Chapter 774: Chapter 15 The Strongest Opponent in the Western Conference_2
Both have led teams to the finals, both fell short of the crown, both forced a trade.
The difference is, Monroe wanted more money, and would’ve stayed if the Bullets were willing to give him a big contract.
But Barkley didn’t lack money, times have changed; NBA stars like Barkley could make money from endorsements, advertisements, and sneaker deals.
The contract Avia offered him was not much less than his player salary; today’s NBA top stars no longer rely solely on player contracts.
What Barkley wanted was the championship; he longed to relive the taste of the finals, to return to the finals stage, and to provide a good living environment for his children.
This time Pollin learned from Monroe’s lesson; he sent Charles Barkley to the Western Conference instead of keeping him in the East to avoid troubling himself.
But even with Barkley in the West with the Phoenix Suns, the war of words with the Bullets never ceased.
Barkley kept trashing Washington’s basketball atmosphere as terrible, the team’s recruitment and infrastructure as completely inadequate, and even the jersey aesthetics as a total mess.
On the other hand, Pollin accused Barkley of being arrogant, disrespectful to coaches and teammates, and having a huge appetite, eating a lot and hence, excreting a lot.
The verbal sparring began to wane as the Phoenix Suns’ record rose throughout the new season.
Gan Guoyang was right; in the NBA arena, victory can cover up most problems.
After the drug scandal, the Suns achieved great rebuilding.
The management soon realized that without a superstar, it would be impossible to get past the Lakers or Trail Blazers in the Western Conference.
Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers just weren’t enough; they needed a real star capable of shifting the balance between East and West.
Charles Barkley was their answer.
Before visiting Portland, the Phoenix Suns boasted a record of 10 wins and 3 losses, placing second in the Western Conference, including a victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Challenging the Portland Trail Blazers tonight is the first step in Barkley and Ah Gan’s battle for the throne, their first encounter of the season.
Since arriving in sunny Phoenix, Barkley’s mouth hasn’t stopped talking; he praised the sunshine of Phoenix, saying, "If you’re going to take a beating, do it in the sun, then even if you lose, at least you can let off steam with a round of golf in great weather."
He mocked the high crime rates in the Washington area, saying, "Oh, it’s been 24 hours since I’ve heard a gunshot or a siren, I’m kind of not used to it."
When asked what he thought of cities like New York, Washington, and Philadelphia on the East Coast, Barkley praised, "I love New York, I love Washington, I love the East Coast! Because I have a gun."
Barkley’s remarks angered fans and media in the Northeastern region on one hand, and on the other hand, he won the love of many fans — there are fewer and fewer stars in society who dare to speak out boldly.
Most people with power, money, and fame tend to be careful with their words, fearing misspeaking might bring negative consequences, but Barkley is not one to fear.
In the last matchup against Michael Jordan, Barkley boldly declared before the game, "This year’s scoring title is mine!"
And indeed he surpassed Jordan in scoring and won the game.
Facing Gan Guoyang this time, Barkley boasted in a pre-game interview, "This year’s Rebound King is also mine, no one can match me on rebounds, not even Ah Gan, as long as I focus!"
Barkley really was getting ahead of himself.
But this year, he did have the capital to be so.
In November, his average points per game reached a career-high of 29.7 points, close to 30, second only to Jordan.
His average rebounds reached the second-highest in his career at 13.3 per game, just 1 rebound away from Ah Gan’s 14.3.
If Barkley focused on stats, it’s not impossible for him to overtake Jordan or Ah Gan in either category.
Of course, aiming to seize both the scoring title and the rebounding title is a bit of a fantasy for Barkley.
He doesn’t have the endurance like Ah Gan, and when it comes to shooting percentages, he’s even further behind Gan Guoyang.
Of course, Ah Gan heard about Barkley’s boastful stance from reporters; knowing Barkley’s bluffing nature, he didn’t take the bait.
He only said, "If Charles needs it, I can miss more shots, providing him with rebound resources."
The two have been good friends for years, and Ah Gan always indulged Barkley’s need to save face, as Barkley always cared about appearances.
But in the game itself, Gan Guoyang never held back against Barkley; this was a form of respect for a valiant opponent.
At 7:30 PM, Barkley stood for the first time in a Suns uniform on the floor of the Memorial Coliseum, facing Ah Gan directly.
Truth be told, Barkley felt somewhat intimidated on the court against Ah Gan.
He could taunt Michael Jordan face to face, but it was hard to do so against Ah Gan.
Because Ah Gan was an all-around player in the same position enveloping Barkley.
Besides his appetite, Barkley had no edge over Gan Guoyang, and this lack of confidence affected him.
Plus, Ah Gan held a "court poop" scandal over him; although he trusted Ah Gan’s character, it felt like a ticking time bomb, making him uneasy.
His pre-game media boast about beating Ah Gan in rebounds was his most confident claim yet.
"Sonny, you know..."
"I don’t know. Prepare to die, Charles."
"..."
This was their final conversation before the game started.
