Chapter Eighty-Eight: Going-the-distance
Updated: 2013-11-02
(I'm going to be studying for my degree on Saturdays and weekends, so the update will be late and unstable, forgive me.) οΌ
The night sky in Seattle is like any other city in the United States, with the lights of the city lighting up the sky, painting a faint circle of light under a vast expanse of darkness.
However, in Seattle, where the latitude is higher and the air is fresh, you can see a lot of stars at night, these stars from the distant and deep universe, their light reaches the earth only a little twinkle.
With a starry sky and a bright city, Seattle's Space Tower resembles a UFO command center from a science fiction movie
In fact, the signal of an extremely fierce game was transmitted to all parts of the United States through the Space Tower, making the mood of fans in front of the TV and radio fluctuate with the change of the situation on the field.
At this moment, in the twinkling and immobile starry sky, a moving point of light appeared, and it slowly moved downward, and a red light flashed on one side.
"This Los Angeles to Seattle flight is about to arrive, please get ready to get off the plane, fasten your seatbelts, check your luggage, don't miss anything, we hope our service is satisfactory, North American Airlines ......"
It was a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Seattle, and the plane had already arrived at Seattle Airport and was about to land.
Although it is not a cross-time zone flight, the long flight still makes many passengers dream, and now they are waking up and ready to get off the plane.
When the plane landed safely, the first person to emerge from the exit tunnel was a tall girl with a very good build, wearing a pink cap, blue and white jeans with beautiful lines, and a navy blue tracksuit.
The word "gonzaga" is printed on the sportswear, but on the back is the word "gump", which means fool.
The girl was in a hurry, carrying a large canvas bag out of the aisle, trotting all the way out of the airport to the taxi stand, only to find that there were very few taxis waiting for customers.
"What's the matter, have all the taxi drivers in the city stopped working to watch the game?" The girl muttered quietly.
Fortunately, there are still a few taxis that are going to do business, and when they saw some customers coming out of the airport exit, they honked their horns and signaled that they could go.
The girl ran to the car closest to him, opened the door, and got in as fast as she could.
"You want to ......"
"Dome of the Ball!"
The driver was a black driver, and before he could ask the guest where he was going, the guest was already impatient to tell him where he was going.
"Dome Arena, okay, no problem, but it's late to watch the game now, it's almost nine o'clock." The NCAA Finals begin at 7:30 p.m. PT, and now at 9 p.m., the second half of the game has begun.
Whereas, taxis take at least 40 minutes to get from the airport to the stadium.
"It doesn't matter, as long as you can catch up, it doesn't matter if you take a last look." The girl said.
"Oh, okay. You're wearing Gonzaga's tracksuit, are you a student of Gunzaga? "Uncle Driver noticed the girl's clothes.
"Yes." The girl nodded.
"I thought you were a model, you're so tall. I've carried some models before, and oh they're so skinny, you look better. The black uncle said with a smile that taxi drivers are always synonymous with talkativeness.
"I'm not a model, I'm just an ordinary student."
"Oh, you don't seem to be white, but... Chinese? Or the Japanese? Japanese people don't seem to have a girl as tall as you. Only then did the black uncle find out that the girl with the pink cap was a yellow person.
"I'm Chinese, I'm from Los Angeles." The girl replied.
"Los Angeles? Oh my God, did you come all that far just to watch a quarter-game? "The black uncle was surprised.
"yes, because my boyfriend is going to play tonight." The girl said, her eyes seeming to glow.
"Wow, your boyfriend? It's fucking hanging...... I'm sorry I was rude, but I don't know much about basketball, but I heard that there is a very, very good Chinese kid who brought Gonzaga to the finals, is he the 'boyfriend' you say? "Uncle Negro has a lot of business.
The girl did not speak, but nodded slightly, and the black uncle, seeing that she admitted but did not seem to want to say more, did not continue the topic.
This girl is naturally Wang Fuxi.
According to the original plan, she was going to Seattle with Gonzaga's fan group to watch Gonzaga's semifinals and finals, but something happened to Wang Fuxi's family.
Her family's electrical store in Inglewood was robbed at gunpoint by several black men, and most of the store's belongings were looted, and some merchandise was damaged.
Wang Fuxi's father was shot and injured by one of the over-nervous robbers, but fortunately it was only a minor injury and there was no major problem.
Hearing the news, Gan Guoyang naturally asked Wang Fuxi to go home to accompany his father first, and then go to Seattle to watch the game if he could.
