Preface: It is my regret that on August 9th, a day of shame, I began to conceive and write this book. Here, I will silently support Chinese basketball in the trough, and at the same time, I will only use this chapter to remember China's giant - Yao Ming.

(Save it!) Readers who love the history of the NBA, this book will never disappoint you, allusions are everywhere, and history is right in front of you! ）

Sometimes, Dang Lei thinks about how good it would be if his life was just a dream.

Although this dream is not a sweet and beautiful dream.

It can be seen from Dang Lei's surname that he is an orphan who grew up in a welfare home. The children in the welfare home all have the surname Dang.

He had never seen his parents, and according to Aunt Jiang, who was taking care of her at the welfare home, she found Dang Lei at the gate of the welfare home one morning in '89.

At that time, he obediently slept in a bamboo basket, and Dang Lei was naturally taken in by the welfare institute.

At first, the people in the welfare home didn't quite understand why such a lovely boy was abandoned by his parents. Later, they found out that Dang Lei had a serious congenital heart disease, which made him frail and sickly since he was a child, and he often had a cold and flu.

According to the medical technology at that time and the funds of the welfare center, it was impossible to treat him radically. At that time, there were many children with birth defects in the welfare home, and it was impossible to help them look at them one by one.

In this way, Dang Lei and the friends of the welfare institute grew up day by day. Some of the friends suddenly disappeared one day, and later he learned that these friends had been adopted.

And no one wants someone like Dang Lei who has congenital diseases and defects.

Therefore, although the aunts in the welfare institute are very good to Dang Lei, he is still becoming more and more lonely and withdrawn.

Until he met basketball.

That was on TV, and in 2002, Yao Ming was drafted by the Houston Rockets as the top pick, becoming the third Chinese player to enter the NBA.

Since then, Dang Lei has been exposed to basketball for the first time and the NBA for the first time.

Before that, he had a heart disease and basically had no access to all kinds of sports, and he couldn't even figure out whether he ate or played basketball.

After that, he saw the infinite charm of basketball for the first time through television.

As long as there is time, school holidays, NBA games, especially the game between the Rockets and Yao Ming, Dang Lei has never been a game.

Even when he was in class, after class, or after school at noon, as long as there was a broadcast, Dang Lei and a large group of classmates would go to the TV in the commissary at the school gate to watch the broadcast, and by the way, buy a bag of Mimi shrimp crackers for five cents as the broadcast fee of the shop owner.

And sports weekly, dunk magazines and other basketball books have also become Dang Lei's favorite extracurricular books.

At that time, each classmate didn't have much pocket money, especially Dang Lei, who had no money left over to buy magazines except for eating. So it's all the boys in the same class who pool their money to buy a copy and circulate it to the whole class.

Basically, when it came into Dang Lei's hands, the new magazines and newspapers he had just bought were already old like they had been dragged out of a dog hole. But that didn't stop him from watching it with relish.

In this way, basketball has become the focus of Dang Lei's life in addition to studying.

However, his biggest regret is that he can't go to the basketball court to experience the feeling of playing basketball in person, because of that damn heart attack.

He could only watch his classmates play on the sidelines, or sit in the classroom and do their homework silently.

Finally, one day, at a classmate's home, he discovers a great alternative – the game of basketball!

That's still NBALIVE2004, and it's a great basketball game with Carter as the cover — for Dang Lei.

Since then, he has been madly in love with the game.

However, he didn't have a computer at the welfare home, and he didn't have the money to go to an Internet café, so he chose to work part-time in the school library, where there was a computer in the electronic reading room.

When he's done working in the library, he'll turn on the computer, for nothing other than to play the NBA for a while

LIVE2004 this game.

In the game, he can control any team he likes, or collect his favorite players into a team and win the championship!

Although at the moment of winning the championship, he felt a little lonely.

Basketball is five people, and he, only one.

LATER, BASKETBALL GAMES EMERGED ONE AFTER ANOTHER, WITH THE CLASSIC NBALIVE2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, AND THE 2K SERIES THAT SURPASSED THE NBALIVE SERIES.

These games accompanied him to high school and college.

In college, he chose the unpopular major of sociology, because he always wondered what was the difference between his life and other people's lives in this society.

Although he was an orphan, he never felt that anyone else, or this society, owed him anything.

His greatest pain is that he has more than enough heart, but not enough strength.

For example, he still can't go to the basketball court to play a game of basketball, but can only watch others sweat and enjoy it as a spectator.

