The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 961 Gan vs. Ke

Gan Guoyang maintained his hot streak until the end of the third quarter, allowing the Glory team to keep the lead.

In terms of consistency, Gan Guoyang is undoubtedly the best in history.

The only thing that could truly disrupt his performance was the final whistle of the match.

He paused, but the opponent's relentless defense was so effective that even as his own stamina waned, he couldn't break the deadlock.

Rick Carlisle's timeout was futile; the only solution was for someone on his team to step up and challenge Forrest Gump, using a point-for-point contest.

After struggling, hesitating, and experiencing emotional ups and downs in the previous games, Kobe finally found his best form in the second half of the game.

When the Trail Blazers were on the verge of collapse due to Gan Guoyang's consecutive shots, Kobe Bryant attacked the Lightbringer's interior at the end of the third quarter, drawing fouls and making free throws to help the Trail Blazers stabilize the situation and narrow the gap to within 10 points.

At the end of the third quarter, the Glory team led 77-70, entering the final quarter with a 7-point advantage.

Kobe remained on the court in the fourth quarter, scoring two points with a high layup after a drive.

After defending against a brilliant offensive play, Kobe received the ball on the left side, faced Raja Bell, and made a probing step before driving to the left.

Kobe's speed on the breakaway wasn't fast, not because he lacked explosiveness, but because he controlled his movements. He could change direction and accelerate at any time.

Veteran Willis came over to help defend, Kobe changed direction and accelerated past Willis, then went to the basket and executed a hook shot, the ball fell and went into the hoop, scoring two more points.

This move was learned by Kobe from Gan Guoyang's Move Hook. After his improvements, it is very suitable for attacking the basket while moving. It is concealed, has a high shooting percentage, and is quite useful.

After scoring four consecutive points, the Trail Blazers' morale slowly returned.

At this point, the fans at the Rose Garden should have realized that they should be supporting the Trail Blazers tonight! You may support Forrest Gump, but ultimately, the Trail Blazers are the ones who want to win!
Fans started cheering for the Trail Blazers and Kobe, and the gap narrowed to 3 points.

Most of the fans at the scene were wearing Gan Guoyang's number 11 jersey, but a few young fans were wearing Kobe's jersey.

Forrest Gump is the most dazzling legend, but he is old after all. Young people will always like the newest, first-time young stars. Each generation has its own idols.

Kobe will gradually understand that he doesn't need to erase anyone's traces; what he needs to do is achieve his own success, leave his own mark, and he will have his own glory.

The Trail Blazers, who were pulled back from the brink of collapse by their neighbors, are gradually regaining their form.

Their defense is among the best in the league, and they suddenly intensified their attack in the fourth quarter.

Without Forrest Gump, the Trail Blazers once again defended against Glorious's offense, grabbed the defensive rebound, and Kobe led the fast break.

Like a snake, he weaved through the Radiant defense with his twisting footwork and changes of direction. After cutting into the basket, he used the same trick: a half-toss, half-hook, and the ball went in off the backboard!

77-76, the Trail Blazers have narrowed the gap to just one point.

Tomjanovich didn't call a timeout; he squatted on the sidelines, directing his players to calm down and play seriously.

As Gan Guoyang watched Tomjanovich's retreating figure, he thought of Jack Ramsey, who liked to kneel on the floor and direct the game.

He knew Tomjanovich's intention, and he stood up on the sidelines to cheer for his teammates.

At this time, Arenas and Bell were both on the court, Mark Jackson was in the paint, and Paget was on the perimeter.

This lineup is indeed lacking in both offense and defense, but young players need to go through such trials and tribulations to grow.

After Arenas switched onto Kobe, the rookie, number 0, was completely unfazed and suddenly changed direction, accelerating towards the basket.

The layup drew a foul from Kobe! Arenas stepped to the free-throw line, drawing a crucial foul and stabilizing the team's situation.

Arenas made both free throws, showing a significant improvement in maturity and composure compared to the beginning of the season.

With two experienced veterans, Cole and Porter, leading the way, Arenas learned and grew rapidly.

However, in the next possession, Kobe hit a tough three-pointer to tie the game!

At 79:79, the entire Rose Garden Arena erupted in cheers.

After scoring, Kobe made a three-pointer gesture towards the Glory's bench.

