The Golden Age of Basketball

The Pistons were the ones who received the most targeting.

They faced the most public criticism, and the Bad-boy reputation was known to everyone.

When they could win and get championships, they took pride in it.

As soon as there was a slight slump, countless people were ready to kick them when they were down.

This led to enormous obstacles in Pistons' team-building efforts.

Daley eventually had to leave, ending the Bad-boy era.

Moreover, with the continuous addition of new teams, talent kept getting diluted.

The Pistons didn't get fresh blood, and the lineup kept aging.

Four new teams joined, dispersing many talented players.

In these years, besides Dennis Rodman, the Pistons haven't developed any outstanding new players.

Rodman is an exceptional role player, but he's destined not to be the core, much less an offensive core.

Furthermore, Rodman and Salley were both acquired in the 1986 draft.

After the 1988 expansion, in the next five drafts, the Pistons' yield was zero.

The only player who played for a while was Lance Banks—who averaged 1.7 points per game.

Besides him, the players they picked were either traded or simply abandoned.

No team can endure five or six years without new players emerging.

The Pistons are like this, not even cultivating a decent bench rotation.

Among the remaining core players, Dumars can be a great helper but can also not be the core player.

Melvin Turpin's discipline issues finally exploded, and he couldn't continue anymore.

After Daley left, by the start of the team's training camp in the summer of 1992, Turpin's weight had reached 300 pounds.

The Pistons' only tactical core is Isaiah Thomas, who just turned 31 this year.

Logically speaking, he's in the prime, yet due to consecutive setbacks, his drive to advance has significantly diminished.

First, he was left out of the Dream Team at the Olympics, then nearly elbowed to death by Malone.

If Ah Gan elbowed him, he could endure it; there's nothing he could do, Ah Gan was the boss.

It wasn't that he elbowed me; it was that I hit his elbow with my face.

Back then, Clinton, who stood up to support Ah Gan, is now the president.

Luckily, Ah Gan finally forgave me, and it's all right now.

Now, you, little Malone, also do this? Who gave you the guts?

Thomas hoped the league would impose heavy penalties and the media would speak up for him.

As a result, the league's punishment for Malone was just a one-game suspension and a fine.

The media hardly made any noise; some even gleefully thought Thomas deserved it.

From that moment, Thomas knew he wasn't welcomed.

In the basketball circle, in the NBA, David Stern would rather see him dead.

If he had been elbowed to death sooner, Jordan would have already met Ah Gan in the finals.

The NBA's ratings would have been higher, and there would've been more money to be made.

Realizing this, Thomas, who had already won a championship, felt dejected.

He understood that his era was over.

From then on, he kept a low profile on the court, focused on playing.

Once a person loses that spirit, that drive to overturn everything, their competitive state declines rapidly.

This season, Thomas's average score dropped to 17.6 points, and his shooting percentage fell to a historical low of 41%.

This is an awful shooting percentage; just over 40% is unbearable for a small guard.

This means that when the ball is in your hands, the opponent is delighted and hopes you attack with the ball.

Because your efficiency is low, I don't even need to mobilize too many defensive resources, just one-on-one is fine.

This year, being selected as a starter in the Eastern lineup for the Salt Lake City All-Star game offered Thomas some comfort.

He realized many fans still support and acknowledge him.

However, he couldn't give the fans more; this little guy was almost exhausted.

That night, in the grudge match against the Trail Blazers, the fans were as crazy as ever.

The Bad-boy banner flew on the court, various slogans and screams stimulated the players' nerves.

"Honestly, I still prefer the Silverdome. It's bigger there, more people, like a magnificent opera house. When playing there, I feel like fighting at the center of the universe, with so damn many spectators; it's really exciting."

Before the game, Gan Guoyang and Thomas shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

Gan Guoyang's words seemed to carry a slight hint of provocation.

In fact, they didn't; he was simply reminiscing about the Silverdome.

The eyes of Thomas, who shook hands with Gan Guoyang, no longer held the arrogance of the past.

His smile was no longer sly, just a simple reveal of white teeth to show friendliness.

"I also miss it there; there I feel more like a fighter, not an actor."

Thomas called himself an actor, feeling like he's acting every night now.

Putting on a basketball-related show for the fans, performing a role called the Smiling Assassin.

He acts very convincingly, but deep down he knows it's acting, not real.

Even though he is still him, this name and nickname will always belong to him.

But the most glorious and loudest memories of this player are already buried in the Silverdome.

The current Thomas is just gliding on the court by inertia, not soaring.

Originally, before a game between the Trail Blazers and Pistons, the two would never chat or exchange pleasantries.

They loathed each other; Gan Guoyang even instigated Jordan against Thomas, preventing him from going to the Olympics.

But now, they are like old friends, holding the ball, chatting near the middle line.

They talked about future investment development, and Thomas asked Gan Guoyang if he had any good investment projects.

Gan Guoyang immediately said, "The funeral industry!"

As a funeral industry magnate, Gan Guoyang promoted the benefits of this industry to Thomas.