The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 947 Desiring to Wear the Crown
The Glory's training camp lasted a week, while other teams' training camps were just beginning.

However, a week's advance is not enough for the Glory, because other teams in the league have already had their core lineups gelled for one or two years, or even several years.

During the summer offseason, the key players from each team will train together to prepare for the new season.

In comparison, the Glory team's decision to start a week early was rushed, much like the rest of the team being forced into it.

Gan Guoyang has always believed that you should never wait until you are fully prepared before starting anything. Instead, you should plan and do things at the same time, start when the time is right, and solve problems when they arise. As you do it, things will gradually get done.

If you act like an obsessive-compulsive, insisting on waiting until every aspect of the work is perfectly prepared, you might miss the opportunity.

Moreover, there is never any perfect preparation in this world. Everyone is just a makeshift team, so let's get the show going first.

For example, Gan Guoyang seized the opportunity presented by 9/11 to build up the team, establish it in Las Vegas, and force the NBA to change the schedule and regional rules to accommodate the new team's entry.

If you miss this opportunity, no matter how much preparation you do afterward, this opportunity may not come again for twenty years, and Las Vegas will not have its first professional team.

Therefore, during training, Gan Guoyang showed unprecedented tolerance and no longer had the same strict demands on his teammates as he did when he was younger.

Of course, another reason is that 37-year-old Gan Guoyang knows that he can no longer single-handedly cover for everyone on the team like he did when he was younger.

He is more of a team player than ever before, relying more on his teammates and tactical coordination.

Of course, at important and crucial moments, he will still transform into Superman, giving the game a decisive and final impact.

In the second week of training camp, the Las Vegas Glory began scheduling preseason games.

With the addition of Glorious, the total number of teams in the league increased to 30, and the NBA made a major adjustment to the divisions.

The previous format of 29 teams, two major divisions (East and West), and four sub-divisions has been adjusted to six sub-divisions.

Each division has exactly 5 teams: the Atlantic Division, the Central Division, and the Southeast Division in the East; and the Northwest Division, the Pacific Division, and the Southwest Division in the West.

Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, close to California, they were assigned to the Pacific Division.

He was with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors.

This has greatly displeased teams like the Lakers. Being in the same division means that each season will inevitably involve four games, and in the playoffs, teams must compete for first place in their division to have a chance to enter the top three of their major division.

Competing against Forrest Gump in the same district is always a painful experience, and even at 37, his dominance still inspires fear.

He's coming back after just one season away, what's so special about that?
Terminator? Or First Blood? Are they going to keep making sequels forever?

Of the 29 teams, the Los Angeles Lakers reacted most strongly to the establishment of the Las Vegas Glory.

From owner Buss to head coach Phil Jackson, they have all criticized the NBA for not having a team in Las Vegas.

The underlying reason is that the defending champions have a deep-seated fear of Forrest Gump. Over the past ten years, the Lakers have lost countless championship opportunities to Forrest Gump and the Trail Blazers.

Secondly, Vegas is very close to Los Angeles, and as a gambling capital, it is bound to challenge Los Angeles' status as the entertainment hub on the West Coast.

Now that Vegas has Gan Guoyang and the Glorious Team, its influence is even greater. More tourists, especially those from East Asia, have ample reason to visit the gambling city and experience its splendor. This has a very positive impact on the city's tourism, gambling, catering, and hotel industries.

The new season's opening game at the MGM Grand Arena, which is also the first game in the history of the Glory, has already sold out, and ticket prices have once again been driven up to a very high level.

In addition to their home arena, the MGM Grand Arena, the Glory also followed the Trail Blazers' example by setting up a second home arena at the Thomas & Mack Sports Complex in UNLV, selling tickets at a lower price so that fans who couldn't get home tickets could watch the Glory's first official game on a big screen at the second venue.

Tickets for this game also sold out in advance, and many overseas tour groups have included watching the Glorious Nuggets play in their travel packages, quickly making it a popular tourist activity.

All of this will boost Vegas's economy and pose a significant threat to Los Angeles.

The Lakers dared not openly oppose it, but they were secretly suffering terribly. One Portland Trail Blazers player was enough for them, and now another Vegas Glory player had arrived.

Furthermore, since the two teams are in the same division, the Glory's first preseason game and regular season opener were both against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Anyway, the league's vice president in charge of scheduling, always eager for drama, made some changes to the original schedule and quickly created a new one. He knew what everyone wanted to see, so he started with a big game, pitting the defending champions against a new team in the league.

