The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 311 - 49 Caesar

Jordan and Ewing, though unable to play in the All-Star game due to injuries, still came to Dallas to join the festivities.

They also witnessed Gan Guoyang snatch the All-Star MVP from Isiah Thomas, taking the trophy from Stern’s hands and being named the "Star of Stars".

Jordan, sitting in the audience, clapped vigorously with a nearly twisted smile on his face because Gan Guoyang had avenged him.

Regardless of whether last year’s All-Star game ’freeze-out’ event was true or not, a feud had already formed between Jordan and Thomas.

Every encounter between the Bulls and the Pistons was fiery and fierce, marking the two as destined adversaries.

Jordan, always competitive, felt deeply unsatisfied watching Thomas score repeatedly and the Eastern team leading the way to the MVP.

Who would have known his good brother would barge in halfway and snatch the trophy Thomas almost had in his grasp? How could Jordan not be pleased?

In contrast, Ewing was a bit more reserved; after all, it was his first year, he was a rookie, a minor player, and it was better not to get involved in these big shots’ feuds.

During the award ceremony, Isiah Thomas had a gloomy expression throughout and looked at Gan Guoyang with eyes full of resentment.

But when he thought about it, there wasn’t much he could do; even the Pistons’ number one villain, Laimbeer, couldn’t beat him, so he’d better weigh his own value before trying to trip Gan.

Of course, there were now grudges between them, and the Trail Blazers had yet to play against the Pistons this season.

Thinking back to last season when Gan Guoyang scored 50 points on him and Laimbeer was grievously wrestled down, the accumulation of new hatred on top of the old meant sparks would fly when they next met.

As the All-Star festivities dispersed, Gan Guoyang, along with Ewing and Jordan, left the Dallas arena in an old-fashioned Lincoln and headed back to the hotel.

The old Lincoln had a spacious backseat, with Gan Guoyang and Ewing sitting on either side, sandwiching Jordan in the middle, and Gan Guoyang tossed the newly acquired trophy to Jordan and Ewing to play with.

"Like it? If you like it, I’ll give it to you," Gan Guoyang said, watching Jordan hold the trophy with sparkling eyes.

"I like it, but I’ll win it myself. Besides, an All-Star game MVP is no big deal. It’s not a real honor."

"But it’s still better than letting Isiah Thomas get it, right?" said Gan Guoyang.

At the mention of Thomas, Jordan couldn’t help but burst into laughter again, saying that just thinking of Thomas’s constipated expression made him very happy.

It was evident that Jordan harbored deep grudges against Thomas, and Gan Guoyang had indeed helped him get revenge this time.

Jordan told Gan Guoyang to speak up if he needed help with anything in the future, and that he would lend his support for anything except intentionally losing a game.

Gan Guoyang noted Jordan’s words and said, "Don’t go back on your word when the time comes."

Ewing, on the other hand, was worried for the pair, saying, "Thomas isn’t so easy to bully, and Detroiters play increasingly rough. They traded for Melvin Turpin in December, and that guy’s been playing quite well. You need to be careful, Ah Gan."

Ewing had faced the Detroiters earlier in the year, just after the Turpin trade in December, when the Knicks narrowly lost to the Pistons by 2 points at home.

In that game, Laimbeer scored 29 points and Turpin scored 11 points, while Ewing, contained to 7 out of 17 for just 15 points, inevitably clashed with Laimbeer, nearly leading to a fight.

"What’s there to be afraid of Laimbeer? Just hit him! That’ll set him straight," said Gan Guoyang from a bystander’s point of view.

"Not everyone is you, Ah Gan; we’re there to play basketball, not to fight," Jordan retorted.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, these people just don’t understand the principle of ’to fight is not to fight, not to fight is to fight.’

Of course, Jordan had his own convictions regarding on-court conflicts. He never shied away, but he also never threw the first punch, choosing instead to respond with his basketball skills.

This approach differed from Gan Guoyang’s, showing the different survival strategies on the court; Gan Guoyang respected Jordan’s way.

After impulsive rushes at the start of the season, Ewing had gradually matured, realizing he couldn’t become a wrestler like Ah Gan, so he was learning to restrain himself.

"Melvin Turpin going to Detroit is indeed a threat, but with that kid’s personality, how can he survive with the Pistons?" Gan Guoyang mentioned Melvin Turpin.