This was undoubtedly a message to Gan Guoyang, implying that the old man should hurry up and get on the field, or they would be overtaken. The atmosphere on the field became increasingly heated.

Despite the immense pressure, the Radiant team did not call a timeout. Arenas broke through again, drawing the defense before passing the ball to Bale in the corner.

Bell faked out the defender, took a step inside, and hit a mid-range jump shot!
81:79, Glorious regained the lead.

Pressure drives rapid growth, and compared to a month ago, the young players at Guanghui have all shown significant improvement.

Their mistakes have decreased, and their passes and shots are more decisive. Even when Gan Guoyang is not on the court, someone can step up and take charge.

Then, on defense, Raja Bell committed a vicious foul to stop Kobe's drive.

The two almost got into a violent fight, but were pulled apart by the referee and their teammates. Everyone was getting angry.

Tomjanovich knew that it was time for Gan Guoyang to take the field, so he immediately put on his gear and went into action.

The decisive moment for the two teams arrived quickly: a showdown between Kobe and Forrest, the two kings of Portland, one old and one new.

At this moment, in the high VIP stands of the Rose Garden Arena, a group of Nike executives overlooked the game.

They saw enormous potential in Kobe, and after Michael Jordan left Portland for Seattle, Nike hoped for a new perimeter successor to fill Jordan's niche.

Jordan may not be as good as Forrest Gump in terms of basketball skills, but his ability to sell shoes is truly outstanding, even surpassing Forrest Gump's.

The ability of outside players to sell shoes is indeed too strong.

Kobe possessed potential no less than Jordan's.

If we only consider championships, Kobe has already tied with Jordan.

What he needs is a championship he can lead his team to, a chance to soar to great heights.

"Sonny is like a persistent ghost. As soon as he comes back, Avia's market value will increase again, and the Western Conference playoffs will become more unpredictable. It's really a headache."

Phil Knight was furious at Gan Guoyang's amazing performance on the court.

In fact, there are many people like Knight who disapprove of Gan Guoyang's comeback. Like Mark Cuban, Knight is also one of the owners who opposes Las Vegas adding new teams.

Unfortunately, they were outnumbered and outmatched. At the board meeting, the smaller clubs that were short of money all supported the new team, while the Trail Blazers, a team that made a lot of money, spoke with little confidence.

Of course, deep down Knight also fantasized about what would have happened if he had signed Forrest Gump as well.

If that were the case, Nike would dominate not only the US market but the global sports market.

The red and black color scheme of the Portland Trail Blazers and Nike will spread throughout the world and become the most authentic.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." Nike still looked to the future, keeping an eye on Kobe and another talented high school player who was rising to prominence in Ohio.

The game between the Trail Blazers and the Glorious has reached a fever pitch.

Kobe broke through the middle and passed to Jermaine O'Neal for an alley-oop, but Gan Guoyang anticipated the move and disrupted it.

Having gained possession, the Glory team, with their leader in mind, calmly launched a positional attack.

Gan Guoyang started receiving the ball in the low post, and he turned and cut to the basket, drawing a foul from Jermaine O'Neal.

Jermaine O'Neal was still too inexperienced against Gan Guoyang. He was easily fooled by a single fake move and drew a foul.

Both free throws went in, making it 83-79, and the Glory team widened the gap to 4 points again.

Then, Raja Bell tipped the ball away from Kobe's hands during a defensive play.

Gerald Wallace rushed over and stole the ball, then went coast-to-coast for a fast break and dunked!

The Trail Blazers' offense faltered again, while the Glorious team, holding their nerve, regained the advantage.

Carlisle called a timeout to give the players a breather and to regain their composure.

Upon returning to the court, Kobe changed his offensive approach, no longer obsessively holding the ball, but instead starting to move off the ball.

He used a double screen from Jermaine O'Neal and Ben Wallace to receive the ball on the left baseline and made a mid-range jump shot.

Kobe scored using the tactic, and then switched onto Arenas on defense, disrupting Arenas' rhythm.

The Trail Blazers' tough defense forced the Glory to commit a 24-second violation, but the Glory immediately responded with a tough and disciplined 3-2 zone defense, which also prevented the Trail Blazers from committing a 24-second violation.

The two sides fought fiercely, displaying a high level of skill.

These few minutes were defensive possessions, and neither team scored, but the situation was favorable for the Radiant, and they were in the lead.

