The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 962 Decision
Gan Guoyang's return to Portland ended in an unexpected way and with an unexpected result.

After the match, Gan Guoyang came out of the locker room for an interview, but remained silent for a long time when faced with the reporter's questions.

After a long pause, he said, "This feeling is too complicated to express in words."

At the post-match press conference, when asked why he didn't take the final shot himself, Gan Guoyang said, "I fully respect the coach's arrangements, regardless of who the opponent is. I was the third option in this tactical setup, and also the defensive focal point. The Glory team is a team, and we all accomplished our tasks. I'm proud of them."

Gan Guoyang scored 44 points in the game, once again dominating the court.

Despite his brilliant performance, the Glorious team only won by one point and needed a last-minute winner to secure the victory.

If he were even a little more efficient, not so terrifyingly efficient, the Glorious team wouldn't have been able to beat the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers' defense, under Rick Carlisle's tutelage, has indeed reached a very high level.

Having previously focused on an offensive approach, Carlisle's shift to a defensive strategy tailored to individual needs demonstrates his remarkable versatility as a coach.

The fact that he excels in both offense and defense alone demonstrates that Carlisle has the potential to become a great coach.

That same night, the Glorious team flew from Portland back to Las Vegas.

Gan Guoyang took leave to stay in Portland, and the next day he had a meal with his old friends from the Trail Blazers, including Bird and Carlisle.

To avoid being disturbed by the media, they chose a low-key Chinese restaurant where everyone gathered for a small drink.

Bird's hair was thinning, and he had more wrinkles on his face than when he first arrived in Portland. Management work was just as demanding as coaching.

In 2000, Gan Guoyang retired along with a group of veterans, causing half of the Trail Blazers' championship roster to collapse.

Larry Bird worked tirelessly day and night for the past two seasons, striving to rebuild a championship-caliber roster for the Trail Blazers in the draft and free agency market.

"Larry, you look much older. I left you with such a great young roster, how come you can't even beat the Lakers?"

"Why don't you just keep playing instead of retiring? Who knew you'd end up in Las Vegas!"

Bird still complained that after Gan Guoyang retired, he was also not as enthusiastic about his work in Portland as he used to be.

Phil Knight, who controlled Nike, bought the Trail Blazers, and they promised Bird to leave all basketball affairs to him and not interfere too much, as in the past.

But as the largest sneaker brand in the United States, it's impossible for Nike not to get involved.

Initially, after Forrest Gump retired, Bird wanted to promote Jermaine O'Neal to the same level as Kobe Bryant.

Kobe was certainly very strong, sharp as a knife, but his overly sharp personality wasn't suitable for being the leader of a team.

In comparison, Jermaine O'Neal is more easygoing. If he can balance things out with O'Neal, it will be beneficial for team management.

As for the locker room, Bird hoped that Ben Wallace could become the locker room leader and defensive leader. He had a street-style passion that was best suited to getting along with other black players.

With Bird's system of checks and balances, Kobe could focus on playing, Ben Wallace could defend and control the locker room, and Jermaine O'Neal could provide balance in the middle, forming a very stable triangle.

All three players joined the NBA in 1996, so they have a strong emotional foundation, which allows the team to create a great atmosphere and maintain competitiveness for a long time.

However, Nike didn't think so; they believed Kobe had to become the team's leader.

Because Kobe is popular, he can sell shoes, and has high commercial value.

Even when Ben Wallace and Jermaine O'Neal were bundled together, they didn't sell as many sneakers or merchandise as Kobe Bryant.

Now, Nike is focused on making Kobe a top star in the league and, after his Adidas contract expired, poached him to Nike to further develop his commercial value.

In the NBA, business definitely takes precedence over basketball, so Bird's "three-headed monster" idea was rejected.

Kobe was established as Portland's successor after Forrest Gump, the leader both on and off the court, and everything revolved around him.

Kobe's on-court ability was certainly not a problem, but in terms of personality, locker room management, and getting along with teammates, he was far inferior to Gan Guoyang.

While having dinner with Gan Guoyang, Bird couldn't help but complain: "Putting basketball aside, Kobe is an asshole. I have to clean up his ass every day."

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "Come on, Larry, who in the NBA isn't a jerk if you take basketball aside?"

Bird nodded and said, "Yeah, you're the biggest jerk. Have you been telling everyone you've slid down to Larry Bird?"

Gan Guoyang replied confidently, "Larry, if you think about it another way, it should be 'Larry Bird has finally caught up with Forrest Gump.' See? Doesn't that sound much better?"

"Fuck, fuck you Sonny, you're such an asshole. But I'm also really envious of you, being able to keep playing."

“I am grateful for this, really. My thoughts have changed a lot this season. I still want to win and win championships. But as long as I can stay on the court, compete, and watch my teammates grow and the team get better and better, I feel fulfilled and happy.”

“Because you’re getting old, Sonny. You know, I used to hate kids. But now, when I drive past a school and see kids playing and kicking a ball in the yard, I feel a sense of peace and happiness.”