The idea of ​​having Shaquille O'Neal, who was invincible last season and unstoppable in the playoffs, clash with a true god again instantly generated a huge amount of buzz and attention.

That's how the NBA works; they set all sorts of restrictions and obstacles before you even enter the league, finding reasons not to let you in.

Once you've joined us, we're on the same side. We'll do whatever makes money and generate as much buzz as possible.

By the way, the other opening game in the Western Conference is the Portland Trail Blazers vs. the Seattle SuperSonics, Kobe vs. Jordan.

Because they were placed in the same conference as the Lakers, and Vegas is very close to Los Angeles, the Glorious's first two preseason games were scheduled to be played in Los Angeles.

The first game is against the Lakers at Staples Center, the second game is against the Clippers at Staples Center, then we go to San Francisco, then north to play the Kings, then to Utah and Phoenix, and after playing the Jazz and the Suns, the preseason is over.

They will continue training while playing, and their training camp will come to an end, officially starting the 2001-2002 season.

On October 13th, the entire Glory team arrived in Los Angeles by private jet, where they were greeted with great enthusiasm by the Los Angeles media.

A large number of reporters staked out the airport in advance, waiting for the plane to land, and then immediately went to the baggage area to interview everyone.

This is a treatment that no other new team in the NBA has ever received, because in the past, new teams often meant obscurity.

They have no star players, only rookies and fringe players, and the team's salary cap is also limited, making it impossible to sign even slightly big-name free agents.

With the return and addition of Gan Guoyang, the Glory team was immediately enveloped in a sacred glory.

On the way to the parking lot, reporters surrounded Gan Guoyang, asking him one question after another.

Gan Guoyang responded in unison, "I love Los Angeles, I love it here. I'm so happy that my first relatively formal game can be held here. This is where my basketball dream began, and I also met the most important people in my life here. Every time I come here, I have new feelings. Thank you, thank you everyone."

However, when they arrived at the parking lot, the players of Glorious were a bit dumbfounded. Everyone had arrived on time, but the car hadn't.

This was Glory's first away game, and the logistics department clearly didn't do a good job, as the vehicles weren't arranged in advance.

They arrived at the airport a full half hour late, saying that traffic jams caused the delay.

Fortunately, nothing too unexpected happened afterward, and the players arrived at the hotel on time to rest and sleep.

The following morning, the Glorious team held a training session at the Great Western Forum, located next to the Staples Center.

Tomjanovich is making the most of every opportunity to train with the team, striving to get the team into a competitive force as soon as possible.

The team's defensive system is still being refined, and the coaching staff still has some disagreements about whether to place Agan at the three or four positions.

These controversies need to be answered through preseason trials. Forrest Gump can undoubtedly play both the small forward and power forward positions; he's more offensive at small forward and more defensive at power forward.

Tomjanovich will definitely not let Forrest go to the center position again.

Gan Guoyang will only return to his main center position when it comes to crucial moments or important playoff games.

Just before the afternoon game, the Lakers suddenly announced through their media department that Shaquille O'Neal and Scottie Pippen would miss the first preseason game.

O'Neal was absent because his big toe injury had not fully recovered and he needed time to rest.

Pippen, meanwhile, is sidelined due to knee discomfort, as the veteran doesn't want to expend too much time on preseason games.

Everyone was stunned when they saw this statement. Is he already scared of the preseason? Shaq, are you being too cowardly?
As a result, just before the game started that evening, O'Neal appeared in the locker room wearing slippers and with his big toe wrapped in a bandage.

He proved to reporters that he had arthritis in his big toe, which was painful and swollen, and that he did not announce his absence because he was afraid of facing Forrest Gump.

“I’m very happy about Agan’s return, which means I have another chance to beat him in the game. Beating his team and winning the championship has always been my dream. I thought the chance to realize this dream was shattered, but his comeback has given hope to many young players.”

"Beating him was the goal of many of us, and we are actually very happy that he can come back."

O'Neal spoke these words calmly and firmly, but his eyes seemed to reveal a hint of unease.

Countless people have claimed they wanted to defeat Forrest Gump, only to be defeated by him in the end.

Of course, Forrest Gump has lost before; once the team's strength falters, even a miracle can't save them.

Given how newly formed Glorious team is this season, the possibility of defeating Glorious is still quite high.

Therefore, O'Neal spoke out boldly, but he didn't play in the preseason; he would wait until the regular season opener.

