The Golden Age of Basketball

The consecutive home victories have given the Supersonics strong confidence.

Before the start of the fifth game, George Karl directly told reporters: "We are here to secure a victory and end the Trail Blazers' dominance in the Western Conference. Otherwise, why have we endured such a grueling season? Now we are on the same starting line. I think it's time for a regime change; no one wins forever."

When asked about Gan Guoyang's accusation of inappropriate remarks from the Seattle side, George Karl denied it, saying, "I think it's nonsense! It's completely baseless. If such a thing had happened, it would have surfaced long ago. Why only now?"

Up to this point, Karl made a reasonable argument.

But his big mouth couldn't resist adding fuel to the fire: "The Trail Blazers can't accept that their dominance may be overthrown. They have been winning, and winning with ease. They are like spoiled children in a greenhouse, crying out that there's a problem here and something wrong there when they face a little wind and rain outside."

"The only problem is that they are not as strong as they once were, and can't win so easily anymore."

Perhaps in response to Gan Guoyang's bold claim of "scoring fifty points," George Karl faced the reporters with a bold, extremely sharp statement.

Karl's usual arrogance infuriated Trail Blazers' coach Bobby Bellman.

Before the game, Bellman was blunt in an interview: "George is just a coward who can only use some verbal tricks before and after the game to hide his inner weakness. This isn't the first time he's done it. He started bluffing as soon as he entered the League, using arrogance to cover his lack of confidence."

"As opponents, there should be mutual respect off the court. The Supersonics have a coach worthy of respect, but I think George still needs to improve his character and level. Otherwise, respect for him will be as thin as air at thirty thousand feet. Of course, the specifics depend on the game. We are equally confident of winning the game and achieving final victory."

"See you on the court, George. We can talk on the sidelines, absolutely prepared, absolutely!"

Bellman's words before the game were basically no different from pointing at one's nose and cursing.

It's just that facing cameras and microphones, Bellman had to mute some inappropriate words.

After the interview, when Bellman returned to the locker room, everyone applauded the coach, feeling he had scolded well.

Bellman calmed everyone down, saying, "The cameras limited my expression. When the game starts, I'll let George experience what mental pollution is."

After he finished speaking, most of the Trail Blazers players felt chills down their spines, realizing Bobby's cursing skills were indeed impressive.

It's just that most of the time, Bellman has been low-key, rarely showcasing his swearing prowess.

Although his honor is substantial, it is all tied to Ah Gan, causing Bellman to be underestimated consistently.

In professional commentators' eyes, Bellman seems more like an attachment to Gan's glory.

A function-type coach who must have Ah Gan to achieve success.

Gan's dazzling brilliance overshadowed Bellman's standout personality.

Or, perhaps, he buried himself to highlight and cooperate with Gan.

Whether with the Trail Blazers or the Dream Team back then, Bellman never stole the show.

He doesn't dress flashy like Riley, Daley, representing suit and tie brands.

Nor does he make sensational statements at pre- and post-game press conferences to attract media attention.

He never appears on TV shows or talk shows, and the most gossip-worthy thing he does is have a normal relationship.

Considering Ah Gan is one aspect, the other is that Bellman always felt somewhat inferior about his past.

His binge drinking, gambling, and being expelled from the college team were always stains in his life.

So many years have passed, others no longer care, but Bellman does.

His father Frank was a submarine soldier, and his mother, a Puritan, gave him extremely contradictory sides in his personality.

He learned the world's crudest, wildest swearing from his father, which was submarine soldiers' way of venting emotions in despair at the seafloor.

He inherited restraint, self-control, and an obsession with cleansing his sins from his mother—when he was little, he would whip himself with a belt if he made mistakes.

As he became a coach and advanced through the years, he passionately immersed himself in basketball work to cleanse the mistakes he once made.

Like Sisyphus continuously pushing the stone in the valley, he exiled himself in endless repetition where no end was in sight.

He concealed his sharp personality, especially restraining himself from swearing, becoming much more polite.

Year after year, day after day, he followed Ah Gan, working hard and achieving accomplishments that should have cleared his mistakes long ago.

But until leading the Dream Team to win the Olympic gold medal in 1992, Bellman finally laid down his shackles.

Soon, he chose to marry and brought his daughter to his side, working and living like an ordinary person.

When Bellman saw Ah Gan complaining about Seattle people in the newspaper, he knew he had to do something.

The situation was indeed quite dangerous, as anything on or off the field could affect the outcome of the series.

So, faced with George Karl's arrogance, Bellman broke his silence and gave a vigorous response.

When both sides stood on the court ready to start the game that night, George Karl's expression was noticeably rigid.