The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 277 - 18 I have a number

The day after the game against the Warriors.

As the Trail Blazers took the earliest flight to Los Angeles, everyone began to reminisce about the carefree, worry-free life of the offseason.

Starting the away trip meant they were returning to the routine of waking up early to catch planes every day, treating hotels like homes, often living with their schedules turned upside down.

They still flew commercial, but this time the players had upgraded to VIP seats, allowing for better rest during the flights.

This was a player benefit promoted by the League last season and was widely implemented this season following a collaboration with an American airline.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, Stockton could save even more money this season; that guy could sit in an economy seat and use the difference to subsidize his expenses.

On the plane, Gan Guoyang, as usual, took out the latest newspapers to read. He was eager to see the media’s reaction after scoring 50 points.

After flipping through several newspapers with sports columns, apart from "The Oregonian" praising him, other papers like "Los Angeles Times" and "New York Times" merely mentioned him in passing, not even granting him a headline.

"The New York Times" was more focused on Patrick Ewing’s performance, providing lengthy coverage of his debut match. In the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, he scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked three shots.

The Knicks lost the game, and Moses Malone dominated Ewing, scoring 35 points along with 13 rebounds and three blocks, giving the top pick a harsh lesson.

Gan Guoyang thought dismissively, "The first time I faced Malone, I made him bleed. Patrick is really disappointing, letting Malone score 35 points! If it were me, the moment he hit 30 points, I would have elbowed him out of the game, and stopped him from scoring anymore."

Of course, the New York media was still patient and hopeful.

In September, Ewing successfully signed a massive 10-year, 30-million-dollar contract.

The contract was complicated, with many clauses, including six years of guaranteed salary and four years non-guaranteed.

Regardless, it was the largest contract a rookie had ever signed, even bigger than Magic Johnson’s 25-year contract.

This highlighted how much New York valued this superstar rookie, and how deep-pocketed New Yorkers were.

Unlike the Golden State Warriors, who couldn’t even retain their own Bernard King and Joe Barry Carroll.

And "Los Angeles Times" devoted more attention to the Celtics, the Lakers’ biggest rival.

The Lakers were strangely starting the new season with four consecutive away games, and wouldn’t have their home opener at the Great Western Forum until November.

Their main rivals, the Celtics, made a blockbuster trade over the summer: they sent Cedric Maxwell, a key player in their championship win and the 1981 Finals MVP, to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for another star forward, Marques Johnson.

This trade significantly bolstered the Celtics, but "Los Angeles Times" pointed out doubts within the Celtics about Auerbach trading away a championship hero, with core players like Bird and McHale confused, as Auerbach had said they were one big family.

Maxwell’s departure made it seem all like a lie, making people realize the so-called NBA was not a family, but a business.

The Celtics lost their season opener to the New Jersey Nets in overtime and then narrowly beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in their second game.

The Celtics were clearly determined to reclaim the championship title this season, but it didn’t seem as easy as they had hoped.

Bird’s performance in the first two games was mediocre at best, missing shots frequently; the Los Angeles media naturally did not miss the opportunity to question them.

Having finished reading, Gan Guoyang tossed the papers under the seat, exclaiming, "Is my 50 points really so unworthy of mention? These major newspapers, always fixated on the Celtics and Lakers – they lack foresight!"

Sitting in front of him, Jack Ramsey heard Gan Guoyang’s complaint and quipped, "You’re already past your prime."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Gan Guoyang retorted, "Jack, I haven’t even hit my prime yet. This year is the year we start on our path to the championship."

Ramsay didn’t even turn his head as he said, "You might not have slept well last night, I suggest you catch up on some sleep, you sound a bit delirious."

Gan Guoyang knew that Ramsay’s expectation for the team this year was also the championship, only he wouldn’t casually mention the championship.

Because Ramsay had experienced the fall from the pinnacle to the nadir, with the dynasty’s framework plunging into darkness just before dawn could break.

The season had just begun, and no one knew what would happen next.

As for Gan Guoyang, of course, he wasn’t washed up. Instead, after an astounding rookie season, the media and fans had greatly raised their expectations of him.

Scoring 50 points against a weak Warriors team no longer sparked interest; people just thought Ah Gan was pretty impressive, but they’d seen this episode before and were waiting for something more exciting.

Gan Guoyang was like a novelist who posted a thrilling Chapter online only to check the comments and receive a mere "Read."

This frustrating sentiment quickly dissipated as the airplane landed at Los Angeles Airport, and he was ready to dive into the competition of the next game.

Although the Clippers were a terrible team with Sterling a terrible owner, it didn’t mean they could easily be beaten.

On the contrary, last season the Trail Blazers lost three games to the Clippers in their matchups.

They might not make the playoffs, but it wasn’t so easy for the Trail Blazers to play against the Clippers, and not all of it was because of the "ugly girl night."

Clippers had a very talented roster last season, but the owner was such a drag that the team’s development was a mess, with everyone at odds with one another.

Aside from Walton, Marques Johnson also remarked after heading to Boston, "That was the worst basketball team he had ever been on."

James Donaldson, later traded by the Clippers, expressed relief by comparing his departure from the dysfunctional Los Angeles Clippers to "going to heaven after death."

So Gan Guoyang felt quite apologetic toward Valentine. It was normal for teams to trade players, but sending him into the fiery pit of the Clippers was truly unfortunate.

Not to mention, when Valentine came to the Clippers, they already had 7 guards, 4 of whom were point guards.

No wonder Donaldson described the Clippers as a dysfunctional team; they had no plan or rationale in team building.

Even so, Trail Blazers still thoroughly prepared before the game, holding a tactical meeting on the evening of the 28th and warm-up training on the morning of the 29th.

Bill Walton said to Gan Guoyang on the practice court, "Ah Gan, I have two pieces of news, one good and one bad."

"The bad news is, as soon as I landed in Los Angeles, I received a message from the Clippers. That SOB Sterling sent me a summons, he is going to sue both me and the Trail Blazers, demanding I and the Trail Blazers pay more cash as compensation for signing with us."

Gan Guoyang exclaimed, "What? You already gave up almost all of your deferred compensation, and he’s still suing you?"

"Yes, that’s Sterling’s usual style and money-making method, keeping a team of lawyers to sue everywhere possible, then getting compensation or settlement fees. It’s much more profitable than the Clippers selling tickets."

"And the good news?"

"The good news is, we’re playing against the Clippers tonight, and we can give them a good thrashing."

"Haha! But the players are innocent. I’ll think of a way to deal with Sterling."

"Oh my God, that would kill him, wouldn’t it?"

"No worries, I have a plan."