He can only go back to the dormitory, turn on the computer, start a game in the game, and easily defeat the opponent in the operation that he has already mastered, and gain a trace of comfort.

Now that the school is out for the summer, he decided to leave the orphanage and live on his own after he went to university.

Although he was very reluctant to take care of his aunts and uncles who took care of him and brought him up, he knew that he had to be able to rely on himself to survive in this society.

Therefore, during the summer vacation, he applied to stay in school and worked near the school to earn money and subsidize living expenses.

At the end of the day's work, Dang Lei, who was covered in stinky sweat, went back to the dormitory to take a cold shower, feeling that there was nothing to do.

"It would be nice if my life was just a dream. When I woke up, I found that I was taking a nap in the bed at home, my father went to work, and my mother was playing mahjong. I made an appointment with my classmates to play basketball in the afternoon, and when I got up, I took the basketball downstairs and rode happily to play ball. ”

Dang Lei, who was lying on the bed, fantasized silently, for a frail child like him, fantasy is one of the greatest pleasures.

It's just that at such an age, fantasy can always bring helplessness and emptiness.

"I'll play 04 again!"

Dang Lei, who has nothing to do, decides to play another game, but this time he wants to play NBALIVE2004.

Compared to the later games, LIVE04 has fallen far behind.

The rough graphics, slightly stiff movements, less elaborate models, and the invincible jump bugs all prove that this game should be eliminated.

But man is an emotional animal, and we can have feelings for everything, because in these things we can always find our former youth.

In Dang Lei's computer, there is always a place for NBALIVE2004, and when he is sad, he will open it to re-feel his passion for basketball that has never faded.

"I'll create another player!"

Dang Lei doesn't want to use 04 to play ordinary games anymore, although he keeps patching the game, but he can only play until the lineup of 09, and it will be difficult to find new patches later.

Therefore, Dang Lei decided to create another player of his choice and use him to play the game!

Dang Lei has created many players in the game before, ranging from point guard to center. And he always turns these players up to the maximum level to enjoy the pleasure of abusing other players.

This time, though, he decided to go for players who were strong but reasonable, and at the same time full of character.

He opened the menu and went to the page where the player was created.

In terms of appearance and hairstyle, he can choose the face and hair of the yellow race because of the patches.

In terms of height, Dang Lei chose a height of 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 meters) for him. In Dang Lei's view, this height belongs to the golden height, just like a scoring guard who rises 6 feet 6 inches.

It's just right to play a power forward, and it's not a disadvantage to play a center. It has both flexibility and strength, and can be inside or outside, and the height of the standard type of position dividing line is on the inside line.

In terms of weight, Dang Lei chose 245 pounds (111 kilograms), which is also a moderate weight.

Again, choose the number by name.

The name Dang Lei originally wanted to use the pinyin "DANG". I think it's a little strange, this word in English is a very strange word, it means "unlucky" and "damned".

So after thinking about it, he wanted to change the word "GUN", which sounds more similar, which means gun. But if you read it in pinyin, it becomes "roll" again......

In the end, he chose the word "Gump", although it means "stupid" and "fool", but Dang Lei knows that this is also the name of Forrest Gump in the movie "Forrest Gump", which represents perseverance, bravery, sincerity, and never give up.

The number was not so entangled, and Dang Lei did not hesitate to choose No. 11, Yao Ming's number.

Finally, the most important stat value is set.

The setting of LIVE04 is much simpler and clearer than the subsequent games, however, Dang Lei doesn't want to be too perverted, all 99 and lose their reasonableness, so he set it up seriously.

FieldGoals: 85, which is a pretty good number for an interior player.

3Point (three-point shooting): 75, having a good three-point hand is a must-have skill for many interior players nowadays.

FreeThrows: 80, a player with excellent shooting and good three-point shooting won't be too bad for free throws.

Dunking: 50, as a yellow player, or a center, dunks are just a means of scoring.

InsideScoring: 90, a must-have ability for a strong insider.

OffRebounds: 70, as an interior core, you don't always have that much energy to rush.

DefRebounds: 90, protecting defensive rebounds is the duty of every interior player.

Jumping: 65, a yellow race, or a center, the bounce of about 60 should be the limit.

Strength: 83, strength is the foundation of an inner line, sometimes more important than height.

Quickness: 70, Dang Lei wants him to be as agile as a defender.

