The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 963 A Glorious Future

The Christmas Day games of the 2001-2002 season were scheduled as Toronto Raptors vs. New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers.

These are the two most anticipated matchups selected by the league.

The Toronto Raptors are incredibly popular thanks to Vince Carter, and Raptors tickets are selling like hotcakes. People are adoring Carter's dunks just like they adore Michael Jordan.

Young fans don't care so much about the championship; playing well and looking cool are the top priorities.

As for the New York Knicks, they fell into crisis after reaching the NBA Finals in 1999.

Kemp was overweight and Mourning's career was in jeopardy due to kidney disease. The collapse of their interior defense caused the Knicks to lose their competitiveness in the East and were unable to compete with the Boston Celtics.

Jeff Van Gundy abruptly resigned as head coach after managing 20 games this season. While the Knicks' record under Van Gundy's leadership was actually decent, he was clearly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

His college roommate died in the 9/11 attacks, and the team's increasingly chaotic situation made Van Gundy realize that it was gradually turning into a deadly quagmire.

Wisely, he used his family as an excuse to jump ship early, resigned, and stayed home to adjust his mind and body while looking for his next job.

Don Chaney became the Knicks' head coach, a scapegoat, and the Knicks' decline had begun.

But they remain one of the league's highest-grossing teams, with the highest ticket sales, making them the preferred venue for Christmas Day games.

This season, the Knicks have maintained a certain level of competitiveness. The backcourt duo of Sprewell and Allan Houston is in its prime. Ignoring Sprewell's eccentric personality, his strength is still considerable.

In this game, Sprewell contained Vince Carter, limiting him to 15 points with his defense when people were expecting Carter to put on a dunk show, a 40% drop from his season average.

Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors, securing victory in the Christmas Day game.

After the game, Sprewell shook hands with his former head coach, now NBC commentator PJ Carlesimo, on the sidelines and wished him a Merry Christmas.

Indeed, time heals all wounds.

Another matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers was last season's Finals opponent. Now, the league has completely abandoned the principle of proximity in Christmas Day games. After all, players get so much salary, it's normal for them to travel or work overtime during Christmas.

It was surprising that Shaquille O'Neal, who was originally expected to miss the game, announced before the game that he would play.

Due to a big toe injury, O'Neal played intermittently throughout November and December.

He skipped the preseason game against the Glory under a pretext, which drew a lot of ridicule, with people saying he was always afraid of Forrest Gump.

In the opening game, O'Neal was defeated by Forrest Gump's 50-point performance and a three-pointer, and he was pushed into the eye of the storm by public opinion, with people saying that his team could never beat Forrest Gump.

"Putting everything else aside, just the fact that he likes to slack off in the regular season and often misses games due to injuries, and can't play 70 games a season, makes him far inferior to Forrest Gump."

The criticism from the Los Angeles media was quite harsh. After joining the Lakers, except for the 1999-2000 season, O'Neal never played 70 regular season games, and he would play more than ten games each season.

Although the management and coaching staff tacitly approved of O'Neal's health regimen because his weight was too large, playing all regular season games would put a heavy burden on his body and affect his performance in the playoffs, which were the most important.

After all, there's only one Forrest Gump, and only he could be that strong and resilient.

However, Agan's return this season, his avoidance of the preseason, the loss in the first game, and the criticism from the media all greatly stimulated O'Neal's pride. He was determined to complete a full 70-game regular season and win another championship to prove himself.

Moreover, within the team, O'Neal also wanted to establish himself as the absolute core player. He had previously squeezed out Kidd, and after winning the championship, he further solidified his position and became a basketball hero in Los Angeles.

However, judging from popularity, Los Angeles fans seem to appreciate and prefer McGrady's elegant and stylish playing style. This guy likes to play cool and show off, and he often pulls up for jump shots, which is exactly what young fans like.

Although Shaquille O'Neal was powerful, he was essentially a big, dark-skinned center who could only be admired from afar and not imitated.

In terms of jersey and shoe sales, O'Neal's sales after winning the championship were far lower than those of McGrady, who wore number 1.

In addition, McGrady was drafted by the Lakers themselves, while O'Neal joined as a free agent, so from the management to the owner, everyone favored McGrady.

Shaquille O'Neal wanted to oust Tracy McGrady just like he ousted Jason Kidd. If he didn't have a championship, it might have been possible, but now that he has one, he can forget about it.

After the opening game, in the second game between the Lakers and the Glory, McGrady returned and the Lakers won the game to avenge their loss to the Glory. This made people feel that McGrady was the key to helping the Lakers defeat the Glory and Agan - McGrady scored 31 points in this game, while O'Neal only scored 21 points.

