The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 856 Public Apology
The summer of 1998 passed little by little in the autumn wind.

The taste of victory gradually faded in Portland's rainy autumn.

For the fans here, and for the Trail Blazers players, the sweet taste of that perfect 77-win season will linger for a very long time.

Until the start of preseason training camp, most of the Trail Blazers players were busy participating in various activities.

Unlike in the 1980s and early 1990s, the NBA now has a greater influence, a wider reach, and generates higher revenue from its commercial activities.

Like Kobe Bryant, who had just turned 20 and was about to enter his third season in the professional basketball league, the Trail Blazers had already signed him to a five-year, $62 million contract, which would officially take effect at the start of the 1999-2000 season.

This means that Kobe's salary is on par with Pippen's, who has fought in the NBA for many years and has accumulated numerous honors.

Although Kobe Bryant's statistics and on-court performance did not make him the core of the Trail Blazers, the management and owners were optimistic about his bright future.

In addition to his team contract, Adidas upgraded Kobe's shoe contract to $5000 million, and he also received a series of commercial endorsement contracts.

Like Sprite, Spalding basketball, and a Nintendo game designed specifically for him.

Kobe's sister and brother-in-law also moved to Portland to help Kobe's parents manage Kobe's business ventures.

My sister witnessed Kobe's influence in Portland. When they went shopping together, more and more people came up to ask for his autograph, and eventually it was impossible to move an inch.

This is the treatment that Forrest Gump and Michael Jordan received when they were young.

The Trail Blazers are a near-perfect team, but player popularity and team strength are often not directly related.

Some teams are exceptionally strong, but their players often lack real skill, making it difficult to attract young fans.

For example, the Indiana Pacers and the Utah Jazz have very few supporters outside of local fans.

Aside from Gan Guoyang, the only truly popular players on the Trail Blazers are Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal.

Other players only have a large number of die-hard fans locally, and while they may have some recognition in other parts of the United States, not many people are willing to pay for their services.

Of the two, Kobe and Jermaine O'Neal, only Kobe has a global influence, with fans all over the world.

In the summer, Kobe embarked on his first Asian tour, visiting South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, and Japan to hold basketball training camps and meet with his fans.

Of course, the most important stop was in China, in the capital, where a young Kobe showcased his skills to fans at an open-air basketball court.

However, according to Kobe, Chinese fans were very calm and not as enthusiastic as fans in South Korea and Japan.

Some fans even asked, "Why didn't Old Gan come? It's no fun without him."

"Your skill level isn't high enough yet, you need to practice more, young man."

"Try to get Old Gan retired so you can lead your team to a championship."

The people of the capital were very enthusiastic, offering Kobe Bryant pointers on his basketball skills and affectionately calling Gan Guoyang "Old Gan".

For Chinese fans, the world's strongest team is among them, so they are not surprised to see players from other countries, even those from the United States.

In addition to his Asia tour, Kobe also held a charity bowling tournament, recorded a rap album, and attempted to participate in some more "adult" activities upon returning to the United States.

But Kobe's transgression was immediately met with strong opposition from his mother, Pamela. She still treated Kobe like a child, strictly disciplining him and keeping him away from those "shady" people.

Kobe was already somewhat resentful, but the feeling wasn't strong yet. He was still willing to listen to his mother's advice and do the right thing.

For example, he earned an economics degree, and he watched "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" at home—Pamela even forbade Kobe from watching "The Godfather," believing it to be a distortion of Italian culture and a bad influence on him.

Kobe suppressed his emotions, like many teenagers who were overly controlled by their parents, with a burning passion burning within him that had nowhere to go.

The good news is that Kobe channeled most of the anxiety and motivation generated by this fire into the training facility.

In mid-to-late September, Kobe began to actively engage in training, continuing to hone his one-on-one skills with almost obsessive dedication.

He often trained alone in the old Memorial Arena, where the championship banner that once hung on the ceiling has been moved to the Rose Garden Arena.

But one thing has always been hanging above the glass palace—Gan Guoyang's number 11 jersey.

When Gan Guoyang first retired in 1994, his jersey was not retired, but Portland fans insisted on hanging his number 11 in the Memorial Stadium.

Regardless of whether Gan Guoyang will make a comeback in the future, his memories of the Memorial Stadium have come to an end. This place witnessed Gan Guoyang's glorious youth.

Every time Kobe looked up, he felt a strong drive to surpass and challenge.

He always trained alone, in the empty Memorial Stadium, facing the basket and starting his rhythmic footwork.

