Bird relayed Silva's message to Gan Guoyang, while the Trail Blazers were playing an away game in Detroit.
The Silver Dome, where Gan Guoyang once went on a rampage, had long become history; the new Detroit Pistons were gradually taking shape.
Shawn Marion, Bonzi Wells, Jerry Stackhouse, Joe Dumars were building the roster, still taking Ah Gan as the imaginary adversary, stacking up on forwards.
However, in tonight's game, Gan Guoyang couldn't play; he could only sit on the sidelines, dressed in a suit, and wave to the fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills when entering.
"I think the League's intention is quite clear; they don't want you to continue playing and are putting pressure on you."
Bird and Gan Guoyang sat in the seats behind the bench, watching the game while chatting.
"David hasn't called me at all, which is predictable. The League is preparing in all aspects for losing me. It's nearly the 21st century; a new era is coming. What are your thoughts, Larry?"
"Me? I'm thinking about how to organize your retirement ceremony."
"Oh, don't tease me, Larry, I hate those ceremonies the most. You should think more about how to build the team's roster after I retire. I really apologize; if I retire, it might take away a group of people. Arvydas, Terry, AC, they all might leave, creating a big gap that will trouble you, Larry."
Bird said nothing, realizing something.
As the season progressed, Gan Guoyang's inner balance was gradually tilting towards the "retirement" option.
The long, exhausting regular season, game after high-intensity game, one familiar yet strange city after another.
Not to mention the endless hearings and investigations, Gan Guoyang does indeed have nerves and willpower of steel, but it doesn't mean he's not tired.
He's just able to grit his teeth and persist longer in situations where others would collapse, but it doesn't mean he's entirely okay.
During the game against the Bulls, suddenly punching Artest was actually a momentary breakdown and loss of control under high-pressure conditions.
Before the game, Gan Guoyang had not encountered anything too distressing; his meeting with Jordan was very pleasant, the game was going smoothly, and Artest's antics and trash talk couldn't harm Gan Guoyang.
But in that instant, Gan Guoyang couldn't help himself; he just wanted to punch Artest.
No, to be precise, it wasn't Artest he was targeting, nor was it Michael Jordan, but rather the damned season, the damned year 2000, the damned FBI, White House, and Congress, and the damnably long NBA 82-game regular season.
Cumulative agitation, tension, and negative emotions might release instantly at some point without warning, startling everyone.
Artest inadvertently became the unfortunate scapegoat; Gan Guoyang harbors no animosity towards him, nor any interest in his future "notoriety."
In this game, in Gan Guoyang's absence, Rick Carlisle finally began deploying a new lineup: Kobe, Little O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Brellock, Henderson, five men starting.
This lineup's average age sharply dropped, transforming from a veteran team into a force mainly composed of players under 25.
Kobe's performance in this game was outstanding; at The Palace of Auburn Hills, freed from Ah Gan's "constraints," he scored 41 points, helping the Trail Blazers win the away game against the Pistons and maintain their winning streak.
Ben Wallace and Little O'Neal also delivered stable performances; the three young men were starting to support the Trail Blazers on their own.
Seeing their performance, Gan Guoyang felt gratified in his heart; if he retired, Bird would only need to make some adjustments on the foundation of the three to maintain the Trail Blazers' championship competitiveness.
Gan Guoyang still joked with Bird, saying: "If worse comes to worst, you can go back; the team will just be missing a small forward."
Unlike the previous time Gan Guoyang was suspended, this time Gan Guoyang was suspended for five games, during which the Trail Blazers won four out of five games, achieving a 4-1 record.
This fully illustrates how the young players are gradually establishing their rhythm and confidence; even without their leader, they can hold their own.
And Gan Guoyang was able to have a relatively long rest period to properly adjust his physical and mental state, and further lose weight.
As the playoffs were about to begin, people noticed Gan Guoyang was becoming increasingly lean; he seemed more like a small forward rather than a super big man now.
On April 19th, the Trail Blazers completed their final regular-season game of the 1999-2000 season at home, narrowly defeating the Denver Nuggets by one point.
Thus far, their record was fixed at 57 wins and 25 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference, once again reaching the playoffs and preparing to launch their third consecutive championship bid.