The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 952 arrived earlier than usual.

A spectacular basketball night—there couldn't be a more perfect script.

At 37, he made his comeback, scoring 50 points in his first game, including a game-winning three-pointer, and celebrating early.

Even in Gan Guoyang's vast archive of classic video footage, this scene would rank among the top five.

After the wild celebrations, Gan Guoyang said a few words into the microphone and shouted "Welcome to Las Vegas, NBA!", bringing the atmosphere to a final climax.

Afterwards, Gan Guoyang and his teammates returned to the locker room, and the entire backcourt erupted in cheers.

Along the way, countless people high-fived and bumped fists with Gan Guoyang. In the crowd, Gan Guoyang barely made it back to the locker room.

There were a large number of reporters waiting for him here, taking photos, conducting interviews, and flashing blindingly bright lights, all of which Gan Guoyang had to deal with.

Finally, half an hour after the passion gradually dissipated, Gan Guoyang finished his shower and was able to sit alone in the newly renovated physiotherapy room, with his legs soaking in an ice bucket and his shoulders and arms covered in ice packs, and he could be quiet for a while.

After the adrenaline gradually subsided, I felt pain all over my body.

My lungs felt like they had been squeezed and rubbed, and my knees and ankles felt like they were on fire, swollen and painful.

Worse still, Gan Guoyang didn't feel tired; he would rather be exhausted and take a nap.

He was tired, but not sleepy, because the excitement of victory and the competition still resonated in every cell of his body, making him consciously aware of the fatigue brought on by excessive exercise.

Someone gently knocked on the door of the cubicle. Gan Guoyang sighed and said, "Let me be alone for a while."

"It's me." It was Wang Fuxi's voice.

"Let's go in," Gan Guoyang said.

Wang Fuxi pushed open the door to the cubicle and came in. She was wearing a well-tailored brown women's suit and trousers, and flat-toed high heels. Her exquisite makeup was slightly smudged due to the passage of time, and there was a hint of fatigue in her eyes.

She had been busy preparing for this opening match for a long time, and today she was busy all day long.

As the league's first female boss, she also faced a heavy workload and immense pressure.

Fortunately, the opening match was a success, and they fired the first shot. Wang Fuxi was proud of everyone's performance.

But when she entered the physiotherapy room, she saw her husband with ice packs strapped to his back, looking exhausted in an ice tub. He was a completely different person from the hero he had just been on the court.

Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears. She stepped forward and hugged Gan Guoyang tightly, burying her head in his shoulder.

"Be gentle... my shoulder hurts a lot."

Wang Fuxi raised his head, stroked Gan Guoyang's face, and said with a sob in his voice, "I told you not to come back, but you insisted on continuing to play... How old are you?"

"Today's opening game is an exception; it's a must-win game. I'll take it easy on the rest of the games. Besides, what else can I do if I don't play basketball?"

"Can't you just stay with me and do nothing?"

"That's so boring. A person should do something in their life, especially something they are good at."

Wang Fuxi wiped away her tears, took off her shoes, pants, and socks, and was about to sit in the ice bucket.

"Hey, hey, this water's too cold... Are you trying to take advantage of me? There are people everywhere outside!"

But Wang Fuxi still sat down next to Gan Guoyang and asked, "How long are you planning to play? You're already this tired after just the first match, what are you going to do later?"

Gan Guoyang said, "As I said, the first match was an exception. I will control it after that. I plan to find a medical team to treat my body with anti-inflammatory drugs to keep me healthy and prevent serious injuries."

"You mean you want to fight for another four or five years?"

“I don’t know either. I’ll keep playing as long as I can. My second retirement was forced, and I finally got this opportunity to come back. My dad is in good health now, his condition hasn’t worsened, and it’s well under control, so I have no worries.”

"You have no worries about the future, but don't you ever think about why you have no worries about the future?"

"Oh dear, I know it's because of you. You're my boss now, and you're still not satisfied? What more do you want? To make me your secretary, to serve you every day?"

"Forget it, you're right here with me, I should be the one serving you. If you want to play for a long time, we need to make better plans. We need to maintain a stable, high-potential roster, a harmonious locker room, and a good team culture."

"Hey, why think about all this nonsense? With me here and the people I've chosen, as long as we don't mess things up, we can just wait for success and making money. You'll be the most profitable and relaxed owner in the NBA."

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang grabbed Wang Fuxi's legs and suddenly lifted her out of the ice bucket, startling Wang Fuxi into screaming and splashing water everywhere.

Outside, the players and coaches pretended not to hear and went about their business.

