The Golden Age of Basketball

As August 1981 commenced, America was entering the peak of summer.

The MLB strike was still ongoing, with games canceled from June up to now.

However, as August arrived, there seemed to be signs of softening on both sides of the labor dispute.

The investigation and trial of Hinckley, who attempted to assassinate President Reagan in March, were still underway, with his lawyers trying to define him as a mentally ill person without the capacity for responsible behavior.

The hardcore punk band JFA (Jodie Foster's Army), formed 19 days after the Reagan shooting, was on a tour in the Midwest region's underground music scene, spreading their disdain for Ronald Reagan.

At the same time, on August 1st, America's MTV officially launched, with the first music video, The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," airing in the New York area.

Music and visual media were combining in an unprecedented way, beginning to have a disruptive impact on the cultural industry.

Yet, television and sports, two closely related fields, seemed still to be searching for the right direction and path for collaboration.

The 1981 NBA Finals reached what would be the lowest viewership in the next two decades.

Four of the six games were delayed broadcasts, scheduled after the evening news.

The only two live broadcasts were conducted back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday to accommodate CBS's broadcasting strategy, creating a finals double-header.

Even with young talents like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the NBA was still facing financial crisis, viewership crisis, and a reputation crisis.

They needed to evolve, to seize the opportunity of history, and to need more players who were healthy, positive, and talented to join their ranks.

But the NBA's owners and senior management were unclear about the league's future direction and where those who could save the NBA might be.

On the afternoon of August 1st, Gan Guoyang, as usual, came to The Begining restaurant's backyard court to train with Sermonde.

Inside the restaurant, workers were dismantling the "THE BEGINING" sign, taking down the posters and player portraits from the walls and packing them into boxes.

San Francisco is a city of restaurants, with different flavors and styles of eateries opening every day, and accordingly, there are restaurants closing.

The economic downturn that began in 1979 was relentlessly battering every street and restaurant in the Bay Area, and Nate-Sermonde's The Begining, in business since the 70s, had not escaped this fatal tide.

On the court, Gan Guoyang's back-to-the-basket skills were becoming increasingly proficient, he could smoothly dribble facing the basket, turn his back, power through, spin, and then find space to shoot.

Facing Sermonde's height, weight, and wingspan, Gan Guoyang had to use his youth and flexibility, incorporating his understanding into the back-to-the-basket teachings from Sermonde.

Unlike Sermonde's solid and heavy back-to-the-basket footwork, Gan Guoyang, wearing Avia860s, appeared more agile, his steps infused with a sense of bounce, and he moved with broader strides in all directions, seemingly elusive.

This made it slightly strenuous for Sermonde, whose knees weren't in the best condition, but twenty years of experience was not in vain, and it remained difficult for Gan Guoyang to score over him.

"One step, two steps, back, then to the right, I'll go left, I'm turning and driving inside, watch out…" Gan Guoyang muttered, his footwork completely opposite to what he was saying, creating a distraction for Sermonde.

As he spoke of turning inside, he suddenly retreated with a big step outward, ran to the 15-foot mark, and took a face-up jump shot.

Sermonde couldn't keep up, the ball went through the net. Score!

"Yes! It's in!"

After scoring, Gan Guoyang clenched his fist, celebrating his score against Sermonde.

Meanwhile, Sermonde, hands on hips and panting, cursed under his breath and said out loud, "Who the FXXk said last time that they would die in the paint, are you gonna 'die in the paint' like that?"

Gan Guoyang smiled and replied, "In basketball, you have to be flexible, not just tough. You have to be able to adapt on the fly, right Big Nate?"

Sermonde rubbed his knees, knowing he couldn't keep playing like this. The young man was improving rapidly, and he felt like he couldn't keep up.

Feeling Gan Guoyang's agility and vitality, Sermonde realized this was what young people represented, the new generation and the future direction of basketball.

Then a worker came over to tell Sermonde that the sign had been removed and everything was packed and ready to be loaded onto the truck, asking if they should leave.