He needs to conserve his energy now; he doesn't want to face Forrest Gump in the preseason, have nightmares at home, and affect his performance later on.

Pippen is indeed getting a bit old, so he should avoid playing in the preseason if possible, and Phil Jackson allowed him to rest.

After joining the Lakers last season and winning his fourth championship ring alongside Shaquille O'Neal, Pippen was truly triumphant.

Because he has one more ring than Jordan, and he got it after leaving Jordan and the Bulls, it proves that he can still succeed after leaving Jordan, which is very important to Pippen.

It's said that one of the reasons Jordan made his comeback was because he was provoked by Pippen's four rings. "That guy has more rings than me?"

When the game was held that evening, a preseason game was played almost like a regular season game because of Gan Guoyang's return, and all the seats were filled.

As an idol star who never disappoints his fans, Gan Guoyang always plays whenever he should, including in the preseason.

When the DJ called his name, the crowd cheered, and the lighting technician gave him a close-up shot.

This is the prestige of a ten-time champion; fans are incredibly excited about his return after only one season away.

Because everyone knows that this guy will definitely bring a lot of excitement and exciting performances to the NBA.

Before the game, a fan said in an interview: "I hope Forrest Gump can keep playing. The NBA is missing a lot of its charm without him. He is an iconic figure. Last season, when I turned on the sports channel and thought that Forrest Gump had retired, I didn't even want to watch NBA games. But when I heard the news of his return, I became an NBA fan again."

This is the fan effect brought about by Gan Guoyang. Further north, Michael Jordan also had a huge impact.

However, in the SuperSonics' first preseason game at the Rose Garden Arena yesterday, Jordan was booed hard by the Portland crowd, unlike the treatment Gan Guoyang received in Los Angeles.

There's no way around it; one was beaten into submission, while the other couldn't win, so the situations are naturally different.

Since it was a preseason game, the intensity of the game was low, and it was more like a performance and practice.

Tomjanovich fielded a starting lineup of Brad Miller, Mark Jackson, Gan Guoyang, Riddell, and Porter.

This lineup is traditional and solid, but the backcourt pairing of Riddell and Porter is a bit too old.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are missing many veterans. Last season, in order to win the championship, the Lakers could be said to have scouted up all kinds of veteran players.

Among Jackson's former players were Pippen, Grant, and Harper. After Rodman was fired, Horace Grant stepped in.

In addition, there were a number of very talented veterans such as Richmond, Brian Shaw, and Robert Horry, who finally got to taste the champagne of the championship.

This summer, the Lakers signed Glen Rice and Lindsey Hunter, further strengthening their bench forwards and guards in hopes of defending their title.

Unexpectedly, Forrest Gump has returned. With Horace Grant not re-signing, they urgently added Samaki Walker to fill the gap in the frontcourt to deal with Forrest Gump.

During the game, several key Lakers players were merely going through the motions. With O'Neal and Pippen absent, the team lacked a core player on both offense and defense.

The veterans were only going through the motions, and the newcomers weren't strong enough, so the game quickly became one-sided.

Under such intense competition, Gan Guoyang was in his element at the small forward position, defending with his hands on his hips, fast breaking on offense, and dunking on consecutive fast breaks. The fans were happy to watch, and he himself was also happy to play.

However, Tomjanovich knew that this approach couldn't be used in the regular season and playoffs; the team's system needed to revolve around Forrest Gump and bring out his full potential.

At halftime, the Glory led the Lakers 61-50, an 11-point advantage.

After the start of the second half, Tomjanovich changed the starting lineup, moving Gan Guoyang to the power forward position.

He plays the small forward position too recklessly, often strolling around, and on defense, he watches opponents walk right past him without even lifting a finger.

During halftime, Gan Guoyang explained, "This is to conserve energy; I wouldn't play like this in the regular season."

But Tomjanovich believes that it would be better for the team if Gan Guoyang played the power forward position.

The power forward position is now on the rise in the league. Players like Duncan and Garnett can play center, but they rely on the power forward position to bully others.

There are also new-era all-around power forwards like Chris Webber, Dirk Nowitzki, and Pau Gasol, each taller and better at shooting and passing than the last, putting increasing pressure on the power forward position.

Given Gan Guoyang's current physical condition, he should be able to play power forward for another two or three years without any problem.

It's not too late for him to take the small forward position when he's 40 and can no longer compete.

Sure enough, for Gan Guoyang, as long as he stands on the court, the heaviest burden will still be placed on his shoulders.

Because if you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight.

(End of this chapter)