The Golden Age of Basketball.

Chapter 71 Undefeated
With the game tied in the final three minutes, the Ducks' efforts for most of the game were in vain.

But there was nothing they could do; they couldn't stop Gan Guoyang. After Gan Guoyang returned, Rasmussen didn't go too far.

All three of their strong attacks from the low post were blocked; they simply couldn't withstand the pressure.

Back then, the offensive strategies of centers were too simplistic. They relied on strong low-post attacks, along with some mid-range floaters and hook shots, making their play too rigid.

Moreover, he was at a disadvantage in terms of strength and couldn't play in the low post. Rasmussen, sitting on the bench, couldn't understand how this 6-foot-10 guy could be as hard as a block of iron, unable to move an inch when he was stuck under the basket.

In terms of physique, Gan Guoyang is quite suitable for playing basketball. His legs are only slightly longer than his upper body, with a near 55-50 body-to-body ratio, making his body structure extremely stable.

Once you take off his shirt, you'll find that he doesn't have the skinny, V-shaped waist and abdomen typical of bodybuilders. Instead, he has long, wide, and thick core muscles, which are the engine of his body's energy.

Many years later, a German striker with similar core muscles was spotted by the NBA and became a superstar, but he was only close to Forrest Gump.

In 15 minutes, Gan Guoyang scored 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 assists, helping the Bulldogs complete a major comeback, winning 74-70 at the Memorial Gymnasium by 4 points.

The following day, Gan Guoyang led the Bulldogs to a resounding victory over the Oregon State Beavers at the same location and time, winning the Far West Classic for the first time in the team's history.

The players should have been ecstatic, since any championship is incredibly precious for a small school and team like theirs.

Apart from Dan Fitzgerald being overjoyed, everyone else remained calm, as their sights were set on something much more distant.

Because Gan Guoyang did not participate in the first game and only played half of the second game, the MVP award for this tournament was given to John Stockton.

Stockton's parents and girlfriend were all present at the awards ceremony, and Stockton looked somewhat shy upon receiving the honor.

After returning to the hotel, he took the trophy to Gan Guoyang's room and said, "I think this trophy should be given to you. You are the most valuable player."

Gan Guoyang said, "Alright, John, you won't have many more chances to win individual awards in the future, so just keep it. It's not that important to me."

Gan Guoyang's words were a bit irritating, but Stockton knew he had a point.

Stockton is not sure if he can make it to the NBA. If he can't play professional basketball, he plans to find a job.

After all, he looked quite like a white-collar worker, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase.

Gan Guoyang told Stockton that he would definitely make it to the NBA and might even play for a long time.

After winning the Far West Classic, the Bulldogs continued their undefeated run in the regular season.

They crossed over from 1983 into 1984.

Starting that year, the United States gradually emerged from its economic quagmire, which was evident in the attendance at basketball games, where almost every game was sold out.

Universities are now able to afford to renovate their sports facilities, and more and more new equipment is being installed in the stadiums to enhance the viewing experience for fans.

NBA viewership began to recover, the negative effects of the previous terrible era were slowly fading, and emerging forces represented by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had stepped onto the stage of the 80s.

In February 1984, former NBA commissioner Larry O'Brien officially retired, and his successor was David Stern, the league's former chief lawyer and chief operating officer.

This short Jewish man with a mustache will usher in a new era for the NBA.

Gan Guoyang is leading the Bulldogs into their NCAA era.

Starting in January, they encountered a series of health problems.

McAfee is not yet fully recovered from his fracture, and another scorer, Jason Van Nott, has sprained his leg ligaments.

The team was short-handed for training, so they had to pick a short player named Gino Cergia from among the school's basketball enthusiasts to fill in, so at least they could play 5v5 scrimmages during training.

Under these challenging conditions, Gan Guoyang led his team to an undefeated run until the start of the West Coast Conference regular season. During a grueling five-game road trip, everyone was prepared to lose at least two games, but they remained undefeated, including a narrow one-point victory over California Saint Mary's College in their final game.

Gan Guoyang hit the game-winning shot at McCann Stadium in California, bringing them to 14 wins and 0 losses, and 2 wins and 0 losses in the West Coast Conference.

At this time, the entire Northwest region, including Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, was closely watching this crazy team and the crazy Eastern bio-engineered humans.

The Oregonian went from reporting on games once a week to reporting on games per game, and when it came to games in the West Coast Conference, it was reporting on them daily.

Regardless of whether there are games or not, reporters from The Oregonian always try to sneak into Gonzaga University to see if they can find any information about the Bulldogs so they can write a report.

The reason is simple: newspapers have discovered that whenever there is a report about Gonzaga bulldogs, sales will increase significantly, and by a considerable margin.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Dispatch of Washington State vied for circulation with each other to report on Gan Guoyang and the Bulldogs.

After the Bulldogs achieved a 13-0 record, The Seattle Times launched a special feature, with each issue's college sports section featuring a headline about the Bulldogs' record, starting with 13-0, 14-0, 15-0, 16-0, encouraging readers to buy the newspaper to see when the Bulldogs would finally lose.

As the number of zeros increased, more and more fans and readers bought the Seattle Times, with many hoping for a Bulldogs undefeated regular season miracle.

1984年2月24号，斗牛犬队在洛杉矶戈斯滕体育馆，80：73击败了洛约拉马里蒙特大学，取得了常规赛20胜0负的成绩！

It was after this game that the Bulldogs officially entered the national spotlight, and The New York Times and Sports Illustrated began publishing articles about this currently undefeated team.

Gan Guoyang's photo became the cover figure of the February 1984 issue of Sports Illustrated.

However, basketball fans who bought this issue of the magazine may be disappointed, as it only features the cover star without a story: Gan Guoyang declined an interview with a Sports Illustrated reporter because he wanted to focus all his energy on the game.

John Stockton suffered from a bronchial infection in the last four games of the regular season, but he played in those games despite being ill, though he could only play well for half a game.

With an iron will and a strong physique, Gan Guoyang supported the team through the last four regular season games of the West Coast Conference, securing first place in the regular season with a record of 24 wins and 0 losses, and 12 wins and 0 losses in the conference.

In the national AP-Poll coach and media poll rankings, they were second only to Georgetown in the Western Conference, becoming the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. This meant that they successfully qualified for the 1984 NCAA National Tournament and had the privilege of a first-round bye.

The last team to maintain a perfect regular season record before the national championships was the Indiana State Figs, led by Larry Bird, in 1979.

The Bulldogs' last regular season game was played at the University of Portland.

They narrowly defeated the Portland Aviators, a team that wasn't particularly strong. Several injured players, including Stockton, didn't play in this game, and Gan Guoyang single-handedly carried the team to a perfect victory in their final match.

After winning the game, the whole team had a subtle and warm celebration in the locker room. Fitz opened a bottle of champagne, but no one drank it because alcohol is forbidden at Catholic schools.

Finally, the group lifted Gan Guoyang up and carried him out of the locker room, all the way to the bus.

Because he has given so much along the way, played so many games, covered so many gaps, and saved everyone so many times.

On the bus, Gan Guoyang shouted, "Five games left! Five games left! Our goal is the championship, the championship!"

As the car started to leave, Gan Guoyang saw Wang Fuxi, wearing a pink hat, running towards them from not far away.

He quickly asked Coach Delong to stop the car. After getting out, Wang Fuxi said to him, "You have to do your best. I'll be waiting for you in Seattle."

This year's NCAA Final Four will be held in Seattle, the ultimate destination for college teams.

“It’s a deal,” Gan Guoyang replied.

"It's a word."

(End of this chapter)