[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-golden-age-of-basketball":3,"chapter-the-golden-age-of-basketball-the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-626":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Golden Age of Basketball",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1444493,1896,"Chapter 626 - 23 Friendship Years_3","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-626",626,"\u003Cp>Thomas, Aguirre, and Magic Johnson were like brothers in arms, having all entered the NBA in the years 1979 and 1980 – Thomas and Johnson as first overall picks and Aguirre as the second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similar to Gan Guoyang, Barkley, and Jordan in 1984.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the ’84 Finals, after losing Game 7, Magic Johnson, due to flight issues, was forced to stay in Boston and witness the Celtics’ victory parade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, Aguirre and Thomas went to the hotel in Boston to stay with Johnson and comfort him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By 1989, Aguirre and Thomas ended up on the same team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hot-tempered Aguirre, once tyrannical with the Mavericks, immediately changed his behavior after joining the Pistons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He became a self-described brick, moving wherever needed and following the coach’s arrangements without question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His playing time dropped from 34 minutes with the Mavericks to 29 minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His scoring average decreased from 21.7 points to 15.5 points; he completely integrated himself as part of the team, casting aside selfishness and attachment to personal stats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, at 29, Aguirre was younger than Dantley, making the trade a definite win for the Pistons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet trading away Dantley, who had been instrumental to the team’s success, at that time felt somewhat like discarding a worn-out tool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 1989 Finals brought friends Magic, Aguirre, and Thomas together on the grandest stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Initially, they were still on good terms, exchanging kisses on the cheeks before each game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as the series intensified, so did the fierceness of the games and the emotions; the smell of gunpowder grew stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both teams had a profound obsession with winning the championship, having longed for it for too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Thomas and Johnson fell out with each other, finding their ritual kisses repulsive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an observer, Larry Bird bluntly said, \"Watching those two put on that charade made me want to throw up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the Pistons proved to be the better team and won the championship, and afterward, the three friends reconciled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this Finals competition had planted the seeds for a complete fallout between Thomas and Magic Johnson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, for the Pistons, the trade was a success; Aguirre was younger, more compliant, and the team became stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the Mavericks, in addition to Dantley, received two draft picks from the Pistons which they couldn’t immediately use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the departure of Aguirre and Dick Motta, the spirit and soul of the Dallas Mavericks seemed to have been taken away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Aguirre wasn’t exactly a superstar, he was the first star and core player of the Mavericks since the team’s foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this date, every record and fond memory in the history of the Mavericks is associated with Aguirre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aguirre’s departure marked the end of the first era for the Mavericks, like the end of one’s first love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Valentine’s Day of 1989.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mavericks were waiting for their next true love to arrive, not knowing when it would be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the night of November 10th, the Trail Blazers easily secured a victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mavericks had a loose start to the season, with 1 win and 2 losses, showing a lack of spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers, however, were in great form and the away games hadn’t affected their stamina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bobby Berman once again employed an 11-man rotation, giving Anthony Mason a chance to play and earn three fouls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang had another ordinary night, with a triple-double of 28 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Needless to say, the first Player of the Week award of the new season was his for the taking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers claimed the Texas Triangle with a perfect start of three wins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the beginning of the new season, they had five wins in as many matches, with heavy player rotation in every game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cost of this strategy was that Gan Guoyang’s minutes increased by 2 minutes from the previous season to 42 minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’re going to play with the bench guys, the Big Brother has to be on the court to keep an eye on them, otherwise, things can go wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a perfect week for the Trail Blazers as they headed home, traveling back to their nest on the \"Trail Blazers One\", owned by Tang Jianguo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning to Portland, Gan Guoyang received a call from his friend, Charles Barkley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bullets were coming to Portland to play a game the next day, and over the phone, he asked Gan an important question: \"Sonny, what baby formula are you feeding your kid? Why does my child get diarrhea after eating baby formula?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You didn’t feed your kid hamburgers, did you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"F*ck, of course not! I’m asking for your advice, don’t joke around.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come over to my house tomorrow. I’ll give you some to take back. Try the formula I’m buying.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In May 1989, Charles Barkley became a father too, and he made the effort to raise his child, becoming a black adult male with a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the 1988 Finals, his friendship with Gan Guoyang actually grew stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>",839,"2026-06-06T01:41:34.788Z",1,"novelbin.me","d7e069fc7720ed7b95284f05ae8d5f81f08a53ad0f40412098302e08f2cb1923","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-627","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-625",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]