Chapter 635 - 27 Changing Ideas

On June 27, 1988, a week after the NBA finals, Michael Spinks and Mike Tyson squared off in Atlantic City for a battle to claim the heavyweight boxing champion’s golden belt.

Before this matchup, neither fighter had been defeated, and boxing promoters billed this fight as the "ultimate" showdown.

I loved watching boxing matches, and when I was younger, nothing was more thrilling than a fierce boxing match.

Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Evander Holyfield, including Mike Tyson, were all people you’d want to watch.

Today, mixed martial arts have taken some of the spotlight from boxing, but in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Tyson’s matches were the ones to watch.

Before the match, I had met Tyson a few times. We weren’t great friends, but I knew his manager, Don King.

Mike kept in touch with me, and years after the Spinks match, I even visited him in prison.

In 1992, he was convicted of rape and was sent to the Plainfield Reformatory, about 20 miles from downtown Indianapolis.

When I went to Indiana for matches, I would visit him, and for Tyson, having visitors felt like a holiday.

In his prime, Tyson fought like a lion devouring raw meat.

He never wasted time punching his opponents; his punching speed was so fast that he could finish them off in no time.

So if you bought a ticket, all you had to do was get to your seat before the first round started, or you’d miss the fight and the knockout.

Tyson was not someone to mess around.

In 1988, I wouldn’t miss the match held at the Atlantic Convention Center.

I came to the venue with Michael Jordan and Chicago Bears’ defensive end, Richard Dent.

Many celebrities attended that night, including the newly crowned champion, Ah Gan, and the Trail Blazers’ new owner, Donald, along with many Hollywood stars.

I was just an ordinary face in the crowd, and Michael’s expression turned complicated when he saw Ah Gan, who had already won three consecutive championships.

Besides celebrities, there were thieves, prostitutes, and cheats everywhere, just like the society in America.

Before the match started, someone stole Richard Dent’s wallet.

We arrived at the venue on time, and it was very, very right to do so.

Because Tyson ended Spinks’ career in just 91 seconds.

One round, a few clean punches, one knockout, the match was over.

That night, however, I got punched too—not by Ah Gan.

After the match that evening, I learned I had been traded from Chicago to the New York Knicks.

The news spread around Atlantic City, though I can’t remember who told me. I directly relayed it to Michael.

The accompanying Michael was very upset and wanted to immediately call Klaus for an explanation.

Ah Gan, meanwhile, was jokingly recruiting me to play in Portland.

I joked back, asking him when he would fight Tyson for the champion’s golden belt.

Ah Gan responded earnestly, "If I were a professional boxer, you’d be my first opponent."

Xie Te, I’m not afraid of anyone in the NBA, but when it comes to fighting, Ah Gan truly is intimidating.

I suspect that if wrestling were allowed, Ah Gan might be able to beat Tyson.

Anyway, I wouldn’t want to fight Ah Gan unless absolutely necessary.

————Published in 2022, an excerpt from Charles Oakley’s autobiography, "The Last Enforcer".

Gan Guoyang’s advice was always effective, practical, and spot-on.

With Sabonis’s massive fists, if he gave Ewing one punch, Ewing definitely wouldn’t make it to tonight’s game.

Without Ewing, the Knicks’ offense and defense would crumble significantly, no hope of winning this game.

And the Trail Blazers without Sabonis?

It didn’t seem to affect them much; Gan Guoyang stepping up as center made winning the game easier.

In the face of Sabonis’ sincerity, Gan Guoyang laughed and patted him, saying, "Just focus on defense."

In the first quarter, it was a close battle, with Ewing doing quite well, scoring 8 points, 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.

The Knicks led the Trail Blazers by 2 points, 28:26.

Stu Jackson’s strategy was a critical continuation of Rick Pitino’s past approach.

He retained the perimeter three-point shooting and the overall agile offensive style.

Meanwhile, Jackson significantly emphasized Ewing’s importance in the Knicks’ offense.

During the first quarter’s set plays, over ninety percent of the Knicks’ offensive possessions had to go through Ewing’s hands.

This was somewhat reminiscent of the 1986-1987 season’s Trail Blazers, where every positional attack had to give Ah Gan the ball to go one-on-one.

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Now, he’d rest for a longer period during the second quarter to give younger players more opportunities to practice.

He and Sabonis sat together, analyzing and explaining the mistakes Sabonis had made defending Ewing in the first quarter.

Sabonis listened intently, as this was his necessary path to improvement, with every game offering much to learn.

Guiding Sabonis also allowed Gan Guoyang to refine his own defensive strategies.

