Chapter 662: Chapter 51 Dark Nation·Dark Team_2
It’s hard to say whether he could become the next Jabbar.
On the Lakers side, Magic Johnson had just turned 30 this year—the prime age for a point guard.
At 33, Larry Bird was already physically debilitated, while Johnson maintained excellent physical condition.
When playing under Pat Riley, Johnson thought he could only play until he was 30 because Riley’s training and play styles were extremely draining on the body.
After Don Nelson took over, he lightened Johnson’s load. Although Nelson also played a fast offense, his pressure on players wasn’t as severe.
The Lakers built their team entirely around Johnson, with the point guard as the core, creating a smoothly functioning lineup.
To date, the Lakers’ record was second only to the Trail Blazers, closely trailing behind.
Before the evening game started, when Jerry West appeared at the Great Western Forum, the crowd still erupted in applause.
Lakers fans acknowledged West’s contributions, and his departure from Los Angeles was blamed more on Jerry Buss than on West himself wanting to leave.
West’s typically stern face softened somewhat; he waved to the fans, and his heart, kept in suspense, finally relaxed.
Before this game, West hesitated about whether to follow the team to Los Angeles for an away game; as the team’s manager, he could have chosen not to come.
After some internal struggle, he finally returned to the Great Western Forum and watched the game sitting alongside the team owner, Tang Jianguo.
Tang Jianguo was elusive, mostly absent from Portland, entrusting all affairs to Jerry West to handle.
But if the game was in a major city like New York or Los Angeles, Tang Jianguo would make sure to appear, striving for camera time, appearing on live TV and in post-game reports.
Lately, his business had been doing worse, with real estate and casino businesses faring badly; the Trail Blazers were the most thriving asset he held.
He wanted to leverage the Blazers’ exposure to maintain his reputation, so banks and consortiums would continue to lend money to him.
For many celebrities, exposure is life—exposure brings reputation, attention, traffic, and funds.
Celebrities don’t fear being scolded, blackened, or controversial; they dread being ignored.
For the New Year’s game between the reigning Western Conference champions, Trail Blazers and Lakers, how could Tang Jianguo miss this chance to hitch a ride on the hype?
Before the game started, he pulled Ah Gan and Magic Johnson together for handshakes and photos in the players’ tunnel.
Gan Guoyang, of course, had to give his boss face, while Magic Johnson’s smile appeared reluctant.
Since the Trail Blazers had become the Lakers’ biggest threat for the championship, the relationship between Magic and Gan Guoyang had been lukewarm.
Though Johnson was indeed powerful, many of his behaviors both on and off the court were hard for Gan Guoyang to understand; they were not cut from the same cloth.
Those who were close to Gan Guoyang were usually of the old-school sort in character and style.
This included people like Stockton, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, and Ewing.
Magic Johnson had a tough playing style, but his personality carried a lot of the unpredictability commonly seen in Black cultures.
His closest friend, Isiah Thomas, was also unpredictable in temperament and erratic in behavior—it was hard to grasp what he was really thinking or intending to do.
Perhaps individuals like them simply don’t overthink and follow their instincts.
After the 1989 finals, the relationship between Magic Johnson and Thomas was on the verge of collapse.
By the new season, they had reconciled, but whether they were as close as before, no one knew.
After taking the photo, they exchanged a few words and then returned to their respective locker rooms.
By the time for pre-game warm-ups, Gan Guoyang was chatting eagerly with AC Green.
Gan Guoyang was closer to Green.
Really, this guy Green was as tough as steel—so many years in the League, and he was still as chaste as ever.
Not only was he still a virgin, but he hadn’t even had a girlfriend.
Green’s sister was married, while he, the older brother, was still green.
Gan Guoyang asked Green, "When do you plan to get married? If you don’t marry soon, your gun will get rusty."
"That depends on God’s guidance. I hope to win another championship first."
"If you keep staying with the Lakers, I’m afraid you won’t have a chance. Why not come back to Portland?"
To Gan Guoyang’s "lure," AC Green just smiled and did not respond.
He really was a person of firm will—not only did he adhere to his principles, refusing indulgences before marriage, but last year he even founded the "AC Green Youth Foundation."
The foundation aimed to organize green, healthy youth camps to promote and advocate for chastity before marriage.
It could be said that AC Green practiced what he preached, incorporating his beliefs into real life, staying true to himself, and striving to influence others.
The game started on time that evening, and the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup had changed significantly from last year: Sabonis had become the team’s starting center.
In December, the Trail Blazers had suffered several defeats; the issue was insufficient defensive pressure on the perimeter, allowing opposing guards to fully unleash their firepower and ultimately breaking through.
Bobby Beelman rejected Jerry West’s idea of trading Petrović for a defensive forward, having a simpler and more effective method in mind: letting Ah Gan play the power forward position.
Mychal Thompson, after being a starter for two months, had no complaints about being a substitute.
As one of the Trail Blazers’ most veteran players, Thompson faced criticism in his rookie years for being sloppy and lacking a strong competitive spirit.
