[{"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-721":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},1444288,1896,"Chapter 721 - 81: The Great Wall Stands Forever","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-721",721,"\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang had never expected that Xinhua News Agency would publish an article commenting on the incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The central idea of the article was very clear, stating that the Detroit Pistons team, despite repeated warnings, continued to use violent harassment tactics. Ah Gan had finally reached his limit and struck back in self-defense against the Pistons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the humorous and sharp sports commentary articles in America, Xinhua’s article carried a strong political tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of political rhetoric being used in sports commentary indeed felt distinctive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starting from 1989, the previous tape-delayed NBA games were officially switched to live broadcasting in China, including selected regular season games, playoffs, and all the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The NBA provided a free live signal to Central Television, broadcasting in real-time to televisions nationwide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 1990, Gan Guoyang led his team back into the finals, and during the first summer of the ’90s, he triggered a climax of viewership in the country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basketball game turned into a boxing match, and the director of Central Television did not cut the broadcast, letting the entire nation witness the might of Gan Guoyang’s fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, domestic viewers not only did not criticize the violence on the court but also regarded Ah Gan as a modern-day Huo Yuanjia, fighting against the foreigners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 1983, China’s mainland introduced the Hong Kong TV drama \"The Legendary Fok,\" sparking a viewing frenzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The theme song \"The Great Wall Never Falls\" became a hit, and Ah Gan also became the unyielding Great Wall in the eyes of Chinese fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, this matter escalated to a level it should not have and also imposed significant pressure on Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pressure came precisely from the support from all sides, because he knew that every gift from fate was marked with a price in secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the favors and support were to be repaid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For political figures like Clinton and Willie Brown, speaking for you meant being tied to your image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clinton would surely run for president in the future, and Willie Brown would turn the political tide in San Francisco and California.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day when they need you to make an appearance, participate in an event, or voice your opinion on a public issue, you at least need to show your stance, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s more, for team owners and managers, as Ah Gan is a guarantee for ratings and a box office draw, bringing extra profits to the entire league, he won’t be rested for away games anymore – if he has to play, he must play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the advertisements and collaborations with brand partners, needless to say, there will only be more and more of them, happening more frequently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And across the ocean, behind Xinhua News Agency, stands the expectations and support of countless compatriots. Now that the Olympic basketball games have lifted the restrictions on NBA players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as Gan Guoyang is physically able, he is definitely expected to join the national team and represent China in the Olympics – a duty he cannot shirk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greater the ability, the wider the range of involvement, the deeper the worldly interactions, the greater the responsibility – Gan Guoyang finally had a profound realization of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, apart from these necessary costs, Gan Guoyang also had many people around him who supported him unconditionally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wife, father, parents-in-law, and relatives all stood firmly by Gan Guoyang’s side without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Fuxi contacted familiar media immediately, preparing for crisis public relations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She just didn’t expect that no PR would be needed, as so many people took the initiative to support Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then there were Jordan, Jackson, Stockton, Barkley; all of them were good friends of Gan Guoyang and supported Ah Gan without expecting anything in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Trail Blazers team – owners, coaches, players, employees, as well as Portland fans – all thought that Ah Gan did the right thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pistons deserved it, Ah Gan should be punished, but not too harshly — banning him for a couple of games would suffice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not that there were no people against and hostile to Gan Guoyang, such as Detroit fans and local media, who since morning began to issue statements, demanding that Ah Gan must be severely punished, not only banning Gan Guoyang from games but also making him take legal responsibility and sending him to prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In America, there’s no shortage of people who discriminate against Asians; Gan Guoyang, as a representative and symbol of those with yellow skin, certainly had people wanting to take this opportunity to bring him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, compared to the voices supporting Ah Gan, these were much quieter, and the strong PR backing from Avia also played an undeniable role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, David Stern held a press conference at the Hyatt Hotel to announce the handling of this brawl incident in the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Journalists packed the press hall to capacity, and outside the hotel, large crowds of Trail Blazers fans and City of Portland residents gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Portland Police Department canceled all officer leave, and everyone returned to their posts, on standby at all times, to prevent any violent incidents from occurring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And all this depended on the league’s punishment for Ah Gan; Stern was given just one evening and one morning to ponder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, it was enough time for Stern to make a rational decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the cameras and camcorders of the journalists, Stern showed a rare hint of nervousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stern first condemned the occurrence of the violent incident on the court, stating that it was \"a tragedy in the history of the NBA finals; basketball should not have turned into this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stern then stated that starting from the next season, the league would thoroughly address violent incidents on the court, strictly enforce fouls that are not basketball plays, and introduce additional punishments for players’ violent behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, on the most concerned issue of the punishment result, Stern lightly glossed over it, stating that Ah Gan would be banned for two finals games, fined 250,000 US dollars, and bear all the treatment costs of Isiah Thomas as punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 250,000 US dollars set a record for the largest NBA player fine in history, and the decision to ban him for two games also meant that the Trail Blazers would not lose their top player for too long.\u003C\u002Fp>",1058,"2026-06-06T01:41:37.192Z",1,"novelbin.me","b77b4bab9954209782e13784d4a57ce5c252ba8b7a3353795412a29ea6dd58ff","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-722","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-720",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]