When Wang Fuxi returned to Los Angeles and saw his father safe and sound in the hospital where his mother worked, the stone in his heart fell to the ground.
For the next few days, she was filial to accompany her father in the hospital, until the day of the finals, Wang Fuxi's father also asked Fuxi to go to Seattle to watch Gan Guoyang's game.
Wang Fuxi was very touched by his father's understanding, but the airline did not appreciate it, and the flight from Los Angeles to Seattle was delayed for five hours due to a mechanical failure.
The plane, which was originally expected to arrive in the afternoon, did not arrive until 9 o'clock in the evening, when the game had already entered the second half, so Wang Fuxi was in such a hurry.
For Wang Fuxi, Gan Guoyang's arrival was like a sudden miracle in her life, and she never thought that there would be such a man in her life.
She used to adore him for his superb skills, and also made ripples in his heart because of his deep eyes and wooden appearance.
And in contact with him, she found that this man was like a deep well, the ancient well was not wavering, but it was sweet and delicious; His wisdom, his knowledge, his humor, and his gentleness and thoughtfulness all made Wang Fuxi deeply intoxicated.
Finally, on that night, she gave everything she had to him, and it was the happiest and most fulfilling night of her life.
Although the two rarely had the opportunity to experience that happiness again because of the transfer school turmoil and basketball training, the relationship between the two has never cooled.
In the end, she also went to the cold Spokane, in order to find the warmth in her heart.
Wang Fuxi also loves basketball, but she prefers to see Gan Guoyang's focused look and eyes in the game, just like when she stood naked in front of him that night.
She knows that this is love, although sharing this kind of love with a basketball makes Wang Fuxi sometimes inevitably resentful, especially when Gan Guoyang played football in other states for more than a week.
But he still silently supported Gan Guoyang and talked to him on the phone every day.
She is convinced that in Gan Guoyang's heart, her position must be irreplaceable, definitely.
No matter how far away, there is no way to stop their love.
"By the way, can you turn on the radio? I'd like to hear about the game. Wang Fuxi suddenly thought that there was a radio to listen to in the finals, and hurriedly said to the black uncle.
"Well, actually, I don't usually listen to basketball games, I only listen to Seattle Seahawks games; Otherwise I would have run home to watch TV by now instead of waiting here for business. The black uncle said as he turned on the radio in the car and tuned into the Seattle local sports channel.
Blackburn's booming voice and fluent live commentary were immediately heard on the radio.
"Blackburn, this guy's commentary is great, but it's a pity that he doesn't explain the NFL game very much, it's a shame."
ββ¦β¦ Oh my God, Gan fouled, only 2 minutes into the second half, the number one star of Gunzaga University, their No. 11 player Gan had already committed two fouls, one defensive foul and one offensive foul, so he had already committed three fouls! The situation was a bit delicate, and although Gonzaga still had a five-point lead, Gunzaga's coach had to put their number one ace back on the bench and replace him with substitute center Raff......
As soon as he turned on the radio, the commentary content from it made Wang Fuxi's heart tighten instantly, although he knew that Gonzaga was ahead, but Gan Guoyang had to break the game due to continuous fouls, which was really bad news for Gunzaga.
So the ball was back in Houston's hands, and it was Houston's leading scorer Michael Young who caused Gan's offensive foul...... Let's see, it's Michael Young again, a one-block cooperation with Olajuwon, Raff was attracted to the periphery, his attention was taken away by Olajuwon, Michael Young was pinched, it was very difficult, he shot, turned over and jumped directly, and hit the board! The ball is in! Michael Young, who acted like a gun without bullets in the first half, reloaded his magazine in the second half! β
After the start of the second half, Michael Young, the top scorer of the Houston Cougars, began to recover, relying on his outstanding individual ability to score five points in a row, narrowing the gap of eight points at the half to three points.
'Let's see how Gonzaga will respond, their number one point has been blown off by the referee and they don't have a reliable scoring point. The outside line kept moving the ball, their movement and movement were still so fluid, and they were very, very patient, and I was a little bit asleep, and the Puma defenders seemed to be falling asleep too...... Matthews had a chance on the left side, he bobbed off and didn't shoot, and he opted to shoot in...... Oh, Olajuwon, I rewarded him with a big hot pot! It's literally playing volleyball, a nice smash, and we can see Olajuwon shaking his head as if to say, 'Don't come next time'. β
Having lost their strongest point, Gonzaga played patiently and slowed down the tempo, but patience does not mean that they can score points, and they still lack players with strong individual ability.
