The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 877 Gentle Trap

Because Vancouver is very close to the Trail Blazers, games between the two teams are always scheduled early in the season.

When Gan Guoyang made his first comeback in the 1996-1997 season, his first game was against the Grizzlies in Vancouver.

Back then, the young Grizzlies were incredibly weak, their overall level was nowhere near NBA standards, and they were as fragile as ice floes in the face of the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang.

Three seasons have passed, and the Grizzlies are still struggling in the mire, and seem to be sinking deeper—they have still not acquired the superstar rookie who could change the team's fate, which is fatal for the future of a young player.

In 1998, the Toronto Raptors, also based in Canada, were fortunate to acquire Vince Carter. This UFO from North Carolina quickly ignited the Toronto basketball market, with attendance skyrocketing, and Carter began to earn the title of "Air Canada".

Thanks to Carter's influence and box office appeal, the Raptors have established a firm foothold in Toronto.

The Vancouver Grizzlies were extremely envious, and they immediately drafted Steve Francis in the 1999 NBA draft, hoping to replicate Carter's role.

As a result, the unruly Francis had no intention of reporting to Vancouver. He dragged things out with the Grizzlies all summer, and even before training camp began, he still refused to agree to report to Vancouver.

Ultimately, the Grizzlies' management lacked sufficient confidence and chose to compromise in the face of Francis's uncooperative attitude, trading him to the Houston Rockets before the start of the season.

The Rockets just lost their number one draft pick, Chris Webber, and desperately need a talented player who can be the team's core and generate ticket sales. Francis's willingness to come is exactly what they want, and they're in a good position no matter what.

So the Rockets traded Sam Cassell and a bunch of other players, plus a 2003 first-round draft pick, to bring Francis from remote Vancouver to Texas.

What saddens Vancouver fans is that Sam Cassell is already the best guard the Grizzlies have been able to use in recent years, and his arrival has improved the Grizzlies' strength to some extent.

Despite facing a Portland Trail Blazers team without Forrest Gump in their first game, Vancouver fans still showed tremendous enthusiasm – the arena was 80% full. After all, even without Forrest Gump, at least there was Barkley.

Barkley has always had a strong box office appeal in the NBA, and everyone is happy to watch this bald, fat guy dominate the court and rampage around.

Barkley started in place of Gan Guoyang tonight, which garnered him the most spotlight and made him the focus of the live television broadcast.

Everyone is looking forward to seeing how he performs after joining the Trail Blazers, and whether his condition has improved after claiming to have lost 30 pounds (actually only 25 pounds).

In the past few seasons, before each season started, Barkley would shamelessly say things like "This will be a great season" or "We will embark on an amazing journey".

The results are often disappointing, sometimes even resulting in a messy and unsightly situation, like last year in New Jersey when Scottie Pippen and Scottie Pippen became estranged and attacked each other on television.

With Pippen still in New Jersey this season, the combination of Olajuwon, Richmond, Pippen, and Van Horn remains very competitive.

Since joining the Trail Blazers, Barkley has learned to be silent and low-key, and he has not made any predictions for the new season.

After realizing this was his last season, he became more cautious in every aspect and seemed to cherish it even more.

Because he knew this was his last chance, and he couldn't afford to make even the slightest mistake.

Meanwhile, on the court, Barkley also changed his previous aggressive style, playing more intelligently and cautiously.

After the game started, Barkley didn't just squat in the low post constantly demanding the ball; instead, he focused more on dribbling and facilitating play from the high post.

During his time with the Phoenix Suns, Barkley had already demonstrated his talent in high-post playmaking, averaging 5.1 assists per game, most of which came from high-post passes.

Especially his inside passes from the top of the penalty arc, Barkley's ability to deliver excellent assists despite not having an advantage in height or vision speaks volumes about his awareness and technique.

In the low post and fast break, Barkley could occasionally showcase his behind-the-back passing skills, which amazed everyone. So Barkley's boast that he was the third best player in the 90s after Jordan and Forrest Gump was somewhat convincing. On the offensive end, he was indeed a talented and versatile player.

In this game, Barkley effectively filled the huge gap in the Trail Blazers' offense when Gan Guoyang was absent.

Neither Jermaine O'Neal nor Ben Wallace could fill this gap, but Barkley could, preventing the Trail Blazers from becoming severely crippled.

After all, Barkley can be considered a Forrest Gump with all his weaknesses (except for his weight).

Bird decisively offered Barkley a contract in the summer, taking into account the potential off-court troubles Barkley might encounter in the new season.

