[{"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-1061":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},1444578,1896,"Chapter 1061 - 17: Achieving Victory","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1061",1061,"\u003Cp>After the finals ended, Gan Guoyang devoted himself to preparing for the Olympics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From mid-June to the end of July, Gan Guoyang underwent targeted training for a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He not only worked on integrating with his teammates but also set new demands for himself for the Olympics and the new season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main focus was weight reduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1992 season, Gan Guoyang’s weight reached a peak of 270 pounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Towards the end of the season, it was almost 275 pounds, but after the finals, it dropped to 265 pounds due to the extensive energy consumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In preparation for the Olympics and the new season, Gan Guoyang studied a lot and decided to reduce his weight back to around 260 pounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purpose of this was first for health and stamina; a large weight, although powerful, does cause significant damage to the knees and ankles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang was approaching 30 and needed to control his weight slightly to maintain health consistently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secondly, it was about playing style. After unlocking more advanced techniques in the finals, Gan Guoyang needed a more agile body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he used backcourt dribbling, quick breakthroughs, and change-of-direction moves frequently, the large weight brought significant inertia and impact, which would hurt his joints while breaking through opponents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, he only used such tactics desperately in the 1992 finals, and after winning the championship in the sixth game, Gan Guoyang could feel his knees burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to reduce his weight for the new season and the Olympics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his weight dropped, Gan Guoyang’s ability to fight slightly decreased, but in the basketball world of that time, he was still an invincible presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 6’10\", 260 pounds was already heavyweight in FIBA, while Francovic was 10 centimeters taller than Gan Guoyang at 2.18 meters and only weighed 255 pounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 1990, Francovic was drafted by the Celtics and played in the NBA for a while, but later chose to leave to play in Europe due to Divac’s arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the final moments of the match, Francovic could only sit on the sidelines to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Croatia still had a major player in the paint, and that was Raja.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raja and Francovic complemented each other, one focused on attack, and the other on defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raja was originally wanted by the Celtics but was snatched away by the Lakers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, the Celtics got Divac, so Raja naturally wouldn’t go to Boston.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is said that next season, Raja will have the opportunity to go to the Lakers and start his NBA career in Los Angeles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raja has a very skillful low post footwork and great offensive talent, but tonight his talent didn’t shine through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the one-on-one confrontations, whether facing Ma Jian alone, Gan Guoyang coming for backup defense, or facing Ah Gan one-on-one, Raja’s performance was not satisfactory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said that the Three Second Zone defended by Gan Guoyang is indeed impregnable, and Croatia’s inside scoring tonight was only 10 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later on, Raja gave up the idea of attacking in the low post and could only steal some points during second-chance opportunities and pick-and-rolls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During a critical offensive play by the Croatia Team, Petrović was caught in hesitation—should he attack himself or follow the team strategy and create opportunities for his teammates?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This hesitation led Petrović to be indecisive when making a choice, aware that Raja had a chance to receive the ball in the low post and attack the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The player defending Raja wasn’t Ah Gan, but Ma Jian. Petrović thought for 0.1 seconds and decided to play it safe by passing the ball to Raja to single-handedly take on Ma Jian in the low post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the ball left Petrović’s hand flying towards Raja, a feeling of regret surged up, and Petrović thought, I should have taken that shot myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were Ah Gan, would he pass?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would, right? During critical moments when teammates have an opportunity, Ah Gan would pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But instinct told Petrović that in such moments, Ah Gan would definitely take the shot himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was too late; the ball smoothly flew into Raja’s hands, and Raja used his height and footwork to overpower Ma Jian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Jian was barely over 2 meters, while Raja was 2.10 meters, but Raja weighed only 225 pounds, just over 100 kilograms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of weight, Ma Jian wasn’t at a significant disadvantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously Ma Jian pursued the path of a flexible inside player, which worked quite well in Asia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Gong Xiaobin, the two forwards barely over 2 meters, they had great offensive impact against teams with smaller physiques like Korea and the Philippines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once facing taller, equally flexible European teams, they weren’t as effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Portland, Gan Guoyang advised Ma Jian that if he wishes to play in America, he should either take the outside route and play as a forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But playing as a forward requires outside skills, like dribbling and shooting, which Ma Jian lacks due to his upbringing as an inside player.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second option is to pursue the path of a strong center player, like Mason, enhancing one’s strength, defense, and rebounding ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang has always been Ma Jian’s idol, someone considered the greatest player in history by Ma Jian, and of course, he listens to his idol’s advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, for the past month, he focused heavily on improving his strength and defensive awareness, and unexpectedly, he showed great understanding in this area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, facing Croatia, Ma Jian played a surprisingly effective role on defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raja was struggling hard to push against Ma Jian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Raja was about to spin for a hook shot, Gan Guoyang’s backup defense was already in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball was in mid-air, and Ma Jian merely raised his arms high without jumping or committing a foul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang came from behind, leaping high, and gently tapped the ball with his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang’s classic soft-touch block ensured the opponent wouldn’t regain possession for an easy second-chance opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>",1000,"2026-06-06T01:41:49.959Z",1,"novelbin.me","20e28abeff0320f66a6a2c426392af6a2fcb7feb2a1a981f4fcbb8ff595d290c","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1062","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1060",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]