The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 337 - 72 Exposed Nature

"The game on April 20, 1986, was a message that Michael Jordan sent to the Chicago Bulls management," said Bulls owner Reinsdorf. "It wasn’t until that game that we realized just how great Michael really was."

For Jordan himself, that game also marked an important turning point.

Years later, looking back, Jordan said, "Up until that time, many media people said that although I was good, I wasn’t yet on the same level as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird."

"I earned Larry Bird’s respect—that to me was an affirmation that I was on the right path. It wasn’t about how many points I scored, but the fact that we lost the game in the end. The highlights of the game are great to watch, but they don’t mean much because I lost, and his comment after the game was the best compliment I could get."

"Of course, the same day Sonny had 40 points and 42 rebounds; the guy always likes to show off, always has to be ahead of me," Jordan said with a laugh in reference to Ah Gan at the end.

That was the rival he always had to face. That year, Ah Gan was creating his legend in Portland while Michael was still trying to catch up and struggle.

————Published in 2016, an excerpt from "Michael Jordan: The Life" by Roland Lazenby.

After the game on April 20, Larry Bird made what might have been the cheesiest compliment of his life, "Tonight, God disguised Himself as Michael Jordan."

Of course, as soon as the game on the West Coast in Portland ended, people started to joke, "God didn’t just disguise Himself as Michael; He also went to play the role of Gan."

Anyway, God was busy that night.

The performances in those two games further brought to the American basketball community’s attention these two emerging superstars, who, despite their enormous popularity, also faced a fair share of criticism.

This was due to their unique playing style and distinctive attire, consistently challenging the nerves of traditional basketball folks.

People often say that stats aren’t important and that victory is the most important, but these conditions usually apply when your stats haven’t become significant enough to overshadow wins and losses.

Some stats do transcend wins and losses, because years later, people will forget the outcome of a game and only remember the heroic figures and their performance on the stage.

Just like Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, which has long surpassed the game itself, becoming a symbol.

The two young men each stirred up a storm on the courts of the East and West Coasts, but they themselves weren’t very concerned about the stats, remaining very nonchalant after the games.

"63 points is not bad, but we lost, so it means nothing," Jordan told the media.

Despite scoring 63 points, Jordan was still very disappointed because he lost the game. The fans and history will remember his 63 points, but he himself wanted the victory more.

Gan Guoyang said, "42 rebounds means we missed too many shots tonight; we need to improve in the next game."

Gan Guoyang, as always after a victory, was being coy and acting cute.

After finishing the game, Jordan returned to Chicago with a hint of dejection, fully focusing on preparing for the third game.

That 63-point performance was everything he could do; he no longer needed to prove anything to the team’s management—he just wanted to win the next game.

The next day, both of them threw themselves back into training, showing no sign of the previous night’s stellar performances, as if nothing had happened.

In the evening, Guoyang and Jordan talked on the phone, where they could say the kind of things they couldn’t say in front of the media.

"Why did you only score 63 points? You should have scored 70! With 70 points, you guys would’ve won!"

"I scored 63 points, and you had to grab 42 rebounds to steal my thunder, didn’t you? Fuck Sonny."

"I was just trying to win the game. Our shooting wasn’t feeling great tonight; securing the rebounds helped us win easily."

"Bullshit, I know you, Sonny. You wouldn’t have grabbed 42 rebounds if I had been beaten badly tonight."

"If you were beaten badly tonight, you wouldn’t be answering my call! You must win a game back in Chicago next round. I’m telling you, don’t play fast with the Bostonians. You need to control the ball and slow down the tempo. I bet the Celtics will double team you to stop you from getting the ball. After you scored 63 points, I’m sure Larry and his team are going crazy! So, you need to move them around, pass the ball. Don’t let players like Kyle Maxi, who lacks offensive power, or George Gervin play, let John Paxson play."

"Are you teaching me how to play basketball?"

"No shit, what’s wrong with me teaching you? I know how to play against the Celtics, and Thompson knows how to guard Kevin McHale. I’m telling you what you should do..."

The two chatted on the phone for a while, with Guoyang continually advising Jordan on how to play the third game for a chance to win.

Because one thing was clear: the Celtics were definitely going to go all out to double Jordan and prevent him from getting the ball.

So the key to the third game was how Jordan could effectively use his defensive draw to let his teammates open up at home, and then close out the game himself.

Jordan understood this, but sometimes you need someone to remind you, or you tend to play the game out of habit.

The Trail Blazers had a strong track record against the Celtics, so Guoyang knew how to deal with the Green Army, and the two talked through many details on the phone.