I never expected to actually encounter this so early in the season.

The two teams traded blows in the first quarter, but in the latter part of the second quarter, the Trail Blazers started to exert their strength, and the Grizzlies gradually couldn't keep up.

The Grizzlies, and indeed the whole of Vancouver, have not yet recovered from the shadow of Francis's "defection" in the summer.

The management spent a lot of time and energy on negotiations, but ultimately did not get a satisfactory result.

The team's future development, roster building, and marketing plans all fell through, and they rushed into the 1999-2000 season.

After completing the major trade, the Grizzlies seemed to have a sense of unfamiliarity from top to bottom, with players and coaches, as well as team and fans, not being very warm to each other.

The team has no tactical system or strategic goals whatsoever; it's good enough if they can just stay afloat and sell tickets. What more could they ask for?

Moreover, the Grizzlies' roster is also quite strange, with Sam Cassell and Mike Bibby, two standard point guards, starting together as a dual point guard team, and two short guards in the backcourt.

Their offensive firepower was quite strong, and their outside shooting once gave the Trail Blazers some headaches, but their defense was terrible, with no shield or rebounding protection in the backcourt.

Once their outside shooting falters, the Trail Blazers quickly widen the gap little by little.

In the paint, Doc Rivers, once a promising young player for the Grizzlies, has become a complete role player.

Against the towering Sabonis and the burly Barkley, Rivers gained no advantage and was mostly bullied.

At halftime, the Trail Blazers built a 10-point lead. In the second half, Kobe Bryant stepped up his game and scored consecutive points, extending the lead to 17 points, essentially sealing the game.

Ultimately, the Trail Blazers secured a winning start to the season in their first game in Vancouver, easily defeating their opponents 109-88 by 21 points, giving them a great start to the new season.

After finishing their game against the Grizzlies, the Trail Blazers rushed back to Portland to prepare for their home opener against the Clippers on November 3.

On the same day, Gan Guoyang concluded his first interrogation hearing in New York, providing a more detailed account of the various issues.

The hearing was held in the Capitol Hall of New York City Hall, with a large number of media and reporters present. Gan Guoyang had to deal with all the trivialities and troubles.

The hearing still yielded no results. When Gan Guoyang came out of the city hall, it was already past 1 p.m., and he could see the towering Twin Towers standing quietly to the west.

It's only three streets away from the World Trade Center, so it's very convenient to get there. Gan Guoyang glanced at them a few times, got into the arranged car, and left, followed by a large number of cameras and microphones, as if Gan Guoyang hadn't said enough at the hearing.

Gan Guoyang didn't want to say another word. He just wanted to get to the airport as soon as possible to return to Portland, hoping he could make it to the game that night.

Gan Guoyang watched the game between the Trail Blazers and the Grizzlies yesterday. Barkley's performance was indeed excellent, with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.

In particular, he reduced inefficient low-post offense, increased high-post playmaking, and focused more on rebounding, making it quite easy for the Trail Blazers to win.

Barkley's changes were visible to the naked eye, but Gan Guoyang knew that Barkley was the type of guy who was easily distracted, especially after leaving the Suns, when his mentality became very irritable.

For veterans, the most difficult part of the NBA season is its length and unpredictability. Spanning more than half a year, with 82 games and nearly 100 games in the playoffs and finals, anything can happen.

Especially the terrible risk of injury. Gan Guoyang asked Barkley to lose weight in the summer because he was concerned about injury. A large weight would bring a higher risk of injury.

The season has just begun, and there are still many challenges to overcome.

Before the plane took off, Gan Guoyang made a phone call to the team's locker room and asked Barkley to answer the phone.

"You played well last night, keep it up tonight. If you're behind when I come back, it's okay, I'll come to the rescue."

"Don't worry, Sonny, you don't even need to step in. We'll take it easy!"

Barkley's easy victory in the last game gave him confidence, but his confidence comes and goes very quickly.

Moreover, their second opponent is the Clippers, a weak team. Against a team as weak as the Clippers, the Trail Blazers should have no problem defeating them.

As originally planned, the Trail Blazers were to hold a championship ring presentation ceremony and a championship banner raising ceremony before the start of the game.

However, due to Gan Guoyang's absence, the Trail Blazers decided to wait and postpone the ceremony until halftime to see if Gan Guoyang could make it back in time.

The scene at the Rose Garden Arena tonight was completely different from the game in Vancouver yesterday. Even though Gan Guoyang was absent, the tickets were still sold out.

