The Golden Age of Basketball

Gan Guoyang had his reasons for not taking the other semi-final contenders seriously.

Because the other winner of the semi-finals was none other than Washington High School. (Note: Historically, Washington High School won the 1982 Northern California Division 1 championship, but they lost in the finals.)

The two San Francisco teams, after much circling, met again in the finals of the Northern California championships.

This was the third recent encounter between the two teams, with each having won a game; this match would be their decisive battle of the year.

The game was scheduled for February 17, and the once-bustling Sheraton Hotel, from a week ago, was now left with only the teams from Beiqiao High School and Washington High School.

At lunchtime in the buffet restaurant, the teams encountered each other, but no one spoke a word.

The atmosphere was quite tense as the final showdown approached.

But if you had to name the most anxious person, it would definitely be Quentin Stephenson.

Gan Guoyang had scored 40 points in the last game, with 33 points in the second half alone, and Stephenson had seen all of it from the sidelines.

Far from wanting to redeem himself, he was actually afraid of facing Gan Guoyang again on the 17th.

The shadow left by the San Francisco League finals was indeed a little deep, and what was more important was that it was Stephenson who had told Gan Guoyang about Kevin Johnson's intent to score 40 points.

At that time, Stephenson merely blurted it out without any particular intention; after all, it was normal for players living together to gossip and spread news.

Who knew that Kevin Johnson would not get 40 points, but instead Gan Guoyang scored 33 points in a half and ended up with 40 for the game, blasting the Giant Dragon Team away.

Watching the game, Stephenson broke out in a cold sweat, which resulted in a mediocre performance in the semi-finals and being benched by the coach for half the time.

He even hoped in his heart that they would simply lose; winning meant facing the Shui Zhong Team again— who could endure that?

However, Washington High School's overall strength was still quite good, and they won their match by 2 points, earning the chance to compete for the Northern California championship.

On the 17th, the entire day, Stephenson felt unwell and visited the toilet several times without being able to relieve himself.

At lunch, the two teams did not greet each other. After eating, Stephenson wanted to talk to Gan Guoyang proactively.

But Gan Guoyang didn't pay any attention to him at all and went straight back to his hotel room, displaying a totally hostile attitude.

This made Stephenson even more nervous, to the point of panic, and he did not participate in the afternoon's warm-up training, telling the coach he felt unwell.

As the evening game officially began, Stephenson was in agony before it started, wondering if he should just say he was sick.

But in the end, he still stood on the court, ready to jump ball against Gan Guoyang—just five minutes earlier, he had been retching in the locker room's toilet.

"Gan, I feel pretty off today," Stephenson confessed to Gan Guoyang before the jump ball.

"I know, just play well," Gan Guoyang said, not intending to use trash talk to provoke Stephenson today.

When it comes to psychological warfare, it's important to know when to stop; too much of it is counterproductive. Once you've achieved your goal, that's enough. In the end, the actual game is decided by real strength.

The two teams were clashing for the third time, and there were no secrets between them anymore. Everyone was an old acquaintance; now, it was time for a head-on collision.

But while Gan Guoyang's psychological warfare had ended, Stephenson's trauma lingered on. From the start of the game, Quentin was a bit jittery.

During an encounter under the basket, Stephenson murmured to Gan Guoyang beside him, "I've been wanting to have diarrhea all day, but I can't do it. I'm not feeling well, but I still came to play. I think I should participate in such an important game... I'll do my best, but I'm really not in good condition. Gan, you understand, right?"

"Yes, I understand."

Then, as Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post, he made a quick spin and scored with a jump shot.

His spin speed was getting faster, even outpacing some forwards.

This was something Gan Guoyang had deliberately practiced, knowing that in the future he would face many players taller than himself.

"Nice shot, that was a beautiful shot, Gan," praised Stephenson, using the tactic of striking first to avoid retribution.

I've praised you, so you won't attack me with trash talk now, right?

Gan Guoyang had no intention of attacking Stephenson anyway; he was tense and focused on defense.

The opening of the game was fiercely competitive.

Washington High School had devised a new strategy, no longer wearing down Gan Guoyang with their Twin Towers but instead attacking with the whole team, often triple-teaming him.

Gan Guoyang faced a full-court press from Washington High School and... Stephenson's "psychological attack."