Kobe knew he had to step up again. After a period of cooldown, Kobe once again took the ball and charged towards the paint.

He drew a foul from Brad Miller and went to the free-throw line, making his first free throw.

Kobe seemed a little tired. He relaxed his body for the second free throw. But his shot went soft; he relaxed too much and the ball missed. Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound.

"One of two free throws, that one point will cost you the game," Gan Guoyang said to Kobe.

He was putting pressure on the young players again, but Kobe ignored him and focused on the game.

Gan Guoyang circled around the baseline, received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side, and immediately turned and launched a mid-range jump shot.

Goal! With this basket, Gan Guoyang has scored 36 points, a performance despite his significantly reduced playing time.

Kobe, using the same running pattern, circled around the baseline, ran to the left 45-degree angle, received the ball, and took a three-point shot!

Kobe executed a difficult catch-and-turn shot, leaving Raja Bell no time to jump and contest; he hadn't expected Kobe to take that shot.

Turning around, he saw the ball had already gone in, and Bale cursed under his breath, "Fuck, how did that go in?"

Kobe has also scored 30 points. Although he took more shots than Forrest Gump, he was very determined in his shooting.

In the final stages of the game, the Rose Garden Arena became the arena for a duel between Gan Guoyang and Kobe.

Both teams' players consciously handed the ball to two players, and all the fans in the stadium stood up.

This is a duel between the old king and the new king of Portland, like the changing of the guard among lions, a fight to the death.

Gan Guoyang received the ball at the top of the arc, broke through to the basket at a moderate speed, and threw the ball towards the hoop despite being surrounded by three people.

The referee didn't blow the whistle. Actually, there was a foul, but the ball bounced around on the rim twice before still falling into the net!
After getting up, Gan Guoyang complained to the referee: "When did you start officiating the game? Is this the first time you've officiated me playing? This is not a foul!"

The referee didn't say anything, just shrugged. He was indeed a young referee, having started working later than Gan Guoyang.

At the start of this season, the league had already hinted that the calls against Forrest Gump would be stricter.

If this guy gets too many calls, wouldn't he be able to cause a huge upheaval at 37? How are young stars supposed to rise up?

Kobe then drew a foul on a jump shot, earning two free throws, which he made both.

The Trail Blazers kept the score close.

Gan Guoyang stopped holding the ball and went to the corner to confuse the Trail Blazers' defense.

He pretended to catch the ball, but suddenly ran to the other side and circled out to catch it.

After cutting into the middle, he made a difficult floater with his left hand, dodging Ben Wallace's block.

A clean swish into the net, scoring two points.

Bird, who was watching the game from the sidelines, was scratching his head in disbelief.

Forrest Gump, aren't these the moves I used when I was young?

I heard that this bastard is going around saying, "I've slid down to Bird."

Bird felt his reputation had been damaged. How did I become the scenery as you descended the mountain?
But watching this game, it's clear that Forrest Gump, whose explosiveness and speed have declined, is indeed playing more and more like himself.

Shooting, positioning, floaters—the feeling in the game was just like Bird's.

Bird couldn't help but admire that this guy was a truly unparalleled genius.

In the NBA, based on pure skill, Forrest Gump is in a class of his own, a class of players without equal, followed by Michael Jordan, and then Bird, Johnson, and a whole host of others.

By this calculation, Forrest Gump has dropped three levels, which is quite a drop, no wonder he's complaining more than before.

In comparison, Kobe is indeed very similar to Jordan; both are explosive, accurate shooting guards.

The rivalry between the two is reminiscent of the old rivalry between Gan and Joe.

The previous real match between Gan and Joe was rather dull, but the replacement match between Gan and Cole was full of excitement.

两队的比分已经犬牙交错，91:90，91:92，93:92……

Kobe drove to the basket again, and with the defensive three-second rule in place, it was indeed easier to break through to the basket.

The Glory team did not use zone defense, but relied on reliable man-to-man defense in crucial moments.

Kobe took advantage of this opportunity, switched hands under the basket to avoid interference, and made a difficult layup.

The player falls to the ground, the ball spins in the air, bounces off the backboard, and goes in! The Trail Blazers take the lead!
The roar of the Rose Garden Arena was finally reserved for Kobe Bryant.

But just over ten seconds later, Gan Guoyang broke free of the Trail Blazers' tight defense.

