Chapter 689 - 59: Collecting the Coffin_3

The journey in the NBA is exhausting, even the strongest teams can be tormented by consecutive road games to the point of losing form, resulting in losses in matches they shouldn’t lose.

Last season, the Portland Trail Blazers suffered from fatigue and injuries on the road, mainly because their bench was severely short-handed.

Once a player fell into injury, had a physical crisis, or just like tonight with Gan Guoyang not at his best, they would easily lose away games.

This year is different, with Fleisher’s efforts and Jerry West’s maneuvers, the Trail Blazers’ bench strength expanded instantly.

Without losing any core players from the ’89 season, they have become the team with the deepest roster in the entire league.

After grinding through most of the season, the Trail Blazers now have a stable 10-man rotation.

Someone with Cliff-Robinson’s talent at the three and four positions doesn’t get much playing time with the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers’ offensive talent is quite ample, and at the small forward position, they need more defense and assistance, so Sanders gets more game time.

With such a long bench and such deep rotation, the Trail Blazers allowed for great error tolerance during the regular season.

After finishing a four-game road trip in the Eastern Conference, the Trail Blazers returned to Portland to regroup and continued their winning streak.

From February 17th to March 10th, the Trail Blazers fought and surged to a 15-game winning streak with a strong push.

During this winning streak, the Trail Blazers successively overcame strong teams like the Bucks, Spurs, Jazz, Mavericks, Lakers, Suns, and Bullets.

It wasn’t until March 12th that the Trail Blazers lost in an overtime away game to the Denver Nuggets, ending their post-All-Star Game winning streak.

Before the game against the Nuggets, Gan Guoyang attended a funeral at the funeral home run by Calvin Natt in Denver.

Natt had been signed by the Indiana Pacers this season but had played only 14 games due to injuries. Deciding that he could no longer continue to participate in high-intensity games, he retired and left the NBA.

After retirement, Natt officially began his second life, returning to live in Denver, becoming a pastor, and with Ah Gan’s support, opened his own funeral home.

The funeral was very sad; a child passed away due to a congenital heart disease attack before reaching adulthood, leaving this world.

Natt performed the funeral rites expertly and consoled the bereaved parents with deep compassion, helping the child complete his last journey in this world. He hung the child’s favorite toy on a tree next to the grave, and as it swayed in the wind, it seemed to be touched by the soul.

Dressed in a black suit, Gan Guoyang brought a white rose for the child and his parents and then made a donation to the local foundation for treating congenital heart disease.

The child’s parents recognized Ah Gan, and they were surprised. Gan Guoyang comforted them, saying: "Your child will surely go to a better place, without sickness. He will live well and have a new, happy life."

After the funeral, Gan Guoyang avoided media intrusion and returned to the hotel in Natt’s Lincoln hearse.

"Thank you, Sonny, I didn’t expect you to come. You’ve comforted them and lessened their pain a little," Natt said.

"I merely did what I should, after all, I have a share in the funeral home. You performed the ceremony very well, dignified and solemn—your gift for funerals seems even better than your basketball talent."

"I think, in this regard, your gift is stronger than mine. You’re good at soothing the soul. One day, I hope you can also become an excellent Funeral Director. You would be the best, just like on the basketball court."

Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "This job of burying, I am already doing. This season, I will bury all the teams, bid them goodnight early, and I will try to do it beautifully."

Natt swallowed, knowing that Gan Guoyang was not joking.

So far this season, indeed no team has been able to stop the Trail Blazers.

Their roster is too good, their strength too formidable, they’re simply unstoppable.

Although that very night, the Trail Blazers lost to the Nuggets and ended their winning streak.

But then they took another 8-game winning streak and ended the regular season with a 9-1 record in April.

Eventually, they achieved an impressive season record of 69 wins and 13 losses, tying the league’s best historical record set by the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers.

They nearly touched the 70-win threshold but ultimately gave up the pursuit of the record to ensure the core lineup’s health.

Because the playoffs and championships are the Portland Trail Blazers’ only goals, otherwise the regular season efforts are in vain.

With home-court advantage in all series, in late April, the Trail Blazers officially began their 1990 postseason campaign.

For this moment, Gan Guoyang has been waiting for a whole year.

And the Trail Blazers’ rookies will also face the test of the playoffs.

The Trail Blazers’ first-round opponent is the formidable Denver Nuggets.