Gan Guoyang did not expect that after the game, he would sit in Magic Johnson's Lincoln sedan and drive on Los Angeles Avenue at night.

In the final five minutes of the fourth quarter of the evening, Gan Guoyang was eager to rush forward and knock Magic Johnson down, and then he and Johnson could both go off the court, and the Trail Blazers might be able to win the game.

It's just that this is a basketball game after all, not a boxing game, in the face of Magic's omnipotence in the last five minutes and taking over the game, Gan Guoyang wanted to try his best to respond to the opponent on the offensive end, but Gan Guoyang, who was strongly sandwiched by the Lakers inside and outside, still couldn't turn the tide.

Watching Johnson accept the cheers of the fans at the Great Western Forum Arena like a king in a golden jersey after the game, Gan Guoyang felt like a prisoner in a red criminal suit, escorted back to the players' tunnel, and sentenced to death in the locker room.

Therefore, after receiving Johnson's call, Gan Guoyang could not believe that the magician would invite him out to dinner, and his first reaction was that the magician was uneasy because he was the enemy of the pioneers.

It was only when he heard Johnson's "old friend" that Gan Guoyang agreed to him, and he also thought that Johnson would not have any malicious intent, and it was normal for professional players to be friends with enemies on the field and off the field.

Gan Guoyang still remembers participating in the Lakers' in-house training in Palm Springs and when he clashed with McAdoo, it was Johnson who came up for him.

But sitting next to Johnson, Gan Guoyang was still uncomfortable, maybe he was not used to this kind of relationship change.

"You had a great performance today, you know, Karim was praising you after the game and saying you couldn't stop it, and I rarely hear Karim praise people, especially as a newcomer." Johnson said as he drove the car.

The Magic off the court is completely different from the one on the court, he likes to smile and speak well, and almost no one can resist the enthusiasm of Magic Johnson as much as he can't stop his passing – Gan Guoyang is no exception.

"Thank you, I have always taken him as a benchmark, and one day I will surpass him." Gan Guoyang looked at this different magician and said. The last time I met Johnson, in Palm Springs, he was as serious and cold, and now he has returned to the familiar state of the public.

"Karim must be happy to hear you say that, he's been feeling that no one wants to practice and use the hook anymore, everyone is jumping shots, and your hook gives him hope, maybe he'll play for ten more seasons!" Johnson joked with a laugh.

"I'm nowhere near as good as him, and I can feel from this game that I'm still far behind." The magician's joke could not erase the depression of Gan Guoyang's defeat.

"Yes, you and you, there's still a long way to go, and it's just a regular season. You know, I won the championship in my rookie season, I won the MVP, which made me feel like the NBA is nothing more than that, and I got everything in the first year, championships, MVP. But very quickly, in the second season, we lost to the Rockets in the first round, and it was a very bad year. After that, in '82 we regained the championship, but in '83, '84 we lost everything again. Especially last year, losing to the Celtics was a fatal blow for me and the Lakers. ”

"That's why in Palm Springs, we practiced so hard, so hard, and a few times we even got into fights. Your conflict with McAdoo is just one of them. I think you must have been very, very tired after training that day, so let me tell you, we do that every day. Because we are well aware of the pain of failure, we must use countless sweat and struggle to avoid defeat and achieve victory. ”

Johnson also talked a lot to Gan Guoyang at once, he really saw himself in Gan Guoyang, and saw the incomparably strong competitiveness in his heart, this competitiveness brought Johnson a lot of pain, but it also made him have today's achievements.

Gan Guoyang listened to the magicman's words and nodded, he was already ready to target Johnson and the Lakers, and one day he would completely defeat them.

"Well, here we are, wonderful Four Seasons Hotel, you know, I couldn't have thought of this place in the past, and now coming here is as easy as going to McDonald's down the street for a burger, and that's the reward for success."

Johnson said as he left the car in front of the hotel and asked the waiter to park the car in the parking lot, and Johnson generously gave the waiter a hundred dollars in a tip.

Four Seasons, founded in Toronto in 1961, has carved out a niche among the world's luxury hotels after more than 20 years of development and is known for their personalized service.

After coming to the United States in '81, all the hotels he stayed in were not as luxurious as the Four Seasons Hotel near Beverly Hills.

This kind of luxury is not just a superficial splendor, but a refinement and elegance reflected in the details, exuding a strong sense of luxury, and at the same time not looking vulgar.

"What kind of big man is it that you need to invite me to a place like this?" Gan Guoyang followed Johnson and the waiter and walked on the large corridor of the fourth-level hotel and couldn't help asking.

"It's a couple of my friends, and an old friend of yours. Of course, I was only able to meet him thanks to you, otherwise it would have been difficult for me to see him. The magician replied with a smile.

Gan Guoyang couldn't figure out what kind of big man he knew in Los Angeles?

Although the Four Seasons Hotel is a luxury resort, of course, there are restaurants for dining, and there are many international cuisines.

The waiter took the two to the restaurant marked with the Chinese food label, and it was obvious that the inviter chose this place for Gan Guoyang.

"Hi Gan!" When Gan Guoyang entered one of the private rooms, a white figure came forward to greet Gan Guoyang.

"Michael!" Gan Guoyang was too tall, he lowered his head and took a closer look, only to find that this "old friend" was the "suicide" he met in Santa Barbara, Michael Jackson.

Since Michael Jackson met Kam three years ago near Santa Barbara Hospital, he was inspired and encouraged by him and decided to dedicate himself to the production and recording of his new album.

At the end of 1982, Jackson's new album "Thriller" was released, which sparked a musical frenzy in the United States and around the world, and he himself won a Grammy Award.

Gan Guoyang also heard Jackson's new album and the song "beat-it" in UCLA at that time, so he decided to leave UCLA and look for a new environment.

