The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 855: Enemy with the World

With the labor negotiations concluded, the summer of 1998 drew to a close.

The management of each team is digesting the new collective bargaining agreement, signing new contracts, and making trades based on the needs of the new season.

The Nets assembled a formidable lineup of four superstars, and Paul Allen made his grand debut at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey, igniting a frenzy among local fans.

New Jersey and New York are separated by a river. Historically, the Nets have always been dominated by the Knicks. When the Nets left the ABA to join the NBA in 1976, they had to pay the Knicks a $450 million "invasion fee".

For $450 million, the Nets had to sell their star player and biggest ticket-selling machine, Dr. J Irving, to the Philadelphia 76ers. This wrong decision led to the Nets' unsatisfactory development in the future.

Just one year later, the Nets moved from Long Island to New Jersey because they couldn't compete with the Knicks and had no choice but to become neighbors with them.

Since its inception, the Nets have had many star players and achieved some success, but they have always been a fringe team in the league and have never truly stood in the center of the stage.

Now they finally stand in the center of the stage. Regardless of their performance, the four giants have an absolutely enough presence.

After Barkley signed with the Nets, the Nets' season tickets for this season have sold out, meaning the Nets are definitely not losing money financially.

New Jersey fans have full confidence in this Galacticos team; the only concern might be that the team's head coach is a rookie.

Doc Rivers has no coaching experience and is suddenly tasked with leading a team comprised of such a group of superstars; his leadership abilities are a cause for concern.

However, those familiar with Rivers are not too worried, because during his playing days, Rivers was highly respected by his peers and had a good reputation in the industry.

Moreover, Rivers is very confident in his coaching career, which is the first step to achieving results. How can you succeed if you don't even believe in yourself?

Seeing the Nets form a Big Three, New York, just across the river from the Nets, also strengthened their roster. They traded away Glen Rice and Chris Mills and acquired the younger, more ball-handling and offensively potent Larry Sprewell from the Golden State Warriors.

Although Rice is a skilled shooter, he and Allan Houston have some conflict in position and function, and the Knicks have always lacked a tough, offensive-minded player on the perimeter.

This led to the Knicks consistently losing to the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs for many years. Sprewell's arrival will bring the Knicks what they need.

Shawn Kemp's defensive ability at the power forward position has always been unsatisfactory, so the Knicks signed young free agent Kurt Thomas to strengthen the depth at the power forward position.

In terms of roster, the Knicks are not as star-studded as the Nets, but their key players are all in their prime, with Alonzo Mourning, Shawn Kemp, Houston, and Sprewell all under 30 years old.

In terms of pure fighting strength, the Knicks are definitely no worse than the Nets. It's just that their roster on paper isn't as formidable as the Nets'. Both teams can handle almost every position.

With New York being the largest market in the United States, the escalating battle between the Knicks and the Nets added new excitement to the 1998-1999 NBA season, filling the void left by Jordan's retirement to some extent.

With the departure of the Eastern Conference champions, other Eastern Conference contenders have risen up in the chaos, vying for a new chance to reach the NBA Finals. The Bulls had previously monopolized the Eastern Conference title for four consecutive years, and the East had long suffered under their dominance.

However, compared to the West, the situation in the East is better, at least there is a glimmer of hope, because the West will continue to be visibly shrouded in the huge shadow of the Trail Blazers.

Unlike the Eastern Conference powerhouses who were making a lot of noise in the free agency and trade markets, Western Conference teams didn't make any big moves. They all tacitly kept a low profile, only focusing on rookies in the draft, clearly preparing for the future.

Even the Los Angeles Lakers, who have a chance to challenge the reigning champions, have maintained a low profile, focusing on developing new players and patiently waiting for the Portland Trail Blazers to age and decline.

Other teams, such as the Utah Jazz, Seattle SuperSonics, and San Antonio Spurs, either stuck with their old rosters for another year or set their sights on something more distant.

In short, the Western Conference teams have reached a consensus: the Portland Trail Blazers are no match for the current team, so it's better to avoid direct confrontation, wait for the right moment, and seize the opportunity when the situation changes before making a final push.

The Seattle SuperSonics, for example, seized the opportunity to trade for Patrick Ewing after the Portland debacle in 1993, thus reaching the NBA Finals twice and coming close to the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Having regained their dominant position, the Trail Blazers naturally wanted to maintain it, so General Manager Buckwalt retired honorably, handing the position over to Larry Bird.

