The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 970 The Eternal Idol

All-Star Weekend goes to great lengths to attract the attention of fans and viewers.

In the first dunk contest, the league introduced a roulette wheel system.

Before each dunk, the players spin a wheel, like a lottery, to determine what kind of dunk they must perform.

The wheel features classic dunk contest moves from the past, and there's a screen in the middle where players need to imitate them.

However, this game mode, which pays homage to the classics, has been criticized by players and viewers.

This competition format stifles the players' creativity. Why should I do the same thing that someone else has done before? Why should the audience watch it again?
As the world's best basketball competition, the Slam Dunk Contest should feature the best players and should showcase the newest and most spectacular moves. This is what fans expect from the Slam Dunk Contest.

The league office clearly overestimated fans' willingness to spend on classics and nostalgia; in fact, many people in the sports and entertainment industry make this mistake.

They're using people's nostalgia for the past as a selling point, trying to make a double profit by selling another wave of sentimentality.

But sentimentality is just sentimentality; it's fine to reminisce about it. If you try to sell it again, that's wrong of you.

While a small number of people are willing to buy it, most consumers, especially new consumers, are not.

People still prefer new and creative things. Wasn't it better to just watch free things at home by myself in the past?

The NBA has done similar things many times, such as organizing games featuring veteran players or replaying classic games on television, but the response has been lukewarm.

Once sports competitions lose their real-time nature and the result is known, the exciting and anxious anticipation disappears. No matter how intense or exciting the competition itself is, most people don't have the patience to watch it again; they might as well just rewatch a few clips occasionally.

The league made the same mistake again in this year's Slam Dunk Contest, being too fixated on so-called classics, which didn't resonate with either fans or players.

As a spectator, Gan Guoyang watched the entire dunk contest live and deeply felt what it means to say that yesterday is gone forever.

He himself also focused on the present and the future, never dwelling on past glories.

Ultimately, Warriors guard Jason Richardson won the Slam Dunk Contest with a contorted between-the-legs dunk.

In terms of the grace and fluidity of his between-the-legs dunks, no one can compare to Vince Carter in 2000.

Stojakovic won the three-point contest, showcasing his superb shooting skills.

At the Rising Stars Challenge, Gan Guoyang also met veteran coach Jack Ramsey, who was invited to be the head coach of the Western Conference team, to play around with the young players and go through the motions.

Ramsey was very excited to see Gan Guoyang. He came over and hugged him, looking at him and saying, "Sonny, you're not really going to fight until you're 50, are you?"

Gan Guoyang said, "I don't know, Coach. Back then, you kept telling me to play until I was 50. If I had just endured it for another 12 years, I would have really been 50."

Ramsey had lost all his hair and looked more kind and gentle than before; he was no longer the vulture kneeling on the sidelines.

When Ramsey was the coach of the Trail Blazers, he would always joke with Gan Guoyang, saying that with your physique you could play until you're 50.

Looking at it now, at least 40 years old shouldn't be a problem.

“I’ll probably be gone by then,” Ramsey said sadly.

"What are you talking about, Jack? You were still coaching back then! I wanted to play for you."

Ramsey was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999. Although this type of cancer is relatively easy to treat, it already indicated that Ramsey's body was at risk of developing cancer.

Ramsey is a very strong-willed person. He actively sought treatment and successfully recovered, and immediately threw himself back into his commentary work, not missing a single responsible game in the last three seasons.

In response to Gan Guoyang's words of comfort, Ramsey patted him with a smile and said, "Sonny, win another championship. To be honest, sometimes I really don't understand these young guys. Maybe I'm too old. Although when I'm commentating, I say I have to follow the trend and I praise everyone, deep down, I really hope you win another championship to tell those kids that our generation isn't dead yet, not yet!"

Gan Guoyang nodded and said, "I will work hard. As long as I'm on the court, my goal will be the championship. Even if I'm slower than before and don't jump as high, I will still move in that direction. Otherwise, what am I doing here? Just padding my stats?"

"Yes, that's right. Don't give up, never."

"You are also Jack, never give up."

Not long after, Jack Ramsey was diagnosed with melanoma, this time a much more malignant cancer. However, he continued to undergo treatment and endured it for more than ten years, living to the age of 90.

At that time, he finally witnessed Gan Guoyang's retirement.

After the Slam Dunk Contest and Rising Stars Challenge, on February 10th, the All-Star Game, at Philadelphia's First United Center.

During the pre-match activities, the players gathered together to take official photos wearing their own home and away jerseys.

This is the last time the NBA All-Star Game will use the format of players wearing their own home and away jerseys.

After that, the NBA resumed the tradition of customizing uniform All-Star jerseys.

Some new fans may have questions when watching the All-Star Game, such as who is on which team and why they are all wearing colorful and different colors.

Only those who know a little about this would know that the home team's uniform is white, while the away team's uniform is dark.

