The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 843 Losing Less is Winning
On the other side of the Western Conference semifinals, the Utah Jazz defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4-2 to advance to the Western Conference Finals and face the Portland Trail Blazers.

This is the Jazz's fifth appearance in the Western Conference Finals in the last seven seasons, making them a very successful team in the 1990s.

Although they are always blocked from the Finals or unable to win the championship by the most talented players because they lack some absolute talent.

The two teams, with their contrasting styles, delivered a very exciting semifinal series for the fans, which was in fact much more intense than the other series, Trail Blazers vs. Lakers.

They had previously met in the 1996 Western Conference Finals, where the SuperSonics defeated the Jazz in Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals. Patrick Ewing's performance on both ends of the court in the final moments of Game 7 earned him the matchup against Karl Malone.

In just two seasons, the offensive and defensive strategies of both sides have changed. Although they are both getting older, the Utah duo are aging much slower than the stars of their time. This is an important factor in their rise in the late 90s – it's a test of who can endure longer.

With players like Ewing and McMillan aging, the SuperSonics are facing their biggest problem: a lack of dynamism.

The SuperSonics have always been a team that relies on energy to play, while the Jazz, on the contrary, are a "turtle" team; the slower and more organized they are, the better they are.

The SuperSonics failed to win a single game in their two home games in Utah, although they managed to win two straight games back at home thanks to their momentum and home advantage.

However, back in Salt Lake City for Game 5, the SuperSonics still couldn't find a way to win and suffered a crushing defeat.

By Game 6, the Supersonics had lost their edge and were in poor physical condition. Ewing's knee was swollen and he was exhausted, making them less and less influential on both offense and defense.

Without the support of physical fitness and athleticism, George Karl's strategy cannot be effective. Even if they continue to win 60 games in the regular season, they will immediately appear weak in the face of the higher intensity of the playoffs.

The sixth game between the two teams ended at KeyArena in Seattle, with the Jazz defeating the ambitious Seattleites and George Karl by 98-91, a seven-point advantage.

After the game, the SuperSonics fans lingered, unwilling to leave, unable to believe that the season was over.

The season felt incomplete without even seeing the Portland Trail Blazers.

The score difference wasn't large, but the Jazz were actually in the lead from start to finish, and could widen the gap with just a little effort.

The SuperSonics struggled to catch up throughout the game, playing a painful game, but Gary Payton, the team's core point guard, became the leading scorer for several consecutive games.

If a team centered around a point guard always needs the point guard to score, it indicates that the team has a serious problem.

Before the game ended, Carl kept stroking his beard, suggesting that growing a beard to show determination isn't always effective.

As the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game and the team was eliminated, George Karl realized that the Seattle SuperSonics' most glorious era had come to an end.

Having failed to win the championship in two finals, their window of opportunity to claim the title has closed.

It is conceivable that the SuperSonics will undergo a transformation in the summer of 1998, and perhaps Payton and Ewing will remain with the SuperSonics to maintain the team's competitiveness.

But George Karl is likely not in the SuperSonics' future team-building plans.

Sure enough, shortly after the series ended, George Karl announced his resignation as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics.

That's how NBA coaches are; they're more like mercenaries than players. When a team has problems, the coach is usually replaced first, while the star players always stay.

According to statistics, as time goes by and the number of NBA teams increases, coaches work for a team for an average of less than four seasons.

This aligns with Larry Bird's "three-year theory," which states that a coach should not work for a team for more than three years. After three years, they are likely to decline, so it's better to replace them sooner rather than later.

Of course, Bird, who has no worries about work or money, is a typical example of someone who talks without understanding the situation. Most NBA coaches rely on their coaching jobs to support their families, and no one wants their job to be unstable, having to change places after three years.

To date, George Karl has played for the Seattle SuperSonics for six and a half seasons, achieving a regular season record of over 65%, winning over 55 games in the regular season for six consecutive seasons, and reaching the NBA Finals twice in the playoffs.

It should be said that George Karl's career with the SuperSonics was very successful.

George Karl's coaching philosophy and personal temperament are a good fit for the SuperSonics team and the players' styles.

They complemented each other and achieved mutual success. Karl's madness created the supersonic frenzy, and they shook every night like sonic booms.

George Karl chose to resign because his contract with the SuperSonics expired and new renewal negotiations failed, which displeased Karl.

