The public opinion previously held that it was Bird who conspired with his teammates to oust Fitch, but in fact, Bird had always been a supporter of Fitch and genuinely agreed with Fitch’s strict coaching style.
However, Bird knew well that not everyone could willingly embrace Fitch’s devilish training and venomous tongue, so in the end, when the entire Celtics team revolted against Fitch, he could only stand by helplessly.
After becoming a head coach himself, Bird was determined to learn from Fitch’s strengths while discarding Fitch’s shortcomings.
He imagined himself as a strict and demanding teacher on the court, but off the court, he could give players their freedom and everyone could enjoy each other’s company.
But Bird soon realized that this was almost impossible; it was difficult for the two to coexist unless someone could step up to take on part of the role and act out a play together with Bird.
In September, Bird reached out to Buckwalter multiple times to learn how the Trail Blazers had overcome various problems and difficulties over the years while maintaining championship competitiveness.
And how Jack Ramsey and Bobby Berman controlled the locker room—during the 1992 Olympics, he found that Berman was not as controlling as he thought, but rather had a laissez-faire attitude towards the stars.
Of course, that was with the Dream Team, but what about the Trail Blazers? How did they coordinate the entire team to keep it competitive for such a long time, especially the unbelievable championship in 1993?
Buckwalter directly asked Bird a question: "Larry, do you know about the Foxbat fighter jet?"
Bird shook his head and said, "I don’t care about fighter jets, anyway, with my height, no one would draft me. I’m more suitable for changing light bulbs at a field hospital."
Subsequently, Buckwalter repeated the "Foxbat Theory" he had shared with Jerry West back then to Bird.
After listening, Bird was surprised and said, "You mean the Portland Trail Blazers is actually a makeshift team. No wonder after two months here, I’ve found nothing particularly magical about the Trail Blazers."
Buckwalter laughed and said, "Basketball isn’t inherently magical; we just happen to have a magical player."
"Can he maintain the magic? I’ve been in contact with him recently, and he said his state has declined to that of Michael Jordan in the past two years. Recently, he even said he might become an upgraded version of Larry Bird. Damn, an upgraded version of me? I can’t even imagine myself getting upgraded, but I really don’t have any way with him."
Buckwalter laughed heartily and said, "But Ah Gan has always been honest. When he says he can, he truly can."
By late September, summer was close to passing, and Bird gradually adapted to life in Portland.
At this time, Gan Guoyang’s two-month recovery program was nearing its end, and Bird was invited to be a guest at Gan Guoyang’s home.
While playing with the Celtics, Bird rarely, if ever, visited his teammates’ homes, let alone frequently visiting one teammate.
But in Portland, he was captivated by Gan Youwei’s cooking skills, and surprisingly, he found himself wanting to visit Gan Guoyang’s home for a feast from time to time.
"I really should get Reed over here to taste your father’s cuisine. He would love it and be furious about the Chinese food he had in the past resembling pig feed."
Auerbach was a passionate enthusiast of Chinese food, but the chefs at ordinary restaurants were hardly comparable to Gan Youwei, who diligently crafted dishes at home.
After returning to Portland, to maintain his memory, Gan Youwei, like his son, started recovery training, picking up the kitchen knife, iron pot, and spatula again to delve into the new and old dishes he had developed before.
"Everyone has different tastes, perhaps in Reed’s mouth, those feeds are exactly what he likes."
Bird scrutinized Gan Guoyang, and compared to two months ago, he had already shown significant changes.
The fat was definitely gone, the body fat had dropped to a very low level, and he looked lean and strong.
The muscle lines on him weren’t as pronounced as in ’91 or ’92, but the overall dimension was a bit larger.
"Sonny, what’s your weight now?"
"280 pounds."
"The upgraded version of Larry Bird you mentioned, is the upgrade in weight?"
"Weight is just one aspect, it’s more about toughness."
Gan Guoyang mocked Bird for not being tough enough, making Bird quite frustrated.
But under someone’s roof, there’s no choice but to bow; after more than two months of deep understanding, Bird clearly understood that Ah Gan was the key to the Portland dynasty.
Bird could understand this very well, just like the Celtics’ championship key was himself back then.
If any coach came to the Celtics and didn’t try to figure out the relationship with Bird, that coach was unqualified.
During the more than two months of contact, Bird’s understanding of Gan Guoyang deepened, and he increasingly felt that this was an unfathomable man.
As a player, he wasn’t just focused on himself, but clearly understood everything about the Trail Blazers.
During this time, Bird kept having private interactions with Trail Blazers players, and when he talked to Gan Guoyang about these players, he found that Ah Gan knew them almost completely.
He was like one of those crazy fans, knowing his teammates’ personality traits, their favorite foods, taboos, hobbies, little secrets, and even what kind of women they liked.
Bird couldn’t help but ask Gan Guoyang, "So do you know what kind of person I am?"
Gan Guoyang took a deep breath and pretended to sniff the air as if to catch the scent emanating from Bird.