However, the away team's dark colors were also different, including black, red, and blue, which could easily cause confusion.

After being canceled, this All-Star game, with its unique costumes, became a nostalgic memory for fans.

Back then, there were Kobe, Iverson, Duncan, Garnett, McGrady, and Carter. Their jerseys were all very nice and distinctive.

The competition started promptly at 7 p.m.

The head coach for the Western Conference is Don Nelson. Although the Kings and Lakers have better records, the All-Star coaching position was still given to him.

The situation was similar in the East, where Bobby Bellman's Celtics had a better record, but the head coaching position went to Byron Scott, the second-ranked Nets in the East.

Gan Guoyang once again started for the Western Conference forward position. The five Western Conference players were O'Neal, Gan Guoyang, Garnett, Jordan, and Kobe.

It was a star-studded event, and the fact that Jordan and Forrest Gump were teammates was a major highlight of the game.

This is the first time the two have teamed up in an official match. Although they are both in their twilight years, it still attracts a lot of attention from fans.

Shaquille O'Neal missed this All-Star Game due to injury, but his injury wasn't serious.

But this season, O'Neal wanted to focus all his energy on the regular season, so Chris Webber replaced O'Neal in the starting lineup.

In comparison, the Eastern Conference roster is somewhat weaker, consisting of Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Dikembe Mutombo, Vince Carter, and Paul Pierce.

Vince Carter was also unable to participate due to injury, which was a major loss for this All-Star game. Jason Kidd replaced him.

In the voting, Carter received more votes than Jordan and Gan Guoyang, making him the All-Star vote leader.

Although in terms of achievements, he can't even compare to Jordan and Gan Guoyang's little finger, new fans just like him, and his popularity is high.

The dunks were truly spectacular and beautiful; the Canadian slam dunker was incredibly popular back then.

Gan Guoyang still received a lot of applause and cheers during the players' entrance ceremony.

But he didn't know whether it was out of affection or respect.

Before the game started, Gan Guoyang's expression was more serious than in previous All-Star games.

He had previously snatched the All-Star Game MVP award twice, once from Jordan in Chicago and once from Karl Malone in Salt Lake City.

The All-Star Game MVP award is a rather meaningless award; only those that are won through competition are truly rewarding, while those awarded by the league are rather uninteresting.

Gan Guoyang stood in the center circle and jumped for the ball with Mutombo. It was originally arranged for Garnett to jump, but Gan Guoyang insisted on doing it himself.

"Forrest Gump went to jump ball."

Off the court, Karl Malone and Payton, sitting on the bench, said they knew that Forrest Gump's decision to jump the ball meant he was serious.

"All-Star Game, is this guy serious? Fuck, I really don't want to play."

Payton is just playing around in the All-Star Game as a substitute, but if Forrest Gump is serious, he'll definitely have to play well, otherwise he'll get yelled at when he comes off the court.

"This guy hasn't played properly in the All-Star Game for ten years, he's going to go crazy again this time."

When was the last time we had a proper game?

"Back in Salt Lake City!" "You actually remember that?"

Malone certainly remembered that Forrest Gump stole his MVP award.

In the jump ball between Mutombo and Gan Guoyang, Gan Guoyang won and passed the ball to Kobe.

Gan Guoyang quickly moved to the right baseline, where both sides were his direct attack zone, and reached out for the ball.

But Kobe didn't pass; instead, he dribbled the ball and drove inside himself, thinking, "I'm not fucking passing you the ball."

"Fuck..."

Kobe drove to the basket, dodged the defense, and attempted a layup, but was blocked by Duncan who moved over.

"Great block!" Gan Guoyang couldn't help but praise, Duncan is really good at defense.

While praising him, Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound and scored his first two points with a deft hook shot.

"Why didn't you pass me the ball, man?" Gan Guoyang questioned Kobe as they returned to defense.

"I have a better chance of breaking through."

"So you got blocked?"

"Didn't you get the rebound?"

Kobe's words made a lot of sense, and Gan Guoyang couldn't refute them.

Kidd passed the ball to Duncan, who attacked from the low post on the left, overpowering Kevin Garnett.

After cutting to the basket, his layup attempt was disrupted. Despite continuous scrambling for the ball under the basket, Gan Guoyang managed to grab the rebound.

"Is this guy really serious?"

After Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound, he dribbled the ball across half-court, performing a series of behind-the-back dribbles and crossovers.

The ball seemed about to be lost, but it just wouldn't go, just like Magic Johnson, who turned and drove to the basket, flicked his wrist, and scored two points with a hook shot.

The ball went in, and the crowd erupted in cheers. This time, Gan Guoyang could hear that the cheers were filled with more amazement and affection than respect and nostalgia.

Both teams sensed Agan's seriousness, and the originally relaxed All-Star game suddenly became tense and exciting.

