In December, the most important holiday in Western countries - Christmas is coming.

This important holiday is being celebrated all over the country, and the same is true in the San Francisco area. The snowflakes have been blowing since the 15th, bringing a strong Christmas atmosphere to the entire Francis Bay Area.

The same is true of Palo Alto, where a thin layer of snow covers every part of Palo Alto High School, on the grass, on the trees, on the cars in the parking lot, and on the roof of the gymnasium.

However, the atmosphere inside the Palo Alto High School gymnasium is not cold because of the snowflakes, on the contrary, anyone outside the gymnasium can feel the heat inside, which is like outside the gym. Because the Vikings were playing their last high school league regular game before Christmas, the last game of 1981.

Since the Vikings defeated the Hawks 63-59 at home on December 12, the Vikings' home games have been sold. Prior to this game, the Vikings had won eight straight games in the high school league, and the Vikings had reached 11 wins and 2 losses, ranking first among the teams in the division's Division 2!

Gan returned to the Vikings and went undefeated and averaged 39 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks in eight games. And some of the stats were taken when he only played half of the game.

Especially in the big battle against Skyrim High School, he scored 41 points alone, more than two-thirds of the team's scores, and he used his dominance on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends to lead the Vikings to defeat the overall stronger Hawks.

Dominance – the word has begun to appear in some people's evaluations of Gan Guoyang. As a Chinese on the margins of American society, Gan Guoyang is isolated from the basketball circle, which is basically insulated from the Chinese.

And now, he is relying on his own strength and slowly breaking down this barrier, just as black players once broke the monopoly of white players on the team.

However, black players relied on the strength of the entire group in basketball and quickly dominated the program, while Gan Guoyang had only one man.

However, at least at Palo Alto High School, Gan Guoyang is not alone.

He's the center of attention here, he's the star here, he's the center of attention for everyone at Palo Alto Stadium — even if he's on the bench right now.

After the defeat of the Eagles, the entire Viking was sublimated in temperament. They have finally experienced a real battle, their will and confidence can be tempered and improved, and from this game onwards, the Vikings will gradually transform into a strong team - provided that there is Gan Guoyang here.

In some of the later games, it returned to the situation before the Eagles, Gan Guoyang played half the court, completely crushed the opponent's will to resist with an invincible attack and an airtight defense, and then Gan Guoyang could sit on the bench in the second half to rest and watch his teammates practice on the field.

The same was true for today's game, where the Vikings led by almost 40 points in the first half. In the more than 1,000 schools in California, there are schools where the gap between teams is very large, and it is completely at two levels.

Therefore, in the second half, this game is no longer a confrontation of real knives*, but a game of back and forth.

The whole stadium was completely devoid of the tense atmosphere of the game, and it became a big party before Christmas. Most of the spectators were talking about what they were interested in, and only a few were still watching the game.

"Gan, how are you going to spend this Christmas?" Diepenbrock asked. The Vikings' bench also stopped focusing on the game and became a chat bench in the park.

"Huh? I didn't know, I had never had a Christmas before. Gan Guoyang replied.

Needless to say, Gan Guoyang in this time and space is that in China in the seventies and eighties, Christmas was a decadent festival of capitalism, and of course he would not have celebrated it.

Even in later generations of Gan Guoyang, although more and more Chinese began to pay attention to Christmas, he still had little interest in this foreign festival.

"Oh, that's a shame. You can make a wish to your dad and ask for a gift. Needenbrock clearly had something in his heart, and he wanted his parents to buy it for him at Christmas.

"A gift?" Gan Guoyang thought about it, he really didn't want anything. If he had to say what he wanted, he probably wanted a pair of running shoes.

Now Gan Guoyang already has two pairs of basketball shoes, and it is the best brand at the time - Converse, but he also hopes to have a pair of special running shoes.

Because Bellman told him that if you want to survive in a more competitive league, you must have more physical strength, which requires special long-distance running physical training, and a pair of running shoes is essential.

