Chapter Eighty-Five: A Lifelong Enemy
(A lot of people care about the draft of the protagonist, everyone has their own preferences, but for the grasp of the overall plot, as well as the complete xìng of each classic team, the author has his own ideas, and will try to explain everything to perfection, both welcome readers YY, but also hope to understand the author's writing.) There is also a slight rush in this chapter.,There may be mistakes and omissions.,I'll change it when I'm free.,Forgive me.。 )
One of the most famous games in the history of the NCAA was the 1979 Indiana State Figs vs. Michigan State Spartans Finals, which had a staggering 24 percent television viewing and was watched by 35 million people.
The opponents in that Finals were Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
This is an insurmountable miracle in the history of American basketball and the televised broadcast of basketball games, even in the NBA Finals.
In the 1983 Finals just past, the Philadelphia 76ers led by Moses Malone took revenge on the Los Angeles Lakers, and the ratings were only 12%, only half of the 1979 showdown.
Of all the sports in the United States, only a game like the Super Bowl can beat the 1979 ratings miracle, but don't forget that the NFL is a professional league, and the NCAA is only a semi-professional competition made up of college students.
Originally, this ratings miracle would continue his legend, even in Jordan's last finals in 1998, the ratings could not surpass this black-and-white battle.
But in Seattle in 1984, all eyes were on the Dome Arena, and countless families had their televisions tuned to ABS, to ESPN, to local sports channels, quietly waiting for a showdown to begin.
And in the locker room of the Dome Arena at the center of the storm, there was unusually silence and calm.
"Gan, guess how many people will watch this game?" Anderson, who was bandaging his ankle in the locker room, asked.
"I don't know, maybe there will be 10 million people." Gan Guoyang was checking his palm, and the injury during the game against Georgetown should be healed.
"I'm grass, 10 million people, if each person takes out a dollar, it's tens of millions of dollars!" Anderson was amazed at the number of 10 million.
"We can have 10 million people in a city in China, like běi jīng, like Shanghai." Gan Guoyang said lightly, although there were not so many people in Shanghai in the eighties, it was not far away.
"China is really terrible, but there are 10 million people, which means that after this game, one out of every 20 people will know me!" The United States had a population of more than 200 million at the time, and Anderson was thrilled that such a scenario would emerge.
Still, Gan and Anderson underestimated the impact of the game and the number of viewers of the game.
In a private booth at the Dome, Bob Blackburn, known as the "Voice-of-the-Supersonics," is in front of a microphone in front of a private commentary room for local Seattle TV and radio broadcasters about the heavyweight game.
"All the viewers and listeners in front of the TV or the radio, if you have any work left on your hands, please hurry up and feed the children, add food to the dogs, take out the clothes in the washing machine and dry them, and take out the cookies in the oven as soon as possible, because the much-anticipated game is about to begin. According to the prediction, the audience of this game is likely to be close to 40 million, yes 40 million, no more than you, no less than you, but I still hope you don't miss this destined classic finals. ”
Blackburn's voice was loud and deep, and he didn't breathe after a long passage.
"Let's take a look at the players on both sides, oh these lovely kids are already warming up, and hopefully after the semi-finals they can get used to the frenetic atmosphere of the Dome, which is no better than Boston Garden on the East Coast."
The Houston Pumas and Gonzaga Bulldogs players were warming up, and it was clear that the noise and huge dome of the Dome were a bit nervous for the college players, who had already played in NBA arenas, but the atmosphere of the Finals was a bit overwhelming.
"In the semi-finals, the Gonzaga Bulldog and the Kentucky Wildcats had a dog-and-cat battle, and it was clear that the dogs were more powerful than the cats, although the cats seemed more cunning and agile; But the Bulldogs played a rare quick attack and high scores in this game, and until then they had been a team known for their defense. ”
In the other game, the Houston Cougars and the Virginia Cavaliers blinded us with an ugly defensive battle, with neither team scoring more than 50 points. And before that, the Houston Pumas had always been energetic, so this is really a bit confusing. ”
In the semifinals, the Gunzaga Bulldogs used a combination of inside and outside attacks to beat the Kentucky Wildcats alive and easily passed with a score of 71:55. The Houston Cougars were entangled with the Virginia Cavaliers until the last minute, and finally passed the game with a two-point advantage of 49:47.
