The Golden Age of Basketball

After Gan Guoyang returned to his residence, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep.

When he came to the United States four years ago, Gan Guoyang was curious about every new thing he saw, especially when he met nb and nb players in this era. Gan Guoyang still remembers that magical feeling now, for example, he The first time I met Payton, the first time I met Russell, the first time I met Chamberlain.

But after a long time, this feeling began to fade away, especially when Gan Guoyang himself became an nb player, and those future superstars all became his "colleagues" and competitors. No basketball celebrity could get any more excited.

However, the feeling of seeing Chinese male basketball players is different.

Now Gan Guoyang is more and more understanding of the hometown complex that remains in the hearts of Chinese people. During these years in the United States, he has also had many Chinese fans, but most of them speak standard English and belong to Americans in terms of identity. Chinese people are not the same after all.

Therefore, whenever he gets news about China in the United States and meets people from mainland China, he will feel extremely cordial and happy. The sense of blood connection brought about by the same root and the same species cannot be blocked by the Pacific Ocean.

But after the excitement, Gan Guoyang, who was lying on the bed, also became a little worried. He knew that as a professional nb player, it was impossible for him to represent the Chinese national team in international competitions. The lifting of this ban would have to wait until 1992.

It is also impossible for Gan Guoyang to give up his status as an nb player and return to China to play. After all, this is the highest palace of basketball in the world.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang also noticed that the players of the Chinese team didn't seem to be very interested in Gan Guoyang. Except for the two coaches Qian Chenghai and Lu Changxin, the other players were not interested in communicating with Gan Guoyang. They just ate there on their own. Or watch a show. [

Gan Guoyang wanted to strike up a conversation with them a few times, but in the end they were all hot faces and cold butts, and only got a few responses, which made Gan Guoyang feel a little uncomfortable.

However, after all, Gan Guoyang is a person who has seen the big world. Not only has he seen the big world, he also knows the future, so he doesn't care about the players of the men's basketball team. He also understands the mentality of the men's basketball players. They are all young people. He is also a first-class player in the Chinese basketball world. Now that a Chinese basketball master from the United States suddenly appears, they must have unconvinced thoughts in their hearts.

"You must not be convinced, then I will convince you tomorrow." Gan Guoyang was thinking, but the phone in the room rang.

"Hello, this is Sonny Gan, who are you?" Gan Guoyang asked after picking up the phone.

"It's me, Bernard. Fortunately, you are in the room." The caller turned out to be a Knicks player, former Warriors star, Bernard King.

"Bernard! How do you know the phone number in my room? I haven't contacted me for a while. Are you in New York?" Gan Guoyang heard that it was Bernard Jin. Since entering nb, Jin has become Gan Guoyang's comparison Good friend.

However, due to the long flight distance between New York and Portland, there are not many opportunities for the two to meet. Bernard King is also suffering from injuries this season, and only played 82 games in 55 games.

Even so, he won the title of scoring champion with an average of 329 points per game, which is enough to show his strong scoring ability.

"Yes, I'm in New York. The day after tomorrow, the Knicks will play a game against the Chinese men's basketball team. I heard that you are also in New York, so I asked someone to check your room number. You are staying in the room. How is it?" , would you like to come out for a drink?" Bernard King invited.

"If possible, I would like to go to the stadium for a while, if your knees are fine. I can't stand nightclubs in New York." Gan Guoyang has always stayed away from nightclubs. The noisy, luxurious environment is really not good. suits him.

"Okay, we can go to the Knicks training ground, and I will drive to the Intercontinental Hotel to pick you up."

The two basketball fanatics did not choose to spend time and drink, but went to the training hall at night, which may be the reason why the two became good friends.

Soon, Gan Guoyang waited for Jin's car at the entrance of the hotel, and he took a taxi to come.

Gan Guoyang opened the car door and sat up, but when he looked at Jin's face, he found that this square-faced, energetic super scorer looked a lot fatter than before.

"Hey Jin, what's the matter with you? Is it because the light at night is not good? Long time no see, why do I think you are getting fatter?" Gan Guoyang said bluntly. [

"Oh, you know Gan, my cruciate ligament is torn, I don't know how long I haven't touched the ball, how can I not gain weight?" Bernard King said to Gan Guoyang while starting the car.

"Oh damn, I actually forgot this, or we should find a place to sit down and talk, don't go to the training hall." Gan Guoyang remembered that Bernard King met the Kansas Kings in March In one game, the cruciate ligament of his right knee was torn, and he underwent surgery during the season, so he was completely reimbursed.

He also saw a pair of crutches next to Bernard King.

"No, it's okay, I want to stand on the court for a while, I like the feeling of standing on the court, even if I can't play." Bernard King said, and motioned to the taxi driver to drive.

