Chapter 24 Close Friends

In the 1988 finals, Gan Guoyang led the Trail Blazers to crush the Washington Bullets with ease and captured the three-peat championship.

During that series, Charles Barkley's performance was terrible, except for the third game; the rest were disastrous.

One could say that Barkley propped up Gan Guoyang to the first peak of his basketball career.

As for Gan Guoyang's three consecutive championships, Barkley was convinced, truly defeated.

The Bullets, a jalopy cobbled together, raced on the highway at 120 miles per hour and simply couldn't hold up as they were about to cross the finish line.

Following the next season, the Bullet Team fell from the glory of '88 and began to disband.

Although Bernard King's condition improved, Charles Barkley entered his prime, and Moses Malone along with Moncrief still had some fuel left, Malone's relationship with the Bullets grew tense; he wanted a bigger contract, which the Bullets were reluctant to offer.