This gluttonous guy is weak-natured, but he is indeed talented, especially in terms of offense under the basket, which the Pistons lack.

In the January 11th game against the 76ers, Turpin contributed a last-second putback, helping the Pistons win 112-111 on home court against the 76ers and ending a five-game losing streak.

The Pistons are a team with strict discipline and are in a rising phase. Playing there is much better than playing for the rotten Los Angeles Clippers.

"Maybe he will become the second Bill Laimbeer," Ewing said.

"I don’t have any impression of him; gluttonous people have a hard time achieving great things," Jordan said.

"Everyone has their own destiny. However, destiny is not controlled by the stars in the sky, but by people themselves," Guoyang said.

The three of them returned to the hotel to spend their last night of the All-Star weekend in Dallas.

The next morning, Ewing took a plane back to New York, while Gan Guoyang, along with Drexler and Ramsay, went directly to San Francisco, where they met up with the team. The Trail Blazers had a game against the Warriors on February 11th.

Jordan didn’t return to his hometown in North Carolina; he decided to go back to Chicago to have doctors examine his foot to determine his recovery status and when he could return to the court to play.

Jerry Krause was surprised by Jordan’s return; he came to the team physician right away to understand the situation. In his mind, no matter the state of Jordan’s foot injury, he didn’t want Jordan to make a comeback.

The reason was simple: the Bulls were on the edge of playoff contention. If they lost a few more games and fell out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference, they would become one of the seven teams eligible for the 1986 draft lottery.

If that happened, the Bulls would stand a chance to get the first overall draft pick, or at least a top-seven pick, which was very important for rebuilding the team.

And if Jordan returned, the Bulls’ performance would definitely improve. Accidentally making the playoffs would mean losing the chance to participate in the lottery!

Of course, Krause wouldn’t say this to Jordan but would instead express his concern for Jordan’s health, insisting that he should by no means return to the court.

Jordan looked at his CT and the doctor’s report. The doctor told him that his recovery was going very well and that if everything went smoothly, he could be ready for regular-season games or even the playoffs in March.

Upon hearing this, Krause quickly objected, "No, no, no, Michael’s season is over. We want one hundred percent, one hundred percent health! We can’t afford any risk, not even 0.01 percent!"

Jordan said, "It doesn’t matter if the team loses so badly that fans don’t want to come to see the games?"

"It’s okay, we have next season. We should look at the problem with a long-term perspective. Besides..."

"Besides what? Besides if we keep losing, we can get a high draft pick at the draft lottery, right?"

Krause didn’t respond directly, just saying, "I just don’t want you to get injured, and I don’t want to be infamous for rushing you back too soon." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Jordan disliked Krause’s roundabout ways and said directly, "Deliberately losing games shows what kind of person you are. If a team is weak and can’t win games, that’s one thing, but that’s different from deliberately losing games."

"We’re not deliberately losing games! I just don’t want you to get hurt!"

Krause was annoyed by Jordan’s words, not understanding why such a simple concept was so hard for Jordan to grasp.

"Whether I’m injured or not, the doctor will give the correct judgment. March, I can come back in March."

"I can’t be one hundred percent sure, I will limit your playtime," Krause insisted.

Jordan was also angered, certain that Krause just wanted to lose games on purpose, "No one should try to get good things by losing games. You should strive to maximize what you have. If the team really wants to make the playoffs, no matter when, as long as there’s a chance to win a game, I’ll step up!"

Krause scoffed, "So noble, who doesn’t want to make the playoffs, who doesn’t want to win the championship? Sometimes you have to go with fate. You’re injured, you should rest until next year!"

Jordan remained firm, shook his head, and said, "Destiny is not controlled by the stars in the sky, but by people themselves."

Krause looked at Jordan in silence for a long time, realizing the guy’s will was unshakable, so he compromised, "Alright, we’ll follow the doctor’s advice. If the doctor thinks you can play, then you can return!"

Jordan finally got the answer he was satisfied with. No matter what, he wanted to be on the court battling; especially seeing Gan Guoyang’s amazing performance this year, he was even more eager.

Having reached an agreement, Krause patted Jordan’s shoulder and said, "Destiny is not controlled by the stars in the sky, but by people themselves. ’Julius Caesar,’ good line, said by Shakespeare. I hope you can be like Caesar."

Jordan looked at Krause, shook his head again, and said, "No, that was said by Ah Gan."