Chapter 829: Chapter 33 Sirius_2
Gan Guoyang and Jordan both turned it down, first because they didn’t need such trivial events to increase their income, and second because this year is truly different, with the hostile atmosphere between them growing more intense.
Jordan’s desire to challenge and defeat Ah Gan is growing stronger because he realizes that this year it is really possible, it is time.
Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang also sensed that the threat from Jordan was becoming greater. In previous years, although the two played fiercely against each other, it was clear to anyone with eyes that the Trail Blazers had far superior overall strength compared to the Bulls.
Jordan could only just barely manage to play tug-of-war with Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers during the regular season. Come playoffs, it’s the Trail Blazers’ world, with the Bulls and Jordan not even making it to the table.
This season is truly different; everyone has a premonition that the real battle is coming, and tonight will be a warm-up.
Unlike the Bulls, the Trail Blazers Team is harmonious and calm, maintaining a good collegial state.
Perhaps it’s the overly mild team atmosphere that has led to some laxity, and the Trail Blazers’ recent performance has been somewhat uneven. Relying on Gan Guoyang to pull through, they defeated the formidable Suns.
However, the recent string of victories has been bumpy, with defensive and offensive ends prone to errors that would not have been made last season.
Moreover, the team’s offense lost much creativity without Hornacek and Divac; though they had many high-scoring games at the start of the season, they were powered through with sheer force.
In positional battles against strong teams, the clever plays brought by Hornacek and Divac disappeared, the team played harder and more directly, and seemed too rigid.
Up to now, Reggie Lewis has only reached 80% of expectations on both offense and defense, which has forced the Trail Blazers’ management to seriously reconsider the correctness of this trade.
February 20th is the League’s set trade deadline, and teams are contemplating trades to strengthen their rosters, or to make swaps in preparation for future maneuvers.
Some controversy also arose within the Trail Blazers about whether to make a trade.
Especially Reggie Lewis, whether it’s the Princeton System or the old Trail Blazers’ offensive system, he seems ill-suited.
He’s a typical hard-nosed perimeter player, needing one-on-one space, but the Trail Blazers don’t have that many one-on-one opportunities to give him; those are Ah Gan’s chances.
His off-ball cuts and positioning abilities are only mediocre among stars of his caliber, not striking, and his passing and playmaking abilities are average, unable to become a hub on the outside.
With the Trail Blazers’ strategy firmly establishing the Twin Towers as the core, he is destined to be a role player, and such a player holding the second-largest contract on the team is inevitably subject to criticism, with suggestions that Lewis could be traded away to acquire wings more suitable to complement the Twin Towers.
In this situation, Ah Gan stood up to support Reggie Lewis. First, he affirmed Lewis’s skills and character; a quiet, humble, and talented perimeter player.
Secondly, Gan Guoyang reminded the management what the original purpose of trading for Reggie Lewis was. Was it just to make the regular season look better?
Their goal was to target Michael Jordan; they didn’t have a perimeter star to match Jordan, and Lewis was undoubtedly the best choice.
Not performing well during the regular season’s blending period is no problem at all; it’s the playoffs that show who is real.
Moreover, it’s still unknown how much impact the Princeton System will have in the playoffs. When it matters, it’s still essential to rely on the players’ raw ability to forcefully solve problems and put the ball into the basket.
Jerry West agreed with Gan Guoyang’s view, and since he facilitated the trade, he naturally would not change course midway, so by the trade deadline, the Trail Blazers, as usual, made no changes to their lineup.
But West hoped that Reggie Lewis could perform in the game against the Bulls at the end of February and to step up in the second half of the season, finding his form.
Therefore, tonight before the game begins, the pressure on Lewis is quite significant, and the atmosphere in the Trail Blazers’ locker room is a bit somber, not particularly lively despite the victories, as after all, the team leader is not an American.
In the past, in the locker room, Gan Guoyang would blast music from a large boombox, with everyone moving and swaying to the rhythm, characteristic of the youth of the ’80s.
