[{"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-922":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},1444339,1896,"Chapter 922 - 1 Anti-Gan Alliance_2","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-922",922,"\u003Cp>I didn’t take it seriously. I thought, no matter how capable you are, how could you possibly find a way for me to participate in the Olympics?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Johnson and Isiah Thomas around, I simply couldn’t find any reason why I would be selected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the call was real. I was really selected. I immediately told Nada and the kids. Everyone was overjoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in 1984, when I was excluded from the Olympic team, I thought my Olympic dream was shattered and would never come true again. I was headed to the NBA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I never imagined the Olympic doors would open through the NBA, giving me this opportunity. After repeatedly confirming it was real, I tried to calm myself down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I called Larry and Coach Sloan to get their approval. They were also very happy and supported me in participating in the Olympics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could almost see their smiles through the phone line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I told my family and friends. Honestly, I was shocked by my own reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t stay calm at all. Even though I appeared outwardly composed, I was like a duck—calm on the surface but paddling furiously underwater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The significant meaning of being selected for the Olympic team floated in my mind. My once-shattered dream could now be realized again, and I would carry the weight of responsibility once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, I thought of Ah Gan. I immediately jumped up and called him. I had to have a good chat with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I got through to his mobile phone. He said he was in Miami, sunbathing on the beach with Coach Belman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I already knew about it, John! Congratulations! Also, congrats to Bobby! He became the head coach of the 1992 Olympic team!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank me, praise me! Especially Bobby—I practically lifted him to heights he shouldn’t have reached!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard Bobby’s cursing through the phone, so it seemed he was indeed nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect. Mr. Belman was going to be my coach again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even more perfect was that Ah Gan would also be participating in the 1992 Olympics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would still be our opponent. Later during training camp, everyone was thrilled about this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, before that, in the 1991-1992 season, Ah Gan remained the super headache for everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——— Excerpt from John Stockton’s autobiography \"Assisted,\" published in 2012.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In October 1991, the Portland Trail Blazers’ preseason training camp opened again in the gymnasium at Willamette University.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang routinely participated in the rookie training camp and commented on it as \"the worst batch I’ve ever led.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, as in 1988, he wasn’t exaggerating. As the defending champions, the Trail Blazers simply couldn’t grab any promising rookies in the draft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this draft, the Trail Blazers didn’t have a first-round pick, only a virtually useless 54th overall second-round pick. Jerry West searched high and low, both domestically and overseas, but couldn’t find a buried gem with potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jerry West’s more critical task wasn’t training rookies but addressing the offseason’s top concern for the Trail Blazers since Gan Guoyang joined the league: finding a suitable backup for Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After winning the championship in 1991, veteran Mychal Thompson officially retired, leaving with five rings, heading home to spend time with his son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Thompson gone, the Trail Blazers’ already fragile bench for interior players suddenly had a gap that no one could fill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Antonio Davis, Pinkney, and Bryant were all standard power forwards. The Trail Blazers needed a backup center as insurance for Ah Gan and Sabonis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West had originally set his sights on Moses Malone, but the former superstar didn’t want to come to the Trail Blazers to play second fiddle to Ah Gan; he wasn’t lacking championship rings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In July, he left the Hawks and signed with the Bucks, continuing his wandering journey in the league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West then contacted Ralph Sampson, another former star, but after an assessment, he confirmed that Sampson could no longer survive in the NBA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the once-brilliant manager who had continuously provided the Los Angeles Lakers with quality interior talent, West now faced a dilemma: quality interior players, whether young or veterans, had become highly coveted by all teams. With the salary cap system becoming more refined, signing quality interior players cheaply was increasingly difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One crucial reason for this was Ah Gan’s presence, which drove teams to stockpile big men, naturally inflating the prices of top-tier interior players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the offseason, West couldn’t find a suitable backup, leaving him extremely anxious as training camp neared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even started regretting trading away Divac. If Divac were still there, the Trail Blazers wouldn’t have to worry about this issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acquiring Reggie Lewis certainly addressed Jordan; but without Lewis, would the Trail Blazers truly have been unable to beat the Bulls?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Finals, Jordan was still the highest scorer in the series. Lewis contributed, but his impact wasn’t particularly significant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When training camp officially opened, Gan Guoyang realized West was anxious about the center backup situation. He comforted West: \"No problem, Jerry. Antonio Davis, Pinkney—they’re all excellent. Honestly, with me and Sabonis on the interior, that’s sufficient. You should put more focus on the perimeter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West looked at Gan Guoyang. After a summer, apart from a deeper tan, he hadn’t changed much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still so strong, vibrant, like steel—resilient and self-assured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fifth championship, coupled with defeating Jordan, made him the most sought-after sports figure in America this summer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Numerous endorsements, countless commercial activities, and endless social engagements overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West had worried he’d see a hint of dejection in Ah Gan during training camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, there was none. In fact, he seemed even more formidable due to his deeper tan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sonny, do you know? I’ve heard there’s a ’Anti-Gan Alliance’ forming in the NBA.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? Anti-Gan Alliance? Never heard of it. Who started it? Michael? We haven’t spoken this summer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A group of stars seems to have formed a training club, training together, studying you together, aiming to beat you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this offseason, Gan Guoyang spent most of his time working solo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from spending a few days in Spokane with Stockton, he couldn’t find time to train or hang out with other NBA stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was too busy, constantly spinning in circles—more hectic than playing basketball. Just his speaking engagements alone numbered no less than 80 from July to October.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was almost comparable to an NBA regular season. Americans truly loved speeches and loved listening to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang didn’t have a particular passion for public speaking, but being requested by many schools and organizations, he couldn’t decline their enthusiastic invitations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang joked that with a bit more practice, he might soon run for President of America.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst this busyness, Gan Guoyang still managed to dedicate enough time to training and recovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of his training time occurred in Miami under the guidance of the veteran coach Jack Ramsey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His weight further increased to a career peak of 270 pounds, aiming to amplify his power in the low post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the increasingly intense interior confrontations in the NBA, not boosting his weight was no longer an option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His training regimen was kept confidential and undisclosed to the public, leaving him unaware of how others were training this year as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From what I know, there’s Jordan, Ewing, Barkley, Drexler, Pippen...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait, wait, wait! The ’Anti-Gan Alliance’ you’re talking about—isn’t it just the American Olympic national team?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West spread his hands and said, \"You could ask Bobby; he knows best.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang then found Belman after training and asked him if he was aware of an \"Anti-Gan Alliance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belman nodded and said, \"There is such a thing, but... but that’s for Olympic preparation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bobby, you traitor. Did you share all the intel about me with everyone else?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on, Sonny. Nowadays, between teams and players, are there really any secrets left? The whole league has been studying you for ages. Are you scared?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belman had a point. Gan Guoyang said, \"Training and studying together isn’t a big deal as long as they don’t gang up on the same team. It won’t make much of a stir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sonny, are you really going to participate in the 1992 Olympics?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course. This summer, I’ve already contacted the Chinese National Team. I definitely want to participate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belman nodded and said, \"Then I wish you good luck, Sonny.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first Anti-Gan Alliance was already assembled during the summer of 1991.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The good news was, it wasn’t part of the NBA regular season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bad news was, they were terrifyingly strong.\u003C\u002Fp>",1425,"2026-06-06T01:41:39.741Z",1,"novelbin.me","ccbe5b2ef61c8da90a4ade4661405ac597ee3e865959ada4286edb052b3eafeb","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-923","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-921",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]