Speed: 70, he's not going to be fast, but he's not too slow either.

Passing: 75, an interior player who can pass the ball is a really good interior lineman.

Dribbling: 70, the whole court is not the preserve of defenders.

Range: 70, which should be the range that a good three-pointer should have.

Off.Awareness: 80, the first priority on the inside is to charge.

Def.Awareness: 95, but the inside line should also be the final barrier.

Stealing: 30, it's better to leave it to the backcourt players, not every interior is Olajuwon.

Blocking: 75, considering his height and bounce, Dang Lei gave a more reasonable number.

Stamina (physical strength): 90, physical strength is one of Yao Ming's biggest weaknesses, and Dang Lei wants to give this center the ability to run immortal.

Hardiness: 80, the eternal pain of injury Yao Ming is also the eternal pain of Chinese fans. Dang Lei didn't want this player to be so prone to injury.

Well, that's it, this player of Dang Lei is set up!

Dang Lei decided to use him to fight Yao Ming in the game, although he has a big disadvantage in height, flexibility and speed will be his biggest magic weapon.

A great and intense game that ended in Superstar mode.

The result is not important, Dang Lei has been greatly satisfied.

He quit the game, opened his web browser, and as he normally would, logged on to his favorite basketball site to see what's happening in the NBA.

However, the headline of the page shocked him.

"Yao Ming has officially decided to retire, goodbye giant."

"Yao Ming, are you going to retire?" This news was too sudden, and Dang Lei couldn't accept it for a while.

Although he knew that Yao Ming's injuries came and went, and he was injured again after just a few games in the 10-11 season.

However, Yao Ming never gave up and has been working hard to recover and want to return to the NBA.

Dang Lei, like other fans, silently supports and pays attention to Yao Ming, cheering for Yao Ming's every goal, regretting his every failure, and grieving for his every injury.

And that's how it all ends.

Shock, sadness, and regret instantly filled Dang Lei's heart, making his feelings complicated.

His former idol is about to leave his beloved basketball world like this, and together with his fans, he can only silently remember the good things of the past.

And those lofty futures that have never been realized can only become a mirror in the face of cruel reality.

"Well, I've worked hard, I've fought for it, and I've been brilliant."

Dang Lei remembered the joy and hope that Yao Ming brought to Chinese fans, recovered from the shock, and accepted this fact calmly.

But he thought about himself again.

"Yao Ming has worked hard and has been brilliant, so what about me? I can't even set foot on the pitch. ”

For Dang Lei, playing basketball is out of reach. The most he can do is practice dribbling, or a volley.

Going to the court to shoot hoops and even actually play a game is something he couldn't even think about. Congenital heart disease, strenuous exercise can kill people.

But now, Dang Lei has a strong urge to go to the court and experience what it's like to stand under the basket.

He immediately took out a basketball from under the bed, and although he couldn't play, he bought a basketball and kept it with him.

Then, put on your shoes and head to the court with the ball.

It was already dark, and there were not many people staying on campus during the summer vacation, and this time was when everyone was taking a shower and relaxing, and there was no one on the court.

The street lights next to the stadium have been turned on, and many people always run on the field at night by the light of the street lights.

Dang Lei felt that this was the first time he really stepped on the court, as a player.

He held the ball, looked up at the basket standing quietly in front of him, and his heart was surging.

That's what it's like to be under the basket, that's the urge of an inside player looking up at the basket — the urge to put the ball in the basket.

Dang Lei raised his hand and threw the ball in his hand towards the basket.

"Phew!"

smashed on the rebound, didn't even touch the frame, this was the first shot in Dang Lei's life.

Although he didn't make it, he was excited and his heart beat a little faster.

He picked the ball back, learned the way he saw the player on TV, and shot another one.

"Phew!"

Still didn't go in, but there was progress, and it hit the frame.

Dang Lei is like this, trying to control his speed as much as possible, shooting slowly, picking up the ball, and then shooting.

Finally, when the eighth was thrown, it was no longer a "whoop," but a "whoop", and the ball hollowed into the net!

"Yay!"

Dang Lei felt extremely excited, and it felt so good to score a goal.

So, he slowly picked up the pace, and the shooting feeling gradually improved, although the shooting percentage was still pitifully low.

And when he threw the twenty-fifth ball and wanted to pick it up, he felt that it was difficult to breathe.

"Uhh......h

There was a sharp pain in his chest, as if a hand was twisting his heart.

