The Golden Age of Basketball

() In December, the most important festival in western countries-Christmas is coming.

All parts of the United States are welcoming the arrival of this important festival, and the same is true in the San Francisco area.The snowflakes have never stopped since the 15th, bringing a strong Christmas atmosphere to the entire Francis Bay area.

The same goes for Palo Alto, where a thin layer of snow covers everything at Palo Alto High—on the grass, on the trees, on the cars in the parking lot, and on the roof of the gymnasium.

However, the atmosphere in the gymnasium of Palo Alto High School did not become cold because of the snowflakes. On the contrary, anyone outside the gymnasium could feel the heat inside, which was completely different from the outside of the gymnasium.Because the Vikings were playing their last high school league game before Christmas and the last game in 1981.

自从12月12号维京人在主场以63：59逆转老鹰后，维京人后面的主场比赛是场场爆满。在这场比赛之前，维京人已经取得了高中联赛的8连胜，维京人的成绩已经达到了11胜2负，位居本区2级联赛球队的首位！

After Gan Guoyang returned to the Vikings, the team was undefeated and averaged 8 points, 39 rebounds and 17 blocks in 5 games.And the data for some games was obtained when he only played half of the game.

Especially in the battle against Skyrim High School, he scored 41 points alone, scoring more than two-thirds of the team's points. He used his dominance on both ends of the offense and defense to lead the Vikings to defeat the stronger eagles.

Dominance - this word has begun to appear in some people's evaluation of Gan Guoyang.As a Chinese on the margins of American society, Gan Guoyang was isolated in the basketball circle, a circle that was basically insulated from the Chinese.

But now, relying on his own strength, he began to slowly break this isolation barrier, just like the black players once broke the monopoly of white players on the team.

However, the black players relied on the strength of the entire group in basketball and quickly dominated the project, while Gan Guoyang was alone.

However, Gan Guoyang is not alone, at least at Palo Alto High School.

He's the center of attention, the star here, the center of everyone's attention at the Palo Alto Coliseum -- even when he's on the bench.

After defeating the Eagles, the entire Vikings got a sublimation in temperament.They have finally experienced a really bad battle, and their will and confidence can be tempered and improved. From this game on, the Vikings will gradually transform into a strong team-provided that there is Gan Guoyang here.

In the next few games, it returned to the situation before the Eagles. Gan Guoyang played half of the game and completely crushed the opponent's will to resist with his unstoppable offense and impenetrable defense. Then Gan Guoyang could sit on the bench to rest in the second half. The teammates practiced on the field.

The same is true of today's game. The Vikings led their opponents by nearly 40 points in the first half.Among the more than 1000 schools in California, the gap between some school teams is very large, which is completely two levels.

Therefore, in the second half, this game is no longer a real confrontation, but a game where you come and go.

The entire stadium also completely lost the tense atmosphere of the game, and it became a pre-Christmas party.Most of the spectators are communicating what they are interested in, and only a few people are still watching the game on the field.

"Gan, how are you going to spend this Christmas?" Dippenbrock asked.The Vikings' bench also stopped paying attention to the game and became a park chat bench.

"Huh? I don't know. I never had the habit of celebrating Christmas before." Gan Guoyang replied.

Needless to say, Gan Guoyang in this time and space, in China in the 80s and [-]s, Christmas belongs to the decadent festival of capitalism, and of course he would not celebrate it.

Even Gan Guoyang of later generations, although more and more Chinese people began to pay attention to Christmas, he still has no interest in this kind of foreign festival.

"Oh, that's a pity. You can make a wish to your father and ask for a gift." Dippenbroek obviously had something he wanted in his heart, and he hoped that his parents would buy it for him at Christmas.

"A gift?" Gan Guoyang thought for a while, but he really didn't want anything.If he had to say what he wanted, he might really want a pair of running shoes.

Now Gan Guoyang has two pairs of basketball shoes, and it was the best brand at that time - Converse, but he also hopes to have a pair of special running shoes.

Because Bellman told him that if you want to survive in a more intense league, you must have more physical strength, which requires special long-distance running physical training, and a pair of running shoes is essential.

"Maybe I need a pair of running shoes."

"I'd rather have a magician's jersey. I've always wanted one. It would be even better if I could have his autograph!" It turns out that Dipenbrook's idol is Magic Johnson, so Dipenbrook's The jersey number is also 32.

"Maybe one day when the Lakers come to Oakland to play, I can get you an autograph. Oh yes, there will be a Christmas game at Christmas?" Dippen Bullock mentioned Magic Johnson, and Gan Guoyang thought of being in the NBA. There will be a Christmas war every other day.

"That's right, but... the Golden State Warriors didn't qualify for the game this time, so we won't be able to watch the Christmas game in Oakland." Dippenbrook obviously knew more about the NBA schedule, and said helplessly.

