white big man, he always wanted to play like a black player, but his talent didn't allow him to do so.

In the NCAA, at Duke, he could do whatever he wanted with his physical advantages and the system, but in the NBA, it's a world for monsters.

After the draft, Laettner was called up to the Dream Team, which caused quite a bit of controversy at the time.

At this time, he had not yet officially entered the NBA professional circle and had not graduated from college (he was one credit short of graduating at the end of the spring semester), so theoretically he was a college player.

Of course, the point of contention isn't his college student status, but rather why he was chosen instead of Shaquille O'Neal or Alonzo Mourning?

The committee's explanation was clear: because Leitner was a better college player.

Indeed, Leitner won every player honor he could during his years at Duke.

He led Duke to two championships and defeated the teams of Mourning and O'Neal in the competition.

It's fair to say that Laettner was a dominant force in the NCAA, but his talent was clearly inferior to that of O'Neal and Mourning.

After joining the Dream Team, Leitner felt immense pressure, realizing that he couldn't keep up with the training pace.

Johnson, Bird, Jordan, and others are all seasoned veterans on the court; they don't have the patience to mentor newcomers.

Either you can keep up with us and have a back-and-forth game with us.

If you can't keep up, can't catch the pass, and keep making mistakes, then you're in for a scolding.

That's only one aspect; what bothers him even more is that he has no say in this situation.

The outside world sees him as a mere figurehead, believing that he was selected simply to have a college player on the team.

At the time, there was still controversy over allowing NBA players to participate in the Olympics, so this figurehead was created to silence some people.

As the theoretical best college basketball player of his generation, this treatment was unacceptable to the proud and arrogant Laettner, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

Therefore, what was a trip, a game, and a basketball dream journey for star players like Jordan, Bird, and Johnson was like a nightmare for Laettner.

The stark contrast before and after is like a local tyrant or a small-time rich man who used to be a local bully suddenly entering the circle of top-tier tycoons, where he is ostracized and suppressed at every turn, and is utterly useless.

The young tycoon can quit playing now and go back to his hometown to continue being a local tycoon. But not Laettner. The door to the NCAA has closed to him, and he will continue his basketball career in the NBA.

Leaving the Dream Team was out of the question. Being selected was a great honor, and quitting halfway through would make him a laughingstock for life, so he had no choice but to endure it.

In the third game against Panama, he really couldn't hold back anymore. Being bullied and humiliated by these big shots, and having to take off his pants in front of the entire American people, was a huge loss of face.

That evening, Leitner found a public phone in the hotel, dialed the number Gan Guoyang had given him, and launched into a tirade against the entire Dream Team.

He didn't care whether Forrest Gump was a good friend of Jordan, Barkley, or others; he just needed to find someone to vent his anger on.

Gan Guoyang, a master of stirring up trouble, was overjoyed to hear Leitner's impassioned accusations.

He went along with Lightner's line of thought, complaining along with him; he'd certainly cursed these unlucky friends plenty of times before.

On the one hand, they tried to extract some useful information from Leitner, mainly about the Dream Team's training and tactical arrangements.

Gan Guoyang confirmed that if the US team plays against the Chinese team, they will definitely come up with a specific strategy to defend against him.

Leitner will be a key player at that time, and being able to prepare in advance is extremely important for Gan Guoyang.

Furthermore, having real-time information about the internal dynamics of the Dream Team helps Gan Guoyang make some preparations, especially in training some secret tactics with the Chinese team.

After arriving in the United States, the Chinese team has maintained a "mysterious team" status, with all training sessions completely closed to the public and no media days.

They only played scrimmages against two university teams, and it's said that Forrest Gump didn't play in those games, so nobody knows how the Chinese team, with Forrest Gump on their roster, actually performed.

The reason for this is that Gan Guoyang knows that having his own Chinese team will inevitably lead to scrutiny from all sides.

Tournaments are different from leagues. Leagues have no secrets, while tournaments are all about encounters, where two teams might only meet once in their entire careers.

Therefore, intelligence is very important. Once you lose a game, there won't be a second chance or a chance to make up for it at home.

The Chinese team's secrecy helped them achieve good results in Barcelona.

Gan Guoyang has no hope of defeating the American team, but at least he can't lose by too much.

With Gan Guoyang, the Chinese team is certainly capable of putting up a fight against other teams, including the strong European teams.

The current Chinese team's weakness is its youth, but its strengths are also its youth, drive, physical fitness, and ability to learn new things.

Perhaps this time he can really make a name for himself.

Gan Guoyang talked with Leitner for a long time and was already confident that he could keep this underling under his control.

The two maintained contact, with Gan Guoyang helping Lightner establish himself in the Dream Team while gathering intelligence to prepare for the future.

Besides the training activities of the Dream Team, Gan Guoyang also learned another important thing: Stockton's injury was more serious than expected.

During the game against Canada, he collided with Jordan and was injured, forcing him to leave the game.

I initially thought it was just a mild cramp or a muscle injury.

However, after an X-ray examination, it was revealed that Stockton had fractured his right fibula. The doctor stated that the fracture was not serious and did not require plaster cast immobilization because it is a non-weight-bearing bone.

Even so, it will take six to eight weeks to recover.

With less than seven weeks to go before the Olympics, Stockton's Olympic journey has been overshadowed.

After receiving the news from Leitner, Gan Guoyang immediately contacted the best orthopedic surgeon in Portland the next day, and then went to the hotel where the Dream Team was staying to visit John.

Stockton appeared calm and smiled when he saw Gan Guoyang. He lay motionless on the bed with his right leg stretched out straight.

“Sonny, I remember in 1984 in Bloomington, I almost jumped off a building… Do you think I’m destined to never be in the Olympics?”