After a quick breakthrough, Iverson suddenly tossed the ball into the air, dodged to the basket, caught the ball, and shot it into the hoop!
Gan Guoyang could have blocked that shot, but he wouldn't interrupt a great performance.

When it was the Western team's turn to attack, Kobe called for the ball in the low post, while Gan Guoyang called for the ball on the other side.

Garnett hesitated for a moment and passed the ball to Kobe, who turned and shot but missed!
"You didn't pass it to me? You passed it to Kobe? How about that, you missed?" Gan Guoyang questioned Garnett.

Garnett, a little embarrassed, said, "Because Kobe was closer..."

Within the Western Conference, the competition between Kobe and Gan Guoyang seems even fiercer than the competition between the East and West.

But soon, Kobe realized that experience truly matters, and how powerful Forrest Gump was in everyone's eyes.

From then on, the Western team played entirely around Gan Guoyang, and even Jordan had to take a backseat.

Moreover, the two gradually improved their coordination, and their pick-and-roll plays became incredibly smooth and unstoppable.

They don't look like two 38-year-old veterans at all; the attention to detail is impeccable, and they always come up with some ingenious ideas.

Similar to those table tennis masters, they can play with a frying pan, a kitchen knife, or a spatula.

In low-intensity matches, the two players practically performed acrobatics.

There were no explosive dunks or superb speed; it was mostly the veteran player's mastery of technical details.

At first, Jordan made quite a few mistakes and wasn't in the zone. Gan Guoyang scolded him a couple of times, and he started talking back and arguing, but he felt better and better.

And so, the fans witnessed a strange sight.

On the western side, three men were hurling insults at each other.

But their teamwork on the field was excellent, and they played brilliantly.

Jordan originally intended to play for fun, but Gan Guoyang's seriousness spurred him on.

Furthermore, the All-Star voting and the fans' neglect of him have made the veteran realize that it's time to make his presence felt.

We're just old, not dead. We can still play, and we can play even better than your idols.

Putting everything else aside, we two old guys are both very healthy, and at this age we're still fighting on the field.

What about those young players? Carter and Hill, for example, missed more games in a single season than Gan Guoyang did in his entire career.

Players should always earn love and respect through their performance on the field; that will never be wrong.

When Don Nelson substituted Gan Guoyang and Jordan off the court for a rest in the first half, the fans gave them a warm round of applause.

The two veterans bumped fists and sat down on the bench to rest.

"Michael, can you be a little more serious when you pass the ball? How many turnovers have you made? I fucking hate turnovers."

"Don't you think there's something wrong with your positioning? Why are you moving as slowly as a tortoise?"

"You're just getting old and think I'm slow."

"What does presbyopia have to do with speed?"

They cooperated well on the field, but they still argued off the field.

They could have gotten along peacefully, but when they started playing, their high standards revealed all their flaws.

Moreover, these two have been fighting for over a decade, so it's impossible for them not to find fault with each other.

This critical thinking led to both players becoming increasingly competitive. In the second quarter and the second half, both players began to intensify their individual offense, determined to outdo each other in scoring and performance.

As a guard, Jordan had the advantage of ball handling, but lacking speed, he began to showcase his skillful jump shot.

Once he got into a rhythm, he hit consecutive fadeaway jump shots.

He scored four goals in a row, and the fans in the stadium started cheering for him.

Gan Guoyang couldn't stand it anymore and volunteered to set a screen for Jordan. As Jordan used the screen to move inside, Gan Guoyang reached out and stole the ball from Jordan.

Then he dribbled the ball to the basket and slammed it down on Mutombo with one hand!

Mutombo received a well-placed dunk, sending the fans into a frenzy.

Jordan was completely bewildered. What kind of person was this? Stealing the ball from his teammate and rushing in to dunk?

The next time Gan Guoyang came over to screen for Jordan, Jordan pointed at him, indicating that Gan should get lost and that he didn't need his screens.

Led by these two legends, both sides played with increasing ease and the game became increasingly exciting, contributing many thrilling moments.

For example, McGrady's self-alley-oop dunk, Kidd's between-the-legs bounce pass, Kevin Garnett's goaltending block, Webber's no-look behind-the-back pass, Kobe's gliding dunk, Duncan's windmill dunk (missed)...

Kobe, who initially challenged Gan Guoyang, gradually gave up and handed the ball to Gan, his eternal idol.

Ultimately, the score was 138-125, with the Western Conference team defeating the Eastern Conference team by 13 points, thus preventing Allen Iverson from winning the All-Star Game MVP award.

During the awards ceremony, David Stern announced that the Star of Stars award would be given to Sonny Gan and Michael Jordan.

"You are eternal legends, eternal idols, true stars among stars!"

Stern said this with great emotion, because in the 1984-1985 season, the two of them won Rookie of the Year together. Now, years later, they are able to win an All-Star MVP together. It's really amazing.

(End of this chapter)