According to Bellman's original plan, in the second half, he dragged the opponent with a slow pace, and Gan Guoyang did not have to worry too much on defense, while in the attack, he was patiently looking for opportunities, and if there was no opportunity, let Gan Guoyang solve the problem in the low position.
However, two fouls from the referee frustrated Bellman's plan within a minute, and he had to readjust, but the players didn't feel as good as they did in the first half.
And Houston's Olajuwon on the inside line is simply a blocking machine without Gan Guoyang's containment, and when he is in front of him, the Gonzaga player is obviously not resolute enough when shooting.
ββ¦β¦ Young's breakthrough attracted the attention of three people, but they ignored Olajuwon, who was plugged in, caught the ball, and dunked! Oh my God, I could feel the basket shaking when I sat in the commentary box, no one could stop him, no one. If anything, the person was also sitting on the bench. β
Gunzaga's defense was clearly a bit of a no-brainer, Young's breakout and shooting sensations were starting to come back, Anderson on the inside had to help Clermont defend, and Raff's defensive awareness was clearly not good, and he missed Olajuwon to give him an easy chance to score.
"Olajuwon's performance doesn't seem to be over, Gonzaga's serve is tackled by him! He didn't choose to shoot, he passed the ball to Yang on the outside! Michael Young shot at 45 degrees on the left and hit! Hit! Overtaken! Overtaken! Just four minutes into the second half, the Houston Jaguars relied on the excellent performances of Michael Young and Olajuwon to overtake the score! 45οΌ46οΌ They overtook by one point! β
Blackburn's voice on the radio was particularly harsh in Wang Fuxi's ears, she didn't expect that as soon as she heard the game, Gonzaga was overtaken, and Gan Guoyang had to rest because of a foul.
Wang Fuxi was so angry that he turned off the switch on the radio hard, unwilling to listen to it anymore.
'It's normal for the situation on the pitch to go up and down, calm down girl, have confidence in the team you support.' The black uncle taught Wang Fuxi, who was angry, like an old fan.
"Forrest Gump must be in a hurry to let the coach send him on the court now, but what if he fouls again."
At this time, in New York, which is east and west from Seattle, in the student apartment of New York University's Stern School of Business at the mouth of the Hudson River, there is also a group of fans staring at the TV to watch the NCAA fight.
"How's the score?" One person asked.
"Hey, Lee? Why are you here too? I don't remember when you used to watch basketball, you didn't even watch school games. β
"I just wanted to see how good a yellow-skinned and dark-haired player like me is." Lee said.
"Haha, indeed, he's brilliant, surprisingly brilliant; However, in the second half he was fouled and Gunzaga was in danger. β
"Really?"
Lee looked at the TV, and although he didn't know basketball, he could still tell which one was Chinese from the players on the court, which was so easy to recognize.
"I saw him, he seemed to be playing."
"Oh my, is he crazy? He'd been fouled three times, and the ghost could tell that if he was sent off, Gonzaga would be finished. β
"No, I believe him, this is a wise and knowledgeable man, he must know in his heart what he is doing."
"Come on, Lee, you seem to know him."
"I think I do know him......"
β¦β¦β¦β¦
And in Salt Lake City, Utah Plateau, the Utah Jazz players were also watching the game in the break room of the training gym, and although the NBA was suspended for a day because of the game, they still had to practice.
In the evening, it is natural to watch this much-anticipated battle in front of the TV.
"Gonzaga is in trouble, Eaton, I heard that the yellow-skinned boy used to be UCLA, and later defected to Gunzaga."
"Yes, but, I think, this guy is great, and besides, I don't like UCLA." Eaton said slowly, he always spoke unhurriedly, and the same is true for his play.
"This guy is on the field! I think he's going to make 5 today...... Oh, nice mid-pitch, who the fuck is that number 12. β
Eaton also saw that it was Gunzaga's Stockton, who made a mid-range shot with the help of Gan Guoyang's cover, stabilized Gunzaga's situation, and at the same time the score was overtaken again.
"I know, he's John, I've seen him." Eaton said slowly.
"This guy is as slow as you talk, Eaton." Someone said, and the players laughed.
'But I think he's a good player, maybe, a good fit for us.' Eaton said again.
While speaking, Stockton helped Claremont wrap Young, broke the ball, launched a quick counterattack, and made a successful layup directly!
"Yes, he's pretty good." Said the assistant coach who watched the game with the players.
His expression looked serious and focused, clearly observing the situation on the field.
"You see, Mr. Sloane thinks the same thing as I do."
