Chapter 720 - 80: Do Not Say We Have Not Been Warned

For David Stern, this was a sleepless night.

He came to Portland to watch the Finals just because he was afraid of the conflict that might arise between the Trail Blazers and the Pistons.

He wanted to be personally on the sidelines to keep both sides in check.

But they didn’t give him any face at all, and all of a sudden, a huge incident occurred.

While visiting Isiah Thomas in the hospital, Stern deeply wished it was himself who lay in bed with his head wrapped in bandages.

"If only Ah Gan had elbowed me during the game, I’d send him back to China right away," Stern thought. If that were the case, everything would be much simpler.

But now, the situation was difficult. The Pistons and Thomas were notorious, and it was foreseeable that many people would support Ah Gan.

Legal considerations aside, public opinion and sentiment often sway the nature and outcome of incidents in America’s history.

Moreover, such conflicts on the court are unlikely to end up in court, and Stern did not want to escalate it to that level.

At the hospital, the Pistons’ coaching staff and manager issued a stern protest to Stern, demanding that Ah Gan be banned from playing, not to appear in the entire Finals.

William Davis made a phone call, raging, calling Ah Gan an executioner, a butcher without humanity, and demanding serious action.

Stern assured the Pistons that they would receive a fair outcome, but for the moment, he could make no promises, as the decision needed to be made by the office.

Thomas, lying in bed with his head wrapped like a matchstick, agonized not only by the pain on his face but more so by the loss of the first game.

He told Chuck Daly that he wanted to return to action as soon as possible; it was his head that was injured, not his hands or feet, and a mask would suffice.

Daly looked at Thomas with complex emotions, feeling both pity and admiration for his player, as well as hatred and anger towards Ah Gan.

But deep down, he also questioned himself, "Was I wrong from the start?"

The Pistons have become what they are today, and Chuck Daly bears the primary responsibility; Thomas has always been a tough guy, but tough is not the same as playing dirty.

When Daly first coached Thomas, Thomas was only 23 years old, wearing a child-like smile on his face, the most talented point guard in the league, and he was not dirty back then.

As time passed, the marks of growth became as indelible as tattoos.

Daly desired to return to Pusutani town to ask groundhog Pusutani-Phil whether he had been right or wrong all these years.

Ah Gan’s punch shook not only the bodies of the Pistons players and coaches but also their souls.

In sports competitions, adopting any means for victory might eventually backfire.

If there are no repercussions, it’s likely because someone is protecting you, or you are just lucky.

Not just in sports, but in society, too, when you constantly bully and exploit the honest using despicable means, you might never face consequences due to luck or protection, but it’s also possible to ruin your entire life.

People’s luck isn’t always good.

You have protectors, but there might be even more wanting to protect the other side.

Late at night, David Stern returned to his room at the Portland Hyatt Hotel.

He had originally planned to return to New York right after the game to deal with the draft work.

Now it seems that won’t work, he has to work directly from the hotel, asking the hotel to prepare the press room, which will definitely be needed tomorrow.

He then had his secretary contact the New York Alliance office to convene an overnight conference call to discuss how to handle the incident.

David Stern suddenly remembered the late Larry Fleisher; if he were still alive, Stern would be in trouble.

Fleisher would certainly barge into the room at the Hyatt Hotel and bargain face to face with Stern, demanding leniency for Ah Gan.

Back in the 1984-1985 season, that’s exactly what Fleisher did. When Ah Gan first faced the Pistons on an Eastern road trip, he body-slammed Lan Bi’er, shocking the league.

At that time, the Pistons and Lan Bi’er were already infamous, and Ah Gan’s "righteous act" earned praise from all teams.

In the end, with Fleisher’s lobbying, Stern, who had just taken office, only issued a one-game suspension.

The same was true for the 1987 Finals.

But this time, it’s more serious. Can a one-game suspension calm public opinion?

Stern didn’t know, so he missed Fleisher again. If he were here, perhaps it would be better.

Although they were opponents, they shared common ground in protecting NBA’s interests.

Hence, when the drug case with the Suns arose, the two worked together to successfully resolve the issue.

Ah Gan was Fleisher’s darling, and had Fleisher been alive, he would have surely found a way to perfectly resolve this matter.

Stern’s room phone kept ringing, many calls being from reporters, eager to learn of the punishment in advance.

Stern gave them all the same answer, "No comment."

Soon, Stern received a heavy-weight call.

From Washington, the chairperson of the Democratic Party’s highest committee, Bill Clinton.

Clinton said over the phone to Stern, "Ah Gan is my friend and a remarkable symbol for the NBA, you guys should protect him."

Stern was obligingly agreeable; he knew Clinton was currently a favorite in American politics and very likely to represent the Democratic Party in the upcoming presidential race.

He was one of the most powerful people in America.

Then, Stern received a call from the Speaker of the California State Assembly, the famous black political leader Willie Brown.

Willie Brown said, "Isiah Thomas is a black athlete, but his actions are despicable. Ah Gan is a kid from San Francisco, California; he is San Francisco’s basketball glory, representing loyalty, integrity, and tenacity. I hope the League takes this seriously; we all love and support the development of the NBA."