Porter shook his head, thinking to himself that a player had risen to the top through an improper relationship with the owner, and even openly engaged in intimate contact in the locker room—it was truly…

Gan Guoyang's brilliant game-winning shot successfully garnered widespread attention across the United States on the first day of the new NBA season.

The photo of Gan Guoyang turning around and raising his hand to celebrate after making a three-pointer became the headline of major media outlets, printed in newspapers and spread to every corner of the United States.

In fact, Michael Jordan also had a very good performance with the Seattle SuperSonics.

In their first game, the SuperSonics defeated the visiting Portland Trail Blazers at home. Jordan scored 27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals, and even had the upper hand in his matchup against Kobe.

However, Gan Guoyang's 50-point performance and game-winning shot against the Lakers were so dazzling that they once again overshadowed Jordan's brilliance.

From a roster perspective, Jordan joining the SuperSonics was a very rational choice, and it was also one of the few moments in his career where he "judged people really well".

Gary Payton is in great form, and his backcourt partnership with Jordan is a formidable defensive force.

Patrick Ewing still had a little bit of fuel left in the tank, and as a role player, he was somewhat effective at supporting the interior defense.

At the same time, the SuperSonics have not neglected the development of their young talent pool, with several young players showing great promise.

Therefore, when facing the formidable Trail Blazers, the SuperSonics held their own in the first game and secured the victory with tenacious defense in the final moments.

In contrast, the Glorious team had an incredibly exciting first game, winning spectacularly and becoming the most talked-about team in the nation.

But anyone with a discerning eye knows that 37-year-old Forrest Gump can't play like this every game. This is a typical opening game where he burns himself out to win the first game and generate buzz for the Glory team.

The most challenging aspect of the NBA is its long 82-game regular season, which lasts for half a year and puts immense pressure on a team's stamina, endurance, and roster depth.

The Glory team is clearly too inexperienced, and precisely because of their brilliance, they will soon face a siege from the other 29 teams in the league.

Anyone with eyes to see clearly that this is definitely a great opportunity to beat Forrest Gump on the field.

Gan Guoyang also had to endure a failure he had never experienced before, because he was truly no longer young.

On November 1st, the Radiant Team's second game saw them leave Las Vegas for Texas to begin an away game.

The Texas triangle of Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets is a road trip that every NBA team has to go through.

Because Glory's schedule was added at the last minute, their consecutive away games started earlier.

On the evening of the 1st, at the American Airlines Arena, the Dallas fans cheered for Gan Guoyang's entrance due to the Rays' visit. However, once the game started, the entire arena began chanting "Beat-LV!" "Beat-LV!" (Louis Vuitton's reputation suffered).

After years of experience, Dirk Nowitzki is developing into one of the league's best offensive power forwards this season.

In the first game against the Philadelphia 76ers, facing last season's Eastern Conference champions, Nowitzki went 10-for-17, scoring 30 points with high efficiency and leading his team to victory.

Besides Nowitzki, the Mavericks' Mike Finley and Eddie Jones are both entering their prime.

In the backcourt, the Mavericks acquired Kenny Anderson in a trade and signed Avery Johnson in free agency, making their offense exceptionally powerful.

Although their defense is lacking, their offensive power is undeniably strong.

Kenny Anderson, 31, was once one of the most talented point guards in the United States and an iconic figure in New York basketball.

After years of setbacks with the Nets and Hornets, he experienced a rebirth with the Mavericks last season, delivering the second-best performance of his career under Don Nelson.

In the first quarter, after getting used to the game, the Mavericks started to go toe-to-toe with the Glorious.

The Mavericks' players have very strong outside shooting ability, and Glorious didn't dare to use zone defense in this game because they would be shot through.

In one-on-one marking, apart from Gan Guoyang, no one else has an advantage.

Once Gan Guoyang slows down his offensive pace and his one-on-one efficiency decreases, Guanghui immediately falls into a disadvantageous position.

The situation was exactly the same as the previous game. When they fell behind, Gan Guoyang started to attack and chase after the ball. He would catch his breath, then fall behind again, and then chase after the ball again.

This kind of chasing game mode is not good for the team because it is very tiring. Constantly running after the opponent will prevent them from playing their own rhythm.

But that's the pain of a new team; there's so much to learn and catch up on. Gan Guoyang is basically teaching young players a lesson while playing the game.

He was also consciously controlling his pace, trying to create opportunities for his teammates, and only taking the initiative when absolutely necessary.

Thus, at halftime, the Dallas Mavericks led the Radiant Team 62-53, a 9-point advantage.

