Chapter 972: Chapter 19: Going for the Big Score_2
At the time, he was scouting these two European players, and I gave him some advice, chatted about my current situation, and told him I was planning to return to America.
Two weeks later, Seattle SuperSonics’ general manager Bob Whitsett called me, asking if I was interested in replacing KC Jones as the coach of the SuperSonics.
We talked a lot on the phone, about the SuperSonics, about their potential. I believed the SuperSonics shouldn’t be the way they were—at that time, they were 18-18, mediocre in the Western Conference, yet their players were anything but mediocre.
Ten days later, Seattle fired KC, and Bob Whitsett and I seriously considered working together. As I boarded a flight to Seattle, I realized this must be my last chance in the NBA.
If I couldn’t achieve something again, I would no longer be an NBA coach.
I passed the interview, but Whitsett called coaches and general managers from other teams to find out their opinion of me.
Only one peer supported me—that person was the Trail Blazers’ head coach Bobby Berman. Everyone else thought I was poison.
I really wanted the job, so I accepted a pay cut and a laughable short-term contract, only a year and a half.
I also agreed not to drink in public, which felt like an insult to me, but I had to endure it.
I told Madrid: goodbye.
I told Seattle: we will win games by being the most hardworking and intense.
Suddenly, I had the most talented players I’ve ever coached.
Ricky Pierce was a versatile offensive player, and he truly understood the game.
Glen Rice was an excellent shooter, and his shot was always trustworthy.
Nate McMillan and Derek McKey had a defensive frenzy.
Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp were potential All-Star players, and I knew I could develop them.
And then there was Bennett Benjamin—he held the highest salary on the team but was always lazy and careless, driving people crazy.
After I joined the SuperSonics, we achieved a record of 27 wins and 15 losses, which was a pleasant surprise for the fans, allowing us to enter the playoffs as the fifth seed.
Our opponent was the Golden State Warriors, and while it would be false to say there was no animosity, four years had really made me look past it. The important thing was to win the game and move forward.
The Warriors had Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway, two All-Star caliber players, but we beat them with Shawn Kemp.
Shawn dominated that series with an average of 22 points and 16 rebounds, bringing our audience into the game with the fiercest dunks I’ve ever seen.
In the fourth game, he dunked so hard that I thought the ball might embed into the floor, like a golf ball embedding into soft grass.
And after defeating the Warriors, we faced the real test—the Portland Trail Blazers.
In 1988 they knocked me out of the NBA, and now I was back to face them again.
Facing Ah Gan again.]
——Excerpt from "Furious George," George Karl’s autobiography, published in 2017.
The next day, the Inglewood region declared a state of emergency. The National Guard began entering the area to maintain order and quell the unrest.
The Great Western Forum Arena was indeed locked down, and the Clippers’ home, the Los Angeles Stadium, could not host games. The Clippers and Utah Jazz game was moved to Las Vegas.
The Trail Blazers’ bus, under police protection, headed to the airport in the morning, and they flew back to Portland via charter flight, ending their first playoff round amidst chaos.
Gan Guoyang always had feelings for Los Angeles; it was his lucky place. From high school to college, and to the NBA, he had won many important games here, earned many honors, played many classic games, and met the most important people in his life.
As the plane took off and slowly ascended, he could still see the smoke lingering over the city through the window. It was unknown when this unprecedented riot would end.
The city’s chaos did not disrupt the NBA playoffs’ progress. The results of the best-of-five in the first round soon emerged.
In the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers, Jazz, Suns, and the SuperSonics advanced to the semifinals.
In the Eastern Conference, the Bulls, Cavaliers, Knicks, and Heat made it to the second round.
The semifinals would undoubtedly be much tougher than the first round, and sometimes even more intense than the conference finals.
The Trail Blazers’ next round opponent was the Seattle SuperSonics, who surprisingly eliminated the Golden State Warriors, who had a great record this season.
Last season, the SuperSonics were easily eliminated by the Trail Blazers in the first round. This season, the SuperSonics took a step forward, once again standing before the Trail Blazers.
Internally, the SuperSonics were not stable this season, having changed coaches three times.
KC Jones was dismissed by the management after a 18-18 start to the season, as he was unpopular with the players—especially Gary Payton—and failed to meet expectations.
After assistant coach Kloppenburg replaced him for 4 games, the SuperSonics welcomed their new head coach, George Karl.
After leaving the Golden State Warriors, George Karl went to the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and Europe to coach for many years, serving as head coach for the Patroons and Real Madrid.
This coach, who didn’t leave a good reputation in the NBA, achieved great success in the CBA and European basketball.
The arrogant George Karl once again caught the NBA’s attention, and the SuperSonics management decided to give him a chance.
