After the ga, the Trail Blazers’ visiting locker room was packed with people, truly packed.
Those unaware might think a wedding was being held here today, with all the fun and frolic of a bridal party.
Everyone was waiting for Gan Guoyang to co out of the shower room to be ready for the interviews.
With a staggering performance scoring 81 points in the final ga of the regular season, Gan Guoyang clinched this year’s scoring title.
In fact, Gan Guoyang could have scored more, but after hitting that mid-range shot, he asked Coach Ramsay to take him out.
Firstly, he was genuinely tired, and secondly, after reaching that ideal number, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
Once that weight was lifted, it was hard to gather that energy again, and Gan Guoyang knew he couldn’t score any more points.
He sat out the rest of the ga, savoring the achievent, enjoying the cheers and applause from the tens of thousands of fans in the stands.
This was an away ga, in Atlanta, and Gan Guoyang had won over everyone with his performance.
Although the Hawks have been recognized as a strong defensive team over the past few years, Jordan scored 61 points, Bird scored 60 points, and now Gan Guoyang contributed an 81-point ga.
It seems a strong defensive team needs the scoring of these stars for confirmation. After all, if you’re too weak and get beaten too early, it’s not worth padding the stats.
When Gan Guoyang finished his shower and ca out, the flash of caras in the locker room never stopped. Gan Guoyang was speechless, "Taking photos of after my bath?"
Luckily, he was fully dressed.
Reporters sward him, their microphones almost hitting Gan Guoyang’s face.
Everybody wanted to ask questions, and naturally, the one they wanted to know the most was why Gan Guoyang decided to leave the ga after scoring 81 points.
Gan Guoyang had been thinking about this during his shower, expecting that a reporter would ask such a question, so he had been contemplating his response.
He couldn’t just say, "I dread of this number, so I had to score 81 points," could he? How did this number appear in the dream in the first place?
Could it be because of a ga he saw...
Unable to explain, Gan Guoyang thought of other explanations.
It could symbolize the ninety-nine trials in ’Journey to the West’, but Aricans don’t understand the reference.
Or it could symbolize the accumulation of the previous 81 gas, but then why not score 82 points?
After going back and forth, Gan Guoyang could only give a fairly honest answer, "Because I was tired."
"And the other team was defending with four players, I knew they wouldn’t let score any more, 81 points was enough. It’s a target for others to surpass."
Gan Guoyang spoke casually, the reporters diligently jotting down notes. Every word he said would beco the headline; this was Gan Guoyang’s night.
After answering a couple of questions, Gan Guoyang stood up from the bench and said, "You shouldn’t just surround . I scored 81 points tonight, but it was really a team effort. Porter, Clyde, Walton, Thompson, each of them gave up their chance to shine and passed the ball to . You know I’m a center; if the guards kept the ball to themselves and didn’t pass it to , I would never have had this opportunity."
"Hey! Everyone, co over here, let’s take a picture together. Clyde, stop reading!"
Drexler put down the book he was holding, glanced at Gan Guoyang, and said, "Do I dare not pass the ball to you?"
"Next ti I’ll pass to you, how about you aim for 50 points?"
"Forget about it, I don’t have the stamina..."
Muttering under his breath, Drexler still shook hands and hugged Gan Guoyang. Tonight, Drexler’s passes were on point.
Porter, Thompson, Walton, Vandeweghe, and others all ca over, and everyone lined up in the locker room.
A reporter brought over a cardboard with the number 81 written on it and handed it to Gan Guoyang.
Just like when Chamberlain scored 100 points and posed with the number, the difference was that this ti the picture included the entire Trail Blazers team.
Gan Guoyang walked the talk; he turned the 81 points into a team honor, not rely a personal record.
The entire Trail Blazers team, along with those 81 points, would forever be recorded in the classic albums of NBA history.
When the Trail Blazers were finally ready to leave the arena to return to the hotel for so rest after the post-ga activities, the parking lot was filled with fans once again.
They were all chanting Gan Guoyang’s na; it was hard to imagine this was an away ga — Atlanta fans were clearly more accommodating than Boston fans.
If you score 50 points on , I’m upset. If you score 60 points, I’m astonished. 70 points, you’re pretty impressive. But score 80 here?
My goodness, you’re a god, a god on the basketball court.
Gan Guoyang had to sign autographs for many fans, even thoughtfully adding the number 81.
These signed T-shirts, notebooks, and basketballs sold for a high price years later.
Avia also was incredibly "sharp" by releasing a commorative Atlanta red edition scoring 81 points right after the ga, and it was the best-selling model of the season in Avia’s Skyscraper series of various quirky versions.