"Good luck, Michael. If you lose, you’re out, and you won’t have the chance to meet me in the finals," Guoyang finally said.

In the end, Gan Guoyang couldn’t resist jabbing at Jordan.

Two days later, on April 22, the Bulls would host the Celtics at home, with the game between the Trail Blazers and Spurs scheduled for the 23rd.

Before the game, Larry Bird issued a fierce statement, "If Jordan scores 20 points tonight, I’ll become a truck driver."

This was undoubtedly a declaration to defend Jordan with all their might, preventing him from scoring.

Jordan, indeed, used his influence to have John Paxson start in place of Kyle Maxi.

During the game, the Celtics indeed guarded Jordan tightly, but little did they expect, Jordan played as point guard this time.

When he was a rookie, Jordan had played point guard, so handling the ball was no issue for him, and he was also pretty good at passing.

Facing the Celtics’ double teams, Jordan kept passing the ball to his teammates, especially to John Paxson, who kept hitting from outside.

By the end of the first quarter, the Bulls led the Celtics by 2 points, 31:33, with Jordan dishing out 5 assists.

The Celtics were feeling that things were not looking good, but what if they changed the defense strategy and Jordan’s offense exploded again?

KC Jones faced a dilemma, while the Bulls, buoyed by their home court and driven by Jordan, fought more and more fiercely.

In the end, Jordan scored only 18 points but dished out a handsome 16 assists, with John Paxson scoring 25 points.

Inside, Corzine scored 27 points with 15 rebounds, Oakley got 16 points and 7 rebounds, and he managed to defend Kevin McHale quite successfully that night.

The Celtics’ biggest issue was that while they had some leeway on their line, their inside rotation was a bit lacking.

Marques Johnson was very outstanding, making the Celtics’ offense even sharper, capable of doing Maxwell’s job and even better, arguably a perfect replacement for Maxwell.

But the real problem for the Celtics in ’84 and ’85 was rim protection; they were lucky to grab the championship in ’84, but in ’85 Jabbar broke through their defenses.

Tonight the Celtics’ inside game was once again exposed, and Jordan did not break through with drives but rather through passing, penetrating the Celtics’ not-so-impenetrable paint.

By the fourth quarter, the Bulls kept using tactics to make Jordan face Bird’s defense directly, and then Jordan broke through Bird, scoring crucial points.

In the end, at home, the Bulls narrowly defeated the Celtics with a two-point advantage, 121:123, securing an extremely valuable victory.

Although he only scored 18 points, Jordan’s 16 assists slapped quite a few faces, showing he could indeed pass the ball.

Some also said, "Sure enough, Michael needs to pass the ball more to win the game."

Of course, that wasn’t the case; tonight’s situation was very special, the Celtics played too pridefully.

Even though Jordan had rallied the team, the Celtics still chose to double-team him to prevent his offense.

In fact, the first two games had already proven that letting Jordan score wouldn’t result in a win for the Bulls, not even with 63 points.

Yet, when he rallied the entire team to perform well, the Celtics couldn’t suppress them on the road and lost the game.

The Bostonians once again paid the price for their arrogance; their aim in the game was not to win, but to suppress Jordan.

This victory was incredibly important for Jordan; after winning, he punched the air madly, hugged his teammates, and basked in the cheers of the entire stadium.

That night, he called Gan Guoyang to share the joy of victory, but Guoyang was unsatisfied with Jordan.

"Why didn’t you just score two more points! If you had, Bird would be driving a truck now!"

"I wasn’t thinking about that. Winning is what matters. I don’t look at stats during the game."

"How can you not look at stats? From now on, check the stats anytime you’re playing a game. You should have played watching the scoreboard tonight. Wouldn’t a rugged layup have given you 20 points?"

"I couldn’t be distracted thinking only about scoring; all my choices were made to win the game. But your strategy really did work; you’re a damn genius, Sonny."

"Bullshit, you need to look at how I won championships faster and made it to the finals earlier than you. You think it’s just because I’m handsome? I know the game."

"Yes, yes, you know the game, you know the game. Anyway, seeing Larry’s sour face tonight really felt fantastic, haha."

Just like in the Olympic trials training camp, when the two chatted privately, they would speak freely, passing judgment on others and looking down on any other player. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Because pride was their nature, humility their character, and friends don’t need to consider character when together—they can let their true nature show.

After the game, Bird had to mock himself, "Fortunately, I don’t have to become a truck driver now; otherwise, we’d be in trouble for game four."