The two reminisced about many past events and helped Carlisle analyze the team's current situation, offering some advice.

Gan Guoyang rarely drank so much alcohol. He has a high alcohol tolerance and won't get drunk. He just feels a slight warmth on his skin and feels light and comfortable.

After saying goodbye to Bird and the others, Gan Guoyang went to the airport, where a private jet was waiting for him.

Seeing Gan Guoyang's slightly tipsy appearance, Wang Fuxi said, "It's rare to see you drink, so you're not allowed to hold your daughter."

Gan Guoyang said, "What does it matter? My precious daughter loves the faint smell of alcohol on her father, doesn't she?"

Gan Wenyi looked embarrassed, but she still leaned over and hugged Gan Guoyang while holding her breath, which made Gan Guoyang very happy.

He lay on the sofa in the cabin, looking at the ceiling, reflecting on the complex emotions he had felt since returning to Portland over the past two days. The feeling was far beyond what a decisive victory could describe.

He closed his eyes and rested for a while; the plane was about to take off.

When the plane was halfway through the flight, everyone thought Gan Guoyang was asleep, but he suddenly woke up with wide eyes and sat up from the sofa.

Wang Fuxi, who was handling team matters, was startled and asked, "What's wrong with you? You scared me to death when you sat up."

Gan Guoyang looked at his sleeping daughter sitting next to him, gently stroked her hair, and said, "Wife, I need to make a decision, and I hope you will support me."

“I support whatever decision you make. We’ve been together for so many years, when have I ever not supported you?”

"Well... but this time, this decision may cause some controversy."

"As long as you don't change your gender, I will support you, even if you retire tomorrow."
-
After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers on the road, the Glorious have not shaken off the pattern of winning one game and losing the next, taking two steps forward and one step back.

Team integration and progress is a long process. The growth of some young players can take as little as two or three seasons or as long as five or six seasons. It's a slow process.

Therefore, some teams and some star players are unwilling to wait for young players to develop because the investment cycle is indeed long.

Under the careful guidance of veterans like Gan Guoyang and Porter, the young players of Guanghui have made great progress. However, the NBA is a fiercely competitive league. It's not enough for you to improve to win. Everyone is fighting and working hard.

Winners need to do more and do better, and Gan Guoyang's ability to carry the team in the regular season has indeed declined.

After his highly efficient performance in Portland, he slumped for two games. Upon returning to Las Vegas, he performed poorly against the Kings and Mavericks, leading to his team's losses.

These two teams are already very strong, and their styles are also effective against the Glory team. If Gan Guoyang doesn't have a breakout performance and simply scores 20+10, it won't be enough to help the team win.

However, Gan Guoyang showed unprecedented patience and did not lose his temper with the coaching staff or players because of the loss.

Instead, he became part of the team, summarizing and solving problems together in training. He gradually put away his superpowers and stopped constantly saying, "If the team doesn't perform well, I'll step in and solve the problem."

In critical moments, at crucial junctures, and with key tactics, leave the task to other players to handle and manage.

Whenever the team encounters difficulties, he no longer thinks like he used to, "What should I do? I'll solve the problem."

Instead, he worked with his teammates to come up with ideas such as "What should we do, and what role can I play in solving this problem?"

He truly considered himself a member of the team, laying a solid foundation for the team's basketball prowess.

"I will definitely leave the league before you guys, and hopefully by then, the Glorious will have become a team with a good tradition and winning culture. Whether I'm there or not, you can continue to win. This isn't a team that exists for me alone; I continue to exist for him."

Gan Guoyang left his best physical condition and championship to Portland, while his belief will remain with Glory.

Time flies by, and December is already halfway over. During this period, the Glory team has maintained a stable record, consistently placing them in the middle of the Western Conference standings.

Anyone can win, and anyone can lose.

Gan Guoyang's performance is indeed like Bird's, hidden within the team.

Moreover, he was always happy before each match, greeting each opponent.

He once whispered devilish words, planting a wicked seed in the hearts of the league's fierce warriors.

Now he is always laughing and joking, catching up with old friends and cracking jokes with young people.

The young player was puzzled and asked the older player, "Everyone says Forrest Gump is scary, but I think he has a really good personality. It's true that great people are all kind and approachable."

The veteran players would just dismissively say, "You guys just happened to be born at the right time."

There were also some hot-blooded young men who wanted to provoke Forrest Gump during the game, but they were all held down and pulled down by the veteran players.

Kenyon Martin, a rookie selected by the Nets in 2000, made a boastful statement before the game against the Glorious on December 18, saying, "I will do at least three spectacular dunks over Forrest Gump."

After he finished speaking, he smiled at the camera and showed off his muscles and braces.

Then in the game, he was blocked six times by Gan Guoyang. The Nets were also at home, and the team was defeated by the Glory's defense with a score of 89-94.

After this game, Kenyon Martin got four Chinese characters tattooed on his arm: "Silence is golden".

