The Golden Age of Basketball.

Chapter 53 I Didn't Hear
(I made a mistake with the timer; I set it for 22:00 on the 9th. I only realized it after I did. I'm very sorry.)

The final outcome of the dispute between Bellman and the women's basketball coach was that the two teams would share the court equally, each using half.

Berman was indignant about this, "Fuck, we're competing for the California championship at the Great Western Forum tonight, and it's going to be broadcast live on CBS, but we can't even find a gym to warm up in this afternoon, and we have to share a gym with a bunch of girls!"

The coach was very dissatisfied, but the players didn't think so. The boys and girls warmed up together and felt more energetic.

They ran faster and jumped higher than usual, and even started trying to dunk during layup practice.

Seeing the ponies showing signs of estrus, Behrman shouted at them, which only made the girls opposite him giggle.

Okay, I'm even more excited now.

The women's basketball coach, a middle-aged woman in her forties, was very disdainful of Berman's rude language, and the two started arguing again soon after.

Training could no longer continue. Berman, seething with anger, left the team and went directly to the Great Western Forum arena to wait.

As he was leaving, Gan Guohui nudged Gan Guoyang and said, "Hey, cousin, that girl was really hot, and so tall. Aren't you going to get her contact information?"

Chen Xing also said, "Yeah, yeah, look, look, they're still looking at you. Why don't you go over and leave your contact information?"

Gan Guoyang shook his head and said, "The competition is about to start, don't think about it, let's go."

With that, Gan Guoyang left the stadium without looking back, without even glancing at the girl.

Even though he said that, the girl's faint smile still flashed through his mind, and he was a little curious about who she was and how she knew him.
The girl didn't chase after him to give him her phone number; the two seemed to have met by chance and passed each other by.

Gan Guoyang's mind was filled with basketball and tonight's game; it was hard for anything else to squeeze in.

After leaving the high school and arriving at the Great Western Forum arena, the players waited until 4:30 p.m. before they were allowed to enter the arena to warm up.

This colosseum-like circular building is the heart of Los Angeles' basketball scene, standing alongside Madison Square Garden in New York City to the east and west, respectively, as one of the most famous indoor arenas in the United States.

The Los Angeles Lakers have used this venue as their home court since 1967, witnessing the Lakers' glory, decline, and resurgence over the past decade.

Like the Auckland Stadium, this venue has hosted numerous music concerts, and many well-known bands and musicians have performed here.

Compared to those renowned figures, the players from Beiqiao Middle School were nothing but small fry, and they were not treated properly from the moment they entered the forum stadium.

No staff guided them into the changing room. Ms. Liu asked around and fumbled her way to the room, but it was locked and she didn't have the key.

Having been simmering with anger for a long time, Bellman couldn't care less about anything else. He kicked the locker room door open and then pulled out a few green bills from his pocket and gave them to Teacher Liu, asking him to pay the compensation for him.

"People from Southern California are fucking shit. We have to win this game tonight!"

Bellman was quite dissatisfied with the itinerary for the California tournament finals, complaining about the poor accommodations, terrible food, lack of training facilities, and indifferent and inadequate hospitality.

Compared to Berman's outburst, the Water Clock players were quite calm. They changed clothes in the locker room, chatted, and didn't complain at all.

Gan Guohui said, "It's already a great achievement that we've made it this far. They certainly won't let us win so easily. This is Los Angeles, not San Francisco."

Xu Xun said, "It's much better than in South Korea."

Gan Guoyang said, "It's no big deal. Once we've eaten and drunk our fill, we can defeat our opponents."

Franklin said, "I can play ball barefoot and on an empty stomach."

The other players also had no complaints about the "special" treatment they received over the past two days; they were only focused on winning the game.

They carried the hopes of Northern California, and they knew from their fathers that the Chinese could endure far more hardship than this.

Deeply moved by everyone's attitude, Bellman said, "I'm proud of you. Los Angeles people will pay the price for their arrogance."
-
At 6:30 p.m., the Waterbells changed into their red jerseys and stood on the floor of the Great Western Forum. (The actual 1982 CIF Finals were held at Oakland Stadium, and the 1983 Finals were held in Los Angeles.)
The Lakers just played the Cavaliers at home yesterday, and the court floor was still in use, with the Lakers logo still in the center.

A banner reading "California State Basketball Championship" hung on the scorer's table.

The Forum Stadium, which can accommodate more than 17000 people, already had more than 15000 people seated as the game was about to start, and fans were still pouring in.

In the current NBA league, the Lakers are the most popular team and have the best home attendance, but even in their last regular season game, only a little over 14000 fans attended.

The influence of this California finals is evident.

Playing in a large stadium in front of tens of thousands of fans and spectators is a completely different psychological experience compared to playing in a small or medium-sized stadium.