Willie Brown was very popular and loved by the people of San Francisco and one of the most powerful lawmakers in America.

He was known for supporting ethnic minorities; the Chinese Chamber of Commerce contributed a lot to him, and Ah Gan knew him for a long time.

Faced with such grandstanding pleas from political figures, David Stern barely coped, and his pressure was mounting.

It wasn’t just the political figures; several senior owners and managers of the League also called, all without exception pleading for Ah Gan.

Jazz team owner Larry Miller said, "John called me overnight, insisting I talk to you, and I also believe, Ah Gan is an upright good person. His violent act wasn’t to hurt others but to stop violence. And his influence on the League is unparalleled, you really need to think about it, David."

Stockton requested over the phone that Miller must call Stern, offering to reduce his own salary when signing as a free agent, to help Miller save a lot of money.

The Bulls owner Reinsdorf also called Stern, "Your phone is really hard to get through, I must have dialed a hundred times! David, if there is a shareholders’ meeting, I’ll definitely support Ah Gan! Look what the Detroiters have done to us? Honestly, if possible, I’m willing to have Michael go to jail for Ah Gan’s sake, they’re like iron buddies after all."

Stern was overwhelmed; even Auerbach called to say Ah Gan did a good job, "That was the best boxing match I’ve ever seen! David, from my limited life experience, the world will be on Ah Gan’s side this time. You can punish him, but you need to measure it well, otherwise, it might be your biggest blunder."

Stern was busy until the early hours, unable to sleep, with continuous phone calls coming in.

At this point, Stern realized that this monster who dominated the courts had amassed so many connections and friends off the court.

Compared to those black players who only knew how to play on the court and cause trouble off the court, Ah Gan has done much more.

On the court, he was charismatic, his skills, and performance won over many team owners, managers, and fans, apart from occasional violence, his sporting conduct was very good.

Off the court, he participated in many activities, using his influence to help many people, including companies, organizations, and individuals.

He got Avia to sign contracts with lots of ordinary stars, produced many affordable basketball shoes, making them accessible to the poor, and promoted the influence of the NBA and basketball.

He befriended many political figures, yet didn’t get too involved in politics; politicians knew that being friends with Ah Gan was a form of publicity for themselves.

Ah Gan had such social influence.

To fully discuss how to handle this matter, David Stern scheduled the press conference for the next afternoon.

But in the morning, Stern saw and heard more voices, from on and off the court, from all sectors of society, and even from across the Pacific Ocean.

Michael Jordan, who was training at home, was the first to stand up, saying, "I steadfastly support Ah Gan; perhaps he does indeed deserve to be suspended for a game or two, but definitely not the entire Finals. I know since last night, Detroit’s media started to fan the flames, calling for Ah Gan to be banned from the whole Finals. Let me say, if Ah Gan is to be banned from the entire Finals, then a certain team should withdraw from the NBA, permanently."

Jordan unleashed his anger in the media for the first time, strongly supporting his friend.

Although his agent David Falk and Nike preferred him to stay silent, the usually compliant Jordan refused.

Jordan firmly believed, Ah Gan’s attack on Isiah Thomas had the meaning of taking revenge for him.

At this time, he could not let Ah Gan down.

Others who spoke out included Charles Barkley, Ewing, and a group of Ah Gan’s NBA friends.

The most important voice from the cultural and sports world came from Michael Jackson, who rushed to Portland for this.

In June ’90, Jackson was suffering from chest pain; during a dance, the sharp pains sent him to the hospital for treatment.

After being discharged, he returned to his constructed Dream Manor for recuperation, and he watched the Finals game between the Trail Blazers and Pistons that night.

After witnessing the incident live, Jackson immediately called Ah Gan to understand the whole situation.

He left Dream Manor that night and flew to Portland on a private plane, arriving at Gan Guoyang’s home.

The presence of Michael Jackson elevated the news to a whole new level.

The next day at noon, Jackson gave an interview, saying, "I talked to Ah Gan, he opposes violence, but violence is always around the court. That punch was not a spur-of-the-moment thing, but a powerful counterattack against a League that indulges in violence. Ah Gan will get the punishment he deserves, but I think any extra blame should not be put on him, he’s very much a good person..."

Jackson’s voice brought public support for Gan Guoyang to a peak.

Letters, phone calls, telegrams, flew like snowflakes towards the NBA New York office and the hotel where Stern was staying.

The League staff were going to collapse, we haven’t done anything to Ah Gan at all! Nothing yet!

Gan Guoyang was also helpless; he didn’t expect that just a few punches would involve so many people and draw in so many favors.

He wanted to tell everyone that he could take all the consequences; since he dared to act, he would dare to accept responsibility.

When he took action, he was ready for everything, even if it meant a suspension he wasn’t afraid, he would just come back next year.

But as things escalated, it was out of his control, a large-scale "Saving Private Ah Gan" drama unfolded across society.

America, a commercial society at heart, has a performative personality society; everyone can be an actor, everyone can participate in the performance.

Bad luck would have it, the motherland across the Pacific also got involved, Xinhua News Agency published an editorial, starting with:

"On the battlefield of the court, some teams need to understand, do not consider a prophecy unwarned..."