The situation of the Knicks this season is quite bad. Because of the core player Bernard King's injury problem, they lost their competitiveness in the East.

To make matters worse, Bernard King's injury was not a minor injury, but a torn cruciate ligament in his eyes. In the nb of the 80s, it was likely to ruin a player's career.

Now Bernard King is facing such a danger. He has recovered very slowly after undergoing surgery and has not completely got rid of crutches until now.

The two quickly arrived at the Knicks' training facility by car, which is located in Fort Greene, New York, a famous entertainment district in Brooklyn, but they didn't come here for entertainment.

For Bernard King, whenever he wants to go to the gym, it's just a matter of words. Injured or not, he is the king of New York-at least before 1985.

Since Gan Guoyang left Portland, it has been a while since he practiced in the training hall. Just flying around the United States wasted a lot of his time.

"Hey Gan, do you remember the Central Plaza in San Francisco? That night, I taught you how to do a turnaround jump shot. Back then, you were not as tall as me. Now...you are a center forward." Bernard- Jin watched Gan Guoyang warming up on the field with the ball and said.

"Of course I remember! After that day, turning over jump shots became my nirvana! Helped us all the way to the finals in high school... But after that, I kept growing in size, strength and weight along with it, plus practicing hooks, I actually lost the turnaround jump shot! But I have decided to practice it again in the summer.”

With that said, Gan Guoyang came to the basket with the ball, made a fake move with the ball, and then turned over to the baseline to shoot!

"Shua!" The ball went into the net hollowly.

"It's too slow Gan, your movements are hesitant, your fake moves are too contrived, your opponent won't be fooled, and turning over is not smooth, you are really unfamiliar. Also, although you turn around with your heels, the premise is that you Your posture must be stable, and only a stable posture can guarantee the accuracy of your shooting." Although Bernard King is on crutches, he can see Gan Guoyang's flaws in movement at a glance.

As far as Gan Guoyang's current turnaround jumper level is concerned, it is not yet of actual combat value. Once it comes to high-intensity competitions, it will definitely not be useful.

"Haha, I haven't used this move for a long time, take my time, I will practice hard, and one day I will be able to return to normal state and let him become my regular weapon."

After finishing speaking, Gan Guoyang began to devote himself to shooting practice, while Bernard King was teaching on the sidelines.

Everything seems to be back to that night again, Gan Guoyang seems to have returned to the starting point, re-sharpening this basic offensive technique.

…………

"Director Qian, let the players come to the confrontation training in the team. It's too relaxing for this group of boys to practice so simply. After all, there is a game to be played tomorrow, so let them be nervous."

On the morning of the second day, in the Knicks training hall, it was the Chinese men's basketball players who were practicing. They were wearing red sports shorts and white T-shirts. Logo, on the back is printed "China-US Friendship Tour Group [-]."

The intensity of the practice in the morning was not high, and it was all simple basic training. There were also Knicks training staff who knew the male basketball players were training.

The two coaches of the men's basketball team felt that this kind of practice was still too relaxed, and they should play a dozen confrontation games with higher intensity, so as to wind up the clockwork for tomorrow's game.

"Hey, what about that guy from Gan Guoyang? Why didn't you see him in the hotel? Did he follow?" Qian Chenghai became concerned about Gan Guoyang. He hoped that Gan Guoyang could participate in the men's basketball training, so that he could get to know this guy The level of nb Chinese players.

"Oh, that Gan Guoyang will be here soon. He didn't seem to be staying at the hotel last night, and he wasn't there when I asked for him in the morning." The translator Men Lei said.

"These American players are not self-disciplined. It seems that even if they are Chinese, they are the same here. I don't know where they went to play at night." Assistant Lu thought that Gan Guoyang had gone to a messy place to fool around.

"Hey~ Everyone has everyone's freedom. Besides, he is not in our control. He is free to go wherever he wants... Look, he has come here, and he has changed his clothes."

As Director Qian Chenghai said, Gan Guoyang had already entered the training hall in his sportswear.

Gan Guoyang did not return to the hotel at night, because he practiced in the training hall until late, and later he and Bernard King opened a room nearby to sleep for the night, and then came directly in the morning.

"Hello, Director Qian, hello, Director Lu." Gan Guoyang greeted the two coaches with a smile, without a trace of tiredness on his face.

"Hello, Comrade Gan Guoyang...Well, you are in great shape. Are you interested in playing a practice match with my players?" Qian Chenghai looked at Gan Guoyang in a basketball uniform, his whole body was full of strength, and other Chinese Compared with him, the player is obviously thinner.

"Of course I'm interested... I'm afraid that they will lose interest in basketball after playing with me."