The Golden Age of Basketball.

Chapter 994 Vigorous Vitality
In fact, neither Gan Guoyang nor Jordan expected that the two of them would work so well together in an official game.

It can be said that it wasn't until the twilight of their careers that the two truly found teammates who could resonate with each other on the field.

They have always been rivals, leading their respective teams to conduct research and compete against each other.

The teammates I've worked with are all excellent in their own way, but each of them has their own unspeakable flaws.

Take Jordan for example. Pippen, his best partner, always choked up in crucial moments. In important games, he would either have a headache or get flustered, either disappearing in the crucial moments or making stupid mistakes.

The dunk that Jordan missed in the 1992 Finals was something he never forgot until his death. Even when he forgot everything else, he never forgot to say, "Pippen was an amateur. He couldn't even dunk."

Among the many "what if" scenarios in the NBA, Pippen's dunk is one of the most discussed. If he had made the dunk, the Bulls would have won Game 5, and there would have been an 80% chance that the 1992 championship would have gone to the Bulls. The last two games were both in Chicago, and the Trail Blazers would have had almost no chance of winning them all.

If Jordan could beat Gan Guoyang even once in a career matchup, he and Gan would be true rivals, even if Jordan was slightly inferior, they would still be equals.

Despite losing all three Finals, even though Gan Guoyang acknowledged that Jordan's skill was second only to his own, he ultimately lacked a victory to break Jordan's dominance, a regret he carried for life.

Besides Pippen, there were Grant, Rodman, and others who could only be considered near-All-Star players, and each had significant flaws, which led to the Bulls repeatedly suffering defeats against the Trail Blazers.

For example, Grant's fear of Gan Guoyang is like a statistic that resets to zero after a dozen of Gan Guoyang's data. You're out of luck with that.

Gan Guoyang's teammates were generally of higher quality than Jordan's, because they had more championships and three dynasties with three different teams.

From the earliest Drexler, who couldn't shoot and whose shooting skills were terrible, to Vandeweghe, whose defense was terrible.

Gan Guoyang was young then, and as the star player, he worked like a slave to clean up the messes of these two henchmen, and won the first three-peat.

The Second Dynasty, the socialist camp, never had a single truly superstar-level assistant; they were all near-All-Stars.

Individually, they are not even as good as Pippen; they are just well integrated together.

At that time, Gan Guoyang was at his peak; there was no game he couldn't win, and no challenge he couldn't overcome.

Even after both players were eliminated, he still managed to turn the tide and bring the championship home. Gan Guoyang was still afraid of that kind of ruthlessness when he thought about it many years later.

By the third dynasty, with the old, weak, sick, and young, the team relied on experience and tactical cohesion to achieve an unprecedented team peak.

Back then, only Kobe was a star. As he grew up, he could glimpse a glimpse of a superstar and barely keep up with Gan Guoyang's pace, but then Gan Guoyang left.

Gan Guoyang has 10 championships and Jordan has 3 championships. They are both absolute leaders and absolutely powerful, but they also often feel lonely.

They stood too high and were too capable for others to resonate with in terms of the spirit of basketball.

This is why, despite being opponents, they always talk on the phone after the game—a habit they've maintained for many years.

These two people are not fit to be coaches; they simply lack the basic skills to communicate with ordinary players.

"If you do this, this, and then that, the ball will go in. What's the big deal with two defenders? It's such a good opportunity. Even three defenders won't matter, just keep shooting, who cares how many there are?"

"Score two in the first quarter, three in the second, make a few free throws, make a few three-pointers, and you've got 30 points in a game, is it really that hard?"

"Why don't you defend two people at once? Is it that difficult? You can keep an eye on one and the other at the same time. Once the ball passes by, you can just turn around."

"Catch the ball with one hand, take a probing step, dash forward, turn around... What? You can't catch the ball with one hand? Then why are you even playing basketball?"

Gan Guoyang is better than Jordan; he can understand ordinary people because he has been an ordinary person, but only in the context of daily life.

Having been the world's number one basketball player for 20 years, he can no longer understand or tolerate the mistakes and shortcomings of ordinary players.

Finally, these two people, these two good friends, became teammates, real teammates, not just casual friends.

Both sides are positioned at a very high level, viewing and understanding the field from a superior perspective; their perspective is different from that of ordinary players.

They seem to be arguing all the time, but in reality they reach more consensus on things like offense and defense, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances on the field.