No one’s defense is perfect, and just because Gan Guoyang could handle Ewing didn’t mean he’d always have the upper hand.

He too would make mistakes, suffer setbacks, and could end up as a backdrop.

The key was to find the best solution, to maximize the discomfort of the opponent.

The process of explaining and interacting was also one of mutual adjustment.

Suddenly, a piercing whistle from the referee was heard on the court, as the Trail Blazers and Knicks players had a conflict.

Gan Guoyang hurriedly stood up from the bench, and a referee rushed to the sideline to hold back Guoyang, "Calm down Ah Gan, calm down, it’s nothing, nothing happened."

It turned out that Petrović, during a breakthrough, was pushed by Charles Oakley and flew out of bounds.

Petrović was furious, and as he got up he charged towards Oakley, only to be pushed away when Oakley extended both arms.

The referee intervened to stop the conflict; Charles Oakley didn’t even give Petrović a straight look, but rather glanced towards the Trail Blazers’ bench.

Seeing the referee holding back Ah Gan reassured him somewhat.

Oakley was a tough guy, but not mindless.

Luckily, Guoyang appeared calm, merely conversing with the referee on the sideline.

When Gan Guoyang re-entered the court and faced off against Oakley, he said, "Be nice to our rookie, play seriously, and don’t bully."

Oakley defended himself, "It was just normal defense, normal confrontation."

"Really? How about I give you some ’normal’ defense and confrontation, too?"

Oakley didn’t reply, avoiding a direct conflict with Gan Guoyang.

Guoyang didn’t escalate physically, unlike two years ago when he would’ve seized an opportunity to elbow Oakley in support of Petrović.

With age and increasing status in the league, Gan Guoyang was becoming more restrained, seeking other ways to handle conflicts.

He wouldn’t resort to violence unless absolutely necessary.

The main reason was, Larry Fleisher had advised him more than once not to physically fight.

Now that Fleisher had passed away, Gan Guoyang felt deeply saddened whenever he recalled Fleisher’s advice.

So whenever he felt hot-tempered, he’d remember Fleisher’s words to calm himself down.

Off the court, Oakley and Gan Guoyang got along well, so Guoyang settled for just a verbal warning.

Instead of escalating, the game, fueled by this conflict, seemed to calm down.

Oakley’s clash with Petrović had a reason behind it.

After entering the game in the second quarter, Petrović continuously broke through for jump shots and layups, scoring 6 points in a row.

Not only that, but he also assisted Cliff-Robinson in scoring a layup, and the Trail Blazers managed an 8:3 offensive run, widening the gap.

In Ewing’s absence, Knicks’ defense struggled to contain Petrović, prompting Oakley to resort to physical confrontation.

Tonight, Petrović played smartly; after substituting in, he utilized screens set by Divac to cut into the three-second zone and attack the basket.

He and Petrović had cooperated for years in the national team, showing great understanding.

Petrović heeded Beelman’s advice, realizing that while he couldn’t quickly improve his physical confrontations, he must learn to play smarter.

He seized his limited playing time, showcasing himself as much as possible.

Beelman didn’t correct his playing style but encouraged him to continue as he did at Real Madrid, initiating attacks on the basket.

Clearly, Beelman was aiming to develop Petrović into a sixth man.

At halftime, the score was 51:58, with the Trail Blazers leading the Knicks by 7 points thanks to Petrović’s performance after entering the game.

Ewing was the most outstanding player of the first half, picking up 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 3 assists.

Sabonis, however, was dominated by Ewing, devoting most of his energy to defending Ewing one on one.

With only 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 assist, Ewing seemed even harder to handle than David Robinson.

Sabonis’s height, weight, and playing style meant he could handle players like Robinson, who had an attacking style.

Ewing’s technique, mid-range excellence, solid back-to-basket skills, ability to distribute the ball, and to cut to the basket made Sabonis’s height and weight advantage ineffective.

Tonight was the biggest test Sabonis had faced in the NBA yet.

During the halftime break in the locker room, Sabonis, who had played 16 minutes in the first half, felt a slight swelling in his knees.

In his mind, he replayed the matchup with Ewing, feeling dejected.

He hadn’t defended well against Ewing, making many mistakes, despite Ah Gan’s numerous tips.

Yet on the court, most decisions boiled down to instinctual muscle memory rather than rational judgment.

He was lacking in game, training, and thus in muscle memory.

For a moment, he thought, "Maybe Ah Gan’s suggestion is right, I should have just punched Ewing."

Peoples’ thoughts are always changing with time and circumstances.