"Maybe I need a pair of running shoes."

"I'd rather have a Magician jersey, I've always wanted one, and it would have been nice to have his autograph!" It turns out that Diepenbrock's idol is Magic Johnson, so Diepenbrock's jersey number is also 32.

"Maybe one day the Lakers come to play in Oakland, and I can get you an autograph. Oh yes, there's a Christmas war for Christmas, right? Dippenbrock mentioned Magic Johnson, and Gan Guoyang thought that in the NBA, there will be a Christmas war every Christmas.

"Yes, but ...... The Golden State Warriors didn't make it to the game this time, so we couldn't watch the Christmas game in Oakland. Downbrock, who apparently knows more about the NBA schedule, said helplessly.

"In this case, you can only watch the live broadcast on the TV." Gan Guoyang said. He still really wants to be able to go to Oakland to watch the Warriors play, after all, the Warriors have Bernard King, and he finds that there is always something to learn from watching King play.

Since the last chance encounter with the star in Union Square, Gan has never been able to meet him face-to-face, only on the TV or at the Auckland Stadium.

"Yes, this Christmas war is broadcast live in the United States, and the best thing to watch should be the Lakers vs. the Suns. Alas~ I really want to go to Los Angeles to watch the Lakers play. "It seems that Dippenbrock is also a fan of the Lakers.

"You can go to Los Angeles for Christmas break?" Gan Guoyang asked.

"This game is when the Lakers go to challenge the Suns on the road, and I play in Phoenix, so I don't have the time to run to Arizona."

"When is there a Warriors game?"

"There should be one on Christmas Day, and it's with the Sun, but this time the Sun is coming to Auckland......"

The two of them chatted about the NBA game at Christmas on the bench, and they didn't care about the game on the court at all, because there was no suspense.

In the end, the Vikings easily defeated their opponents by 40 points at home, and when the final whistle blew, Gan Guoyang felt like he was about to fall asleep.

"I didn't even fucking sweat!" After everyone returned to the locker room after the game, Gan Guoyang yelled loudly, looking very helpless.

"Hey, Gan! Mr. Bellman called you and he said he had your phone! At this time, Virgin at the door shouted.

When Gan Guoyang heard who called the team? Could it be that something happened at home? He hurried to Bellman's office.

"Mr. Bellman, who is looking for me? Is it my dad? As soon as he entered the door, Gan Guoyang asked eagerly.

"No, it's an old friend of yours."

"Old friends?" Gan Guoyang was stunned for a moment, but then understood that this was a pun, which not only showed that this was a friend he had known for a long time, but also that this friend was older.

Sure enough, Gan Guoyang answered the phone, and as soon as he heard the voice, he heard that it was Mr. Thurmond.

"Hello Mr. Thurmond, it's been a long time." Since Gan Guoyang came to Palo Alto High School to study, he has rarely returned to San Francisco, and even when he does, he has to spend more time with his father. So, I didn't have time to go to the Big Nate Grill to find Mr. Thurmond.

"Haha, Gan, I didn't expect you to hear my voice so quickly. How are you doing at Bellman lately? I know, that guy's mouth isn't your average stinky. ”

"Mr. Bellman has been very good to me, he's a great coach and I've learned a lot." Gan Guoyang said as he thought to himself, my mouth is no better now.

"That's fine, I've been following your game and you've been doing really well. So, I want to celebrate for you, can you come to me for Christmas Eve? ”

Thurmond's proposal surprised Gan Guoyang, because for Americans, Christmas Eve must be spent with his family, and Thurmond's invitation meant that he treated Gan Guoyang as if he were family. This moved Gan Guoyang very much.

Gan Guoyang thought for a while, he knew that Gan's restaurant would not celebrate Christmas, and the Chinese in the United States had always cherished their traditional festivals, and the spring was the top priority.

"Well, Mr. Thurmond, thank you for the invitation, I'll be there then."

