Wearing a different team’s jersey to play in Chicago is no longer something difficult for Jordan to accept. He experienced it once last season, welcomed by applause lasting several minutes, incessantly.
Just like Gan Guoyang returning to Portland, Jordan is the totem here, the memory of youth for many fans, the mark of growth, an indelible trace engraved in the years of life.
Such traces aren’t absolutely tied to championships, like Reggie Miller in Indiana Pacers, Stockton in Utah Jazz, even without a championship, they remain a city’s memory, an important part of the city’s sports history.
For superstars like Gan Guoyang, who brought 10 championships to a city, and Jordan, who brought 3 championships to the Bulls, the applause is naturally more enthusiastic and intense, and the memories they leave are mostly sweet.
The bad news is, in Bulls history, three missed championship opportunities were all related to Gan Guoyang, they were directly shattered by Ah Gan, a pain Chicago fans will carry forever.
Bulls fans can accept Jordan going to the Seattle SuperSonics, as they were defeated by them in the Finals.
But it’s hard to accept Jordan joining Glory, even though Jordan won’t return to the Bulls. Joining the opponents who defeated the Bulls three times, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?
So Chicago media’s evaluation of Jordan joining Glory has always been unfriendly, criticisms and ridicule are everywhere. With Glory visiting Chicago this time, many people are expecting fans to boo Jordan.
However, the media can lie, ticket prices don’t.
With the Milwaukee game as a precedent, ticket prices for this Chicago game have been soaring.
Since tickets are already sold out, one can only privately seek scalpers or insiders.
Previously in Portland, Gan Guoyang once turned the Trail Blazers’ season tickets into financial products.
Buying when they go on sale, prices immediately rise, selling them as the season nears, one can make a fortune.
Due to the Trail Blazers’ stable performance, as long as Ah Gan is there, season ticket prices are bound to steadily rise, more stable than buying treasury bonds.
Now Glory team has this trend too, driving the ticket market for Eastern teams to become active.
On the afternoon of November 1st, the entire Glory team arrived at the United Center in Chicago, which can accommodate a full house of 21,879 fans. Last year, when Seattle SuperSonics visited Chicago, extra seating increased to 23,534.
And today, with Jordan and Gan Guoyang both visiting at the beginning of the season, the stadium gritted its teeth and increased seating to 23,661.
That’s already the limit, can’t add any more, really can’t add more, further addition would mean hanging from the ceiling.
When Glory plays away games this season, especially the first visit to a city, there are no stadiums without extra seating.
The media have already crowded the pre-game press room, Gan Guoyang and Jordan were interviewed together, chatting briefly.
Since it’s a return to Chicago, Gan Guoyang handed the microphone to Jordan, letting him answer most questions.
Faced with some more pointed questions from reporters, Gan Guoyang would stand up for Jordan: "Which newspaper are you from?"
After the interview ended, Jordan complained: "You’re crazy, Sonny, you’re threatening the media?"
"I’m threatening on your behalf, not my business."
"Do I need your help? Who knows what these guys will write."
"These guys won’t write anything, rest assured, Chicago fans still love you. As long as fans love you, the media won’t write those things that smear you. They can offend stars but not vast fans and readers, it’s a triangle relationship, you understand? Stars, media, fans, they constrain and influence each other."
"You make some sense."
"When have I not made sense? Tonight’s stage is yours."
Gan Guoyang patted Jordan, the Chicago dance must be handed over to Jordan.
At seven o’clock in the evening, as the game was about to begin, the empty United Center in Chicago became increasingly crowded, eventually buzzing with voices.
More than 23,000 spectators, the largest number of people at any game venue in the league.
Since the transformation of super large stadiums like the Alamodome, Silverdome were no longer used, the United Center is the largest and most tumultuous basketball arena.
Fans are full of passion, eagerly awaiting the evening game, to watch the double gods team up; whether they are opponents, does it matter?
During player introductions, Glory team’s Gan Guoyang was the first to appear, boos arose, very typical.
This is the player Chicago fans disliked the most in the ’90s, their nightmare.
Even booing, not too long, not too loud.
Jordan came out last, the lights suddenly dimmed.
The classic Bulls entrance music played, and the venue exploded with unparalleled cheers.
This is the greatest respect Chicago fans can give to their former king.
When Bulls players appeared, the atmosphere was rather flat, scattered applause and cheers.
When the camera on the big screen showed Jerry Krause sitting courtside, boos erupted, making Krause’s expression look unpleasant.
These past two years, Krause has been too eager for quick success, picking a batch of potential young players, playing for a year, feeling unsatisfied, trading them away, tanking, picking another batch, continuing to experiment.
Players like Elton Brand, Ron Artest are very talented, albeit having many issues in their rookie season, but rookies require time to be nurtured.
Yet Jerry Krause was blinded by two things.
The first, his urgency to build a championship team for the post-Jordan era.