β¦β¦β¦β¦
In San Francisco, guests heading to Folsom Road for barbecue are disappointed when Big Nate Grill closes early with a Close sign.
However, it doesn't seem to be quiet in the barbecue restaurant, and you can still hear people talking and talking inside.
"Cover him, cover him! Oh**! Forrest Gump, why don't you just slap this African kid with a slap! I made him go to the basket again, and if it were me, I would have covered him so much that his mother didn't know him...... Nate, another plate of beef. β
"I don't make enough money in a day to feed you alone... Forrest Gump has already committed three fouls, he can't be reckless, have you forgotten that you used to be afraid of being sent off and didn't want to defend with all your might. β
"You're slandering me again, I'm only doing this in the regular season, and no one can stop me when I'm attacking, so I can score more points if I stay on the court and it's for the good of the team."
"Forrest Gump has done a great job, I've never seen a player improve so quickly. That Olajuwon is also very good, and his progress is amazing, but neither of these guys is American. β
"I've taken all the talent of the American center away,...... Strike! Forrest Gump's dunk! This guy's dunk doesn't fucking look like a center! It's so fucking pretty! β
β¦β¦β¦β¦
Wang Fuxi couldn't stand the torment in his heart, but still turned on the radio in the car.
"Forrest Gump's dunk! It's wonderful! Break through the middle after receiving a pass from Stockton, and dunk on Olajuwon's head! A gliding dunk! I predict it will be the best goal of this Grand Final! β
Hearing this, Wang Fuxi was also excited, Forrest Gump finally came on the court, and he dunked!
"Mr. Driver, how long will it take to arrive? Why don't you move? Wang Fuxi asked impatiently.
"There seems to be an accident ahead, and we have to wait for the police to deal with it, so let's listen to the radio."
Recently, Wang Fuxi can be said that everything is not going well, and he can only hope that the most important thing can go well.
At this time, the atmosphere in the Dome Arena was tense to the extreme, and after the Cougars relied on Michael Young's shot to overtake, Gan Guoyang returned to the court.
He controlled his fouls well and led Gunzaga into a hard-fought tug-of-war with Houston.
Houston relied on Michael Young's breakthroughs and passes, and Olajuwon's steady play, to keep the score close.
Gonzaga relied on Gan Guoyang and Stockton to support them.
The temperature in the Dome seemed to be much higher than the heat emitted by the players' movements, and the players and spectators were all sweating profusely, and there was some fog and steaming on the entire field.
But no one wanted to leave, and even those who wanted to go to the toilet were struggling to hold back because there was only one minute left in the game, and Gunzaga was still one point ahead of Houston at 67:66.
Houston's Coach Lewis called a timeout to lay out the pivotal shot.
"Focus on focus! In the last 1 minute, even if you are tired, you have to keep up with the footsteps of your opponent! Gan, keep the inside, don't save easily, pay attention to protect the backcourt rebounds, and don't give the opponent a second chance! To shrink our line of defense, shrink! If they can throw in a long shot, then we can only resign ourselves to our fate, but we must not let them break through to the inside, especially Michael Young! Bellman yelled.
Michael Young's awakening in the second half caused Gunzaga huge problems, and Bellman knew he had to be careful.
"Buzz~" The sound of the buzzer heralded the arrival of the final battle.
Houston has no timeout at this time, and Gonzaga has one last timeout.
Houston served from the outside, and Gonzaga's defense was so tight that they could barely serve the ball!
Olajuwon hurriedly pulled it out to answer, and his teammates passed the ball to Olajuwon, who jumped up and received the ball and protected the basketball from Gunzaga's players.
Michael Young also came to him, took the ball from Olajuwon, and broke straight inside from the right side at 45 degrees!
Gan Guoyang is waiting for him on the inside!
The two jumped at the same time, but Gan Guoyang didn't dare to press down because he had already committed 4 fouls.
Gan Guoyang stretched out his arm with all his strength to interfere with Yang's offensive line, and Yang could only use a high throw to dodge Gan's block.
"Phew!" The ball hit the basket and didn't go in!
But Olajuwon, who rushed up from the inside, jumped high and touched the basketball with his right hand, flicking the ball into the hands of his teammates on the perimeter.
Franklin got the ball, took a step inside and shot 12 feet to the left! The ball hits the front of the basket! However, Olajuwon once again got the rebound in the frontcourt, and he didn't dare to make a big move for fear of fouling. Olajuwon stepped back jumper, ball... I went around and entered! Entered! At 68:67, Houston is overtaking again! With less than five seconds left before the end of the match, Gonzaga called a timeout, oh my god, this game was a real ...... Syllable. β
Wang Fuxi turned off the radio all of a sudden, thinking that the taxi had arrived at the Dome Arena.