On the other hand, George Karl has been criticized by the media for the past six seasons, even though he led his team to its best record and reached the Finals twice.

Because he couldn't lead the SuperSonics to a championship, especially in the two seasons after Gan Guoyang's retirement, the SuperSonics failed to seize the opportunity and lost to the Heat and the Bulls.

Now that Forrest Gump has returned to the West, Western teams are all feeling lost.

George Karl himself said, "Western teams won't have a chance for the next three years, so I might have to go to the East to develop my career."

Carl has always been unwilling to admit defeat when facing Forrest Gump, but this time he has no choice but to admit defeat.

Even with a record of 77 wins, the Trail Blazers are still the biggest favorite to win the championship, even if they decline in the next few seasons.

No team in the West can beat the Trail Blazers. They might win four consecutive championships, or at least make it to the Finals again. In short, no team in the West has a chance.

Karl had been getting beaten up by Forrest Gump and the Trail Blazers in the West since the 80s. He had really had enough of being beaten and didn't want to waste any more time and life.

So, although he was filled with nostalgia for Seattle, he settled down and made a name for himself there over seven years, becoming deeply intertwined with the city.

But all good things must come to an end. After shaving his beard, George Karl chose to leave and pursue his championship dream in another place.

He had also decided that his next stop would definitely be an Eastern Conference team, and he would never go back to the West, unless he could go to Portland to coach Agan.

A great coach has ended a glorious chapter in his coaching career, but Jerry Sloan's journey with the Utah Jazz continues, and there is still a long way to go.

After the game, everyone was quiet in the Utah Jazz's away locker room, just like usual.

The players gave each other a simple high-five and fist bump before heading to the bathroom to shower and change.

There weren't many reporters surrounding the Jazz, and even those who were weren't asking questions about the team.

They asked the Jazz about their Western Conference Finals opponent and what John Stockton thought about the series.

Stockton, as always, was filled with excitement, but his face remained expressionless.

"I'm looking forward to the battles against Forrest Gump and the Trail Blazers; in some ways, it's even more exciting than the Finals," Stockton said.

For Stockton and the Jazz, defeating Forrest Gump and the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals is a remarkable achievement.

Although everyone knows that the Trail Blazers and Forrest Gump are coming in with a vengeance this season, and it is almost impossible for anyone to stop them.

Before the series, people predicted that the Jazz would be successful if they could win one game against the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals, but the Jazz team still devoted themselves to the preparation for the game with great enthusiasm and focus.

The only person on the team who was unsettled was head coach Jerry Sloan.

After flying back to Salt Lake City from Seattle, the team disbanded and rested for two days before heading to Portland.

Instead of going home to rest, Sloan went to a hospital in Salt Lake City to be with his wife, Barbie Sloan. Back in June of last year, when the Jazz were playing in the NBA Finals, Barbie Sloan felt chest discomfort and went to the hospital for a checkup, where she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor.

Because her husband was focused on the most important game of his life, Mrs. Sloan did not tell Sloan the news, but went to the hospital for examination and treatment herself.

After the finals, Mrs. Sloan still didn't tell Sloan about the situation.

The two have known each other for over 40 years. They were lovers in high school, and later got married, had children, and stayed together through thick and thin.

But contrary to what most people think, the couple, who have been married for over 40 years, actually rarely communicate.

Sloan was a traditional, tough American white man known for his defense on the court. He played aggressively and dared to go toe-to-toe with any player.

Off the court, Sloan was just as silent, tough, and repressed as he was on the court, bearing all the hardships alone.

He likes to smoke and drink before and after matches to relieve stress, but he is unwilling to confide in his wife.

The two remained silent and tacitly married for 30 years until Barbie Sloan was diagnosed with cancer. She could no longer hide it from her husband, and her son told his father about his mother's condition.

Sloan, of course, actively sought treatment for his wife, but faced with Barbie's suffering, he didn't know how to offer comfort.

Because he never needed comforting for his own pain, he naturally didn't know how to comfort others.

In the end, he chose his own way to comfort his wife: quit smoking and quit drinking.

In the past, he always spent a lot of time drinking, often drinking alone in bars until late before going home.

In 1998, Sloan completely quit alcohol. On the plane back to Salt Lake City, Malone asked him, "If we beat the Trail Blazers again this year, will you have a drink?"

