The All-Star weekend has ended, amid the wind and snow in Cleveland, the NBA completed its commemoration of its 50-year history.
Although the 50 greatest stars list is quite controversial, it generally represents the highest level of NBA players over many years.
For a long time to come, the life stories of these stars will be a key for fans to understand the history of this league.
Like the historical records of China, these chronicles, family histories, and biographies weave a flowing long river of history.
After leaving Cleveland, Gan Guoyang didn’t return to Portland but instead went back to San Francisco with his family.
In San Francisco, he stayed with his uncle’s family for two days, then visited Nate-Sermonde’s barbecue shop for drinks and meats, savoring the secret recipe.
For Gan Guoyang, finding time to be with family and friends is extremely rare.
The daily life of ordinary people is already a luxury for someone who has gained great fame and wealth.
From the moment he stepped off the plane at San Francisco Airport, the media’s cameras never left him.
Other than being at home with the door closed eating, sleeping, watching TV or using the bathroom, as soon as he went outside, reporters followed him everywhere.
Gan Guoyang also had to be accompanied by bodyguards, with Quentin leading the security team providing 24-hour protection, constantly on alert.
In America, the proliferation of guns gives many people the opportunity to end others’ lives and create killing incidents.
Every high-profile celebrity’s outing requires a large security team to be arranged to follow, never knowing when a crazed fan with a gun might appear.
In terms of fan frenzy, Gan Guoyang and top stars like Michael Jackson are in the same league, with some people willing to die for him and others wanting him dead.
More importantly, entering the late 90s, after the Soviet Union’s collapse and the end of the Cold War, Eastern Europe fell into the embrace of the Western world, Americans had no significant external war threats, seemingly invincible worldwide, with domestic prosperity, rapid high-tech development, with technology, finance, military, and culture at the world’s peak, like a beacon illuminating the globe.
Yet a new threat was quietly descending. At this time, most Americans had not yet noticed, as they are indulged in the dream of being world number one.
In February 1997, a 69-year-old Palestinian teacher, Ali Kamel, attacked tourists with a gun on the observation deck of New York City’s Empire State Building.
Kamel killed one person, injured six others, then shot himself in the head committing suicide.
Afterwards, the officials conducted an investigation and concluded through Kamel’s notes that he was extremely dissatisfied with America’s support for Israel.
The attack was premeditated and likely politically motivated.
However, news soon reported that Kamel’s family claimed his motivation was merely bankruptcy, not political.
Whatever the reason, the shooting was quickly drowned in the various news events that happen daily, without gaining true attention from the American public.
An act of retaliation against society with a gun by a bankrupt Middle Eastern immigrant seemed no different from a White, Black, or Mexican person to them, just another person crushed by pressure, dangerous though they might be, encountering one may be unlucky, but it’s practically inevitable, the vast majority won’t meet such people.
Only a very few sensed something strange from the event, like a timed bomb buried beneath America’s prosperous surface.
The All-Star break ended, returning to Portland, the players seemed like office workers getting back to work after their vacation.
On the 11th’s training, the team seemed to lack some deflated energy, with Bird frequently angry during the drills, raising the intensity for everyone.
After training, Bird complained to Gan Guoyang: "Did you guys always return like this after the All-Star game? Lazy and languid, like you’re drunk."
Gan Guoyang shook his head, saying: "When we matched after the All-Star game before, of course, it wasn’t like this; we always adjusted to the optimal state now..."
Previously, Portland Trail Blazers would always enter their best form after the All-Star game, delivering an impressive March, then moving smoothly into April, connecting seamlessly to the playoffs.
Come playoffs, it was the Trail Blazers’ domain, they swept through everything with no team capable of withstanding them.
The situation this season is noticeably different, from the tough schedule starting in November, gradually gaining ground in December, fluctuating for various reasons in January and February; the whole season’s rhythm is not like before.
After all, the whole team went through major upheaval, it’s no longer the same Trail Blazers anymore.
Midway through the season, the championship aura of the Trail Blazers still hasn’t formed, they need more time.
Good news is the team’s status, although lacking the previous overpowering and unstoppable aura of champions, is still a formidable force in the league.
On the night of the 12th, the first game after All-Star, the Trail Blazers won big at home, 110:95, over the visiting Phoenix Suns team.
Furthermore, Gan Guoyang remains the best player in this league, having been "crowned" after the All-Star, he’s becoming even better.
His way of improvement is very simple and straightforward, not some elusive ’game influence’, but his scoring, his shooting percentage, his rebounds, his assists, his blocks—all are improving.
Without significantly changing his playstyle, without increasing tactical scoring, relying on playing solo with the ball, Gan Guoyang’s shooting percentage is steadily rising.