"That's it, then we can only watch the live broadcast on the TV." Gan Guoyang said.He still hopes to go to Oakland to watch the Warriors game. After all, the Warriors have Bernard King. He found that watching King play can always learn something.

After encountering the star in Union Square last time, Gan Guoyang never got in touch with him face to face, and could only see him on TV or at the Oakland Stadium.

"Yeah, this Christmas game will be broadcast live across the United States. The best thing to watch is the Lakers vs. Suns. Oh~ I really want to go to Los Angeles to watch the Lakers game." It seems that Dipenbrook is also a Lakers fan.

"Can you go to Los Angeles during the Christmas holiday?" Gan Guoyang asked.

"This game is when the Lakers are away to challenge the Suns. I'm playing in Phoenix. I don't have the time to go to Arizona."

"Then when will there be a Warriors game?"

"There should be one on Christmas Day, also with the sun, but this time the sun will come to Auckland..."

The two of them were chatting about the Christmas NBA game on the bench, and they didn't care about the game on the court at all, because there was no suspense anymore.

In the end, the Vikings easily defeated their opponents by 40 points at home. When the final whistle sounded, Gan Guoyang felt that he was about to fall asleep.

"I didn't even break a fucking sweat!" Gan Guoyang yelled after everyone returned to the locker room after the game, looking very helpless.

"Hey, Gan! Mr. Behrman called you, and he said he has your phone number!" At this moment, Vigges at the door shouted.

Gan Guoyang heard who called the team?Did something happen at home?He hurried to Bellman's office in a hurry.

"Mr. Behrman, who is looking for me? Is it my father?" Gan Guoyang asked eagerly as soon as he entered the door.

"No, an old friend of yours."

"Old friend?" Gan Guoyang was taken aback for a moment, but then he realized that this was a pun, which not only meant that this was a friend he had known for a long time, but also that this friend was older.

Sure enough, when Gan Guoyang answered the phone, he knew it was Mr. Thurmond as soon as he heard the voice.

"Hi Mr. Thurmond, it's been a long time." Gan Guoyang seldom went back to San Francisco since he came to Palo Alto High School, and even if he did, he would spend more time with his father.So there was no time to go to Big Nette's Grill to see Mr. Thurmond.

"Haha, Gan, I didn't expect you to recognize my voice so quickly. How have you been at Behrman's recently? I know, that guy's mouth is not ordinary."

"Mr. Behrman is very kind to me. He is a great coach. I have learned a lot." Gan Guoyang said while thinking to himself, my mouth is not much better now.

"That's good, I've been following your game and what you've achieved is really amazing. So, I want to celebrate for you, can you come to me for Christmas Eve at Christmas time?"

Thurmond's proposal surprised Gan Guoyang, because for Americans, Christmas Eve must be spent with family members, and Thurmond's invitation meant that he regarded Gan Guoyang as a family member.This moved Gan Guoyang very much.

Gan Guoyang thought for a while, he knew that Gan's restaurant would not celebrate Christmas, and the Chinese in the United States were the top priority for their traditional festivals.

"Good Mr. Thurmond, thank you for your invitation, and I shall be there."

"Haha, that's good, you still come to my barbecue shop on the 25th, my wife and son will go there. Oh yes, and an old friend of mine will go there."

In this way, Gan Guoyang made an appointment with Thurmond, and went to Big Nette for a barbecue on Christmas.But Gan Guoyang is still very strange, who is Thurmond's old friend? Doesn't he have to spend Christmas with his family like himself?Is he also Chinese?

With doubts like this, Gan Guoyang waited until the holiday came.From December 12 this year to January 20 next year, more than two weeks will be the Christmas holiday, during which the high school league will be suspended.

After returning to San Francisco on the 20th, apart from helping out in the store, Gan Guoyang, Gan Guohui and Chen Xing would go to the Binhai Stadium to play basketball for a while.After entering the basketball team, Gan Guoyang basically stopped playing on the street, fearing injury.

However, Gan Guoyang was really bored after a day off without playing basketball, so he went to the Binhai Stadium and reorganized Guns N' Roses to sweep the streets.

Now in the Binhai Stadium, Gan Guoyang is like a god. He doesn't even need to step into the three-second zone or attack inside.Just shoot and pass the ball outside, basically invincible.

Because when it was his turn to defend, the opponent couldn't score at all.

When he goes back at night, he will sit by the TV on time, watch the NBA's live broadcast and sports news, and understand the dynamics of the entire NBA.Looking at the slightly blurred picture on the 17-inch TV, Gan Guoyang not only missed the high-definition live broadcast of later generations.