More than 20,000 spectators arrived early, dressed in white, red, and black T-shirts, to celebrate the start of a festival for the citizens of Portland.

Since Forrest Gump arrived, most seasons have been championship seasons for Portland fans. Every new season begins as they wait for the title.

Therefore, the opening match is like the start of a grand journey, and the citizens have developed a habit of celebrating it.

Barkley was overwhelmed by this almost religious, fanatical enthusiasm. When he stood in the center of the court wearing a Trail Blazers jersey and looked up, he saw nine NBA championship banners and ten Western Conference championship banners. The sheer awe he felt was indescribable. There was one more championship banner that wouldn't be raised until tonight; everyone was waiting for Barkley.

Kobe's father, Joe Bryant, suggested to the team that a flag-raising ceremony should be held before the game, and that Kobe could replace Forrest Gump as the flag bearer. However, Tang Jianguo and Bird flatly rejected this suggestion.

Barkley is known for his boasting, but he certainly didn't exaggerate in today's game. Inspired by the championship, he scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in the first quarter against the Clippers' interior.

The Trail Blazers led the Clippers 30-20, and they never let their lead drop below double digits again.

At the end of the first half, fans weren't concerned about how much the Trail Blazers were leading; instead, they were wondering if Forrest Gump would be back on time for the championship ring presentation ceremony.
Everything was ready. David Stern arrived, brand new championship rings, and the 10th championship banner. Everyone was waiting.

Bill Shawnley, now 70 years old, was still providing play-by-play commentary from the sidelines. When he shouted, "Let's welcome Sonny Gan from Gonzaga, the pride of Oregon!" the entire Rose Garden Arena erupted.

Sure enough, Gan Guoyang made it in. Wearing the number 11 jersey, he jogged into the stadium from the tunnel, and the whole stadium erupted in celebration.

Gan Guoyang received his ninth championship ring from David Stern and said, "One more ring and I'll have enough for both hands."

Stern said, "You came back just in time to make it back for the second half."

Each of the players who remained from last season received a new ring; Gan Guoyang and Terry Porter both have nine.

This made Charles Barkley, a new signing who wasn't eligible for a ring, extremely envious, and he could only watch longingly from the sidelines.

Seeing Barkley's reaction, Potter kindly said, "Here, take mine. I don't want it anymore."

For Porter, the rings were so numerous that he was numb to them, and he longed to retire and enjoy life.

But Gan Guoyang held Porter back, refusing to let him leave, leaving Porter with no choice but to endure the long and arduous season.

During the subsequent flag-raising ceremony, Gan Guoyang raised the team's tenth championship flag to the ceiling.

The Trail Blazers have officially surpassed the Los Angeles Lakers to become the team with the second-most NBA championships in history, and the top powerhouse in the Western Conference.

The atmosphere reached its peak, and even Stern thought to himself that it would be a huge loss to let Forrest Gump retire just like that.

This old fox also began to waver. He realized that the impact of the espionage case was diminishing and was now turning into a power struggle and retaliation among high-level officials. No one cared about the truth anymore.

In the second half, Gan Guoyang requested to play, but Carlisle was worried that he might get injured if he came on too early after his long journey.

Gan Guoyang stared at Carlisle and said, "Injured? Are you kidding me, Rick?"

"...Alright, alright, you can play then. But...Charles played well in the first half."

"Let Charles continue playing, I'll play small forward, or, how about you play small forward, Charles?"

"I don't play small forward. Only sissies play small forward. I want to be inside." Barkley rejected the request to switch positions.

Barkley knows that his shooting ability would be a disaster if he played the small forward position, and his three-point shooting has declined significantly.

Last season, Barkley's three-point shooting percentage had plummeted to 16%, which was simply appalling.

Forrest Gump once told him to practice his three-point shooting, but he ultimately failed and ended up back to square one.

Because the Trail Blazers had a large lead in the first half, and the Clippers were a notoriously weak team, plus the season had just started and everyone was in a relaxed mindset, Carlisle agreed to start Gan Guoyang at the small forward position in the second half.

Thus, the Trail Blazers' frontcourt consists of three 36-year-old middle-aged players, who are old enough, but fortunately, they are all in good condition.

Gan Guoyang's return to the field in the second half excited the fans even more. They had thought that Gan would not be able to play tonight, but he made it back in time.

Gan Guoyang is eager to participate in games to find his form for the season. He didn't train well this summer and his training camp was so-so. If he doesn't play enough games, his form will be really worrying in the playoffs.