Especially in terms of adaptability, the two players no longer like to follow a set pattern when playing, but rely more on observation and making decisions on the spot.

In the past, teammates often couldn't keep up with their thinking, but that's no longer the case. The two have very similar and direct ways of thinking.

Even while resting on the sidelines, the two remained the focus of attention, with television cameras occasionally glancing at the Glory team's bench and giving shots to Gan Guoyang and Jordan.

They were talking, analyzing the situation on the field, and of course, they might just be chatting idly. There's not much to say about tonight's game.

The Bucks, playing at home, did not give up easily. Taking advantage of the two big men being off the court, they rallied and Ray Allen's three-pointers finally found their accuracy.

The Bucks narrowed the gap a bit with consecutive outside shots, but the Bucks still have the same problem: in this era, it's hard to kill someone with a long-range shot.

Each team typically has only one reliable three-point shooter; having two is considered a luxury, a feature of strong teams.

Offense still requires a lot of scoring under the basket, and mid-range shots are indispensable in offense; this is determined by tactical habits.

Yao Ming stood under the basket. At first, he was a little unaccustomed to it and was called for a three-second violation. He stood there for a while.

After a while, people got used to it, and then it was the opponents' turn to not get used to it, because this guy was really too tall.

Yao Ming is not only tall, but also very agile. Bradley, the "big bamboo pole," is even taller than Yao Ming, but he is not as agile.

In the CBA, Yao Ming was a defensive pillar, but his effectiveness diminished in the NBA for various reasons, though he was still quite good against the Bucks.

The Bucks don't have a single decent low-post scorer, so they don't put any strain on Glorious's interior defense.

Yao Ming was swatting flies under the basket like he was swatting them one by one.

He can't always make the shot, but he does cause a lot of interference to the opponent's attack on the basket.

Jordan looked at Yao Ming protecting the rim and said, "Yao's defense is pretty good."

Gan Guoyang nodded, then shook his head: "He has shortcomings, but they haven't been shown yet. He needs a partner to assist him."

"That's you."

It should be you!

"How did it become me?"

"I'm an inside player too. Two inside players going to surround the outside? Of course, it's you!" "Shit, it's become my problem again."

"Of course, if you're on the court with him, you need to actively protect him, pay attention to blocking the lanes, stealing the ball, and interfering. This guy has a big problem defending pick-and-rolls. Fortunately, the Bucks' pick-and-roll play isn't very good; they don't even have a proper big man."

In the NBA, Yao Ming's defensive issues regarding pick-and-rolls would be magnified as a center.

Of course, this is only the first game, so there's no need to think too much or too far ahead yet.

What Yao Ming needs to do now is keep up with the pace of the game and contribute as much as possible.

Towards the end of the second quarter, Gan Guoyang and Jordan returned to the court, and the Bucks narrowed the gap slightly, but the situation did not turn around.

With two top players on the court, the Bucks were in despair again. They started double-teaming Gan Guoyang and leaving Jordan open for three-pointers on the wing.

Jordan got angry. "Damn it, you dare leave me open? If you dare leave me open, I'll take the shot."

After hitting two consecutive three-pointers, Jordan chuckled at George Karl on the Bucks' bench.

Ray Allen, who was resting on the sidelines, added, "I was just kidding, it's okay, you can still score goals."

George Karl was furious. He knew Ray Allen was mocking his earlier criticism of him, saying that he shouldn't laugh during the game.

However, in Karl's view, Ray Allen was too gentlemanly and lacked a bit of swagger and ferocity, which is why he lost to Allen Iverson in the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals.

If Ray Allen had been more aggressive and fierce, they might have been able to get past the 76ers and make it to the Finals, and the situation would have been completely different.

Therefore, Karl said this in the hope of attracting Ray Allen's attention and making him more eager to win and more ambitious, and it had nothing to do with whether he laughed or not.

However, human relationships are complex and delicate. Carl believed he was reminding Ray Allen to be better, while Ray Allen felt that Carl was offending him.

Tonight, Ray Allen deliberately defied Karl's wishes by taking photos with Gan Guoyang and Jordan, and making sarcastic remarks during the game.

Their relationship is on the verge of collapse, and it's foreseeable that either Karl or Ray Allen won't be in Milwaukee for much longer.

A team with such discord between its coach and players is naturally no match for a team in excellent form. In the first half, Gan Guoyang and Jordan came on and quickly widened the gap again.