If there is a home game of the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Gan Guoyang will also go to the scene to watch it with Gan Guohui and Chen Xing, although they can always buy tickets in the back row, so that Gan Guoyang has never had the opportunity to get close to Bernard ?gold.

Five days passed quickly. Although there was no training, Gan Guoyang never left basketball.

On Christmas Eve, on Friday, all of San Francisco is crazy for black-friday (Black Friday).There is a long queue at the door of the store early in the morning, waiting for the opening time, because on Christmas Day, all products in stores across the United States will be greatly discounted.

Everyone ran to the store, and the restaurant naturally became deserted. Gan's Restaurant, which has always been doing very well, only had a few regular customers come to eat on Christmas Day.

Gan Guoyang also has nothing to do in the store, but his mind is on the Christmas dinner at night. Who is Mr. Thurmond's "old friend" going to be?

In the afternoon, with his father's consent, Gan Guoyang set off to Folsom's Big Nette BBQ restaurant. Before leaving, Gan Youwei asked, "Guoyang, what do you want?"

Although Gan's Restaurant is not celebrating Christmas, Gan Youwei knows that parents have the habit of giving gifts to their children on Christmas.He has been working as a chef at Gan's Restaurant for half a year, and the restaurant's business is getting better and better. He has also been allocated a part of the shares, and his wallet is getting more and more full.He himself is reluctant to spend money, but he has always been responsive to his son.

"Well... I want a pair of running shoes. As for the brand, you can buy whatever you want, Dad!" Gan Guoyang said his wish, and took the basketball to the Big Nette BBQ.

When Gan Guoyang arrived at the Big Nette Barbecue, he found that the barbeque had been decorated with Christmas ribbons and bells.However, a closed sign has been posted at the door.

After he entered, he was greeted by Nate Thurmond, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and his wife—a beautiful white lady, his son, and...another giant.

Gan Guoyang had heard Thurmond introduce his family, his white wife and son Jamal, so seeing these two people with welcoming smiles, Gan Guoyang also smiled and nodded.But when he saw the giant standing beside Nate Thurmond, Gan Guoyang's smile froze.

Gan Guoyang still remembers the first time he saw Thurmond, he was shocked by this tall and strong black tower.However, the giant I saw today, standing next to Thurmond, was even taller than this giant black tower, and even bigger in stature!Gan Guoyang, who is already 6 feet 9, still has to look up.

This giant is also wearing a pair of sunglasses, matching the leather jacket and leather boots on his body, which looks very cool, which reminds Gan Guoyang of the "future" movie "Terminator".Although this person looks like a middle-aged uncle in his 40s.

"Hello, Gan." Gan Guoyang was still in a daze, but this cool giant uncle had already stepped forward and stretched out his big hand.

"You... hello, Mr. Wilt... Chamberlain..." Gan Guoyang hurried forward, stretched out his slightly trembling hand, and shook hands with Dashan in front of him to say hello.

As Gan Guoyang called him, this giant taller than Thurmond is the retired NBA superstar, a magical figure with [-]% in a single game, known as the "Big Dipper" and "Basketball Emperor" Wilt Chamberlain.

Although Gan Guoyang's knowledge of nba history is not rich, he still knows such a legend among legends.In later generations, he once watched the video material of interviewing Chamberlain. In the video, Chamberlain also wore a pair of sunglasses, which looked cool, but he looked older in the video than he is now.

"Nate, he actually knows me. It seems that I am more famous than you!" Chamberlain saw that Gan Guoyang recognized him, turned his head and joked with Thurmond, because he knew that Gan Guoyang had just met Thurmond. I didn't recognize it at all.

Gan Guoyang didn't know why Chamberlain came to Thurmond for Christmas, but now he didn't have the heart to care about this issue. For him, Chamberlain was a god-like figure, and some of the miracles created by Chamberlain were almost the Unattainable.

Gan Guoyang felt that he was like Sun Wukong who met the Buddha.

"Don't be nervous Gan, Wilt is a very good person, and we have been friends for more than ten years." Thurmond could see that Gan Guoyang, who was standing there a little at a loss, was a little nervous. It was the first time he had met Chamberlain before. It was probably like this at the time, so he comforted him.

These words frightened Gan Guoyang into a shudder, and they exchanged ideas, and Chamberlain?Gan Guoyang thinks that with his current level, he is no match for the retired Thurmond, let alone Chamberlain, a man with [-]% in a single game.

"I... very happy to meet you, but... I'm afraid... I'm afraid I can't beat you." Gan Guoyang could only scratch his head and tell the truth.

Gan Guoyang has always given people the feeling of "arrogance and domineering" on the basketball court. If someone dares to challenge him, he will definitely fight back powerfully with his performance and trash talk on the court.

Because he knows that the core boss of a team must be able to respond to all opponents' provocations in order to be able and qualified to lead the team forward.

