The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 1780 - 54: Don’t Go to Eagle County (3)

Sure, here is the translation.

This is precisely what Phil Jackson is most anxious about; in his heart, this Lakers team facing the Trail Blazers is extremely dangerous.

He feels the need to boost the players' confidence and perform some psychological therapy, which is Jackson's usual tactic, often used with the Bulls.

After the game against the Supersonics, in the locker room, Phil Jackson started his speech, informing the players that their next opponent would be the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jackson did not desperately try to motivate the players; instead, he went the opposite way by showing them a combination of films and game footage, selecting "The X-Files" and "The Green Mile" as the films.

Using these two films, Phil Jackson's central intention was to tell the players: "Let go of hatred, let go of everything from the past."

"The past grievances and victories between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers are unimportant; what matters is the present, the upcoming Western Conference Finals. Everything that happened before, whether related to you or not, should not interfere with you. This is a brand new matchup."

Jackson hoped that this approach would eliminate the players' fear of the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang; resetting everything was best for the Lakers.

Most players were moved by Jackson's film montage and speech, but O'Neal seemed unfazed and complained afterwards about how courts are full of fools, and the law has loopholes — why electrocute John Coffey! (Note: the protagonist of The Green Mile, a tall, fierce-looking black man with a kind heart and mysterious power, wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death by electrocution.)

"People's prejudice against big black guys has always existed, even in movies!" was O'Neal's biggest feeling after watching the film.

Phil Jackson couldn't help but worry about the Western Conference Finals, not because of O'Neal, but more so because they were facing Gan again.

Once the matchups and schedule for the Western Conference Finals were set, the entire Trail Blazers team flew to Los Angeles on the 14th to prepare for the first game of the series.

Larry Bird found Kobe during practice the next day to talk to him, advising him not to rush into marriage, but to focus his energy on basketball, particularly on the crucial Western Finals.

"You are still very young; getting bound by marriage early is not a wise choice," Bird used his own experiences as lessons to persuade Kobe and openly doubted Kobe and Vanessa's marriage.

But Kobe turned a deaf ear, nodding in agreement at Bird's basketball teachings but ignoring the other advice.

Out of respect, Kobe did not use Bird's estrangement from his daughter to mock him, but from his expression, Bird could sense that Kobe wasn't listening to his words at all.

Bird isn't usually one to meddle, and for team stability and harmony, stepping in to advise once was his limit; as for whether Kobe listens or not, he couldn't care less.

Among the Trail Blazers veterans, most were married with children, and they largely disapproved of Kobe's youthful impulsiveness, thinking he was being too unwise.

But Kobe was completely unconcerned; no amount of persuasion or rumors could sway his belief — he had made up his mind to marry Vanessa.

Of all the people, only Gan Guoyang showed support for Kobe, saying after practice: "Marriage is good for you; it allows you to take your mind off basketball for a bit, take a little break, and then re-enter the game with stronger spirit and conviction, right?"

Kobe nodded, saying, "Yes, you're right, Sonny."

Actually, Kobe felt conflicted and tortured inside; sticking to something that everyone opposed wasn't easy.

Especially when those opposed included his own parents, whom he had never defied like this before.

But Gan Guoyang's experiences indeed encouraged Kobe, as Gan Guoyang had also married early, with his family serving as a strong support and motivation.

A good wife enabled Gan Guoyang to concentrate all his thoughts on basketball and achieve great things, a model Kobe appreciated.

Kobe knew he hadn't picked the wrong person to learn from, and asked Gan Guoyang what the secret to maintaining loving marriage after tying the knot was.

Gan Guoyang replied that there's no secret; it's all about one's thoughts and choices, but he did have a line to remind Kobe.

Kobe asked, "What line?"

"Better not go to Eagle County."

"What? Don't go where?"

"Eagle County, Colorado."

"Why?"

"No reason, just a casual remark."

At this moment, Kobe was completely unable to comprehend what this sentence meant.