At this time, Gan Guoyang was concentrating on the free throw practice on the court, and he naturally couldn't hear a word of what Blackburn said, and at this time, all kinds of noise on the court filled the ears of the players, and the noise reduction effect of the 80-year-old stadium was still very poor.
But Gan Guoyang didn't seem to be disturbed, and he was still at the free throw line one after another, practicing free throws very seriously.
In his last game against Kentucky, he made 12 free throws, but he hit just five of them, shooting not even 50 percent from the field, well below his usual 80 percent.
If all 12 free throws were made, then he would have scored 30 points instead of 23.
However, his lethality still dealt a fatal blow to Kentucky's vaunted inside, and their twin towers paid a total of nine fouls on Gan Guoyang, and Sam Bowe was sent off in the second half.
The twin towers became double fools under the stimulation of Gan Guoyang's cunning and trash talk, which directly led to the two being underestimated in the NBA draft.
"Huh!" Gan Guoyang finally made 10 free throws in a row, breathed a sigh of relief, and completed the small goal he set in his heart.
Since his hook was developed and his mid-range jumper became less consistent, Gan has never given up trying to regain the skill, spending time on the training court every day and setting small tasks for his mid-range shooting, without which today's training will not be over.
It's a pity that this kind of training still lacks system and sustainability, after all, he has a lot of games to play, and what he really exerts in the game is his hook hand and solid footwork under the basket.
But you don't know when he'll use a long-range throw to make the other party taste the blood and seal his throat.
"Big cousin! Big cousin! This way, this way! Gan Guoyang, who had just finished the penalty, immediately heard the shouts from the stands.
Gan Guoyang saw that it was indeed Gan Guohui, who was waving his arms at him with a big grin.
And next to it, there was Gan Guoyang's father Gan Youwei, as well as cousin Gan Youtang, cousin Gan Bingguang, and even cousin Qian Hui and cousin uncle, the two female members of the family, came!
"Dad..."Gan Guoyang finally shouted, but he was not Gan Guohui, of course Gan Youwei couldn't hear this voice, but Gan Youwei obviously knew that Gan Guoyang saw them, and he also got up from his seat and waved his hand at Gan Guoyang.
It has been nearly three years since he came to the United States, and this is the first time Gan Youwei has left San Francisco, and most of the rest of the time he has been working hard at Gan's restaurant, silently giving everything for his son.
He didn't know what the NCAA was or what it meant to have a group of people running around chasing a ball, but he knew it was probably the most important game of his son's life.
He still remembers the slap he gave to his son, and the expression in his son's eyes was not resentment but guilt; He remembered what he said, which touched Gan Guoyang's heart, but it also hurt himself.
Now, Gan Guoyang finally has the opportunity to stand in the highest hall of American college basketball and compete for the first championship in his life.
So Gan Youwei, who never left San Francisco, followed his cousin's family to Seattle to witness the most glorious moment of his son's basketball career.
Gan Guoyang looked at his father in the stands, thinking of everything Gan Youwei had done for him in the past few years, and his nose couldn't help but be a little sour.
According to Gan Youwei's intelligence and courage, it is not a big problem to become a boss if he stays in China, but after coming to the United States, due to language and cultural barriers, he can only be a chef; In addition, the Ganjia restaurant is also opened by his own family, so he can also be a chef with peace of mind.
It can be said that Gan Guoyang's current achievements are inseparable from Gan Youwei's sacrifice and support.
"Dad, I'll bring this championship to you." Gan Guoyang silently swore in his heart.
However, there was another person who never appeared in the stands, which also made Gan Guoyang, who was about to start the game, a little uneasy.
That man was Wang Fuxi.