Sloan shook his head and said, "You can celebrate with water too. I've given up alcohol."

Aside from training and competitions, he spends more time with Barbie.

The two still didn't talk much, but they found a common hobby: collecting.

They are enthusiastic about garage auctions and flea markets, buying all sorts of strange and unusual items with sentimental value.

Sloan was a typical miser; he was reluctant to spend the money he earned and carefully preserved the collectibles he bought.

Before returning to Salt Lake City to be with his wife at the hospital, Sloan brought a piece of his recently acquired collection, hoping it would cheer her up.

After completing chemotherapy, Barbie Sloan lay in bed, still vomiting severely, and had lost large patches of hair. Fortunately, her condition was improving.

Sloan showed Barbie the item he had just purchased, which turned out to be a white celluloid mask.

"What is this? A mask?"

"A sports face mask, used after a facial fracture. Don't you remember?"

"There is a resemblance, it seems to have appeared in some kind of killer movie."

“It did happen. But I said it was a sports mask, and Forrest Gump wore one.”

Barbie's eyes changed when Forrest Gump was mentioned; she picked up the mask and examined it closely.

In the sports world, any collectibles related to Gan Guoyang are extremely valuable.

This mask is the same terrifying sports mask that Gan Guoyang used during the 1986-1987 season.

In the season opener against the SuperSonics, Gan Guoyang headbutted Xavier McDaniel, knocking him unconscious and fracturing his own eyebrow bone.

In the following games, Gan Guoyang wore this terrifying, demon-like mask, including the second game against the Utah Jazz.

Jerry Sloan, who was an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz at the time, clearly remembers that everyone was stunned by Forrest Gump's terrifying appearance.

The Jazz suffered a crushing defeat at home. Afterwards, Gan Guoyang wore this mask in San Francisco and frightened a little girl to tears. He later had to change to a transparent mask.

Later, Avia released a "Jason Serial Killer" version of the Skyscraper sneaker, which didn't make much of a splash at the time.

Unexpectedly, in the mid-to-late 90s, with the rise of streetball and rap culture, this forward-thinking "Jason the Killer" sneaker became a coveted item among street enthusiasts.

Avia opened a new production line specifically for this purpose and produced another batch for the market before shutting down the line completely, making the "Jason the Killer" pair a collector's item.

As for the celluloid mask that Gan Guoyang wore, it has always been kept by Gan Guoyang. Later, when Gan Guoyang retired for the first time, he left it with the Trail Blazers as a souvenir.

The sporting goods company specially produced a batch of replicas and put them into the collector's market.

The one Jerry Sloan bought was certainly not the one Forrest Gump wore; it was one of the replicas.

Even if it's a replica, it's still worth collecting because this style is long out of print.

"That was really great, Jerry. If you guys can beat the Trail Blazers next..."

"Don't talk about basketball Barbie, there's no basketball here."

Sloan interrupted Barbie, and the two enjoyed the silence that had lasted for 30 years.

But for Barbie, this feeling is much better than before.

Thirty years ago, when they were both high school students, Barbie was driving home from school one day when she saw Jerry Sloan, who had just finished basketball practice, give her a thumbs up and ask for a ride.

Barbie stopped the car and drove him through the snowstorm back to the impoverished village of Goblesnob. Barbie then encouraged him to pursue a career in basketball instead of becoming an oil field worker. Ultimately, Sloan achieved great success and became a basketball star, changing the course of his life.

But they also endured 30 years of silent, estranged marriage until one of them was about to leave, at which point they finally came together.

Two days later, Jerry Sloan and the entire Jazz team flew to Portland to begin their do-or-die Western Conference Finals journey—that's what all the media and experts said before the game.

On the plane, Jerry Sloan put on the celluloid mask that Forrest Gump once wore, and imitating Forrest Gump's tone, he said, "I'm going to kill you all! Are you scared, girls?"

The Jazz players all laughed, and Malone shouted, "We'll kick you so hard you'll be rolling on your ass!"

Everyone laughed even louder. Jerry Sloan took off his mask and said to Malone, "You better keep your word, Karl."

Malone nodded seriously; the Jazz players were indeed not afraid.

However, Ma Long still muttered to himself, "Losing by a small margin is a victory in itself."

(End of this chapter)