He would immerse himself in his own imaginary world, imagining Forrest Gump defending him, left, right, thrust, pull back, a quick feint followed by a sudden attack, breaking through Forrest Gump's defense and dunking over him!

After each successful dunk, Kobe would shake his head triumphantly, enjoying those moments.

Next season, Jordan will disappear from the league, and Kobe believes there is no one at the shooting guard position worthy of his imitation and surpassing.

Forrest Gump is the only one he needs to surpass—past, present, and future—and next season will be no exception.

When the preseason training camp started in October, Kobe found that there was still a huge gap between his imagination and reality.

After the first day of training, Kobe found Gan Guoyang and challenged him to a one-on-one match.

Gan Guoyang readily agreed, and then scored a 10-0 run against Kobe—giving Kobe three blocks and two steals.

A shooting guard like Kobe Bryant would be at a huge disadvantage in one-on-one situations against a strong 6-foot-10 center.

In addition, Gan Guoyang slightly reduced his weight in the summer to reduce the pressure on his knees and improve his mobility.

He plans to lose a little weight each year over the next few years, and by the time he turns 40, he may have returned to his youthful weight of around 250 pounds.

Of course, this is just Gan Guoyang's plan, and it's hard to say whether he will actually play until he's 40.

Kobe was frustrated; he even struggled to score over Gan Guoyang. Had he not improved at all since his rookie season?
"You've improved; you were just a little short of scoring a goal. Back in my rookie season, you were far behind."

"Also, don't be too obsessed with technology; focus more on the overall situation and develop your strategic thinking."

Gan Guoyang reminded Kobe that he had noticed Kobe was somewhat technically obsessive and overly fixated on details.

However, even if certain technical details are refined to the extreme, the improvement in efficiency is still limited.

Limited by physical fitness, stamina, and the limits of the human body, once the addition of technology reaches a certain level, the improvement it brings is minimal.

At this point, it's necessary to focus on things beyond the details, which is the so-called big picture perspective and thinking about the overall rhythm of the basketball game.

These are all things Kobe lacked, but unfortunately, Kobe didn't really listen to Gan Guoyang's advice. He still believed that his own playing style could make him a star. "One day, I will beat you in a one-on-one match," Kobe silently vowed in his heart, and prayed that Gan Guoyang could play for a few more seasons.

In November 1998, the 1998-1999 NBA season officially began.

For Chinese television viewers across the ocean, there were two television programs that were not to be missed in November of that year.

One is the NBA live broadcast on CCTV every morning. Starting from the 1998-1999 season, CCTV increased the number of games broadcast live each day from one to two.

Among them, the Portland Trail Blazers game is a must-broadcast, while the other game is selected by signing an agreement based on the schedule, choosing a matchup with high popularity and strong strength to cover every NBA team.

Even if it's not a Trail Blazers game day, there will still be a game broadcast live.

As early as the early 1990s, CCTV began broadcasting one NBA game every day.

For many young basketball enthusiasts, especially students, watching NBA live streams after school every day at noon has become one of their most important forms of entertainment.

The Trail Blazers happen to be located on the West Coast, and their games often start around 10 a.m. By the time I get home from middle school, I can watch the second half of the game. When I get to school in the afternoon, I have plenty to talk about with my classmates, and I'm even more energetic when playing basketball during PE or activity classes.

When we got home from school in the afternoon, if there was no evening self-study session, after dinner, the whole family would sit in front of the TV and start watching the second must-watch TV program.

That was the first season of the TV series "My Fair Princess," which officially premiered in November 1998.

The TV series became an instant hit across the country as soon as it was released, with people of all ages tuning in after dinner to watch it.

Not only in 1998, but for the next ten years or so, this TV series will be repeatedly broadcast on television, especially during the summer season, becoming a favorite pastime for many children during their summer vacation.

In 1998, when entertainment resources were not yet particularly developed, for many children, watching the NBA at noon and watching "Princess Pearl" in the evening became an indelible and beautiful memory of that era.

That season, the Portland Trail Blazers did not disappoint the Chinese fans' high hopes and continued their dominance in the regular season.

Although they no longer possessed the terrifying ability to sweep everything aside like they did in the 1997-1998 season, they lost the first game early in the third game of the season.

However, they quickly adjusted their form and achieved a perfect record in the remaining games in November 1998.

In December, the Trail Blazers achieved a record of 13 wins and 2 losses, including a victory over the ambitious Los Angeles Lakers in the Christmas Day game, consolidating their position as the dominant force in the Western Conference.

The entire western region felt somewhat stagnant.

As Ewing aged, supersonic speed gradually declined.

The Jazz's dynamic duo has aged another year, further diminishing their competitiveness.