In a defensive play, Gan Guoyang blocked the opponent's layup, but the ball wasn't controlled by the Shui Zhong Team and fell into Stephenson's hands.

With no one defending, Stephenson scored a nimble layup, earning two points—his first score of the night.

"Sorry, Gan, I just picked that up," Stevenson explained proactively after scoring, indicating he had just picked up an easy two points.

Gan Guoyang was a bit annoyed by this, but there was nothing he could do. Could he really curse at him?

Washington High School's strategy was executed well today, as their inside defense hadn't been blown up by Gan Guoyang.

The Shui Zhong Team's perimeter players had many opportunities, with Xu Xun, Chen Xing, and Franklin scoring one after another.

But none of them had the explosive scoring ability of Gan Guoyang, their points came in dribs and drabs, unable to widen the lead.

Gan Guoyang had been targeted effectively tonight, and his shooting wasn't too good either.

Perhaps he had used up some luck in his last explosion of points, as several of his shots from beyond the arc rattled out, just a tad short of going in.

"Oh, just missed it, that's too bad, Gan."

Stevenson didn't forget to console Gan Guoyang, who, however, only heard mockery in it.

But looking at Stevenson's round head and careful demeanor, Gan Guoyang knew this guy was not mocking him.

Damn it, it's so annoying!

Fortunately, even if his offense wasn't clicking, Gan Guoyang still had his solid defense—defense doesn't betray you.

The scores were low for both sides in this game; by halftime, it was 25:24, with the Shui Zhong Team leading by one point.

In the second half, both teams' shooting percentages dropped even lower, and the game turned into a struggle of iron shots.

The originally chilly Civic Auditorium in San Jose, due to the rain, was now steaming with heat from the players' bodies.

The turnout for tonight's final was still packed, possibly even greater than the sum of the audiences from the previous days.

Most of the fans were supporting the Beiqiao Shui Zhong Team, not because there was a large Asian population in San Jose, but because everyone wanted to see the miraculous kid Gan Guoyang enter the California State Finals.

The intense game caused the players to sweat profusely, with Gan Guoyang constantly wiping his face with a towel during timeouts.

The only one who didn't seem to sweat much was Quentin Stephenson—he hadn't exerted much effort, but still seemed to be performing quite well.

As the game approached its final stage, after a successful counter-attack by Washington High School, the score was tied at 44:44.

With just over ten seconds left in the game, Beelman called for a timeout to set up the final play.

The last-second shot strategy—something the Shui Zhong Team had practiced plenty—was finally going to be used.

Beelman set up a play where Gan Guoyang would have the ball at the high post, draw in the defense, and then hand it off to Franklin for a layup.

As a backup, Chen Xing and Xu Xun were stationed in the corner, ready to take the shot or capitalize on the offensive rebound opportunity.

The last moment, the deciding shot for the Northern California championship.

Gan Guoyang, seeing Quentin Stephenson approach, hurriedly said, "Stop it, Quentin, I'm going to take you down with the final shot."

"Oh, that'd be great," Stephenson responded, not upset but rather humoring Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang, unfazed by any emotions, received the ball as the strategy dictated after the referee blew the whistle.

Having a center handle the ball in key situations wasn't too common at that time.

Gan Guoyang was the steadiest ball-handler on the Shui Zhong Team, and after receiving the ball, he dribbled to the free-throw line himself.

As Washington High School's double team approached, Franklin cut around from the other side using a screen, and Gan Guoyang slipped a pass to him.

Franklin caught the ball and accelerated towards the basket for a layup! His shot was contested, the ball bounced several times on the rim, and finally rolled out.

It didn't go in.

Quentin Stephenson got ready to rebound, but then a huge force came from behind, stopping him from jumping.

It was Gan Guoyang, who had rushed to the basket almost at the same time as Franklin, and as the ball was still in the air, he took off and slammed the ball back into the basket as it rolled off the rim!

The ball went in! Shui Zhong Team led 46:44, taking the lead in the final moments!

They left Washington High School with just one second on the clock.

As Gan Guoyang raised his arms in cheer, Quentin Stephenson came over, intending to say something.

Gan Guoyang said, "Quentin, I'm not at my best today, give me a break."

"Oh, I just wanted to congratulate you…"

"I'm sick of it, the game isn't over yet!"