The Golden Age of Basketball.

Chapter 68 Confidence
In the 1983 NCAA regular season, we won both of our away games. Then, in the third game back at Kennedy Center, against the weak Eastern Washington University, we won by 40 points. Gan and I played for five minutes in the second half before going to the bench for a rest.

We won the first five games, and I think the sixth game was the one that really boosted the team's confidence. We played Webber State from the Big Sky League, and they're very strong; they're the number one team in the Big Sky League. After that game, we'll take a break for Christmas. Fitz, Bellman, and Deron all told everyone to take it easy and be prepared to lose a game; we've already played very well so far.

Then that day, at Kennedy Center, Gann scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half, and I can't even remember how many blocks he made. In short, he completely crushed Webber State in the first half, and then during halftime he said, "Let's give everyone a Christmas break soon." From that game onwards, we knew that the Big Ten, the West Coast, the Eastern Conference, or the Pac-10... I'm not targeting any particular conference; we're from the West Coast ourselves, and in Gann's eyes, they were all... I don't want to use that word.

He was destined for a bigger stage, to compete against the powerhouses of the East.

—Excerpt from John Stockton's 2012 autobiography, Assisted.

The Bulldogs entered the 1983 Christmas holiday with a perfect record.

It has snowed in Spokane, located in the north, and the entire campus of Gonzaga University is covered in snow.

As a Catholic school, it has a stronger Christmas atmosphere than San Francisco, with an annual Christmas candlelight concert held in the auditorium, and all the school's sports teams attending the performance.

At the performance venue, both the track and field team and the wrestling team of Gonzaga showed great interest in Gan Guoyang. Their coaches came over to chat with Gan Guoyang and asked him if he was free to try track and field or wrestling.

Gan Guoyang did not object; he felt that track and field and wrestling would help improve his athleticism and competitiveness on the basketball court.

However, after noticing the signs, Bellman immediately switched seats with Gan Guoyang, telling him to sit further inside and not to sit with those irrelevant people.

After the school events ended and the Christmas holidays began, Stockton and a bunch of teammates stayed at the school. They were locals who had grown up in Spokane.

Gan Guoyang originally wanted to stay and train to prepare for the game after the holiday, but thinking about going to see Big Nate for a chat and have some barbecue on Christmas, he boarded a plane to the Bay Area instead.

Last Christmas, Gan Guoyang also returned to San Francisco and spent the holiday with his cousin Thurmond at his bar, along with Nate and the surrounding neighbors and friends.

However, Chamberlain didn't come that time. Thurmond said he spent Christmas in Hawaii, and he boasted that he would break Gan's arm one day. However, as Gan Guoyang's strength continued to grow and Chamberlain grew old, the possibility was not very high.

This time, Gan Guoyang came to the bar with a Rolls-Royce parked at the entrance, holding a bottle of Spokane huckleberry wine as a gift for Thurmond.

The bar was just as lively as last year. When he pushed open the door, everyone cheered to welcome Gan Guoyang.

In the crowd, Gan Guoyang spotted an unfamiliar face: a blond white man, clearly a basketball player. He was very tall and walked straight toward Gan Guoyang.

Walking up to Gan Guoyang, he reached out and firmly grasped the wine bottle in Gan Guoyang's hand... He took it and examined it for a moment, saying, "Spokane blueberry wine, is it from a private winery? It's not available on the market, where did you get it, kid?"

Gan Guoyang thought to himself that this person was really rude, but he must be Thurmond's friend, so he didn't mind and replied, "It was given to me by the school. It's a Christmas present for Nate."

The white man shouted inside, "Nate! Gan brought you a bottle of wine as a gift, how about giving it to me!?"

Nate was apparently inside making his secret-recipe barbecue, and his response came through: "Let me think about it. Don't make decisions on your own."

As he spoke, Thurmond came out carrying a plate of fragrant roasted meat.

"Shit, it's just a bottle of wine, and you can't even bear to part with it."

"It's not that I'm reluctant to part with it, it's something Gan gave me, and I have to respect him. By the way, Gan, don't you know him? Okay, you didn't know me before either. This is my teammate from the Warriors, the NBA scoring champion who could outscore Wilt, a championship winner, and the Finals MVP, Rick Barry."

"I know, you're Barry, the guy who takes free throws and carries a chamber pot."

Upon hearing the full name, Gan Guoyang immediately recognized the person. Wasn't this the NBA star with the unique free throw form mentioned in Dr. T's lecture in "Slam Dunk"?
While others shoot normally, this guy uses a "urinal," which is also called a "chamber pot" in some places.