The newly appointed Bird adopted a very prudent governance policy, and the negotiations to renew Gan Guoyang's contract went very smoothly. Even though he knew that Gan Guoyang had given a very favorable offer, Bird compensated Gan Guoyang in other ways as much as possible.

For example, the complimentary tickets to the Rose Garden, the complimentary family plane tickets, and all sorts of other benefits, although they are not very important to Gan Guoyang, all of these reflect the respect that the Trail Blazers management has for Gan Guoyang, and these are all deserved by him.

Bird also did an important job: he used the collective bargaining agreement to re-sign three young players early on – Kobe, Jermaine O'Neal, and Ben Wallace – to ensure the Trail Blazers' long-term development.

One of the reasons Bird gave Kobe a five-year contract was to lock in this promising young star for a relatively low price and for a longer period of time before Kobe had fully demonstrated his value.

Jermaine O'Neal and Ben Wallace both received four-year contracts, ensuring the Trail Blazers would have a relatively stable core roster until the 2003 season, preparing for the post-Forrest Gump era.

Of course, Bird didn't know whether Forrest Gump would retire in the 2003 season. If he didn't retire, the NBA might be dominated by Portland for many years to come.

Bird was somewhat worried about this. He wasn't worried about Forrest Gump's health or his own judgment, but he was worried that the league might not allow the Trail Blazers to grow so big.
The Celtics in the 60s served as a cautionary tale. After David Stern came to power, he immediately focused on cracking down on the Celtic faction and supporting various forces to prevent the Celtics from monopolizing the market.

Among them, the Portland Trail Blazers were the biggest beneficiaries of the Stern era rules. They drew a good draft pick and made a fortune in overseas drafts, laying a solid foundation for winning championships one after another.

Gan Guoyang, the Trail Blazers, the Bulls, Jordan, and the Golden Generation together helped David Stern bring the NBA to its peak, making it the most influential basketball league in the world.

However, all good things must come to an end. With Michael Jordan's retirement, the bells have already rung for the 1984 golden generation to gradually leave the league stage.

In September, Rick Carlisle served as the executive coach for the Trail Blazers' regular rookie training camp, overseeing the training and selection process.

Larry Bird, who had been sitting on the sidelines observing, asked Gan Guoyang to come over and sit and chat with him. "Sonny! Why haven't I seen you hand out the 'Forrest Gump recipes' to everyone this year? I heard it's a tradition."

Gan Guoyang wiped his sweat and said, "Young players these days prefer maps of strip clubs. I'll have to ask Clyde for those. As for the recipes... the content is becoming more and more down-to-earth. You know, the content is all written by people hired by publishers, and it's becoming less and less suitable for professional athletes. It's sold to ordinary people, and there's no need to show it to the players anymore."

The world is constantly changing.

"Yes, things are constantly changing, and it feels like time is getting faster and faster."

Bird agreed.

Since turning 30, Gan Guoyang has felt time speeding up. Each day is no longer as colorful as when he was young. After doing a few fixed things, the day passes by in a daze.

Even as a superstar, he can participate in many, many events and meet many, many people, and this feeling is still very obvious.

"What are your plans for the future?" Bird asked.

"Plans? Of course, it's to keep playing basketball. I told Jack back then that I wanted to play until I was 50." "50? Then you've just passed the halfway mark of your career. You're going to play until 2014? A 30-year professional career?"

"That's right, what do you think? Stand with David Stern!"

Bird smiled and shook his head, saying, "I don't think David will stick with you. The next few years will definitely belong to the young people, especially as we enter the new millennium. Just like the 1990s, which became your era, we're going to have to step down."

"Bullshit, I've been ruling the league since 1986."

"That's just you. Do you want all the old guys to retire and then the league to continue to be ruled by you, the old man? In the past, you were a rising force, and everyone supported you and wanted to see you achieve something. Now? Now people might be more interested in seeing you fail and become a stepping stone for the newcomers."

"Let them come then. Am I going to back down just because they want to beat me? If they really can do it, I'm not afraid of failure."

"Your confidence is truly enviable, Sonny. I also hope that your rule can continue indefinitely, but I fear..."

Gan Guoyang sensed Bird's worries. Bird was a very intelligent and visionary person, but unlike the meticulous Jerry West, Bird was a typical intuitive person.

When he has a bad feeling, he will talk about it and discuss it with everyone to find a solution.

Gan Guoyang understood Bird's meaning: the saying goes, "when things reach their peak, they decline." When a team reaches its zenith, it also foreshadows the beginning of its decline.