Finally getting on the team bus, the whole team returned to the hotel, and Drexler invited Gan Guoyang to go out for a drink, to celebrate the fantastic scoring feast.
It was the final regular-season ga; everyone could take a little break before the playoffs started.
Gan Guoyang turned them down, saying he was too tired and wanted to rest well.
Then, he pulled out so cash from his pocket, handed it to Dell Curry, and said, "Later when you go out for drinks with them, pick up the tab. Pretend it’s your treat."
It’s common for rookies to be bullied and pressured in the team, to buy drinks, breakfast, carry luggage, purchase tickets, and settle accounts—most rookies grind through like this.
Only a few, like Gan Guoyang, with strong capabilities and a dominant personality, act like the boss as soon as they enter the league, making carrying luggage out of the question for them.
And when a rookie player joins the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang never bullies them. He looks after them off the court, only being strict with them on the court.
Curry was sowhat grateful. As a rookie, his salary was really not high; constantly picking up the check was burdenso, and it was much easier with the support of the big guy.
"Sonny, why don’t you co with us too? Everyone wants to really celebrate for you."
"No, no, I really need to rest, and I have more important things to do when I get back."
With that, Gan Guoyang returned to his own room, shut the door behind him, and imdiately picked up the phone!
First, he called ho to Portland to report to his wife on tonight’s event.
Wang Fuxi excitedly shouted in the phone, her admiration for her husband overflowing in her words.
Even after becoming husband and wife, Wang Fuxi never lessened her admiration for her spouse, sothing quite rare among couples.
How many n and won who admired each other before marriage begin to tire of their close contact after marriage, even belittling each other.
Wang Fuxi didn’t. She remained, just like in her student days, her husband’s most dedicated fan and supporter.
After a tender mont with Wang Fuxi, Gan Guoyang hung up the phone and imdiately dialed the main line of the hotel in Boston, asking for an extension.
He had to call Michael Jordan after the ga! Without this step, Gan Guoyang would feel like today’s performance was incomplete.
Though he had a feeling Jordan might unplug the phone, what if he didn’t? What if ’His Airness’ was overwheld by his performance?
The busy signal buzzed in his ear, revealing Jordan indeed hadn’t unplugged the phone. After many rings, Gan Guoyang persistently waited, and the call finally went through.
"F*ck you, Sonny, and then congratulations, damn it, you scored 81 points!" ca Jordan’s cursing and congratulations through the phone.
This mixture of insult and congratulations reflected Jordan’s complex feelings at that mont.
As a friend, as a basketball player, seeing Gan Guoyang score 81 points, he was astounded.
But as an opponent, Gan Guoyang’s performance had him dejected; it wasn’t just the scoring title he had taken, but also a piece of Jordan’s confidence.
The Bulls’ ga had ended earlier, with Jordan putting up 40 points and then beginning to pay attention to Gan Guoyang’s performance.
The entire locker room was holding radios, listening to the comntary, and when Gan Guoyang hit 71 points, the whole room erupted in exclamations.
Indeed, not just in the Bulls’ locker room but in many teams’ locker rooms, everyone was following the ga.
Listening to the comntary progressing from 71 points, a basket, 73, another basket, 75, everyone’s nerves were continually stimulated.
It was said in the Lakers’ locker room, even during halfti with the third quarter about to start, nobody wanted to leave their listening spot.
Leading to the third quarter about to comnce, the referees noticed that neither team was taking the court.
anwhile, Jordan sat in a corner of the locker room, covering his head, wincing in disbelief at every basket Gan Guoyang scored afterward.
No regular-season ga had ever had such attention, not even the Christmas Day gas.
When Gan Guoyang’s score surpassed 80, the cramped visitors’ locker room in Boston, filled with the sll of champagne, boiled over.
"I heard that in the Celtics’ ho locker room, Larry Bird was getting a massage on the treatnt table and when he heard you scored 81 points, he jumped straight up," said Jordan on the phone, telling Gan Guoyang about the miraculous scene in Boston.
The two laughed heartily, and Gan Guoyang consoled Jordan, saying, "Even if soone scores 81 points, it doesn’t an they’re better than you. Look at Wilt, he scored 100 points, so what! Of course, that’s not , I am better than you."
Jordan replied, "You’re good at comforting, Wilt would definitely co after you if he knew."
The two talked for a long ti, discussing technical aspects of basketball, with Gan Guoyang sharing many technical details with Jordan.
Jordan benefited greatly from the conversation, realizing he might really be far behind Gan Guoyang.
"It’s okay, Michael, you’re young, the future is yours," Gan Guoyang assured.
User Comments
0 comments from readers