"Haha, that's good, you should come to my barbecue restaurant on the 25th, and my wife and son will come over. Oh yes, and an old friend of mine will come over. ”

Gan Guoyang made an appointment with Thurmond in this way, and went to the Great Nate barbecue for Christmas. However, Gan Guoyang is still very strange, who will be Thurmond's old friend, and will he not have to spend Christmas with his family like himself? Could it be that he is also Chinese?

With questions in this way, Gan Guoyang waited for the coming of the holiday. From December 20 this year to January 5 next year, more than two weeks will be the Christmas holiday, during which the high school league will be suspended.

After returning to San Francisco on the 20th, Gan Guoyang not only helped the store, but also went to the coastal court with Gan Guohui and Chen Xing to play basketball for a while. After joining the basketball team, Gan Guoyang basically stopped playing on the streets, afraid of injury.

However, Gan Guoyang was really bored after not touching basketball for a day off, so he still went to the coastal court and reorganized the guns and roses to sweep the streets.

Now at the Coastal Stadium, Gan Guoyang is a god-like existence, he doesn't even need to step into the three-second zone, and he doesn't need to attack inside. Just shoot and pass the ball on the outside, and basically be invincible.

Because when it's his turn to defend, the opposite side can't score at all.

When he goes back in the evening, he sits at the TV on time, watching NBA live broadcasts and sports news, and keeping up with the dynamics of the entire NBA. Looking at the slightly blurry picture on the 17-inch TV, Gan Guoyang not only misses the high-definition live broadcast of the future generations.

If there is a home game of the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Gan Guoyang will also go to the scene with Gan Guohui and Chen Xing, although they can always buy tickets in the back row, so Gan Guoyang has never had the opportunity to get close to Bernard King again.

Five days passed quickly, and although there was no training, Gan Guoyang never left basketball.

On Christmas Eve, Friday, all of San Francisco is going crazy for Black-Friday. There is a long queue in front of the store early in the morning, waiting for the opening hours to arrive, because on Christmas Day, all items are on sale in stores across the United States.

Everyone went to the store, and the restaurant naturally became cold, and the Ganjia restaurant, which has always had a good business, only had some old customers come to eat and dine on Christmas Day.

Gan Guoyang also has nothing to do in the store, but his mind is all about the Christmas dinner in the evening, and he wonders who Mr. Thurmond's "old friend" will be?

In the afternoon, Gan Guoyang passed his father's consent and set off to Furson's Da Nette Barbecue Restaurant, before leaving, Gan Youwei asked: "Guoyang, what do you want?" ”

Although Gan's restaurant is only Christmas, Gan Youwei knows that parents have the habit of giving gifts to their children at Christmas. He has been a chef at Ganjia Restaurant for half a year, and the restaurant's business is getting better and better, and he has also received a part of the shares, and his wallet is becoming more and more substantial. He himself is reluctant to spend money, but he has always responded to his son's needs.

"Hmm... I want a pair of running shoes, as for what brand, Dad, you can buy whatever you want! Gan Guoyang said his wish, and took the basketball to the big net barbecue restaurant.

When Gan arrived at the Great Nate Barbecue Restaurant, he found that the barbecue restaurant had been newly decorated, with Christmas ribbons and bells hanging up. However, a sign has been posted at the door stating that it is temporarily closed.

And when he entered, he was greeted by Nate Thurmond, whom he had not seen for a long time, and his wife, a beautiful white lady, his son, and ...... Another giant.

Gan Guoyang had heard Thurmond introduce his family, his white wife and son Jamal, so seeing these two people with welcoming smiles, Gan Guoyang also smiled and nodded. But when he saw the giant standing beside Nate Thurmond, Gan Guoyang's smile froze.

Gan Guoyang still remembers the first time he saw Thurmond and was shocked by this tall and majestic black tower. However, the giant I saw today was even taller and bigger than this black tower standing next to Thurmond! Gan Guoyang, who is already 6 feet 9, still has to look up.