The towering dome, the dazzling lights, the deafening roar—it resembled the ancient Roman Colosseum, or a magnificent religious altar. The players were gladiators, sacrifices to the gods. On the field, the game was no longer just a game, but a duel, a ritual of faith.

Tonight, the Waterbell team's opponent is Riverside Polytechnic High School from Los Angeles. The two teams have never met before and know nothing about each other.

In the 80s, when video recording technology was not advanced, neither side had seen the other's game recordings and knew nothing about each other. It was a complete encounter.

The only person who knew anything about Riverside High School was Gan Guoyang, because when he looked at the game roster, he saw a familiar name: Reggie Miller.

Before the game started, Gan Guoyang put his arm around Xu Xun's shoulder and said, "Xun, keep a close eye on number 30 during the game. Don't let your guard down just because he's far from the basket."

Xu Xun nodded. He was the defensive spearhead of the Water Bell team on the perimeter, a tenacious defensive guard who dared to bite any of California's top perimeter scorers.

The match is about to begin, and the commentators, referees, reporters, and announcers have all taken their positions. Several large television cameras distributed around the stadium are pointing their lenses at the field.

This was a live broadcast, and hundreds of thousands of television viewers in California would be watching the game from their homes—the game's viewership surpassed that of a typical NBA game.

During the entrance ceremony, when the announcer called out "Sunny-Gump," there was a slight ripple in the audience, with some people cheering in a certain area.

Gan Guoyang glanced in that direction. The lights in the stands were off, and it was pitch black, so he couldn't see anything clearly. It must be a Chinese fan group from Los Angeles.

The noise level was noticeably higher when Riverside Polytechnic players were introduced, especially when Reggie Miller was mentioned.

It's not because Reggie Miller is particularly famous in Los Angeles—he's a good player—but because his sister, Cheryl Miller, is truly famous. She's a nationally renowned women's basketball superstar and a prolific scorer who scored 105 points in a single game.

She was extremely famous in Southern California and was a household name as a basketball star; Reggie was just her poor younger brother living in her shadow.

The live camera then conveniently switched the focus to Cheryl Miller, who was sitting on the sidelines watching the game. The siblings looked exactly alike, both having slender builds.

The game began in a tense and somber atmosphere. This was partly because the game was very important, being the first-ever North-South California showdown, and both teams, from players to coaches, were very nervous and cautious. It was also because basketball games at the time had little entertainment; there were no cheerleaders or any fancy or fun interactive activities. The fans felt like they were watching a serious play, a situation that only improved in later years.

Both sides played very slowly at the beginning, with positional play, zone defense, constant ball movement, and cautious shots.

The two teams, who had never faced each other before, were testing each other's strength, like a snake and a leopard confronting each other in the wild.

Leopards look much larger, with sharp teeth and claws, and seem capable of killing a snake with a single swipe.

However, snakes are venomous, and a leopard will die if it is bitten.

Riverside Polytechnic High School is more like a viper; their top scorer is that seemingly thin and unassuming number 30.

Only Gan Guoyang knew that this was a dangerous player.

To facilitate live television broadcasts and to secure partnerships with a sufficient number of advertisers, the final match was changed from a two-half format to a four-quarter, 48-minute format.

This poses a greater challenge to the players' physical fitness and team rotation, which is why Berman always makes sure to find a place to warm up during the day.

Gan Guoyang slowly joined the team's offense and defense in the first quarter, hiding his teeth and claws and constantly maneuvering against the venomous snake.

The two sides were evenly matched on the field, and the score was tied at 16-16 at the end of the first quarter. Gan Guoyang scored 4 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the first quarter.

Both teams played a very mild offense, with most of their points coming from outside shots. Both teams maintained a zone defense, resulting in numerous opportunities for outside shots.

In the second quarter, the style of the story suddenly changed.

The pace of the game quickened, and Gan Guoyang did not rest on the sidelines. The Shuizhong team's offense and defense could not do without him for a moment.

Reggie Miller suddenly made a move on defense, stealing the ball from Franklin's hands, and then, with a slightly pigeon-toed gait, dribbled down the court on a fast break.

As he approached the basket, Miller slowed down slightly, adjusting his footwork to prepare for a two-handed dunk.

At that moment, he caught a glimpse of his sister on the sidelines. She stood up from her seat; was she going to cheer for her dunk?
But her expression seemed off. She was shouting something with her mouth wide open. What was she shouting? The Great Western Forum arena was too noisy for Miller to hear.

He jumped up on his own, ready to dunk with both hands, when a large hand reached out from behind and forcefully slammed the ball down.

[...Later I found out that my sister didn't stand up to cheer for me, but to yell at me, "There's someone behind you!" The Great Western Forum arena was too noisy, and I didn't hear her.]

—Excerpt from Reggie Miller's biography "I Love Being the Enemy," published in 1996.

(End of this chapter)