This is the first game of the Glorious's road trip in the East. There are two more games to play, and after that they can go back to Las Vegas for Christmas.

Since the Christmas Day games are scheduled well in advance and the schedule cannot be changed, the Glorious team will miss the Christmas Day games this season.

But Gan Guoyang had no intention of missing this Christmas celebration. Just as Mariah Carey's song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" began to play in shopping malls, hotels and other public places across the United States, major television stations, radio stations and print media competed to report a news announcement: "Sonny Gan will announce an important decision on Christmas Day 2001."

Accompanying this news announcement was a short advertisement featuring Gan Guoyang, in which he says to the camera, "This will be one of the most important decisions of my career, comparable to 'I'm Back'."

As soon as this news broke, the message "I'm Back 2" immediately attracted significant attention across the United States.

With Christmas just days away, what news is Forrest Gump going to release? Is he going to retire?

But he was playing very well for the Glorious team, less than half a season, how could he possibly retire?

People are speculating about what kind of news Forrest Gump will announce, what the most important decision of his career will be, and what it could be called "I'm Back 2".

"Forrest Gump won't ask for a trade to go back to Portland, will he? I felt something was off about him after the game against the Trail Blazers in early December. He was too mild-mannered and too happy, which is not like him."

"I don't think so. I think Forrest might become a coach, or announce that he will retire completely after this season."

"It's a bit too early to announce this now; the All-Star Game hasn't even started yet."

"Is Forrest Gump going to announce his candidacy for president? Or for governor?"

"No, I think Forrest Gump will announce that he will take responsibility for 9/11."

The speculations became increasingly outrageous, with even the players on the Glory team starting to guess, betting on what Forrest Gump was up to.

Arenas pointed out: "I think Forrest Gump was actually doing endorsements and advertising."

Everyone scoffed, saying it was impossible; how could the greatest player of all time do something so degrading?
Arenas said, "What's wrong with that? It's about monetizing your fame! The team has revenue-related performance targets."

"So, what kind of commercials do you think Forrest Gump would do?"

"gun."

"why?"

"Sonny's last name is Gump, which sounds just like 'gun,' he's the perfect spokesperson for this stuff!"

Surprisingly, everyone found Arenas's statement quite reasonable and found it difficult to refute.

The Glorious then played the last two games of their road trip, defeating the Knicks, but were crushed by the powerful Boston Celtics at Boston Garden.

With Tim Duncan returning from injury and Nash, Pierce, Ilgauskas, and others developing, the Celtics are sweeping the league, and the Glorious are no exception.

After the game, Bobby Bellman asked Gan Guoyang curiously, "Sonny, what are you going to announce? You're getting more and more irrelevant these days."

Gan Guoyang said, "I just want to make life more fun."

As a result, people's expectations for Gan Guoyang's I'm Back 2 far exceeded those for the Christmas Day game.

Everyone turned on their televisions, waiting for Gan Guoyang's decision. The videotape containing Gan Guoyang's decision was sold to Turner Television for an astonishingly high price. Turner Television obtained this opportunity through its connection with Charles Barkley.

However, after hearing the price, the TV station's manager backed down, saying that the price was too high.

However, upon learning that the decision included Michael Jackson, the manager called the boss and did not hesitate to take the picture.

On Christmas Eve, millions of American viewers watched television at home, awaiting the decision, and Turner Television's ratings skyrocketed.

To be honest, if Forrest Gump had just done a regular ad campaign or promoted a product, he would have been heavily criticized, and many people would have been waiting for this opportunity to attack him.

However, the video that was played turned out to be a new song sung by Forrest Gump and Michael Jackson, a fast-paced pop song called "Baby" that incorporated Teen-pop, Dance-pop, R&B, 1950s blues, hip-hop music, disco strings, and had a strong 80s style.

Michael Jackson hasn't released a super hit single in a long time, but this time he collaborated with Forrest Gump to release a pop song with such rich content and an incredibly catchy melody.

During the performance, Jackson sang and Gan Guoyang rapped. Their collaboration was perfect and instantly ignited the North American pop music scene. That night, almost all music publishers expressed their desire to buy the copyright to the song.

This song was not composed by Michael Jackson. Gan Guoyang hummed it and offered suggestions, while Jackson composed and revised it. The recording and filming were completed in just one week.

Michael Jackson later said, "Sonny's musical talent amazed me. He didn't even know how to read sheet music, but he won me over just by humming. We've been friends for over ten years, and I never knew he had such an ability."

The song immediately became a hit in North America, and then spread globally. Gan Guoyang's decision did not become a joke, but rather a legend.

When people asked if he would ever enter the music industry and bring his talent to a record company, Gan Guoyang said, "I'm just taking a short break. One day I was on a plane, and this melody just happened to come to mind. I looked at my daughter and memorized the melody. In the future, I won't write any new songs because I believe there are plenty of geniuses in the world to create, and the music world doesn't need me."

After that, Gan Guoyang never wrote another song, but "Baby" remained a bestseller, becoming a classic and part of the legend.

(End of this chapter)