The Golden Age of Basketball

First, make the All-NBA Second Team, then aim for the All-NBA First Team. As for the MVP, sometimes it doesn't necessarily have to be the League's top player who wins it.

If it were always the top player, then Gan Guoyang should have more MVP trophies. As long as Petrović has an impressive breakout season, with good stats, good team performance, and some media boosting, there's a chance he could win MVP.

Just like in the past when Jabbar and Magic Johnson completed a great transition, with Magic Johnson starting to compete for the regular season MVP.

The Trail Blazers are not in such a situation. Gan Guoyang is still young, and Petrović doesn't have the talent of Johnson, but he likes to see Petrović's determination and unwillingness to give up.

This drive helped the Trail Blazers several times in the Finals against the Bulls. He conquered the Chicago Stadium at one point, making Bulls fans shiver, and even Jordan couldn't completely stop him.

Gan Guoyang continued to watch Petrović, with less affection and more respect in his eyes.

"No problem, this season, Bobby should give you more opportunities, and you need to seize them. Remember, team victory always comes first. If you put your achievements above the victories, I will let you leave Portland, and there will be a place that suits you better."

Petrović nodded, feeling as happy as a child receiving Gan Guoyang's approval.

In fact, nothing has changed, but he received an "endorsement for competition" in his heart.

Since Ah Gan said so, it means he believes Petrović has the ability to become the true core of the team.

This is related to both Petrović's progress and the Trail Blazers' current situation.

Towards the end of the preseason, Beelman took stock of the team's roster and found the situation unprecedentedly bad.

Four out of the five original starters couldn't play in the opener and would be out for at least two weeks.

Off the bench, Beelman's protégé utility player Cliff Robinson was gone, and with four starters absent, he had to move the rookie Mario Ely into the starting lineup.

Beelman had actually suggested keeping the younger Cliff Robinson, rather than giving a big contract to the declining, technically set Jerome Kossie.

Beelman knew it was only a matter of time before Robinson surpassed Jerome Kossie in both skill and form, likely as early as this year based on the preseason training camp.

But there was nothing he could do; contract signings are not only a matter of pragmatism but also about personal relations. Kossie had always been closely allied with Ah Gan, had good relations with the management, was popular and adored by Portland fans, and wasn't even old, so there was no reason to abandon him for rookie Robinson.

As a result, Kossie got injured almost as soon as he received the big contract, leaving the team's forward position with no available players.

On November 3rd, in the preseason game against the Suns, the Trail Blazers' starters were Gan Guoyang, Davis, Ely, Curry, and Petrović.

This lineup doesn't look bad, after all, any lineup with Ah Gan always gives the feeling of "championship potential" as he's played with all sorts of makeshift lineups before.

However, compared to the core lineup stable for many years, the new lineup had too many problems. Offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, turnover control, on-court chemistry, etc., couldn't compare to the old lineup.

Beelman knew full well that in the first two weeks of the regular season, this might be the answer for the Trail Blazers in the new season.

His hope to kick off the new season with a good preseason training camp fell through. Beelman has already foreseen that this season would be one of patching up and struggling along like in the 1987-1988 season.

It's like a car that, after a certain length of service, suddenly starts to have all sorts of issues and has to be constantly repaired while on the road.

With the regular season approaching, the only thing Beelman was praying for was that their core engine wouldn't malfunction.

As long as this engine doesn't fail, Beelman is confident that even with just an empty shell, they could still run and run fast.

Ultimately, the Trail Blazers lost this inconsequential preseason game in Phoenix. Today, no one cared about the outcome of this match.

The spectators were just there to enjoy the show, as Barkley and Gan Guoyang were having friendly chats, competing to see who had the better three-point shot during the game.

After the game, back in the locker room, everyone turned on the TVs and focused on the news channel, as there was a more important event to pay attention to: the result of the US presidential election was due today.

Many were optimistic about George H.W. Bush's re-election, given the conditions during his four-year term, it seemed like there was no reason he shouldn't continue.

During his term, the Cold War ended, and America emerged as the biggest victor and beneficiary.

America won the Gulf War, and this quick, decisive modern war greatly boosted the confidence of the American public.

Old George's approval rating after the war once hit a staggering 89%, higher than God's approval rating in America.

Additionally, he continued Reagan's political legacy, further expanding American influence in foreign affairs and solidifying its hegemonic status.

In contrast, the young country lad from Arkansas, Bill Clinton, kept talking about the economy, economy, economy.

Clinton had no choice but to focus on domestic economic development since he had no achievements in foreign and international fields.

Under normal circumstances, the odds would heavily favor Bush's re-election, much like Jordan and Ah Gan competing in the NBA: Jordan is strong, but Ah Gan would win the championship.

But this election saw a major twist with a third contender, a disruptor, Ross Perot.

Perot, a renowned businessman from Texas, founded a data services company in 1962, which he later sold to General Motors for $2.4 billion.

In 1988, he founded Perot Systems, famously investing in Steve Jobs.

Perot was very active politically; he opposed America's Gulf War involvement, opposed NAFTA, and ran in the 1992 presidential election as an independent candidate with no party affiliation.

Throughout American history, many individuals have run for president without securing even a single electoral vote, yet they undoubtedly increased their influence.

Perot was one of the most influential, securing 18.9% of the popular vote, which is quite high.

Though he didn't win any electoral votes due to the winner-takes-all rule, his presence undoubtedly diluted George H.W. Bush's votes significantly.

In key swing states, Perot's presence pushed Bush behind Clinton in vote count, eventually leading Clinton to secure 370 votes while Bush had 168, resulting in Clinton's victory.

At 10:48 PM Eastern Time, the TV station announced the election results, marking the beginning of America's blue 1990s.

The red elephant party's 12-year reign at the White House ended, and for the first time since 1964, California turned from red to blue, becoming a solid blue state.

The entire West Coast was painted blue, with only the central and southern regions remaining red; Americans' attention to economic and racial issues might have exceeded old George's expectations.

In short, a young president ascended to the White House. Gan Guoyang watched the victory celebrations on the TV in the locker room, and he could well have pointed and said, "That guy is my friend."

Yet he said nothing and went to take a shower. The world was becoming more familiar, but sometimes it still felt a bit strange.