[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-golden-age-of-basketball":3,"chapter-the-golden-age-of-basketball-the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1048":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Golden Age of Basketball",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1444815,1896,"Chapter 1048 - 12 Brimming with Talent_2","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1048",1048,"\u003Cp>Jiang Xingquan’s mind cleared up, he realized what was happening, nodded at Gan Guoyang, and said: \"Makes sense, it really makes sense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The timeout ended and the game continued, with ball possession for Team USA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, when playing a set-piece, under FIBA rules, Team USA doesn’t have many strategies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s mainly low-post plays inside and one-on-one isolations outside, nothing fancy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Dream Team assembled for a short period, and the coaching staff couldn’t set up too many complex tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no need, just relying on defense and counterattacks, no team on this planet can withstand them for an entire game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the weakness in set-pieces is indeed a small flaw for the Dream Team, with David Robinson’s attempts to power through Francovic in the low post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Robinson was called for a charging foul by the referee, he wasn’t adept at playing with his back to the basket, so he could only try to turn and face the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the FIBA three-second zone is trapezoidal, much larger compared to the NBA, especially at the baseline, which leads to positions further from the hoop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>NBA players aren’t accustomed to this, so David Robinson had to rely heavily on facing the basket with jump shots or cutting inside to score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His efficiency in isolations wasn’t high, whereas Charles Barkley was the more reliable low-post scoring option for the Dream Team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After watching the game for over ten minutes, Gan Guoyang realized that Croatia stood no chance against Team USA, their offense lacked consistency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the timeout, Croatia did change its strategy, focusing on Petrović, who successfully drew fouls and got to the free-throw line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But subsequently, Petrović missed a three-pointer on a fast break, leading to a counterattack by Team USA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Team USA further intensified its defense on Petrović, applying double-teams, enclosing him, and causing disruptions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Petrović managed not to lose the ball, but scoring or creating opportunities for teammates became incredibly challenging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beelman, regardless of other skills, was truly adept at building defense, Team USA’s defense was like an impenetrable fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The players inside and outside were all tall, fast, and agile, each one aggressive, competing for steals and excelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every steal transitioned into a counterattack, putting immense psychological pressure on the offensive side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Croatia in the first half did not collapse, their defense was also formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with the Dream Team’s relentless fast breaks, they didn’t allow easy scores for the opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though some defensive plays resulted in fouls, others successfully opposed Team USA’s not-so-cohesive fast break efforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through this high-level confrontation with Croatia, Team USA exposed some problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such as the lack of variety in set-piece offense, heavily relying on fast breaks, and poor coordination in fast breaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many times, players took the ball and charged directly because, in the NBA, they’re all exceptional All-Stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang watched attentively, tonight’s game was definitely of significant reference value, he wanted to memorize Team USA’s problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, Reiner, this little spy, would supply him with intelligence, and combining these insights, Gan Guoyang planned to devise the best strategy to counter the Dream Team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether or not they would face off later, preparing was always right, otherwise losing too badly would make him a lifelong target of mockery from Barkley and Jordan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halfway through the first half, Team USA encountered an accident, with Magic Johnson suffering a leg injury and being carried off the court by his teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the best player on the Dream Team so far in the first half, the real offensive initiator, the sharpest point guard in counterattacks, and the mismatch for Croatia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Johnson left the court, the Dream Team’s offense stagnated, going several possessions without scoring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drexler missed a three-pointer off the bench, Ewing missed a mid-range shot, and Malone missed a mid-range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Croatia’s side, they still struggled to score in live play, but Petrović continued drawing fouls successfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went to the free-throw line multiple times, using free throws to help Croatia score and gradually close the score gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Francovic successfully defended Bird and blocked Karl Malone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This center wearing jersey number 11 had already given 4 blocks in 10 minutes, at this moment he seemed possessed by Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It dawned upon the fans that Croatia was strong, and Team USA wasn’t so undefeatable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But despite Team USA’s poor offensive performance, Croatia couldn’t solve their scoring issues in live play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They couldn’t score, simply couldn’t score, and every missed shot gave Team USA a chance to counterattack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Croatian players’ stamina slowly dwindled, Team USA players remained vigorous, their offense gradually improving, widening the score gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Team USA wasn’t scoring rapidly, but the problem was Croatia remained stagnant, held at 13 points for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Team USA played more relaxed, and with Bird on the court, despite his lackluster offense, his presence gave Team USA confidence in slowing the game down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pippen became the true commander on the court, continuously assisting Drexler and Malone for layups, Team USA began to find their set-piece offensive rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Petrović finally broke the scoring drought with a mid-range shot, but as he glanced at the scoreboard, they were nearly 20 points behind Team USA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Petrović deeply missed Portland’s Ah Gan, thinking if Croatia had an Ah Gan, Team USA would be trailing now.\u003C\u002Fp>",890,"2026-06-06T01:41:48.991Z",1,"novelbin.me","d6278e00d72e2d5b34a4cedce8c9214e97e525f648ac58cfc96b627b5206ac4e","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1049","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1047",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]