It's just that Gan Guoyang didn't expect that Michael Jackson had such great achievements and honors in the American music and entertainment industry, and he didn't expect that he remembered himself and invited himself to dinner in Los Angeles.

"I'm sorry Gan, I really haven't seen you for a long time, and I haven't been able to contact you. I happened to be in Los Angeles to meet my brothers, but I couldn't go to see your game live, so I had to ask Magic to invite you over at such a late hour. ”

Michael Jackson obviously also wanted to surprise Gan Guoyang, so he didn't let the magician tell Gan Guoyang who was the inviter.

In addition to Michael Jackson, there are Jackson's two older brothers, Jermaine Jackson and Marlon Jackson.

The Jackson brothers once formed a band called "Jackson-Five" and began releasing albums and performing throughout the United States from an early age.

Later, Michael Jackson chose to fly solo and achieved great success, and the five Jackson brothers slowly fell silent and eventually disbanded.

Michael Jackson's two older brothers and Magic Johnson were also very good friends, and in the summer of 1984, the Magic, who lost the championship, traveled around the world with the Jackson brothers and saw the charm of music.

In this way, Gan Guoyang had a late night snack with American pop superstar, Michael Jackson, and NBA superstar, his future worst enemy, Magic Johnson, in the Chinese restaurant of the Four Seasons Hotel.

In addition to talking about some interesting things happening around them, they talked more about music and basketball, after all, there are three musicians and two basketball players here.

"Hey Gan, your performance in today's game seems to be the best among rookies so far, 39 points, oh my God, a lot of players don't get that score in their lifetime." Michael Jackson didn't show up to watch the game, but he did listen to the TV news report.

"That's right, I think you're the best contender for Rookie of the Year right now." The magician who was laboriously using chopsticks on the side said.

Gan Guoyang's performance of 39 points in a single game is already the strongest performance among the rookies in this year, but Gan Guoyang knows very well that this year's rookie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a few games can't explain anything at all.

Then, several people began to discuss the ownership of this year's best rookie, in addition to Gan Guoyang, several people are unanimously optimistic about the Houston Rockets' Olajuwon, who is also Gan Guoyang's recognized strongest competitor this year.

The two of them will also continue their rivalry in the NCAA into the NBA.

But Gan Guoyang has his own ideas, or he from later generations, can have the ability to surpass people's horizons at that time.

"You know, there are two MJs sitting here, one is Michael-Jackson and one is Magic-Johnson, and the rookie of the year that I'm fancy about is the third MJ, Michael-Jordan of the Bulls."

…………

The Chinese cuisine at the Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant is also very authentic, the most common Cantonese cuisine in the United States, with fresh ingredients and exquisite methods, which makes Gan Guoyang, a half of the food experts, also admire.

And after this meal, the magician Johnson also arranged other special activities, but Gan Guoyang thought of Wang Fuxi, who was still in the hotel, so he politely refused Johnson's kindness.

Michael Jackson has to take the initiative to drive Gan Guoyang back to meet his old friends, which makes Jackson feel extremely happy, after becoming a hot superstar, he has rarely had such an opportunity.

"Gan, I really didn't expect to meet you here, under such circumstances. When you think back to the time from three years ago to now, it's like a dream, and you are the beginning of the dream. Jackson said in a car. He rarely drives now, but this time he still insisted on sending Gan Guoyang back in person.

"yes, I never thought you would be such a great singer, of course, I thought you would succeed when I was in the hospital."

"But I want to say that tonight was one of my happiest nights, no worse than my concerts, and there are always a lot of surprises to talk to you." No matter who chats with Gan Guoyang and talks deeply, he can always get something unexpected.

"The reunion of old friends is probably one of the most emotional and moving things in this world." Gan Guoyang looked out the window at Los Angeles, which had begun to gradually fall silent, and thought of all the things he had returned to the past over the years, as well as the people and things he had encountered.

"You sound like a mafia boss who is about to wash his hands, but your NBA career is just beginning." Jackson said.

Gan Guoyang smiled, but soon he couldn't laugh anymore, and when he said that his old friend was reunited, he couldn't help but think of his old friend Johnny Stockton.

The undefeated champion team and the exciting dark horse team have also become people's memories with the passage of time.

Although this team won the highest honor of the NCAA without defeat, except for Gan Guoyang and Stockton, the others in the team were really limited in talent, and only the two of them entered the NBA in the end.

Although Stockton's fate in the NCAA was changed by the arrival of Gan Guoyang, he still could not escape the fate of going to Salt Lake City in the 1984 draft, and swapped clubs with Kevin Willis.

This also made Gan Guoyang feel a little palpitating, history, maybe it's really not so easy to change.

Soon, Jackson drove Gan Guoyang to the hotel where the pioneers lived, and Jackson couldn't get out of the car to see him off because of his identity, and the two hurriedly said goodbye.

In the hotel, Wang Fuxi had fallen asleep like a piglet, and he didn't seem to be worried that his boyfriend would go to some messy place to fool around.

Early the next morning, Gan Guoyang followed the Trail Blazers on the plane back to Portland, where they will host the Phoenix Suns tomorrow, Nov. 8.

This will be the second time the two teams have faced each other this season, and the last game between the two teams went through three overtime battles, which can be described as a draining battle.

"I'm going to play Phoenix again, I'm worried about another overtime?" Drexler sat on the plane, looked at the schedule and "complained."

'If we're still down by a point at the end, you can choose to throw the ball into the stand so we don't have to play extra time. Gan Guoyang said while listening to the music.

"Why are we one point behind? It can also be that we have a one-point lead and then they don't make a shot and then we win. ”

"Then we shouldn't be one point ahead, we should be twenty points ahead, so that no matter how many they score, it's useless."