With a large lead, Gan Guoyang did not rush to attack on his own after coming on the court. He decided to start with defense and tactical coordination, gradually get into the game, and use the match as practice.

In the past, when Gan Guoyang was at his peak, he took the initiative to control the game, and others adapted to him. Now, he knows that he is not in good form, so he takes the initiative to adapt to the game.

Many former star players are unaware of or unable to do this, which easily leads to them playing very poorly after their form declines, much to everyone's surprise.

Gan Guoyang was matched up against a rookie at the small forward position, a young man the Clippers had just selected with the fourth pick in the 1999 NBA draft, Lamar Odom.

This 6-foot-10 player, who possesses outside dribbling and passing abilities, is known as the "Left-Handed Magician" and was hailed as a genius at a young age.

He had a chance to be selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1999 NBA draft, but he stood up Jerry Krause during the workout.

He made the Bulls management wait for him for six hours while he went to a party on a New York beach because he felt too much pressure playing for the Bulls, having to carry the legacy of Jordan and Pippen, and that it would be terrible if he didn't perform well.

He also didn't want to go to the Grizzlies, and was eventually selected by the Clippers to come to the warm and glamorous Los Angeles, which made him very happy.

In his debut game, Odom impressed the entire league with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists against the Seattle SuperSonics.

This gave Odom the confidence to make a name for himself in the NBA. He realized that the NBA was nothing special, and that he, a rookie, could easily score 30 points.

In the second game against the reigning champions, the Portland Trail Blazers, Odom was even more confident after hearing that Forrest Gump was out, and he scored 14 points in the first half.

Odom thought Alan Henderson was too slow and that he could easily handle him, but he didn't expect Henderson to come back in the second half.

Furthermore, Gan Guoyang moved to the small forward position to match up against Odom. Odom's nervousness was palpable; his eyes were constantly darting around at the start of the third quarter.

But after a few rounds, Odom found that Gan Guoyang didn't seem as terrible as he was portrayed on TV or in the rumors. For example, he didn't spout any of that invincible trash talk.

Not only that, Gan Guoyang also took the time to chat with Odom, asking him this and that.

Even during positional warfare, if both players were on the weak side, Forrest would put his hands on his hips and chat with Odom for a bit.

It's not at all what the older generation said. Forrest Gump is an oppressive monster who will exploit you to the point of causing psychological trauma.

Odom, being a bit of a hothead, actually started chatting with Gan Guoyang, complaining about a bunch of bad things the Clippers did.

"Where are you training now? Are you still at the air force base?"

"An air force base? I think I've heard of it. It's free there. But it's not there anymore; it's in Southwest College now."

"It's awful! There's no air conditioning in the gym, no security guards, and when it gets hot, they just prop a brick against the door. After practice, there's not even a place to shower!"

"God, I heard that at least you could get a free shower when you trained at an air force base."

More than a decade has passed, and Sterling remains as frugal as ever, investing very little in the team's training facilities.

This resulted in a poor training environment, a lack of team spirit among the players, and a tendency to play games half-heartedly rather than with the intention of winning.

This had a very negative impact on young rookies like Odom, who thought NBA teams were the most professional basketball organizations in the world.

In fact, there are countless makeshift teams here, and the Clippers just happen to be the most makeshift one.

Odom was filled with resentment. He never expected that a god-like figure like Forrest Gump would be willing to listen to his complaints. It was a strange feeling.

However, as the third quarter progressed, Odom's magic faded.

First, he realized he couldn't score at all; he had no chance against Forrest Gump's defense one-on-one, it was impenetrable.

Subsequently, Gan Guoyang became more and more at ease and unrestrained in his offensive actions, making it impossible to predict his movements, while everything about him seemed to be seen through.

When the two chatted, Odom would get distracted, but Forrest remained unaffected, continuing with his own business. This caused the Clippers, who were already trailing, to become even more passive and helpless.

By the start of the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers had extended their lead to over 20 points, leaving the Clippers with no chance of catching up. They surrendered early and entered garbage time.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Clippers 121-96 at home, achieving a back-to-back victory and a good start to the new season.

Odom, who scored 14 points in the first half, only managed 3 points from free throws in the second half and made no other contributions, easily being contained.

When the game ended, Odom realized that he seemed to have fallen into another trap, but this trap was not unpleasant; on the contrary, it was quite enjoyable.

Gan Guoyang is becoming more and more lenient, especially towards young players; he has no interest in intimidating or threatening them anymore.

He prefers to care for them and then subtly lure them into a gentle trap.

(End of this chapter)