The teams that tried to rise later, such as the Kings, Suns, and Timberwolves, were simply not good enough.

They could only hold their own against the Trail Blazers for three quarters, and couldn't keep up in the fourth quarter when the Blazers put in a little more effort.

Although several of the Trail Blazers' core veterans have declined to varying degrees, firstly, Gan Guoyang remains very strong, and his excellent and consistent performance is the foundation of the Trail Blazers' strength.

Second: Kobe, Jermaine O'Neal, and Ben Wallace have grown further, with more and more playing time and increasingly outstanding performances.

By 1999, Kobe had successfully replaced Riddell as the Trail Blazers' starting shooting guard.

The Trail Blazers' roster became more aggressive and dynamic as a result. Kobe's strong desire to win and Gan Guoyang's competitive spirit combined to allow the Trail Blazers to play high-quality games every night.

Kobe's scoring average rose to 20 points per game in January 1999, and his performance became increasingly consistent.

In the game against the Orlando Magic, Kobe scored a career-high 38 points.

In the game against the New York Knicks, Kobe scored 30 points again, which is no easy feat.

1999年1月21日，科比在对阵湖人的比赛中，拿下了21分11个篮板12次助攻，职业生涯的第一次三双。

Seeing Kobe's performance, Gan Guoyang voluntarily gave up some ball possession to the young man to play freely, and the Trail Blazers were vaguely reminiscent of their former "two-core" system.

With his outstanding performance, the young Kobe was once again selected for the All-Star team and became the starting shooting guard for the Western Conference in the 1999 New Jersey All-Star Game.

In the All-Star Game, Kobe gave it his all, showcasing his excellent one-on-one skills and scoring a game-high 28 points, leading the Western Conference team to defeat the Eastern Conference team and winning his first MVP trophy – the All-Star MVP.

Everything was going smoothly, and the Trail Blazers seemed to be ready for a power transition.

Just like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers back in the day, a young guard paired with an aging superstar center led to another 10 years of dominance.

Now it's not just the Western Conference that's living in the shadow, but the entire NBA is living under the powerful pressure of the Trail Blazers. Jordan has retired, who will challenge this red and black dynasty?
The Eastern Conference is full of strong teams, with the Celtics, Nets, Pacers, and Knicks all having the potential to contend for the NBA Finals.

But they all seemed to fall slightly short against the Trail Blazers.

The Celtics are too young, the Nets are too old, and the Pacers and Knicks both lack true superstars.

It is widely believed that the Trail Blazers' title defense this season will be unstoppable unless the team suffers a major injury, such as Forrest Gump losing his head.

However, injuries have never afflicted this indestructible cyborg, and his stability has begun to instill in his opponents a sense of invincible fear.

As expected, the Trail Blazers once again delivered a dominant record in the regular season, losing 10 more games than last season and maintaining their top position in the league with a 67-15 record.

The Boston Celtics, ranked second in the league, have a record of 58 wins and 24 losses, a full nine games behind the Trail Blazers.

On April 23, the playoffs officially began. The Trail Blazers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round and swept them 3-0 without mercy, sending Kevin Garnett home to fish once again.

This marks Garnett's third consecutive year of being eliminated in the first round, and the second time he has been eliminated by the Trail Blazers.

In the semifinals, the Trail Blazers faced the San Antonio Spurs, featuring the David Robinson and Chauncey Billups combination.

In the first two games, the Trail Blazers easily defeated the Spurs at home, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

It looks like another one-sided matchup, with the Trail Blazers likely to finish the series in four games.

However, on May 7th, the day of their third game, the Trail Blazers were not in good form in San Antonio.

Gan Guoyang, who is usually consistent, seemed distracted in this game, making only 6 of 15 shots and scoring just 16 points. This was his worst playoff performance in the last three seasons and one of the worst playoff performances of his career.

开拓者在客场97：101，4分的优势输掉了比赛，大比分被扳成了1：2。

That day, an international news item was published in an inconspicuous corner of an American newspaper:
"On May 7, multiple Joint Targetable Reentry Vehicle (JTRV) guided bombs struck the embassy of Yugoslavia Z. No casualties were reported as embassy staff had not returned from a banquet following a basketball event. Yugoslavia lodged a strong protest against the US attack, demanding compensation for construction costs and emotional distress, as well as a public apology."

Gan Guoyang was not interested in participating in the press conference after the match; instead, he was busy flipping through the newspaper.

After seeing this brief news report, I tore the newspaper to shreds and threw it in the trash.

In the next match, he won't be so polite anymore.

(End of this chapter)