The Golden Age of Basketball

He wasn't a young prodigy; he was kicked off the basketball team in junior high because he was too short.

After graduating high school, no NCAA Division I school wanted him. The Bucks picked him in the seventh round of the draft, but everyone knew that the seventh round was just a joke.

Before even finishing training camp, he was cut by the Bucks, forcing him to play in Europe and South America to make ends meet—in leagues in Portugal, Argentina, and Ireland, where the competition was lower.

He kept at it from age 22 to 27. Many others would have given up on this path, living off their natural athleticism and experience as black men. Playing anywhere to make money—isn't that life?

But not Ali. He never gave up on his dream of returning to the NBA. He made a name for himself in the CBA and then returned to the NBA, securing a place for himself through defense and reliability.

During his time with the Warriors, he stayed at training camp night and day, doing scrimmages with Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, and Mitch Richmond.

The Warriors trio taught Mario Ely the ultimate truth of surviving as a role player in the NBA: "You must make open shots, definitely."

Ali remembered this well and practiced spot-up shooting obsessively, repeating this tedious movement over and over to build muscle memory.

This summer, when he received a call from Jerry West inviting him to join the Trail Blazers' training camp, he knew his opportunity might have come.

The Trail Blazers, the NBA's dominant force, the league's most-watched team, where he would bask in the sun's brilliance.

If you're a piece of gold, you will shine and display your value on the grandest stage.

If you're a stone, you can't last a day here.

The grueling rookie camp that made others retch was a piece of cake for Ali, as he was much tougher than those fresh twenty-something guys.

The injury to four main players presented a golden opportunity he grabbed without hesitation—he couldn't afford delay, not even for a single game or a single second.

After delivering a brilliant buzzer-beater, Ali wasn't complacent. He knew such performances in one or two regular-season games weren't nearly enough.

He needed to be stable, more stable, delivering high-quality output and defense every night so that when Kossie, Lewis, and others returned, he could remain competitive.

In the Trail Blazers' third home match against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Trail Blazers' November schedule was as relaxed as always. They always had plenty of home games in the first month.

Ali continued his stable performance in the game, shooting 4 of 6 for 11 points, along with 3 rebounds and 2 steals, his defensive efforts were satisfactory.

But tonight's brightest star was clearly not Ali, nor was it the rock-solid Gan Guoyang, but Petrović.

Against the balanced and defensively strong Cleveland Cavaliers, Petrović racked up an astounding 44 points, leading the Trail Blazers to a 121-103 victory at home over the Cavaliers.

Since Drexler left the Trail Blazers, apart from Ah Gan, the rest of the team's strength and stats were very balanced. It's been a long time since anyone, other than Ah Gan, scored 40 points.

In this game, Petrović was on fire, sinking shots regardless of how the Cavaliers defended him and frequently scoring on fast-break recommendations.

This season, he's no longer merely the sixth man quietly exerting effort in the shadows, but stepped up to claim the team's outside shooting rights.

Petrović won the player of the game award, receiving cheers from the crowd, and people could feel that a new perimeter partnership for Ah Gan was taking shape.

On offense, there's Petrović, for defensive role players, Mario Ely—the presence of Reggie Lewis, Jerome Kossie, and Terry Porter on the bench was hardly missed.

However, after the game in the locker room, Bobby Berman was not satisfied with Petrović's performance. He thought Petrović's style of play was somewhat selfish at times.

Especially when he had control of the ball, Berman privately questioned him: "Pete, I've reviewed the game tapes against the Cavaliers multiple times. For some plays, you clearly could pass—why not? Why insist on playing yourself or passing to someone who wasn't in the best position?"

Petrović didn't directly answer Berman's question. Instead, he asked, "Bobby, do you still think I can become the best player in the world?"

"Of course, I do believe that. But if you play like this, you won't become one. Ah Gan would never do that!"

Berman noticed that during the game, Petrović seemed purposefully not to pass to Mario Ely.

Twice, Ali had excellent opportunities on the outside, yet Petrović didn't pass. Once, he drove himself, another time, he passed it to Gan Guoyang inside.

Even though they still scored, the wide-open Ali was visibly disappointed. This was a blow to a teammate's confidence.

The Trail Blazers have always been very united, and Berman doesn't want such a situation to happen.

Petrović knew he was in the wrong. He was just upset that in the second game, the first choice for the last second shot wasn't himself but Ali.

If it were him, he would've made the game-winning three-pointer too—Petrović had that confidence.

Unlike Ali, Petrović was truly a child prodigy, a hero of basketball in the Croatian region from a young age, an absolute genius.

He swept through countries in Europe while Ali was just an obscure player. Petrović was already famous across Europe, and everyone knew he was inevitably headed for the NBA.