This giant also wears a pair of sunglasses, with a leather coat on his body and leather boots on his feet, which looks very cool, which makes Gan Guoyang can't help but think of the "future" movie "Terminator". Although this person should also look like a middle-aged uncle in his 40s.

"Hello, Gan." Gan Guoyang was still in a daze, and this cool giant uncle had already stepped forward and stretched out his big hand.

"You... Hello, Wilt... Mr. Chamberlain..."Gan Guoyang hurriedly stepped forward, stretched out his slightly trembling hand, and shook hands with the mountain in front of him to say hello.

As Gan Guoyang called, this giant who is taller than Thurmond is the retired NBA superstar, a magical figure with 100 points in a single game, known as the "Big Beidou" and "Basketball Emperor" Wilt Chamberlain.

Although Gan Guoyang does not have a lot of knowledge of NBA history, he still knows such a legend among legends. In his later life, he once watched the video of the interview with Chamberlain, in which Chamberlain also wore a pair of sunglasses and looked cool, but he looked older than him in the video.

"Nate, he actually knows me, it seems that I am still more famous than you!" Seeing that Gan Guoyang recognized him, Chamberlain turned his head and joked with Thurmond, because he knew that Gan Guoyang didn't recognize Thurmond at all when he first saw him.

Gan Guoyang didn't know why Chamberlain came to Thurmond for Christmas, but now he didn't have the heart to care about this issue, for him Chamberlain was a god-like figure, and some of the miracles Chamberlain created were almost beyond the reach of future generations.

Gan Guoyang felt that his current self was like the Monkey King who met the Buddha.

"Don't be nervous, Wirt is a very good person, and we have been friends for more than ten years." Thurmond could see that Gan Guoyang, who was standing there a little overwhelmed, was a little nervous, and he probably looked like this when he first saw Chamberlain before, so he comforted him.

"That's right, I often hear Thurmond mention you on the phone, China-boy. So I've wanted to meet you for a long time, maybe we can play it off on the pitch. Chamberlain held Gan Guoyang's hand and said to him.

These words scared Gan Guoyang into a thrill, and he learned from each other, and Chamberlain? Gan Guoyang thinks that with his current level, he is not an opponent with the retired Thurmond, let alone Chamberlain, a man with 100 points in a single game.

"I... It's a pleasure to meet you, but... I'm afraid... I'm afraid I won't be able to beat you. Gan Guoyang could only scratch his head and tell the truth.

On the basketball court, Gan Guoyang has always given people the feeling of "arrogant and domineering", if someone dares to challenge him, he will definitely use his performance on the court and trash talk to forcefully fight back against the opponent.

Because he knows that the core boss of a team must be able to respond to all provocations of opponents in order to have the ability and qualification to lead the team forward.

But off the field, Gan Guoyang has always been friendly and kind, especially in the face of these two old-timers, he is even more respectful. This is a cultural personality trait that a Chinese possesses, not to mention that Gan Guoyang also has the memory of two lifetimes.

"Haha, don't worry, I've always loved playing with the fans, and I'm not going to let you die too ugly." Chamberlain said with a smile.

If this is obviously sarcastic and provocative to others, but when it comes out of Chamberlain's mouth, it makes people feel very normal.

Gan Guoyang didn't know what to say, but fortunately, Thurmond's wife brought out the cooked Christmas turkey from the kitchen and beckoned everyone to come to the meal, and Gan Guoyang was able to get out. However, he was still uneasy about Chamberlain's intention to fight him alone.

Before dinner, US President Ronald Reagan delivered a Christmas speech, and he was not interested in what he said Gan Guoyang at all, but he was surprised to think that Reagan had been assassinated more than half a year ago, and now he had recovered.

Beginning at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time, four Christmas battles were held sequentially and broadcast live across the United States. One of the most talked-about games was the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns game at 8 o'clock Pacific Time.