"Here you go, you don't have to look for it!" Wang Fuxi took out a piece of money from his wallet and threw it to the black uncle, and immediately opened the car door and rushed towards the gate of the Dome Arena.
"Huh... You're giving less money..."
Wang Fuxi had already run into the stadium with a puff of smoke.
She took out the ticket she had bought a long time ago, and went straight to the center of the stadium under the surprised eyes of the ticket inspectors, "You came to watch the game so late?" β
When Wang Fuxi rushed to the stands from the passage, he saw that the players from both sides were standing on the court, and the Gonzaga players in navy blue jerseys were preparing to serve.
The score on the scoreboard was 67:68 with 5.4 seconds left in the game.
"Forrest Gump! Forrest gump! Wang Fuxi shouted loudly in the stands, but at this time, the entire stadium was shouting slogans, how could Gan Guoyang hear Wang Fuxi's voice.
What's more, in Gan Guoyang's head, he can no longer hear any sound.
He only has the basket in his head, he only has the basketball in his head, and he only has the tactics of the final blow in his head.
"Beep!" The referee blew the whistle on the serve, the last 4 seconds of the NCAA Finals!
Anderson and Gan Guoyang did a double screen for Matthews and Stockton! But CrΓ©mont didn't pass the ball!
Matthews ran to the right baseline, while Stockton ran to the left with the help of Gan Guoyang's cover.
The marker Stockton player has been thrown away, Stockton is free, and Claremont passes the ball to Stockton!
Stockton catches the ball in the left corner! 5.4γ
Olajuwon, Franklin and Michael Young all pounced, and they wouldn't let the tragedy of Georgetown be repeated on them. 5γ
Stockton didn't have a chance, but the two covering stakes were still there, and Claremont, who was serving, also ran to 45 degrees on the right with the help of double screens! 4γ
Stockton, who was trapped, passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, who was in front of the free throw line at this time! 3γ
Claremont, who ran to the right, ran back, turned to the left, and passed by Gan Guoyang's side, while Stockton had cut to the inside, and Gan Guoyang had two passing opportunities! 2γ
Olajuwon followed Stockton to the inside, while Young and Franklin saw Claremont reach out to catch the ball from Gan, and the two went to block. 1γ
But Claremont didn't have the ball in his hands.
The ball is still in Gan Guoyang's hand.
Gan Guoyang's eyes only had baskets, and there was silence in his mind, like the wilderness on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, cold and silent.
He never gave up on regaining his mid-range shooting ability.
In the warm-up before the start of the game, he hit all 10 free throws.
No one knew that he also had a shot, including Olajuwon.
The last 1 second.
Sell!
0γ
"Forrest Gump! Forrest gump! β
In Gan Guoyang's mind, he actually heard Wang Fuxi's voice, yes, it was Wang Fuxi's voice calling him.
"Fuxi!" Gan Guoyang yelled in response.
He looked around, trying to find Wang Fuxi's figure, but there were all people around.
Gan Guoyang is already in the sea of people.
"Gan, what do you think, is this last shot a tactic arranged by the coach, or did you decide on an impromptu basis? Why didn't you show the ability to shoot in other games? β
"I don't know... Fuxi... I don't know..."
"Fuxi!"
"Will you get into the NBA? Or do you want to continue a year of back-to-back championships in the NCAA? And Gonzaga is undefeated in this NCAA tournament, creating another undefeated myth, then you ......"
"I'm not going to be in NCAA anymore, no, I'm going to pursue bigger things...... Fuxi! β
Gan Guoyang saw the pink cap in the sea of people, and he hurriedly squeezed away the fans who were like zombies besieging the city and rushed to the pink hat.
"Fuxi!"
"Forrest Gump!"
Wang Fuxi had seen Gan Guoyang a long time ago, but she was lost in the rushing sea of people, but she knew that Gan Guoyang was in the venue, so she squeezed in desperately.
"Forrest Gump!"
Gan Guoyang finally took Wang Fuxi's hand.
The two hugged each other tightly, Wang Fuxi couldn't care about Gan Guoyang's sweat, she just wanted to hug him tightly and hug the hero in her mind.
"Forrest Gump, I love you, I love you."
"Me too."
(End of Volume 4, end of NCAA)
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