Gan Guoyang scored 22 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists in the first half, doing his best.

During halftime, Gan Guoyang couldn't help but curse, "That madman Nelson, I've been following him for most of the game."

When Gan Guoyang first entered the league in 1984, Nelson was already a renowned coach in the league, coaching the Bucks.

At that time, he trained the Bucks' defense very well, and was very good at using the rules, especially illegal defense that skirted the edges.

Gan Guoyang still remembers the 1987 season, the year he won the scoring title, when he dominated the entire league with his low-post one-on-one play.

He only encountered some trouble when facing the Bucks, until one game he scored 60 points and crushed the Bucks with his strong attacks under the basket.

It may have been from that time that Don Nelson's basketball creed began to change, and he went down a different path from then on.

Having continued his relentless pursuit of excellence, Don Nelson's basketball philosophy has undergone a complete transformation.

In tonight's game, Nowitzki was repeatedly pushed to the center position, while Danny Manning moved to the power forward position.

This was an interior setup that essentially abandoned rim protection and defensive rebounding, which is why Gan Guoyang was able to score 22 points in the first half.

Even so, the Mavericks still took the lead because their offense was better.

When Nowitzki came to the center position, the Glory's defense became difficult to choose from.

Nowitzki poses a significant threat with his shots from the top of the key and the perimeter, and Gan Guoyang has to follow him out.

If it were Brad Miller, he wouldn't be able to defend Nowitzki one-on-one on the perimeter; the German has a strong ability to drive to the basket.

Once Gan Guoyang was pulled out of the paint, the Glory's vulnerable interior defense was subjected to repeated attacks from Mike Finley and Eddie Jones, and Miller got into foul trouble.

Finley also scored 20 points in the first half. This former Trail Blazers player was used as trade bait for Kobe. He always performs well when facing Forrest Gump's team.

He undoubtedly wanted to prove himself to Gan Guoyang: "You were right to choose me, but you were wrong to abandon me."

Apart from Gan Guoyang, no one else on the Glory team could step up and provide effective scoring support.

Arenas is very willing to take risks, but his performance remains inconsistent and immature.

Gerald Wallace did the same, but Brad Miller scored repeatedly in the paint, even dunking twice over Nowitzki.

But the problem remains: the Mavericks aren't afraid of you scoring; their scoring efficiency is much higher.

The situation didn't change in the third quarter; the Mavericks' offensive pace increased, and they spread out their defense significantly.

The ball is quickly passed around on the perimeter, leaving space for the inside players to drive, pass, and then pass again, allowing anyone to shoot from long distances.

The Mavericks unleashed an offensive surge at American Airlines Arena, showing signs of resembling the Portland Trail Blazers of yesteryear.

The difference is that their three-point shooting isn't as accurate, they take more mid-range shots, and they pose less of a threat in the low post.

However, the Glory team still failed to turn the tide. Gan Guoyang had put in too much effort in the first half, and he needed more rest in the fourth quarter.

After sitting on the bench for almost half the quarter, Tomjanovich finally substituted Gan Guoyang back into the game. By then, the Glory team was already down by 13 points to the Mavericks.

Just before going on the field, Gan Guoyang said to Coach Tang, "Old Tang, the daylily is getting cold!"

Tomjanovich said, "I need to think about things in the long term; you need to get enough rest."

After the first game, Tomjanovich decided to reduce Gan Guoyang's playing time to 35 minutes per game.

Regardless of the team's performance, we must strictly adhere to the rules and never relax our efforts to prevent excessive exertion from causing Gan Guoyang to suffer from injuries.

On the other hand, Coach Tom is also focusing on tapping into internal potential and hopes that the management can find another experienced veteran with independent offensive capabilities in the free market to serve as the team's second scorer.

In today's league, where the overall focus is on defense, two independent scorers, one inside and one outside, are enough to carry a team's offense.

The Mavericks' lineup undoubtedly has a lot of offensive capabilities, while Radiance is not enough.

After Gan Guoyang entered the game, the Glory team launched a final counterattack, and Gan Guoyang's two consecutive three-pointers sent chills down the spines of the American Airlines Center fans.

But the Mavericks responded immediately with a series of goals and double-teamed Gan Guoyang, bringing the Glory's offense to a standstill.

It's not that there are no opportunities, but that we always fail to seize them. Missing open shots or making basic mistakes, along with instability at crucial moments, gradually extinguishes our hopes of catching up.

In the end, the Mavericks defeated the Glory team 107-98, a 9-point advantage.

Gan Guoyang's defeat in the new season came earlier than usual.

(End of this chapter)