He received a pass from Terry Porter at the corner, faked out Jermaine O'Neal, and took a mid-range shot, which went in!

The Glory regained the lead, and the Trail Blazers called a timeout with only a few possessions left.

Carlisle devised a tactic, instructing Kobe to draw the defense and then pass the ball to Michael Redd in the corner, allowing Redd to finish the attack with a three-pointer, thus taking the lead and widening the gap to two points.

However, when the timeout ended, Gan Guoyang did not come over to help defend the middle lane, but instead kept his eyes on Reed in the right corner.

Kobe made a decisive move, driving into the paint himself, and even surrounded by defenders, he still used his individual skill to score!

The Glory team did not call a timeout. The ball was passed to Gan Guoyang, who turned and cut to the basket with his usual smooth footwork.

However, under the basket, Gan Guoyang slipped and fell because there were still beads of sweat on the ground. He lost his footing and fell out of bounds.

Gan Guoyang made a rare mistake, handing possession of the ball to the Trail Blazers. The score was 93-94 with 25 seconds left in the game.

The Trail Blazers could run out of time, and Gan Guoyang sat on the ground for a short while before slipping and falling again.

Just like when he slipped in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers in 1985, he was tired then, and he's a little tired tonight too.

They thought they could take down the Trail Blazers in three quarters, but they underestimated Kobe. His tenacity helped the Trail Blazers regain their hopes of victory.

Gan Guoyang's teammates helped him up, and the fans in the stadium erupted in enthusiastic applause. Gan Guoyang wiped his sweat, thinking that the game wasn't over yet.

The Trail Blazers had possession of the ball, which was in Kobe's hands, and he started to run down the clock.

Gan Guoyang switched out to defend Kobe at the top of the key, while Jermaine O'Neal boxed out Bell in the paint to establish position.

This was a good opportunity, but Kobe didn't want to pass; he wanted to force his way through Agan and end the game.

Bell kept getting in front of him, and if O'Neal didn't leave soon, the three-second timeout would be over, so he had no choice but to leave the three-second zone.

They missed a great opportunity to extend their lead, while Kobe made a strong drive past Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang is old, but even an old man like Lian Po can still eat. He can't inspect the whole field anymore, but he can still manage a major inspection of a minor one.

A perfect defensive play, Kobe forced a fadeaway jumper at the end, but it was too difficult and he missed.

Gerald Wallace firmly controlled the rebound and called a timeout with 4 seconds left.

Both sides called timeouts repeatedly for a final showdown, allowing Gan Guoyang to get plenty of rest.

During the inbound play, everyone's attention was on Gan Guoyang. He pushed past his defender in the low post, ran to the top of the key, and then circled around to the left baseline, drawing the attention of all the Trail Blazers players.

As a result, Porter, who inbounded the ball from the sideline, made a direct pass to the basket, where Brad Miller set a screen for Arenas.

Arenas cut to the basket, received a pass from Porter, drew the defense, and then passed to Miller who was cutting to the outside after a pick-and-roll. Miller received the ball on the right baseline, unguarded, and easily made a close-range jump shot at the buzzer!

Brad Miller hit the game-winning shot against the Trail Blazers, 95-94!

After the goal, all the players of the Glory team rushed onto the field and hugged each other.

Gan Guoyang was among them. He patted Miller's head hard, thinking how perfectly the ball had been moved.

Everyone did their part: drawing attention, passing the ball, making runs, and setting screens.

It was quite complicated; if one step went wrong, it would be all over. They could only give Gan Guoyang a strong throw, but they succeeded, catching everyone off guard.

The Portland fans at the stadium were extremely disappointed. They lost the game, and by a last-second shot, not by Forrest Gump.

If it were him, I could be happier.

That's when they truly realized that Forrest Gump was no longer a Trail Blazers player.

Gan Guoyang circled the court, waved goodbye to the Trail Blazers fans, and left through the tunnel.

"The moment the game ended, I truly realized that I was no longer a Portland Trail Blazers player. I was very sad, and I cried when I got back to the locker room. But I also felt relieved because I am still a basketball player, and I can continue to play and enjoy winning, no matter which team's jersey I'm wearing. I will always love Portland, and I will always love basketball."

—Excerpt from "Forrest Gump" by Wu Zhixiong, published in 2025.

(End of this chapter)