Chapter 951: Chapter 11 Sacrifice_2
Things haven’t gotten that bad, but they’re definitely not great, as their marriage already faced a lot of controversy.
Maureen is a beautiful, tall white female model, while Barkley used to be a poor black man.
If it weren’t for entering the NBA, the two of them would never have crossed paths in this lifetime. Now they are husband and wife, with a child.
Even so, their relationship is still a subject of teasing and attacks, saying Maureen married a beast for money, or that Barkley, once he had money and fame, wanted to marry a beautiful white woman to escape his past social class, and so on.
No one believes they are together purely out of love and mutual attraction, which bothers Barkley.
Of course, what’s most troubling for him is his performance on the court. The Suns’ lineup hasn’t changed much from last year.
They are still highly competitive, but injuries have come knocking, and there’s not much more Fitzsimmons can bring to the Suns.
The Suns are still among the top in the Western Conference. They’ve won some important games, but Barkley clearly knows that this Suns team can’t beat the Portland Trail Blazers.
They need to be more mature, have fresher blood, better synergy, or perhaps a new system. In any case, this season, Barkley no longer dares to boast about defeating the Trail Blazers easily.
He doesn’t even have the confidence to win a single game in the playoffs.
By halftime, the Trail Blazers were leading the Suns by 22 points.
The Trail Blazers are in excellent form tonight, with Gan Guoyang scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the first half, including 6 offensive rebounds.
Ah Gan is going for 30 rebounds again; this beast’s energy on the court is despairing.
Many years later in his autobiography, Barkley admitted that consistently competing against Ah Gan was deeply discouraging.
"It’s like racing on a track where I’ve won many of these races in the past. At a certain distance, everyone gets tired. My opponents and I are all gasping for breath, and at this moment, I understand that if I grit my teeth, persist a little, victory is near. I’m exhausted, my enemy is exhausted too, and I push myself hard, eventually wearing out my opponent to win."
"But Ah Gan is different. You never see him showing signs of fatigue—not just physically, but in his desire for victory and competition. I’m on the verge of collapsing, then I look to the side, and this guy is smiling as he runs, just like at the start. God, this is more devastating than fatigue itself. You start thinking, forget it, give up, you can’t win, it’s really impossible."
At halftime, Barkley felt a sense of hopelessness. Considering that, after coming to the Western Conference, he would face Ah Gan for many years, he saw no end, just endless darkness.
At this moment, he had a bit of regret, maybe he shouldn’t have come to the Western Conference. Staying in the Eastern Conference to play against Michael might be somewhat easier. After all, he reached the Finals once with the Bullets.
Thinking about all this nonsense had no effect on the game. The Trail Blazers had one goal: to crush the game in three quarters, so Ah Gan could leave early to go to the hospital for the birth of his child.
So, in the second half, the Trail Blazers’ offense became even more aggressive and cautious, taking advantage of every opportunity, avoiding mistakes, and denying the Suns any chance to counterattack. They meticulously managed each possession—this is the essence of the Trail Blazers’ offense.
They weren’t like the Nuggets or the Lakers, with high-tempo, fast-paced attacks that overran opponents. Their core has always been two words: efficiency.
Always a notch above the opponent in offensive efficiency, they never gave the opponent a large-scale counterattack opportunity, perfectly controlling the rhythm to win unnoticeably.
By the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers led the Suns by 27 points.
The Suns actually played well tonight, but unfortunately, the Trail Blazers played even better.
The whole team had one belief, to let Ah Gan go to the hospital early to accompany his wife for childbirth.
So, in the fourth quarter, with no suspense left in the game, Gan Guoyang left the court early.
He had scored 24 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in three quarters. Had he played the fourth quarter, he might have aimed for 30 rebounds.
Before leaving the court, Gan Guoyang explained to the fans, "My wife and child are waiting for me in the hospital. I’ve completed my task on the court, so please allow me to leave early. This is not a sign of disrespect to the opponent, teammates, or you, but rather... my mind is unsettled. I’m sorry, everyone, truly sorry."
After Gan Guoyang finished speaking, the fans responded with understanding and applause of blessing. He waved goodbye and left through the player’s tunnel to the locker room.
Reporters and cameras closely followed Gan Guoyang all the way. He quickly changed and left the Rose Garden for the hospital.
The game on the court continued, with the Suns trying to struggle and teach the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan a lesson. It would be magnificent if they could stage a great comeback.
Unfortunately, without Ah Gan, the Trail Blazers’ lineup was still strong, and it was almost impossible to lose their massive 20-plus point lead.
Moreover, the team’s morale was high, full of confidence. After a few plays, the Suns couldn’t even narrow the gap.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Suns gave up resistance, fielding substitute players instead of core players, and the game entered garbage time.
Charles Barkley returned to the bench in frustration, with only one thought in his mind: I must perform well in the Olympics, and Team USA must face China, definitely...
Not only Barkley, but every star selected for the U.S. Olympic team was eager and praying for a chance to thrash China at the Olympics.
This was the best chance for vengeance, a rare opportunity not to be missed.
Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang was already waiting at the hospital as Wang Fuxi entered the delivery room, and the whole family began a long, anxious wait.
Even though it was the second child, Gan Guoyang was still extremely anxious, more anxious than any game.
"I was never this nervous during the finals." Gan Guoyang paced back and forth at the hospital entrance.
During the finals against the Bulls, the more critical the moment, the calmer his mindset, and his mind was clear.
But now his thoughts were chaotic and tangled. After finishing the third quarter, he truly couldn’t hold on any longer and couldn’t stay on the court.
Every minute and second was an ordeal. He worried about his wife’s health, worried about the child’s health, and memories of the past—his abandoned self, a noisy yet lonely childhood—kept swirling in his mind.
He hadn’t thought about the past for a long time, believing he had fully integrated into this era. But when a new life was about to be born, the deepest things would still emerge.
Beside him was Gan Wenshan, who was naive but knew his dad was worried and his mom was struggling.
He watched his anxious father pacing back and forth, and tugged his hand.
Gan Guoyang picked up his son, held him in his arms, and continued pacing at the entrance with him.
Gan Wenshan gently touched Gan Guoyang’s face and said, "Don’t worry, Dad."
Gan Guoyang kissed his understanding son and said, "I’m not worried. Mom and the little one will be fine. I just really want to see them."
Finally, the delivery room door opened, and his wife and child were wheeled out on a hospital bed. Wang Fuxi looked in good spirits, and the little life curled up beside her like a budding flower.
"It’s a girl, very healthy," said the nurse.
A girl, Gan Guoyang was filled with immense happiness.
He had always wanted a daughter, and now it was fulfilled with both a son and a daughter.
Seeing his wife and daughter together, Gan Guoyang was very happy, yet tears streamed down his face.
Wang Fuxi reached out to wipe Gan Guoyang’s tears and softly asked, "Does our daughter look good?"
"Very good, very nice."
"She looks a lot like you."
"That’s not necessarily good news..."
"Daughters always resemble their fathers a bit more."
Gan Guoyang gently touched the baby’s head and suddenly asked the nurse, "Is her heart okay?"
The nurse nodded and said, "It’s very good, no problems."
Wang Fuxi curiously asked, "When Wenshan was born, you seemed to ask that too, asking if his heart was okay, why?"
"Ah... yes, I... our kids should all have big hearts."
At this moment, news from the arena came in, announcing the end of the game between the Trail Blazers and the Suns.
104:127, the Trail Blazers won over the Suns by a margin of 23 points.
Gan Guoyang thought to himself, sorry Charles, used you again as a sacrifice.
Who knew you’d be such a good sacrifice with all that flesh.
