The Golden Age of Basketball

Beelman pulled Gan Guoyang back to the bench and said, "Gan, you played well, but you need to calm down a bit; don't use so many swear words."

"That guy is a piece of shit, and if I don't win this game today, I'll hang you in the stadium, Bobby!"

"..."

The passionate duel between Gan Guoyang and Miller had roused the emotions of both the audience at the venue and the viewers in front of their televisions.

In America, there was nothing more captivating than a heroic showdown.

Yet throughout the entire '70s, the NBA had strong players but no heroes.

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson amazed everyone with the television ratings miracle they created in the 1979 NCAA championship game, reaching 24.1, which was unmatched by anyone.

But the process of the game was actually quite disappointing, with Larry Bird making only 7 out of 21 shots, scoring just 19 points and losing the game without much suspense. The evenly matched battle people were hoping for did not happen, leaving only the image of Bird sitting on the bench, holding his head and crying.

And this CIF North-South Civil War had reached the climax of its fight in the fourth quarter.

On the Shui Zhong side, no one could stop Miller, and even less so could anyone from Riverbank Polytechnic possibly stop Gan Guoyang.

The relatively lower overall skill level actually made for a knightly duel between the two teenagers.

The entire fourth quarter was a repeat of the third, where both took a brief rest off the court before returning to the game.

All eyes were focused on them, Miller slim, agile, and precise, while Gan Guoyang was a ferocious yellow beast.

That evening, Gan Guoyang's dunks might have outnumbered all his previous games combined. Shui Zhong players could tell that Gan Guoyang really wanted to win.

The scores of both teams had interlocked from a halftime score of 41:43, climbing all the way to 87:86.

The Shui Zhong Team, which had been suppressing Riverside High School, was facing a physical crisis in the final moments.

A 48-minute game in 4 quarters took a toll on the players' stamina.

Poor rest, poor nutrition, and a lack of proper warm-up all affected the players' condition.

They clenched their teeth and persisted; Xu Xun cramped up in his calf in the final moments and had to be carried off the court.

As he was taken out, his eyes brimmed with tears, tightly grasping Gan Guoyang's arm, but he said nothing.

Gan Guoyang understood what Xu Xun meant. He wiped his sweat and returned to the court for a critical offensive play for his team.

"Double-team, double-team him!"

Miller shouted at his teammates; everyone knew that on the Shui Zhong team, only Gan Guoyang still had the energy.

Chen Xing nearly lost the ball, but Gan Guoyang came out to support, finally managing to secure control of the ball.

The double team closed in on him beyond the three-point line, Gan Guoyang was trapped in a desperate situation.

"Sonny Gan, he might lose the ball... but he keeps control, reclaims the ball, heads down the middle, Riverbank Polytechnic players are surrounding and blocking him, he shoots right over the three-point line..."

Time seemed to pass very slowly.

"...the ball is in! Oh my god! The ball went in! He made the shot!"

The CBS live broadcast, as well as many broadcasters on the sidelines, couldn't help but leap up and shout.

Gan Guoyang had made an incredible long shot while being surrounded by three players, just when the ball was nearly lost.

The score moved to 88:87, Shui Zhong Team had turned the score around with just seconds left in the game!

The entire Great Western Forum was caught up in a frenzy, the fans no longer caring whether it was Southern California or Northern California; they just wanted to see a showdown of heroes.

Riverside High School called for a timeout, still leaving them with a sliver of chance to turn the game around, and the live camera naturally focused on Reggie Miller.

Miller, with 19 shots and 13 successful attempts, had already scored 30 points; his shooting was terrifyingly accurate.

Could Cheryl Miller's younger brother win the CIF championship like his sister, bringing glory to Southern California?

The timeout quickly came to an end, and over at the CBS headquarters, in Neil Pearson's office, a staff member rushed in breathlessly, without even knocking, barging in and saying, "Mr. Pearson, the latest viewership data from the Nielsen Company!"

"The latest viewership data, is the game over?"

"Not yet, it's the final moments now, the viewership has reached..."

"How much?"

"A rough estimate, 15.8, might be even lower."

"What?"

Pearson couldn't believe his ears; the viewership rating soared to 15.8 as the game neared its end? That's tripled!

Not believing your own ears usually means you have to trust your eyes, so Pearson scrambled to the control room, where he found nearly everyone gathered around watching the game.

The final moments, Reggie Miller's last shot!

Miller shook off the defense, caught the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side, one step inside the three-point line, and turned to shoot!

"Miller's final shot! The ball... the ball's been tipped by Gan, tipped by Gan! He touched it with his finger, Gan got the ball! The game is over, the game is over!"

"From San Francisco, the Beiqiao Shui Zhong Team has won the championship tournament! A miracle, they've created a miracle! This is their first year in the CIF! A miracle!"

The TV commentator's voice was hoarse as he too reached his limit.

The entire control room erupted in cheers, it seemed that everyone supported the Shui Zhong Team, this suddenly rising Chinese team.

Pearson stood there, completely overwhelmed, a great sense of astonishment filled his chest like a bullet hitting the heart, the tremor spreading from the center of the body to the limbs, all the way to the fingertips, toes, and scalp.

His body began to shake involuntarily.

Is this what experiencing a miracle feels like?

So wonderful, it makes your whole body thrill.

[... In the Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, I was wholly dedicated to the production of the new album "Thriller," we worked selflessly, barely paying attention to anything but the music...

The only exception was the night of March 1, I was struggling with the melody for a song, feeling I couldn't grasp that feeling. The record company was urging me, and I felt immense pressure.

Frank Dileo found me then, he pulled me saying let's watch some TV, there's a basketball game. I refused, I wasn't too interested in basketball, but he insisted it was an interesting match and really wanted to watch.

The CIF championship game, I watched the second half, and that's when I first came to know Gan. In the final moments, Gan scored the winning basket, and I jumped up from the sofa, dancing around excitedly; but the game wasn't over yet, Reggie Miller had a chance to end it, he received the pass and took the shot.

But Gan came rushing from afar, from the side, tipping the ball in the air. Then the ball landed in his hands, and he lifted it high with one hand, while the crowd cheered all around; he looked like Lady Liberty with a basketball.

At that moment, my body was shaking. I had found that feeling, that exciting, awe-inspiring sensation, and I immediately went back to the studio and finished recording Thriller...]

————Excerpt from Michael Jackson's autobiography "moon walk," published in 1988.

(End of Volume One "Got to Be There.")