Sermonde nodded, gave the worker an address, and the vehicle started up, leaving the restaurant, which had become empty.

Looking at the place where he'd once put in his heart and soul, Sermonde felt a twinge of regret. Before long, a new restaurant would move in, renovate, and open for business.

"Nate, where are you planning to go in the future?" Gan Guoyang asked.

"I'm definitely staying in San Francisco, I hate Ohio's winters. The Warriors offered me a job as a community liaison officer. I'll be going to Oakland often."

"So, will I still be able to find you for a game?"

"There's a wide world out there. San Francisco and Oakland are full of great players, at schools, on the streets—that's where you can truly showcase your talent. Of course, it's no problem if you want to find me, especially if you want to watch an NBA game, I can get you tickets."

In just a week's time, Sermonde grew quite fond of this energetic and ambitious young man—of course, that included the Chinese dishes he brought.

Gan Guoyang nodded, and when the two parted, Gan Guoyang expressed his concerns to Sermonde:

"Your restaurant has closed down, and I'm afraid ours won't be far behind. Business is getting harder to run."

"My Begining closed, half because of the economy and half because I had other ideas—I wanted a break. I'll open another restaurant in the future. As for you, your father's cooking is quite good, but the Tenderloin District isn't suitable for middle-class consumption. You either need to change locations or change your approach. Just like when you break out for a long shot, you need to be flexible in dealing with situations, right?"

Sermonde's words inspired Gan Guoyang.

Later that night, back at Gan's Restaurant, the atmosphere at dinner was somewhat somber.

Gan Bingguang told everyone that the restaurant's revenue in July was still falling short, although takeout had increased. However, dine-in customers were becoming increasingly scarce.

After rent and various expenses, they were still losing money, and there was no sign of improvement for the next month.

"I've been in touch with potential buyers to sell the place. Once we find the right buyer, we'll have to leave. You Wei, I will arrange a new job for you when the time comes, and you don't have to worry about a place to stay. It's just, I feel sorry for you and Guoyang."

Gan Bingguang's dream of running a high-end Chinese restaurant seemed about to shatter, aging him even further.

Gan Youwei said he had no regrets, as with a skill like his, he wouldn't starve in San Francisco.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, was there really no other way?

After dinner, Gan Guohui approached Gan Guoyang and said, "Cousin, we're heading to the training camp the day after tomorrow. Should we challenge Cancer to one more game?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "Why not wait until we're back from the training camp? By then, we're sure to have improved significantly. A gentleman's revenge can wait for ten years."

Gan Guohui said, "I'm just worried that by the time we return from summer camp, the restaurant might be gone."

"So, what you mean is..."

"What I mean is, let's play the game right here in the Tenderloin District's court, under the name of Gan's Restaurant, and give our restaurant a bit of publicity. What do you think?"

"Publicity... how would we do that."

"We could advertise. We can also put the restaurant's logo on the jerseys, and, you know, give out discount coupons to people who come to watch."

"Do you really think that idea would work? You might as well ask Chen Xing to get his dad to waive the restaurant's rent."

"Tried that, forget it. Let's just do this as a last-ditch effort. This shop, my grandfather put a lot of heart into it—it was his lifelong dream. I don't want to watch it close down just like that, we have to try. Besides, don't you want another shot at Cancer?"

The thought of that previous loss to Cancer, the frustration of it, haunted Gan Guoyang, and he dreamed of redeeming himself.

Plus, he was eager to test the fruits of a week's training and see how it would hold up in a real game.

"Okay, let Chen Xing arrange it, and the sooner the better."

"No problem! By the way, where have you been sneaking off to lately in the afternoons, you haven't found a girlfriend, have you?"

"Find a girlfriend, my foot. It's settled then, let's meet up tomorrow morning to discuss tactics."

"Hey, do you think we should come up with a name for our team?"

"Let's think of one together tomorrow."

"They call themselves Cancer, how about we call ourselves Chemotherapy?"

"... Let's talk about it later, stop coming up with wacky names for now."