[{"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-1076":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},1444593,1896,"Chapter 1076 - 21 Hope_3","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1076",1076,"\u003Cp>Charles Barkley avoided Ah Gan’s sharpness, constantly using mid-range shots to disrupt the solid zone defense of the China Team — their defense was as stable as the rock base of a pyramid, unyielding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This required exceptional discipline and a strong mindset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zone defense is easily disbanded, especially when repeatedly attacked successfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If any part of it slackens, the whole structure of the defense collapses, leading to chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, coaches often rotate between zone defense and man-to-man to ensure players don’t remain tense all the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for the China Team, man-to-man defense would be a disaster, so the entire first half they relied on remarkable discipline and willpower to stick together in fearless resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Ah Gan was a solitary runner on the offensive end, like a runner traversing the wilderness, trying his best to make the most optimal plays, scoring one difficult shot after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan recalled his early years with the Bulls; those days, those games weren’t pleasant, he faced much criticism, but Ah Gan did so well that even his opponents started to admire everything he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fadeaway jump shot was beautiful, his post moves were solid, he used no-look passes to draw defensive attention, not to show off, but to create opportunities for his teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never missed any fast break opportunities, his three-point shooting was better than anyone else’s, Jordan even thought he played better than in the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the loss of the fifth game of the 92 Finals, Jordan was not convinced, Pippen’s missed dunk was his eternal pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But tonight, Ah Gan’s performance was more perfect than the fifth game, not because of the stats, nor the shooting percentage, not even the skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Ah Gan’s calmness, confidence, and grace when facing powerful opponents and an almost certain loss, and the wisdom and courage to do anything for victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan was sure Ah Gan had done a lot of research and preparation, the China Team did extremely well in many aspects, except for their overall lack of strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder they made it to the finals, it wasn’t just about getting the ball to Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beelman also realized this, during halftime he repeatedly stressed, \"We must take this seriously.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sonny is absolutely an opponent on the court who deserves to be taken seriously, this championship is of significant weight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the second half began, the Dream Team became more united than ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one was playing around or showing off, victory and only victory was the sole goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beelman adjusted the lineup for the second half, Robinson replaced Ewing as starter, Bird replaced Malone at the power forward position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnson voluntarily gave up the starting point guard position in the second half to Stockton, who was in better form and more suitable for the China Team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird’s role was to stretch the floor, Beelman knew China Team would stick with the zone defense, long shots were absolutely necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the start of the second half, Bird and Stockton completed a pick-and-roll, followed by a three-pointer from the top of the arc!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird could only play around ten minutes per game, his back allowed him to perform only that long, which was already enough for Team USA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another player who excelled was Chris Mullin, the China Team couldn’t handle his long shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mullin was the three-point king of the Dream Team, averaging 1.8 three-pointers per game with a shooting percentage as high as 53.8%, higher than some players’ shooting percentages under the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the second half, Beelman gave the shooting guard position to Mullin instead of Jordan, and Jordan wasn’t angry, he was willing to play as a substitute in the second half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan’s form in this Olympics could only be described as average, after all, the regular season, playoffs, and finals had exhausted him greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never intended to exert himself fully at the Olympics, performing at 60%-70% was already enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Ah Gan’s performance tonight, he really wanted to go all out and have a spectacular battle with Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he knew he couldn’t, he was too relaxed in Barcelona, gambling, drinking, having fun, his form was far from peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he forcibly entered Bulls mode, his poor shooting form would ruin the team’s offense — in this Olympics, Jordan’s shooting percentage was only slightly higher than Reiner’s, 45% to 45.1%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, Jordan put aside his personal desire to win, fully committing to the team game, listening to directions, all to defeat the China Team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the lineup became focused on shooting in the second half, the China Team, relying on zone defense, struggled defensively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris Mullin and Bird hit consecutive mid to long-range shots, with Mullin particularly hitting two three-pointers in a row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lead quickly widened from 12 points to nearly 20, the gap in strength between the two teams became increasingly apparent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dream Team also changed their defensive strategy, no longer pressing relentlessly to steal and fast break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you slow down, I slow down too, utilizing Robinson’s great mobility to test the passing ability of other China Team players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew you were passing to Ah Gan, understanding the passing lanes, making suitable blocks and traps, the basic offensive routes for the China Team were soon blocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang could only continue to dribble and organize the offense himself, which was a huge drain on his stamina, as he hadn’t rested the entire first half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the advantage of fast breaks, just forcing himself to handle the offense alone resulted in considerable energy expenditure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had no other choice, trailing by 20 points, using fierce footwork with an unpredictable rhythm, half-back, half-facing the basket to break through, slicing in from the middle into the Three Second Zone.\u003C\u002Fp>",958,"2026-06-06T01:41:49.959Z",1,"novelbin.me","8236f7637912552b2baaad84fc467b88cad072478ffcbbd24a58476ed2d09d47","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1077","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1075",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]