The Golden Age of Basketball

As soon as Gan Guoyang spoke, everyone immediately moved to open the door, and the reporters waiting outside the locker room felt their legs go weak.

No one paid attention to these reporters, everyone drove to the Portland Hospital.

Quentin, carrying Gan Guoyang, raced towards the nearby hospital, and Gan Guoyang suddenly lowered his head to cover his face.

"Hey, boss, are you okay? Reggie will be alright, he will..."

"No, Reggie's already dead, he's dead."

Just now on the phone, Gan Guoyang heard the doctor's statement to Donna that the resuscitation was ineffective.

But he couldn't announce this news in front of everyone, so he could only let everyone go to the hospital together to send Reggie Lewis off on his final journey.

Thinking of this, Gan Guoyang's tears flowed again. He didn't understand why things suddenly turned out this way.

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"At 9:37 PM Pacific Time on June 14th, Portland Hospital announced that Reggie Lewis had died despite resuscitation efforts. The specific cause of death is still under investigation. During the Trail Blazers' game against the Heat that night, with 4 minutes 18 seconds left in the second quarter, Reggie Lewis collapsed on the way back after making a jump shot and was quickly sent to a local hospital. The game was thus canceled, and it is expected to be rescheduled to continue in Portland..."

At around three in the morning, Petrović turned off the TV and sat in front of the window, lost in thought.

The news of Lewis' sudden death quickly spread throughout the All-America, and even the world, with reports about him flooding the media.

But compared to these simple, summarizing reports, Petrović's memory of it was much clearer and more detailed.

He remembered Lewis sitting next to him on the return flight, and their relationship had recently become very good.

They dreamed about their future basketball careers, Lewis wanting to work in a warmer place, while Petrović looking forward to the next Olympics.

And their pleasant conversations in Miami, everything was so vivid, yet in the blink of an eye, Reggie became a cold corpse in the hospital morgue.

A tremendous tragedy on the basketball court, catching everyone off guard, everything happened so suddenly.

But was there really no sign?

Petrović clearly remembered the first night they arrived in Miami, they strolled outside together.

Lewis said he was feeling short of breath and wanted to walk outside, and the thought flashed in his mind: he might have some heart problems.

He then told Lewis he should go to a hospital, but Lewis didn't take it seriously, nor did Petrović.

This might have been a moment that could have saved his life if he had insisted on dragging him to the hospital, if he had kept his teammates in mind...

Lost in these thoughts, Petrović sat there and cried, a wave of remorse overwhelming him like a tsunami.

"Pete, are you still crying? Pete~"

His girlfriend Shalanqi walked over to Petrović, hugged him, trying to wipe away his tears.

"Pete, tomorrow let's go out for a walk, to the mountains, to the forest park, to see the lakes and blue skies, that will make you feel better. I've already made plans with friends, we'll go together. Pete?"

Petrović remained silent, Shalanqi continued, "Or the day after tomorrow, you need to change your mood, there are things you always have to face."

Petrović still didn't speak or move, just staring blankly out of the dark window.

Shalanqi was somewhat disappointed, she let go of her arms and backed away, leaving Petrović to deal with his terrible emotions by himself.

"Clara, I'll go, I want to go for a walk."

Shalanqi smiled and said, "That's great Pete, everything will be alright."

Petrović nodded, he originally didn't want to go, but then he suddenly thought he should care more about Shalanqi.

If he had cared more about Lewis, he could have been saved, he should learn from this experience.

Besides, he really easily forgets what Shalanqi looked like and he felt guilty about that.

"I'll drive then, just sit back and enjoy the scenery." Shalanqi said confidently.

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Gan Guoyang was the last of the Trail Blazers players to leave the hospital, he stayed with Donna until her family arrived.

Owning a mortuary business and having died once himself, Gan Guoyang was familiar with the taste of death.

Death is a silent feast where everyone devours their own sorrow, and when the banquet ends, only the emptiness remains.

The closest, most heartbreaking people will one day accept this sudden permanent farewell, looking back in the long time ahead, and then forget.

Gan Guoyang was very sad, but he wasn't falling apart; deep down, he blessed Lewis, hoping he could go to a beautiful, interesting world with basketball.

"Maybe you'll go back to 1981; if you do, remember to dominate the NBA by yourself."

Gan Guoyang used such words to comfort Lewis, and also to console himself.

Meanwhile, the news reached Miami, and his wife called one after another, afraid her husband couldn't bear it.

Gan Guoyang said he was doing okay, and when he got home, Gan Youwei was lying on the living room sofa waiting for his son to return.

"You're back? You... eat something."

Gan Youwei didn't know how to comfort him, he could only suggest eating something.

Gan Guoyang shook his head, he had no appetite.

"Dad, you should sleep early, you're getting old, you can't stay up all night without sleeping."

"I know, I know, don't worry about me, you should get some rest too."

When Gan Guoyang woke up, it was already the evening of the next day, past dinner time.