With Phil Jackson constantly fanning the flames and playing the psychological game of locker room balance, trying to keep O'Neal hungry for victory and furious, and deliberately provoking conflict between the two, O'Neal's fighting spirit this season has been quite good.

He didn't want to miss the highly anticipated Christmas game, so shortly after his big toe injury healed, he was removed from the injury list and returned to the team.

12月25号对阵76人的比赛中，奥尼尔用40分14个篮板球的表现，在斯坦普斯中心再度摧毁了76人的内线，帮助球队拿下胜利。

Dikembe Mutombo was once again crushed by O'Neal in the paint.

Iverson did his best to score 31 points, but he could no longer recreate the miracle of scoring 48 points single-handedly in the Finals to win a victory at Staples Center.

Miracles, if they happened all the time, they wouldn't be miracles anymore.

To be honest, both games were exciting and generated a lot of buzz. The NBA has done its best in terms of marketing and scheduling.

But it still couldn't compare to Gan Guoyang's marketing campaign with just one "decision," which garnered almost all the attention on Christmas Day.

The single "Baby," a collaboration with Michael Jackson, became a huge hit across the United States, to the point that commentators would hum a few lines during sports news broadcasts.

David Stern was very unhappy with Gan Guoyang's behavior. "Instead of making something related to the NBA to boost the league's popularity for Christmas, you went to sing! Why don't you go sell alcohol?"
However, it's nothing new for NBA players to cross over into singing, especially for Black players. Recording rap albums in the summer is a regular occurrence, and albums by players like O'Neal and Iverson have sold quite well.

Kobe Bryant even met his current wife, Vanessa, while recording an album, so it's perfectly normal for Gan Guoyang to sing a song.

What's abnormal is that the song is really good, that he was able to collaborate with MJ, and that his influence is fucking huge.

Even when Gan Guoyang later participated in competitions, he was often asked by fans to sing or hold a concert.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang gained a group of new fans, who then became his fans, thus contributing to the expansion of the NBA's customer base.

With Christmas over, 2001 is almost over, and we're about to step into 2002.

This is a very special year for Gan Guoyang, for the United States, and for China.

Gan Guoyang ushered in a new chapter in his professional career, while the United States encountered a historic turning point.

On the other side of the ocean, opportunities arose. As the year drew to a close, people summarized that China had three major happy events in 2001.

One of the things is related to economic development, and the other two are related to sports.

In terms of economic development, China officially joined the World Trade Organization and became part of the global trading system.

At the time, many ordinary people did not understand the significance of joining the organization, because most Chinese people were still quite ignorant about capital, market economy, and global trade. A small number of people simply thought that after China joined the World Trade Organization, they would no longer need to spend money to buy things, or could spend very little money, because of trade.

Actually, Americans can understand it this way: high-quality, low-priced "Made in China" products will be found all over the world.

Two things happened in sports: one was the successful bid to host the 2008 Olympics, meaning China would host a major sporting event seven years later.

Another achievement was that after years of struggle, Chinese football finally made it into the 2002 World Cup, achieving a historic breakthrough.

Many Chinese people who don't understand football and don't usually watch it participated in the celebrations that day.

Gan Guoyang, among others, watched the live broadcast at home at Shenyang Wulihe Stadium, a celebration for Chinese football.

Simply qualifying for the World Cup finals and becoming one of the 32 participating teams, and possibly the weakest of them all, is enough to excite and celebrate Chinese fans. The scene is comparable to when Gan Guoyang led the Chinese men's basketball team to victory in 2000.

The influence and appeal of football are simply too great, and of course, the disappointments that come with it are also immense.

Gan Guoyang originally hoped that his son, Gan Wenshan, could pursue a career in football and contribute to Chinese football.

But as he got older, and spent his days hanging out with Curry, Thompson, and others, Gan Wenshan lost interest in football and focused on basketball.

It's highly likely that he will pursue a career in basketball in the future. Whether having a father who is considered the greatest player in history is a blessing or a curse for Gan Wenshan remains to be seen.

Gan Guoyang didn't interfere much, letting it grow wildly, only giving it a push when needed.

As a parent, Gan Guoyang has always believed that it's better to work hard yourself than to make your child work hard.

Because it's uncontrollable for parents to force their children to work hard, but if you've already built a successful career, then working hard can bring immediate rewards.

So it's better to focus on your own efforts, leave some room for error for your children, and leave the rest to them.

Gan Guoyang thought this way and he acted this way. Under his leadership, the entire Glory team made steady progress.