Stockton appeared calm, but was actually very frustrated inside.

Just like when he was eliminated in 1984, he, who seemed the most mild-mannered, was actually the one who reacted the most fiercely, saying that he wanted to bring together the eliminated team and the Olympic team for a match.

"John, you won't jump. You'll make the team and go to Barcelona with everyone, believe me. Remember when I told you you'd definitely make the US national team? Remember what happened?"

With Gan Guoyang's comfort, Stockton felt much better.

Bobby Bellman also came over to comfort Stockton, saying he would definitely take him to Barcelona—even if it was just to be a cheerleader.

In 1984, Stockton was eliminated because Alford was Knight's protégé.

Stockton is now a disciple of Bellman, and Bellman will certainly do everything in his power to protect his student.

Of course, comforting him isn't enough; we need to help Stockton recover.

Gan Guoyang brought in Portland's best rehabilitation therapist to help Stockton with bone growth recovery.

Stockton's family followed him to Portland, with his two sons always by his side.

One of the names was Michael. Gan Guoyang thought John was really cunning, giving his son the same name as Jordan.

Stockton originally wanted to name his son Sonny, but Gan Guoyang refused.

In the United States, many people use their son's name to commemorate friends, fathers, or elders.

However, Chinese people don't follow this kind of thinking, and Gan Guoyang doesn't want to be Stockton's son.

A fibular fracture is not considered serious, but it is by no means a minor injury, since the bone is actually broken.

At this point, the US's high-tech equipment will once again come into play.

Gan Guoyang obtained a bone stimulator from the Trail Blazers that helps with fibular healing.

This is an electronic device that is attached to the buttocks, and then a metal ring is strapped to the injured area.

Used for seven hours a day, it utilizes electromagnetic and electrical currents to enhance blood circulation in the injured area and promote bone healing.

This kind of equipment was common in the 80s and 90s. Bernard King used a similar device when he was injured, and Drexler also used it.

In order to recover quickly, Stockton wore this thing every day, even while training on the sidelines and watching games.

Stockton was naturally unable to play in the subsequent matches, and whether he played or not had no impact on the outcome.

No team can rival the Dream Team; it's fair to say that the Dream Team has no equal among its players.

The main purpose of other teams participating is not to win, but to take photos with the Dream Team and exchange gifts.

Before each game, players from other countries exchange gifts with the Dream Team, usually a national flag and souvenirs.

What was supposed to be a simple and solemn exchange ceremony quickly turned into chaos as players came forward to ask for autographs and photos.

What's even more chaotic is that the players would take the opportunity to run to the sidelines to take photos with Gan Guoyang, who was watching the game from the sidelines, and ask for his autograph.

Gan Guoyang would bring the entire Chinese team to watch every game played by the American team, so that they could become familiar with the technical characteristics and playing style of the American players.

Watching live provides a clearer view and allows you to observe more subtle details. With Gan Guoyang's commentary, these mysterious and powerful stars seem to become quite ordinary.

Of course, only when they actually compete will you know just how strong they are.

As expected, the Dream Team easily won the Americas Championship and qualified for the Olympics.

The Dream Team gave the players a break to rest for a while.

But the Chinese team won't take a break; their long-term training camp in the United States continues.

The expenses along the way were considerable, covering food, lodging, and transportation for more than twenty people.

Fortunately, Avia sponsored the entire process and covered all expenses.

After the Dream Team disbanded, Gan Guoyang led the Chinese team to his other stronghold, Spokane.

In July, Spokane celebrates its annual "Gan Guoyang Day," a celebration that began when Gan Guoyang joined Gonzaga and continues to this day.

Every summer, Gan Guoyang takes time to participate in this event named after him and stay in touch with the local residents.

Stockton also returned to Spokane to join Gan Guoyang and the Chinese team in rehabilitation training at the Gonzaga University stadium and gym.

However, the Chinese team's tactical training content was kept strictly confidential from Stockton, and the kid was not allowed to visit the site.

Stockton, who knew Gan Guoyang well, knew that this guy was up to no good. He said things like, "We definitely can't beat you guys," and "Losing by a small margin is a victory. I'll be satisfied if we lose by less than 50 points."

But when it comes to the Olympics, if they meet, Forrest Gump will definitely fight for victory with all his might, and who knows, he might pull off an upset, which would make the Dream Team look incredibly bad.

Forrest Gump's abilities can be overestimated, but should never be underestimated.

As time went by and the Olympics drew closer, the Chinese team's nearly month-long training camp in the United States came to an end.

Stockton almost missed his flight to New Jersey to join the US team, but luckily the flight crew delayed the departure time, and the Stockton family barely made it.

The Dream Team doesn't go directly to Barcelona. Instead, they go to Monte Carlo in Monaco first, where they train for a week before heading to Barcelona.

Gan Guoyang and his teammates boarded a flight to Los Angeles. They were to fly back to Beijing first to join the Chinese Olympic team and then fly to Spain together.

Gan Guoyang could have taken his private plane directly to Spain with his wife and children, but as a member of the team, he decided to go with the group.

As the Olympics drew closer, his excitement grew, and his desire to win intensified as he longed to bring honor to his country.

This feeling will only grow stronger as the competition approaches; the atmosphere within the team has been transformed by Gan Guoyang.

Jiang Xingquan could sense this welcome change, which was exactly what he wanted: a wolf-like competitive mentality.

Young players need role models like these to guide them; otherwise, these pampered youngsters will only become more and more arrogant and lose their goals.

But Jiang Xingquan was unsure how far the team could go, because he found that he really couldn't keep up with the senior's thinking during daily training.

Regardless, the Barcelona dream of the Chinese men's basketball team is about to begin.

(End of this chapter)