Chapter 969 - 18 Riot_2

However, as Gan single-handedly built the Trail Blazers’ dynasty and consistently delivered superhuman performances during the regular season, everyone realized that Gan and the others were not on the same level of players.

Moreover, in these two seasons, this guy Gan has become less and less like a center. Whether in ability or performance, it feels like he’s somewhat transcending the three realms, not within the five elements.

Some New York fans, especially the young ones, at Madison Square Garden, would hold up signs asking Ewing, "Why can’t you shoot threes?" "Why is your passing so bad?" "Why can’t you handle the ball on a fast break?"

These tasks were originally not a center’s job, and Ewing, even if he performed poorly, shouldn’t be questioned like this.

But Gan Guoyang set a new standard, showing people how versatile a center can be, and how many styles they can play.

So, traditional centers like Ewing began to face doubts. Gan can do it, why can’t you?

Why is your play so rigid, so unsightly, where are the three-pointers? Where are the beautiful passes?

In fact, Gan Guoyang’s playing style and abilities are completely ahead of the times, unprecedented, but the fans don’t care.

Once Olajuwon leaves Houston to take the lead, Ewing leaving New York might just be a matter of time.

Similar to the Eastern situation, the Trail Blazers were also a one-of-a-kind phenomenon in the Western Conference.

After two-thirds of an unstable season, in the last third, the Trail Blazers swept through the league, securing a 60-22 record.

wins have already made this the second-worst season for Gan Guoyang since joining the Trail Blazers, but it was enough for them to claim the top spot in the Western Conference, firmly holding back the Jazz, Suns, and Warriors behind them.

Gan Guoyang averaged 32.5 points per game this season, and with Dennis Rodman in close pursuit, he grabbed an unprecedented 18.8 rebounds per game—beating Rodman by a slim margin of 0.1 per game, securing the league’s rebound king for the seventh consecutive year.

Because of Gan Guoyang’s strong scoring ability, his rebounding ability and impact were often overlooked.

It wasn’t until his seven consecutive rebound king titles that people deeply realized how his rebound protection and offensive rebounds could hugely impact the outcome of a game.

In a fiercely competitive game, just one or two rebounds deciding possession often determines the win or loss.

The teams ranked fifth to eighth were the Spurs, Supersonics, Clippers, and Lakers—this was the first time the Clippers made the playoffs since moving to Los Angeles, and they ranked ahead of the Lakers, truly unprecedented.

This ranking also meant the Trail Blazers would face their old rivals, the Lakers, in the first round.

Before the start of the season, the Trail Blazers regarded the Lakers as their number one opponent in the West, but unexpectedly, with Magic Johnson’s sudden retirement, the Lakers’ glorious era was completely over.

Magic Johnson, after a great performance in the All-Star Game, held his retirement ceremony at the Great Western Forum Arena.

His number 32 jersey was retired along with him, hanging in the Forum Arena’s rafters alongside the numbers of legends like Jabbar, Chamberlain, and West.

Of course, Magic Johnson wasn’t resigned to just leave the court like this. After overcoming the panic of AIDS, he realized he could actually still play.

So, before his official retirement, he had been considering whether to simply make a comeback and continue playing until he realized at this moment that his love for basketball far exceeded that for women.

However, his friends and advisors discouraged him from doing such a whimsical and foolish thing. A retirement press conference was held; an All-Star retirement game was played, and the retirement ceremony was ready. Were you going to make a comeback now and play with HIV?

You’re just playing everyone for a fool. If so, you really are a magician.

Johnson ultimately gave up on this idea, and after retiring, he chose to become a commentator for NBC TV Station.

Moreover, his basketball career wasn’t completely over; the 1992 Olympics were beckoning him, and he still had a chance to play games.

Without Magic Johnson, the Lakers were a car without a core engine. You could replace the engine and still run, but it couldn’t run at the previous breathtaking speed.

On April 23, after a week of rest, the NBA playoffs for the 1991-1992 season officially kicked off.

The first two games, the Portland Trail Blazers faced the visiting Los Angeles Lakers at their new home, Rose Garden Arena.

Because of Magic Johnson’s retirement, Don Nelson temporarily kept his coaching position, as Jerry Buss knew that without the Magic, it didn’t matter who was the coach.

Simply let Nelson hold on for another season; the next season the team would rebuild, and it wouldn’t be too late to find a suitable coach—Buss’s target is the Trail Blazers’ assistant coach, Adelman.

There were not many surprises in the matchup between the two teams. The Trail Blazers won both games against the Lakers, flying to Los Angeles with a 2:0 lead.

But what the Trail Blazers’ players didn’t expect was that a major event was about to occur in Los Angeles in April 1992.

As early as March 1991, more than a year ago, a black man named Rodney King was stopped by the police on the highway and subsequently beaten.

The entire beating process was recorded by a resident near the highway with a home camcorder, and then it was leaked to the media.

Initially, the event did not have much impact, but as time slowly fermented, several officers were arrested and brought to court for trial.