The Golden Age of Basketball

Tonight’s game, Glory against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Allen Iverson didn’t play, but appeared in casual clothes in the stands.

The camera panned to Iverson, projected onto the big screen, immediately sparking enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

At this moment, Iverson’s popularity was undeniable. As long as there’s no major injury, after Ah Gan’s retirement next season, the team’s box office sales will surely be fine.

The main issue for Glory tonight was still on the court. Without Andre Miller and Trevor Ariza, the team lacked two important backcourt players.

Andre Miller, needless to say, although his shooting issue has been criticized, his ability and professional attitude were unquestionable.

Trading him away was something Gan Guoyang found regrettable; the team lost a trustworthy point guard.

As for Ariza, he was the most mature among Glory’s rookie players. Having been meticulously trained for two seasons, this season is his time to shine. In the coming years, he’s destined to be an excellent defensive player at the small forward position.

With him gone, Glory’s wing defense can only rely on starters Gerald Wallace and Raja Bell. Robert Horry is showing his age.

As for Iverson and the current roster’s chemistry, no one really knows.

Gan Guoyang didn’t want Iverson to play without undergoing team drills, so he requested that he participate in the next training before playing in a match.

Rather than like many trades where, after completion, the player goes straight into games without even knowing his teammates well.

Rajon Rondo stood on the NBA court for the first time as a starter. Rondo’s expression was calm. The proud him felt eager at the arrival of starting and Iverson, thinking he might outshine Iverson in the starting point guard competition, hence he was determined to perform well in this game.

As for the opponent, the Los Angeles Lakers, they have undergone significant changes in these two seasons.

The McGrady + Rashid Wallace combo was proven unsuitable; their playing styles and personalities were not very compatible.

Rashid Wallace, though volatile in nature, was a team player, solid in defense, steady in offense, but lacked output.

McGrady, however, had always been inefficient, and after O’Neal left, he became more boastful, claiming he was the MVP in the 2001 championship series.

As time passed, people increasingly believed the 2001 championship rightfully belonged to O’Neal, and the second-right wasn’t McGrady but Pippen.

McGrady’s role in the playoffs was at best a third option, a supplement to the team’s offense and defense, a tool against weaker teams. In high-level matches, his role as a functional player was more effective than being the main scorer. The Lakers’ tactics should still revolve around O’Neal.

These remarks angered McGrady, leading to tensions between him and the media, fans, and the team in Los Angeles, ultimately resulting in his trade to the Magic, pairing with another promising center, Dwight Howard, with no visible effect yet.

With McGrady gone, Rashid Wallace saw no reason to stay. Jerry West traded him to the Detroit Pistons for draft picks, starting the rebuild from 2005.

Holding a slew of draft picks and signing space, Jerry West swiftly gathered a batch of young talents.

In the 2005 draft, he secured Andrew Bynum, and through a three-way trade involving the Suns and Heat in 2005, acquired Lamar Odom. In the 2006 draft, West cleverly misled the Timberwolves, first securing Aldridge with the second pick, then getting Brandon Roy, quickly constructing a young, highly potential roster.

Of course, realizing high combat strength with this roster still requires time to settle. The 2006-2007 season is just the beginning for them.

Before the game started, Gan Guoyang stood on the court, observing the Lakers’ youths — Roy, Aldridge, Odom, Bynum, all in their 20s, some even under 20. Truly, the future is theirs.

Gan Guoyang chatted a bit with Jerry West, who was present to watch the game live. He told Jerry West, "This is truly a potential-filled roster, with a bit of patience, the championship will be yours."

West’s face already had many more wrinkles, with bigger eye bags, still bearing that stern, serious expression, rarely seen smiling.

"Thank you for your blessing, Sonny, though your blessings have already become a sort of curse."

When speaking to Gan Guoyang, West exuded a sense of powerlessness.

He still recalled 10 years ago, in the 1996-1997 season, when the Lakers acquired Shaquille O’Neal, how spirited it was.

Back then, he kept telling O’Neal not to worry about Ah Gan, it’s okay, time is on our side, one day the future will be ours.

What happened? Ten years later, that guy Ah Gan is still here!

Luckily, Ah Gan was benevolent, retiring for a year, letting the Lakers grab a championship.

Soon after coming back, he took out the Lakers with an eighth seed, scaring O’Neal off to the East.

Now O’Neal has clearly declined, no longer at his peak, while Ah Gan still contributes 25+10 seasons.

Isn’t that despairing? So Jerry West simply swapped in a batch of young folks, all just over 20.

He didn’t believe it, could Ah Gan keep playing until fifty?

Regarding these rookies, Jerry West’s thought was, if Ah Gan doesn’t retire, then nurture them well.