Chapter 990: Chapter 27: Advance
Gan Guoyang’s bravest point is that he always dares to fight fiercely in away games.
Perhaps those who have faced life and death together have a different attitude towards things, they think and act without hesitation.
No matter how booming the atmosphere of tens of thousands of fans on site, how deafening their shouts, and how venomous the local media, Gan Guoyang is never afraid.
He takes action when needed, and over the years, his wrestling and boxing skills have never been neglected, even continuously improving with time.
For example, tonight’s throw of Karl Malone was a move from classical wrestling, lifting and slamming purely with upper body strength.
Even if Malone could react, he couldn’t break free from Gan Guoyang’s vice-like arms, and after enjoying 0.2 seconds of looking down from a higher vantage point than Ah Gan, he was soon in intimate contact with the wooden floor, briefly losing consciousness.
The elasticity of the wooden floor made the impact not as fatal, important parts were still reasonably protected, but being tossed into unconsciousness on the home court, collapsing like a rag doll, was still a very embarrassing thing.
The All-America audience once again had the fortune to witness this scene, according to post-event statistics, ratings soared during that period, and NBC TV Station repeatedly broadcasted this clip, from multiple angles, in slow motion, showcasing Ah Gan’s extraordinary wrestling skills to the audience.
This guy hadn’t showcased this high-level skill for a long time, after all, he was unbeatable in the League, and with teams like the Pistons being dispersed, no one dared to invite trouble from Ah Gan anymore, playing well wasn’t anything bad.
But there are always exceptions, and today it happened, in the Western Conference Finals, and the one taking the hit was the notorious Karl Malone, this was truly a spectacle.
Surprisingly, when Malone was lying on the ground with his eyes rolling back, the Jazz fans on site were quite calm, except for a few who were covering their heads and exclaiming, many remained in a watching mode.
Some had their heads tilted up, staring at the big screen on the ceiling for replays, wanting to see it again after watching, and those who hadn’t watched wanted to enjoy the most spectacular scene of this game, not wanting to miss it.
Even Jazz’s teammates remained calm, standing akimbo on the spot, waiting for the referee’s decision.
Stockton came over to negotiate with Ah Gan, "Why did you hit him?"
Gan Guoyang replied, "He sneak-attacked me from behind, it was a dangerous move."
"You told him before the game to elbow you, now he hit you, and you’re unhappy."
"I told him to elbow me from the front, who told him to attack me from behind?"
"Well... he should be fine, right?"
"No worries, it’s just a good time for him to take a nap."
The only one who exploded was Jerry Sloan, after Malone fell, he rushed angrily onto the court, heading towards Gan Guoyang.
But midway through he realized, the players and fans were calm, Stockton was there chatting with Ah Gan, and most importantly, no one was stopping him...
This was very awkward, if no one stopped him, was he really going to rush up to Ah Gan and fight? That would just be handing Ah Gan a double victory.
So, as Sloan was about to reach Ah Gan, his anger dissipated, just then, the referee timely intercepted him, Sloan immediately pointed at Ah Gan and shouted a couple of curse words.
Sloan was a hothead, but he was also a smart person, he knew Ah Gan was always quick, ruthless, and precise, Chuck Daly’s lesson was vivid, Sloan didn’t want to take another punch.
Moreover, in conflicts between players, why should a coach interfere? Just shout a couple of sentences for formality’s sake.
Gan Guoyang heard Sloan’s cursing, glanced at him as a response, completely ignored him, and just said to Stockton, "I probably won’t be able to play tonight, but don’t think you can win, you’re also going to be without Malone. Do well, John, people always underestimate you."
Saying this, Gan Guoyang patted Stockton’s arm and then left the court through the players’ tunnel.
Malone was carried out on a stretcher through another tunnel.
One walked, one lay, one was awake, one was asleep.
When Gan Guoyang left through the tunnel, the on-site fans remembered to give Ah Gan some harmless booing.
No one dared to throw drinks or debris at him.
In fact, since Gan Guoyang arrived in Salt Lake City a few days ago, whether at the training hall, stadium, hotel, restaurant, or convenience store, fans always voluntarily approached him for autographs and photos.
He was revered like a spectacle, and his superb wrestling technique was part of the spectacle, seeing it was simply a fortune, what was there to be angry about?
Even more unexpectedly, Gan Guoyang’s furious throw of Malone was repeatedly broadcasted on television for a period afterward, becoming one of the most impactful moments in North American professional sports in 1992, called "Avalanche," further influencing America’s fighting world. It was from this moment that some people in the fighting world realized the public’s love for fighting and wrestling, deciding to organize a no-holds-barred fighting league, preferably with Ah Gan as the spokesperson.
This became the future UFC championship, which officially began its history in 1993.
Back in the locker room, Gan Guoyang cooled down for two minutes, still unable to understand why Malone chose to sneak attack from behind.
If you fight me head-on, I’ll fight back, we have a brawl, that would be exhilarating, releasing the inexplicable resentment accumulated inside during this time.
But you sneak attack me, I throw you down, and you don’t even fight back, just falling asleep, it’s not satisfying at all, I feel even more depressed instead.