By the end of December, as 2001 was drawing to a close, their record was 16 wins and 15 losses, ranking ninth in the Western Conference. They had the same record as the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns, who were ranked eighth and tenth respectively. However, due to head-to-head results and other factors, they were temporarily ranked ninth.

Although the overall record was the worst for Gan Guoyang at the start of the new year in his professional career, he was very satisfied with it because he saw the team's progress.

On the field, there are fewer and fewer games where Gan Guoyang single-handedly turns the tide, and the progress of young players is clearly visible. The Glory team provides them with a lot of room to grow.

Despite being constantly under scrutiny from various media outlets, Gan Guoyang has always acted as a protector for young players, never criticizing anyone in public, even if their performance is truly terrible; he only speaks ill of them in the locker room.

Off the field, the Glorious Team's publicity, logistics, marketing, and media work are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Issues such as players arriving at the airport unattended, luggage left at the hotel, incorrect promotional images, multiple strippers mixed in with the cheerleading squad, and internal staff involved in gambling are occurring less and less frequently.

Although problems will still arise, the team has accumulated experience in handling them and will no longer panic, nor will they affect the players' performance.

The team's ticket sales have been booming, with every game sold out. The MGM Grand Hotel's 17000 seats simply cannot meet the demand of the fans.

Glory also signed a broadcasting contract with a local television station and decided to start filming the team's formation, internal operations, and match performance from 2002 onwards, preparing to produce a documentary that would generate another sum of money.

At this rate, the Glory team could be profitable in its first season, meet the revenue requirements of the betting agreement, and distribute profits to the other 29 teams and the casino owners in Las Vegas.

For Gan Guoyang, basketball is no longer just a game, but a career, a way of packaging and managing sports.

However, Gan Guoyang did not focus all his marketing efforts on himself.

Although theoretically he is undoubtedly the greatest of all time, he can continue to add all sorts of accolades to himself.

Like Brezhnev, he kept awarding himself medals, and most people probably wouldn't object.

In addition to a large number of undisputed championships, MVPs, Finals MVPs, scoring titles, rebounding titles, and other hard-earned honors, he can also challenge for the all-time scoring title, the all-time blocking title, and freely combine and customize all sorts of statistical honors.

Number of 40+20 games, number of 40+40 games, number of 60+20 games, second-highest score in history with 81 points, most playoff points with 60 points, highest series average points, consecutive 40-point games, consecutive 50-point games, single-game field goal percentage record, etc.

The NBA's data records are so rigorous and comprehensive, and Gan Guoyang's accumulated data over the years is so vast and rich that it's astonishing.

His team only needs to spend a little time each day rummaging through old documents, creating a spreadsheet to compare with others, and conducting customized statistics to quickly determine who is number one in a certain area, and then award him a badge.

He could post one every now and then and then forever, and Gan Guoyang is still competing, so the data is still accumulating and updating, and the milestones will continue to increase.

Before long, Gan Guoyang's chest will be adorned with all sorts of medals, and the warehouse of his honors exhibition hall will be overflowing with custom-made trophies, too numerous to count, leaving anyone who sees them in awe. He is truly the first person in history to achieve this.

Gan Guoyang could have done that, but he didn't.

As time went on, just like his performance on the court, Gan Guoyang became increasingly secretive.

The team's publicity no longer focuses solely on Gan Guoyang; he is the core player, but others are also important.

Sports Illustrated was invited to conduct an interview, but the interviewee was not Gan Guoyang, but Porter.

He has as many rings as Gan Guoyang, and he is also a legend; his story is equally worth writing.

Steve Kerr is the only player on the Glory team who has played alongside both Forrest Gump and Michael Jordan.

Cole has a lot to say about comparing the two in radio programs and television interviews.

Kevin Willis's plus-size suit store is still operating and thriving.

Brad Miller's passing talent has been praised by Vegas media and fans.

Gerald Wallace's jersey is the best-selling one besides Forrest Gump's number 11.

Tomjanovich specifically asked him to seize any good opportunities to deliver spectacular dunks so that everyone could have a good look.

Arenas is still in the early stages of his career. He is a promising talent that the team is optimistic about and may become the core of the team's perimeter offense in the future.

In short, Gan Guoyang allocated resources that could have been focused on himself to other players on the Glory team, allowing fans to learn more about the other players.

"I hope that fans will come to like the Glory team, not just me. That's the meaning behind my founding of this team," Gan Guoyang has said more than once.

And so, 2001 passed. Gan Guoyang felt a little nostalgic, but he looked forward to 2002.

Because everyone has a bright future.

(End of this chapter)