In the 1981-1982 season, the Lakers had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar "Skyhook" and Johnson "Magic" Johnson, as well as Jamal Wilkes "Silk", Michael Cooper, and former MVP Bob McAdoo on the bench.

At the same time, future legendary coach Pat Riley also began to take charge of the team, tailoring the game of fast play whirlwind for the Lakers, and the prototype of "SHOW-TIME" appeared. It also makes them the hottest team in the league.

The Suns on the opposite side have Alwan Adams, "rebounding king" Chuck Robinson, and "DJ" Dennis Johnson. Although the Suns have a certain gap with the Lakers in terms of strength and are in the middle and upper reaches of the league, the matchup between the two Johnsons is enough to attract attention.

After Christmas dinner, the three big guys, all over 6'9 tall, sat on the TV in the dining room with a big stool, waiting for the game to start at eight o'clock.

"I still remember, in 1968, the Christmas game, I was in the Lakers, and my opponent was the Phoenix Suns! We fucked our opponent for 20 points, which was a fucking pleasure. Chamberlain reminisced about his past days with the Lakers.

"The Warriors were against the San Diego Rockets that year, and we scored 30 points." Thurmond also said on the sidelines that it seems that the Warriors won more games that year.

"In '73, the Lakers played the Phoenix again, but I was no longer there by then, so the Lakers were fucked by 35 points! Hahaha! ”

"I was in the Cavaliers in '77, and we lost to the Buffalo Brave in the Christmas fight, and it was my last Christmas fight." The two began to compete badly.

In this way, Gan Guoyang listened to the two bigwigs recall their Christmas war experience, there were victories and defeats, bulls and miserables, and he couldn't say a word anyway.

The clock ticked eight o'clock, and ABS began broadcasting the third game of the Christmas game — the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Suns in Phoenix.

Gan Guoyang came to the 80s, and after watching the NBA games for more than half a year, the biggest feeling was two points, one was that the speed was really fast, and the other was that the fluency of the game was really high.

Unlike in later generations, when a team averaged hundreds of points per game, even if it was a high score, it would be labeled as a so-called "running bomber", almost every team in the NBA in the 80s scored hundreds of points. There are many reasons, one is the fast pace, the second is that the defensive level is not as high as in later generations, and the third is that the players generally have very solid offensive skills.

Especially today's protagonist Lakers, almost every player has the ability to hold the ball alone, almost every player can attract the bag, plus the magical magic Johnson threads the needle, the vacant position is a big handful, and scoring opportunities are everywhere.

Especially their fast attack, there is a feeling of flames sweeping through the mountains and forests, and they can't do it anywhere.

However, the home team Phoenix clearly did not want to disappoint the home crowd on Christmas Eve, and they withstood the Lakers' offense under the leadership of Finals MVP Dennis Johnson. Two of Johnsons were in opposition to each other on the court, and the Magic had a lot of headaches for Dennis's defense, and the 6-foot-8 was repeatedly stealed.

The game was extremely intense, and it was not decided until the last minute, and in the end, the Lakers still came out on top, winning 104-101 on the road.

The 48-minute game lasted for two hours because of advertisements and timeouts, and Gan Guoyang was used to it, while Chamberlain and Thurmond, two older generation players, were constantly complaining, complaining that there are too many commercial advertisements in the NBA.

The three of them watched this wonderful Christmas battle, and they were not interested in the game at half past ten. At this time, Chamberlain stood up from the stool, walked to the side and picked up the basketball brought by Gan Guoyang with one hand, threw it in his hand, and said, "Hey Gan, after watching the game, let's have a fight, right?" ”

When Gan Guoyang heard this, he knew that what was supposed to come finally came, and abuse was inevitable. However, it was also a very good opportunity to practice with Thurmond to give his centre-forward skills a new boost.

"Obedien-is-better-than-politeness." Gan Guoyang said.