The two players played with ease and relaxation, and some rounds felt more like an exhibition match than a regular game.

With effortless and natural jump shots and casual yet precise passes, the two players showcased the highest level of basketball in NBA history to the fans.

Tonight's tickets were absolutely worth it, with Jordan and Gan Guoyang putting on a personal show in the second half.

Jordan made a series of crossovers, drove into the paint, and passed the ball behind his head to Gan Guoyang, who made a layup.

"Can't you dunk anymore, Sonny?!"

"Just like you, I don't want to steal the spotlight from your pass!"

The two of them still have time to joke around and gossip, they don't treat the Bucks players like human beings.

The Bucks players didn't dare to make any big moves, like the Heat or Pistons did back in the day to attack the two players.

Don't even mention this is the regular season. Given the status and ticket-selling ability of these two players, if you make a move and injure someone, how will the salary cap increase next season?
The biggest villain on the Bucks, Anthony Mason, is Gan Guoyang's underling. When he comes on the court, he treats Gan Guoyang with the utmost respect, like a grandson.

It was with Gan Guoyang's recommendation and support that Mason went to the Heat, signed a big contract, and became rich, joining the ranks of basketball tycoons.

After playing for several teams, this rough-around-the-edges player developed his playmaking and passing skills. Also inspired and guided by Gan Guoyang, he ushered in the second spring of his basketball career.

Although Mason started acting like a big shot and calling George Karl a fat pig after joining the Bucks, it was because Mason knew that Forrest Gump had never liked Karl, so what could he do if he cursed him?
But when he actually met Forrest Gump on the court, Mason played very politely and with very proper technique. After the game, he would greet Forrest and ask him to take care of him in the future.

Everyone knows that Forrest Gump is a generous and magnanimous man who is always willing to help his friends and always does it exceptionally well.

On the other hand, he's also petty. If you offend Forrest Gump, you can forget about getting away with it; you'll suffer the consequences.

Look, the FBI and Congress offended Forrest Gump, and the Twin Towers were blown up. Isn't that terrifying?

The fourth quarter turned into a full-blown exhibition game. Gan Guoyang and Jordan played for four minutes, with Gan Guoyang finally contributing two dunks, much to the delight of the fans in attendance.

When they left the court, Gan Guoyang had 24 points and Jordan had 22 points. Their scores weren't high, but their shooting percentage was very high, not to mention their efficiency.

Gan Guoyang also contributed 5 assists and 12 rebounds, while Jordan had 7 assists and 3 steals, both playing very well-rounded roles.

Neither player went all out; they only managed to widen the gap in crucial rounds before leaving the rest to their teammates to finish the game.

In their opening game, the Glory team got off to a winning start, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 111-96, a 15-point advantage, securing their first victory of the season.

After the game ended, the fans lingered and refused to leave. Gan Guoyang and Jordan stayed to sign autographs for the fans for more than an hour.

Fans know that every game they play together is one less they'll get to see, so they must seize the opportunity to create lasting memories.

They are also willing to fulfill the fans' wishes, and the synergy between the two is very obvious.

Not only on the court, but also off the court, a single game can produce 1.5 basketball gods – the cost-effectiveness is too high.

What's even more crucial is that Glory also has a highly popular number one draft pick, Yao Ming, which has also attracted a lot of attention.

Yao Ming had 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks tonight, a decent performance for his debut.

His points came from assists from Gan Guoyang and Jordan. In a post-game interview, he said, "I enjoyed two divine moves and scored easily."

There were also many young fans asking for Yao Ming's autograph and photos. If these three couldn't get through the long queue, no problem, there was also a free gift: Ewing.

He's also one of the top 50 superstars, a once-hot center in the US, and owns his own shoe brand. Having his autograph isn't shameful.

For the cold and lonely Milwaukee, the glorious season opener brought a huge influx of people and endless excitement.

The Bucks lost tonight, but the fans didn't care much. They saw their idols, the giants of the East, the incredible basketball chemistry, and the biggest "what if" moment in the NBA. It was definitely worth the ticket price.

Because of the outstanding performance in Milwaukee, tickets for the next stop in the game, Jordan's hometown of Chicago, saw prices skyrocket, with scalpers driving up prices to exorbitant levels.

It is foreseeable that the Glorious Team will be a shot in the arm for the league this season, a true parade of floats, with people welcoming them wherever they go. This vibrant scene is exactly what David Stern wanted to see.

(End of this chapter)