Entering the ’90s, with the widespread usage of CD players, everyone listened to their preferred music on their own headphones, lacking the joyful scenes of the ’70s and ’80s.
Gan Guoyang’s CD player was playing Michael Jackson’s album "BAD". He liked to listen to Jackson’s songs before the game, because the music didn’t entangle him with emotions or evoke memories – it was simply pleasant, catchy, and uplifting, which was the best state for a game.
Therefore, Jackson is the true King of Pop, making music that is easy to understand but most attractive and universally appealing.
It’s just that this album is a bit old, released in 1987, and it has been 4 years now, Jackson has been on tour and has not released any new music.
Sometimes Gan Guoyang even calls to hurry him, asking Jackson when are you going to release an album, why are you so lazy, why don’t you write songs every day?
"If you worked as hard as me, you should be able to release two albums a year."
Jackson begged for mercy, saying I don’t have the animal-like physique that you do.
During the most recent contact, Jackson said he was working on a big album.
He promised to let Gan Guoyang be the first to have a listen when it’s out.
Gan Guoyang thought to himself, a big album, if he’s not wrong, it must be "Dangerous".
He didn’t want to spoil it, so he just agreed with Jackson that it would be best if he wrote another hit for him in this album.
In the 1987 "BAD" there was a song called "Three-peat", which became a popular track on the album.
Later, the song proved prophetic, truly predicting the Trail Blazers’ three consecutive championships, adding a legendary color to the song.
After playing the "Three-peat", Gan Guoyang took off his headphones, changed into his basketball uniform, and warmed up on the court with his teammates.
At seven o’clock in the evening, the players from both teams officially entered the court, and after the Trail Blazers players made their entrance, the lights in the venue dimmed down.
This year, just like the Trail Blazers, the Chicago Bulls put effort into the home team’s entrance ceremony.
After the lights went out, colorful light rings flashed, and the music started, it was "Sirius" from The Alan Parsons Project’s sixth studio album "Eye in the Sky" released in 1982, which was originally used as a prelude for another song, but after being played separately they found it had a great effect and was included in the album.
Since the 80s, many sporting events have used this piece as the introductory music for the athletes’ entrance, like some professional wrestlers in exhibition matches using it as their entry theme.
As early as 1984, United Center DJ Tommy Edwards began using this song as the opening music for the Chicago Bulls players’ entrance, although at that time it was just playing the music simply.
With the push of the Trail Blazers’ new owner Tang Jianguo, they started to implement darkening the entire arena, adding colored lasers, and computer effects, making teams across the League follow suit, making their home player introductions grander and more mysterious, stirring up the emotions of the live audience.
"Sirius" really is an outstanding piece of music, otherwise, it wouldn’t be used by so many sports teams.
Like the Kentucky Wildcats, led by Rick Pitino, used this as their exclusive music for the team’s entrance.
Of course, the "Sunrise" symphony of the Portland Trail Blazers is even more majestic, but it only works if you have a player like Ah Gan leading the pack, otherwise it seems a poor fit for others.
Michael Jordan was the last to enter, the lights in the venue came back on, and the fans’ cheers were deafening, which was immense pressure for the visiting team.
Reggie Lewis looked a bit nervous, after all, who wouldn’t be nervous facing Jordan?
Before the tip-off, Gan Guoyang put his arm around Reggie Lewis, saying, "It’s okay, I’ve got your back, don’t be afraid of Jordan, just defend well. Make it a beautiful game tonight, buddy."
Hearing Gan Guoyang say this, Reggie Lewis felt much more confident.
Ah Gan says he’s got your back, that means he really has your back, not just lip service.
Reggie Lewis, of course, had heard the rumors before the trade deadline, he knew it was Ah Gan who had stood by him, helping him avoid the misfortune of being traded twice in a season.
Taking a deep breath, Reggie Lewis threw himself into the game wholeheartedly.
The 12th Gan-Jordan battle began.
