Chapter 1334 - 20: No Elbows

Bird avoided Guoyang’s defense and couldn’t help but marvel at how well this guy has recovered.

Still remember this guy starving himself in Naples for a comeback and eating bananas to recharge potassium.

Immediately after the press conference, he dove into recovery training; in just two months, his body was strong again like a stud.

This is a kind of talent; the longer you work in the NBA, the more you realize that what you end up competing with is physical fitness.

Tactics and techniques exhausted, the long and painful season ultimately comes down to whose stamina is fullest, whose body is healthiest, whose injury count is lowest, and who can stay clear-headed in critical moments, with steady hands when shooting, error-free in passing and no low-level mistakes due to fatigue and pain.

In fact, many failures stem from distorted technical moves after a loss of stamina, scattered consciousness and willpower, and a series of inexplicable errors triggered by this.

This is why Bird places so much emphasis on physical training; he also understands why Ah Gan has had such strong dominance in the past 10 years.

His physical qualities are among the best on this planet; among a crowd of geniuses and beasts, he still stands out.

After training, in the locker room, Bird lay on a therapy bed with ice packs on his knees and ankles, while a therapist relaxed and massaged his back.

Although it was just low-intensity exercise and confrontation, Bird is getting older and has to coach the game at night, so he must protect his muscles and joints.

Gan Guoyang said: "Larry, you should stop playing, or you’ll really suffer if you get injured."

Bird said: "As long as you don’t target me, I can teach you guys how to pass and position once a week... a bit harder, I can handle the pain."

Bird’s tolerance for pain far exceeds that of an average player; playing injured is a common occurrence for him.

One person lay down for a massage, the other sitting for a stretch, exchanging plenty of experiences on body protection and training.

Bird found that Guoyang didn’t have any special secrets, just eating well, sleeping well, and scientific training.

These things are becoming increasingly widespread in the current NBA, with almost every team equipped with specialized nutrition and logistics teams to service their players.

"I just execute better and longer, and God gave me a very good physique, that’s it," Guoyang said, speaking the truth.

"Your compiled recipe is also very good; it’s said that the eighth revised edition, released because of your comeback, is selling very well nationwide."

Guoyang releases a sports nutrition guide annually, essentially just a small booklet, which publishers reprint with new versions every year.

One book sells for one US Dollar, and since the 80s, it has accumulated millions of US Dollars in sales.

Of course, by the 90s, much of the content was no longer written by Guoyang himself but was compiled, edited, and published under Ah Gan’s name by professional teams, based on the latest sports and nutrition theses.

"I’m just lending my name now; I’m a basketball player, not a professional nutritionist. How could I write something new every year? That’s America; as long as you have fame, anything with your name on it can sell. Even if it’s a pile of dog poop, there’ll be someone willing to buy it for a taste. Let alone mine, which isn’t crap."

"I actually don’t understand why there’s celebrity influence, why people are drawn to buy a recipe, or a bottle of beer by someone who plays basketball, or why they go to McDonald’s and Kentucky because of Michael, me, you, and Barkley."

"Don’t drag Barkley into this; he’s a burger expert. His endorsements are convincing."

The two laughed heartily; once Barkley is mentioned, Bird’s spirits are lifted, and he instantly becomes talkative.

In the past two years, Bird and Barkley have collaborated on several ads; at the shooting locations, Barkley’s blunders are numerous.

Guoyang also has a hundred jokes about Charles Barkley; a whole regular-season game worth of jokes without repeating any.

Compared to Beelman, Guoyang and Bird are more like friends; they have very similar personalities, and the more they interact, the more they click.

Bird’s tactical training in the morning was effective; in the evening, the Trail Blazers once again faced the Sacramento Kings at home, and the situation greatly improved compared to several days ago.

Firstly, the Trail Blazers made fewer mistakes; although passing was still not smooth enough, the players were evidently more cautious, and there were far fewer reckless rounds.

Guoyang demonstrated an absolute advantage against Divac, spending a considerable amount of time tonight strongly attacking this Serbian old friend from the low post.

The Kings had no choice but to heavily double-team, and Guoyang then used passing and coordination to lift his teammates.

The Trail Blazers played simply but orderly, quickly gaining a lead and maintaining it until the final stage.

With a score of 92 to 97, the Trail Blazers defeated the Kings by a 5-point advantage at home, achieving their first winning streak of the season.

Though the point difference wasn’t large, the Trail Blazers never allowed the Kings to lead throughout the whole game.

It was a classic Ah Gan victory; once the lead is on, he keeps you submerged the entire game without coming up for air.

No mistakes, no chance for momentum, no highest percentage basket scores, making comebacks increasingly difficult.

Kobe’s performance showed no significant improvement compared to the first game, playing 14 minutes with 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 fouls.