Despite his unusual form, his shooting percentage was incredibly high. His highest free throw percentage in a single season reached an astonishing 94%, making him one of the best in NBA history.

In English, this strange shooting motion is called an "undershoot" or jokingly referred to as a "grand shot".

But the Americans didn't expect that the Chinese had more vivid and colloquial terms. When Gan Guoyang explained the meaning of "carrying the chamber pot" and "emptying the toilet" to everyone, the whole bar burst into laughter, and Christmas was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

The only one who was unhappy was Barry, who not only failed to get the wine but was also ridiculed for his penalty kick posture.

This player, possibly the most unpopular and bad-tempered in NBA history, immediately darkened his face and pointed at Gan Guoyang, saying, "If you think your form is better, I don't mind challenging you."

Seeing that Barry was about to argue with someone again, Thurmond said, "Hey Rick, you came here today to meet this Chinese friend, so you should be more friendly."

Barry said, "I was already very friendly! I offered to shake his hand! But he just laughed at my shooting form!"

Thurmond muttered, "You weren't shaking hands with him, you were after the wine in his hand." Last time Chamberlain wanted to arm wrestle with Gan Guoyang, this time Barry wants to compete with Gan Guoyang in shooting. He himself had also played one-on-one with Gan Guoyang.

Thurmond wondered, was it the fault of my friends or the fault of Forrest Gump?
However, playing basketball together isn't a bad thing; it's fun and a good way to relieve stress.

Any anger or conflict should be put to rest after a contest on the court.

So Gan Guoyang did not refuse Barry's challenge and agreed to play a Horse game with the legendary superstar.

When everyone heard that Gan Guoyang had agreed, they became excited and all moved to the basketball court behind the bar.

Barry retired in 80 and is 39 years old this year. His body has not completely deteriorated, and his shooting level is still very high.

After a short warm-up, Barry went first and performed his signature move: shooting a basket while holding a chamber pot.

The ball went in perfectly, not even grazing the edge of the rim, but going in right in the center.

This was no challenge for Gan Guoyang; he easily carried one of the chamber pots inside.

Then, Barry made a left-handed layup, which Gan Guoyang easily completed.

"Can't you do something a little more difficult? Do you think I'm a soccer player?" Gan Guoyang asked.

Barry, with a cold expression, stood far from the basket and made a long-range shot.

Gan Guoyang still managed to score on that shot, and then he said, "How about I do one and you imitate it? You're so uncreative."

Barry was surprised that this kid was actually quite accurate with his shots, especially from such a long distance. In the 80s, it was quite rare for an inside player to make shots so easily.

"Alright, come on then, I'd like to see what tricks you have up your sleeve."

When it was Gan Guoyang's turn to demonstrate, this kid had a lot more tricks up his sleeve.

He started by slapping the backboard with his left hand and then followed it up with a layup with his right hand. This move tests a person's jumping ability, core strength, and ability to catch the ball with one hand.

Barry is 39 years old and has been retired for several years. He can still make a single shot or catch the ball for a layup, but he really can't do it in a continuous motion anymore. It's like taking advantage of an elderly person.

After his defeat, Barry was panting heavily, whether from exhaustion or anger. Thurmond reminded him that if he couldn't do it, he should just give up and not take the young man too seriously.

Barry refused to believe it and tried two more long-range shots, which Gan Guoyang still managed to make.

He even tried shooting from behind the backboard, and Gan Guoyang actually made it; his shooting was better than Barry expected.

When it was Gan Guoyang's turn to design the moves, he came up with a move that drove Barry crazy:
He turned left in a low position, feigned a right-handed skyhook, then turned again, switching the ball from his right hand to his left. He raised the ball high above his head and unleashed a left-handed skyhook, the ball arcing through the crescent moon and swishing through the net!

Gan Guoyang was very excited after scoring the goal and said, "Come on! It's your turn now!"

Barry's expression was like a toilet and a chamber pot had been placed on his head. This ball was imitating? He didn't even understand how it was done.

"Fuck, I'm done playing!"

"...Larry steals the ball! Boston wins! They've taken the 1985 Eastern Conference title and advanced to the NBA Finals. Beautiful steal! Larry is the third most confident basketball player I've ever seen. He's amazing!"

"Third place in confidence? You mean, besides you, there's someone more confident than Larry, ranking second?"

"No, I'm second."

"He's number one!? Who?"

"I can't say."

—Excerpt from Rick Barry's commentary during Game 5 of the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals, where Larry Bird's last-second steal sealed the victory.

(End of this chapter)