Last year, the Trail Blazers had a smooth run, thanks to the efforts of the players, management, and coaching staff, as well as the support from the league.

Putting everything else aside, Sabonis could not have signed with the Trail Blazers without the league's permission, and without Sabonis, the Trail Blazers certainly wouldn't have achieved what they did last season.

Besides, regarding refereeing, the Trail Blazers, while not necessarily enjoying biased calls, at least haven't suffered any unfair treatment from the officiating.

Most notably, Jack O'Donnell, who had a long-standing conflict with the Trail Blazers, was excluded from the refereeing arrangements for the Finals.

If the referees had controlled the game a little and influenced the situation in Chicago, Chicago could very well have won one or two games.

As a result, the Trail Blazers swept all the way, creating an unprecedented and undefeated playoff record in NBA history, achieving the fofofofo feat.

Such a magical season is something even a confident person like Gan Guoyang knows is impossible to replicate.

“Look at our rookie camp, Kobe, Jermaine O’Neal, Ben, they’re not coming because they have a lot of events to attend and things to do. Even though the big boss has a tradition of attending rookie camp, the young guys still ignore it. It’s almost 2000, Sonny.”

Bird stated a fact: young people are rebellious, and they all have their own world.

After winning the championship, Kobe, Jermaine O'Neal, and others became famous, had their own shoe brands, and even received advertising endorsements from their hometowns.

Veterans are experiencing a resurgence, appearing on TV shows, participating in variety talk shows, publishing autobiographies, making documentaries, accepting invitations to participate in events, and saving money for their retirement.

Superstars like Kobe Bryant have even participated in the filming of TV series, extending their reach into the film and television industry.

She played roles in the TV series "Moesh" and "Sister, Sister".

Gan Guoyang knew all of this. Having experienced two consecutive championship dynasties, he knew that the meritorious group would inevitably become corrupt after winning the championship.

It's against human nature not to be corrupt; otherwise, what would be the point of most people risking their lives to achieve great things? Just to make their lives more austere and monotonous?
Only a very few people who find joy solely in victory can endure the loneliness and torment themselves in preparation for the next victory.

Gan Guoyang is that kind of person, and he never forces others to be like him, so when he won consecutive championships, he was good at leading everyone forward.

In terms of ability to carry multiple opponents, no one in the league, or even the entire professional sports world, can compare to Gan Guoyang.

“New talents will emerge, and younger fans will replace older ones. You know, even now, many old Celtics fans from the 80s still write to me, telling me that the days at Boston Garden were the best NBA games they ever watched, and they miss Boston Garden. Now, even though Tim Duncan is so great, they don't want to watch games anymore; they're not interested. And young fans will forget me too. The league can't ignore that.”

Gan Guoyang knew that Bird's intuition was correct; a new era was dawning, and it was likely to arrive sooner than he expected.

Just like a professional athlete, when he senses that he is about to go downhill, he is often already sliding down and about to fall rapidly.

Everything in professional competitive sports is accelerated, and a new era may suddenly arrive in a certain season, completely erasing the remnants of the old era.

Gan Guoyang felt this deeply, after all, he was part of that sudden new era.

"In that case, why don't we just become the remnants of the old era, the biggest villains, and prevent those young people from successfully taking power? Wouldn't that be interesting?"

"These are things you didn't do back then. If you had won the 1986 Finals, everything would have been different."

"Enough, enough, Sonny! Let's not bring up this old stuff anymore! You're right, if we're going to be villains, let's be the biggest villains! Let's be enemies of the world."

The two reached a consensus and decided to work together to resist the wheels of time, guard the door to the new world, and make it open more slowly, much more slowly.

On the day the training camp ended and disbanded, Gan Guoyang suddenly asked Bird, "Larry, if I were to go against the world, would you really be willing to stand by my side?"

Bird stood in the parking lot at the entrance of the training camp, the cool breeze of late summer and early autumn ruffling his golden hair, and replied, "Of course, definitely."

"No, I'm not just talking about playing basketball, I'm talking about truly going against the world."

Bird squinted at the sun in the sky, and after a moment replied, "Of course, definitely. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless you go to fight in Korea."

Both of them laughed. Both of the Trail Blazers' general managers, Jerry West and Larry Bird, had lost their closest relatives in the Korean War.

However, they all had an excellent relationship with Gan Guoyang, and their friendship transcended many things.

The two said goodbye, Gan Guoyang got into the car, Quentin started the car, and drove towards the sunset.

(End of this chapter)