"Whew... Call... Whew..."

His breathing was getting shorter and shorter, and he felt like he couldn't breathe enough.

Slowly, the ball on the ground began to blur in his eyes, and the light of the street lamp gradually went out......

"Bang!"

He fell to the ground with a heavy blow, and the last thing that came to his mind was:

"Am I going to die......"

————————————————————

"Uh... Where am I? ”

Dang Lei's consciousness began to sober up, but he didn't know where he was.

"I passed out on the basketball court, someone must have taken me to the hospital."

Dang Lei remembered that he had exercised too much, which induced a heart attack and fainted on the court.

He slowly opened his eyes, only to find that it didn't look like a hospital at all.

He slept on a white bed, which was supposed to be a wire bed.

And next to the bed where he slept, there was an identical bed, which was like a standard room in a hotel.

He turned his head to look around and saw the curtains of the windows closing tightly. It is a cotton curtain of pure green.

There is a glass coffee table under the window, and two green cloth sofas.

The sofa is boxy with white openwork drape on the armrests and backrest.

Then I turned my head and saw that directly in front of the bed, there was a fifteen-inch panda TV on a cabinet.

Although Dang Lei doesn't watch much TV, he also knows that this kind of TV is very old-fashioned.

The bedside lamp is a trumpet-style glass lampshade, which is also difficult to see.

Looking at the decoration of the room, the upper part of the wall is painted with white lime, and the lower part is painted with light green wooden wall skirting. This kind of decoration has long been eliminated now.

After reading these, Dang Lei felt as if he had returned to the welfare home. Due to financial reasons, the welfare home was renovated and rebuilt in the mid-to-late 90s, and it had been renovated in the 80s.

Dang Lei's mind is a little confused, where is this?

As soon as he thought about it, he suddenly felt a lot of things rushing in like a tide. It was as if the blood was rushing to his brain, and he felt a splitting headache, as if some fluid was coming out of his nose.

There was the sound of the door opening, followed by footsteps and the sound of the door closing.

A strange man appeared in front of him.

The man was wearing a white shirt with rolled cuffs, revealing a silver-white watch. He also holds a white cloth bag in his hand.

He wears brown trousers underneath and a pair of shiny leather shoes. The hair is very old-fashioned, with a pair of brown eyes, and a little beard on the face, which looks a little tired.

And he was very flustered when he saw Dang Lei's expression.

"What's wrong Guoyang? What's the nosebleed? Throw your head up! ”

Dang Lei also realized that he had a nosebleed.

However, when he heard the name "Guoyang", his brain seemed to explode instantly, and the blood blocked in his brain seemed to be unblocked all of a sudden.

"Guoyang, my name is Gan Guoyang, born in November 1964, from Jiangsu. 17 years old, 17 years old ,......"

"This year is 1981!"

The surging memories invaded Dang Lei's brain, no, it should be Gan Guoyang's brain.

Dang Lei's consciousness seems to be attached to the body of this "uncle" born in 1964, and the memories of the two sides collide together, Dang Lei feels that those memories seem to be a dream, a dream that does not belong to his own life, but the details inside are so vivid.

And Gan Guoyang also felt as if he had lived a life in the future, and now he woke up and came back.

Who is "Dang Lei" and who is "Gan Guoyang", it seems that it is no longer possible to distinguish between them.

"Guoyang? Guoyang? Are you okay. Let me see, the nosebleed doesn't seem to be bleeding, come, eat the food I brought you. Hungry after sleeping for so long? ”

"Okay, Dad."

Dang Lei, no, Gan Guoyang realized that this man was his father.

"Guoyang, take a good rest after eating. Pack your things and get ready to go to the airport. ”

"Airport?" Gan Guoyang was stunned. (Gan Guoyang is Dang Lei, and Dang Lei is Gan Guoyang.) ）

"By the way, don't lose your documents, as well as your air ticket."

Gan Guoyang's brain hasn't completely eased up, especially the events of the last few days, and he hasn't been able to remember all of them.

He got up and took out one of his bags, and pulled out a visa and a plane ticket from it.

This is a red paper ticket with the words "Civil Aviation of China" on the front, as well as the words "passenger ticket and baggage ticket".

And when I opened it, it was a handwritten item, all in English letters.

Finally, in the column of the starting place, he saw that it was written: SHANGHAI, Shanghai.

In the destination column, it is: San Francisco, San Francisco.