Before the game, Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi talked on the phone, because something happened at home, so Wang Fuxi needed to rush back to Los Angeles first, and wait until the day of the final to feel Seattle.
At that time, flight delays and delays were a common problem, and the airport was quite far from the city, so I didn't know when Wang Fuxi would arrive.
Without Wang Fuxi in such a major competition, Gan Guoyang always felt that something was missing, and the two had not been able to meet for a while.
But even if Wang Fuxi arrives now, Gan Guoyang will not be able to spot her, because the match is about to start, and both sides are back on the bench to start the entrance ceremony.
In the 80s, the entrance ceremony was still very simple, the players listened to the introduction of the live DJ, got up from the bench one by one, and waved to the audience; Unlike in the 90s, when the lights were turned off and the DJ dragged out, there were live flames and flag-waving projects.
The audience did not feel bored by this simple ceremony, and still used the highest decibel sound to cheer for these warriors who came to the highest stage.
"The Dome Arena is so passionate and full of noise at all times, I think even the sound of the old man sweeping the floor of the stadium waving the broom is louder than the old aunt of other stadiums!" Blackburn used his huge voice to convey the noise of the Dome to the ears of fans who couldn't make it to the scene.
Seattle fans have always been known for their loud voices and their ability to make noise, and they went on to set a world record for the highest decibel on the pitch.
"Let's take a look, the biggest, biggest and biggest attraction of this game is the super center of the two teams! When was the last time two of these 'matched' players met on the pitch? That's right, it was in 1979, Big Bird Bird and Magic Johnson! The game that created a ratings miracle. ”
"And now the situation is so similar, one is already famous in the United States, and the other is a dark horse that has emerged; And this dark horse of Gonzaga University, like Fig, kept winning all before reaching the final, but unfortunately fell short in the final. I don't know if the pit bull can make a great breakthrough and go black to the end! ”
In 1979, Larry Bird's Indiana Figs staged the miracle of Cinderella, winning all 26 matches before entering the national competition, and made it all the way to the finals, and finally lost to the Spartans of the Magic, but failed to carry out the miracle to the end.
And the bulldog, which was also undefeated before the national competition and was also not optimistic, also passed the test and walked to the highest stage in the surprised eyes of everyone.
Their opponents, the Houston Pumagars, were the overall runners-up last year, and the top four teams last year belonged to the super team in the United States, and they will definitely fight for the championship this year.
At the end of the entrance ceremony, the audience stood up and began to sing the American national anthem.
Gan Guoyang, as usual, as a Chinese, could only silently sing the "March of the Volunteers" in his heart when the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner Never Falls" was played in the audience.
"It's time for the national anthem to be played again, and the melody of the Star-Spangled Banner never falls resounds, but there are still people who don't want to open their mouths, not because they don't love the country, but because they come from other parts of the earth; Oh, and as far as I know, the two protagonists of today are basketball prodigies from the Asian continent and the African continent respectively. If Georgetown's Ewing were also there, a super-center from Central America would also keep his mouth shut during the national anthem. It's hard to imagine that in the next 10 years, the interior of the NBA will be ruled by a few foreigners. ”
Blackburn's big mouth chatters even when the national anthem is played, making the listener in front of the radio immersive.
After these complicated and protracted ceremonies, Gan Guoyang's long-awaited ultimate battle finally began.
The Bulldogs players formed in a circle in front of the bench for the final pre-match mobilization.
“No-or--or-Go-'s-go-bulldogs!” (Time is running out, win or go home, rush bulldogs!) Gan Guoyang shouted their slogan.
“Go-bulldogs!”
When everything was ready, Gan Guoyang stepped onto the court, and finally came face to face with his opponent.
It is the giant standing opposite, the Jaguar player in the No. 35 red Sè jersey, the African genius in Blackburn's mouth, the top picker in this year's NBA draft, the perfect center in the future, and the idol of Gan Guoyang in the future.
In this history that has been rewritten, he will become Gan Guoyang's lifelong enemy.
"Come on, have a good fight, Akeem Olajuwon."