But off the court, Gan Guoyang has always been friendly and kind, especially when facing these two seniors, he is even more respectful.This is a cultural personality trait possessed by a Chinese, not to mention that Gan Guoyang has the memory of two generations.

"Haha, don't worry, I always like to play with fans, I won't let you die too ugly." Chamberlain said with a smile.

If this statement makes others feel obviously sarcastic and provocative, but when it comes out of Chamberlain's mouth, it makes people feel very normal.

Gan Guoyang didn't know what to say. Fortunately, Thurmond's wife brought out the cooked Christmas turkey from the kitchen and invited everyone to have dinner together, so Gan Guoyang was able to escape.However, he was still uneasy about Chamberlain's intention to single out himself.

Before dinner, US President Ronald Reagan delivered a Christmas speech. Gan Guoyang had no interest in what he said specifically. He was just surprised that Reagan had recovered after being assassinated more than half a year ago.

Starting at 02:30 p.m. Pacific time, the four Christmas battles will start in sequence and will be broadcast live across the United States.One of the most watched games is the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns at eight o'clock Pacific time.

In the 1981-1982 season, the Lakers had "Skyhook" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, "Magic" Johnson, and "Silk" Jamal Wilkes, Michael Cooper, and former mvp Bob McGregor on the bench. Kadu.

At the same time, the future legendary coach Pat Riley also began to take charge of the team's coach, tailoring the tactics of fast whirlwind for the Lakers, and the "show-time" took shape.This also makes them the hottest team in the league.

On the opposite side, the Suns have Alwan Adams, "rebound king" Chuck Robinson, and "dj" Dennis Johnson.Although there is a certain gap between the Suns and the Lakers in terms of strength, and they are at the upper-middle level in the league, the matchup between the two Johnsons is enough to attract attention.

After Christmas dinner, the three big guys, all over 6 feet 9, sat on a big stool by the TV in the dining room, waiting for the game to start at eight o'clock.

"I still remember the Christmas game in 1968. I was in the Lakers at that time, and the opponent was also the Phoenix Suns! At that time, we beat the opponent by 20 points. It was so fucking happy." Chamberlain recalled the past years with the Lakers.

"The Warriors played against the San Diego Rockets that year, and we beat the opponent by 30 points." Thurmond also said from the side, it seems that the Warriors won more games that year.

"The Lakers played the Phoenix again in '73, but I was gone by then, so the Lakers got 35 points! Hahaha!"

"I was in the Cavaliers in 77, and we also lost to the Buffalo Braves in the Christmas game. This is my last Christmas game."

In this way, Gan Guoyang listened to the two big men recalling his experience of the Christmas war, there were victories, defeats, bulls and miseries, he couldn't say a word anyway.

The time reached eight o'clock in this way, and abs TV began to broadcast the third game of the Christmas war-the Los Angeles Lakers challenged the sun in Phoenix.

Gan Guoyang came to the 80s, and after watching the NBA games for more than half a year, there are two biggest impressions, one is the speed is really fast, and the other is the fluency of the game is really high.

Unlike in the later generations, when a team averaged hundreds of points per game, even if it was a high score, it would be labeled as a so-called "running and bombing". In the 80s, almost every team in the NBA scored hundreds of points.There are many reasons, one is the fast pace, the other is that the defensive level is not as high as that of later generations, and the third is that the players generally have very solid offensive skills.

Especially for today's protagonist, the Lakers, almost every player has the ability to play singles with the ball. everywhere.

Especially their fast break, there is a feeling of flames sweeping through the mountains and forests, and there is no way to beat them wherever they go.

However, Phoenix, who played at home, obviously did not want to disappoint the home audience on Christmas Eve. They withstood the Lakers' attack under the leadership of Finals mvp Dennis Johnson.Two of the Johnsons were facing each other on the court, and the Magic had a headache defending Dennis, who was 6-foot-8 and had multiple steals.

The game was extremely intense, and it was not until the last minute that the winner was decided. In the end, the Lakers were superior and defeated their opponents 1:104 away.

The 48-minute game lasted for two full hours due to advertisements and timeouts. Gan Guoyang has long been used to this, but Chamberlain and Thurmond, two older players, complained constantly, complaining about the current NBA business. Too many commercials.

The three of them had finished watching the wonderful Christmas battle, and had no interest in the 10:30 match.At this time, Chamberlain stood up from the stool, went to the side, picked up the basketball Gan Guoyang brought with one hand, threw it in his hand, and said, "Hey Gan, the game is over, let's compete?"

When Gan Guoyang heard this, he knew that what was supposed to come had finally come, and abuse was inevitable.However, this is also a very good opportunity. Practice with Thurmond has allowed him to get started with his center skills, and this time is likely to bring new improvements.