[{"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-1125":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},1444542,1896,"Chapter 1125 - 12: See Me Die!_3","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1125",1125,"\u003Cp>In high school, he studied and imitated Ewing’s style of play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last November, at Madison Square Garden, O’Neal faced Ewing for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took the initiative to greet Ewing, saying, \"Hello, Mr. Ewing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ewing, however, responded viciously, \"I’m going to smash you, rookie.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Knicks won that game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ewing, against O’Neal’s intense defense, went 7 for 16, scoring only 15 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal, on the other hand, had 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this January, when the Knicks visited Orlando, O’Neal showed no mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went 10 for 17, with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks, leading the team to a one-point victory over the Knicks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ewing, facing O’Neal’s defense, went 9 for 27, his shooting percentage was shockingly low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scored even one point less than O’Neal, exposing his weaknesses against a top-tier low-post defender.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although in the subsequent meetings, Ewing fought hard to reclaim his standing,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal was no longer afraid of Ewing in his heart, and his advantage over Ewing grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key reason lies in their first encounter, where Ewing made O’Neal fearless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a senior, you neither respected me nor could defeat me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, just a bully with a guilty conscience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such an image, how could O’Neal fear him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, during the All-Star voting stage, Ewing was very upset because O’Neal surpassed him in votes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Olajuwon coming to the Eastern Conference, Ewing might very well be squeezed out of the All-Star lineup by O’Neal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying on his position in New York, he expressed to the NBA officials his hope to ban rookies from participating in the All-Star Game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They should hold a separate Rookie All-Star Game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such petty behavior made Ewing’s once-idolized image collapse in O’Neal’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the future, every time he meets Ewing and the Knicks, O’Neal won’t show any mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the night of February 11, O’Neal was to face a stronger, more towering idol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After six in the evening, both sides began entering the arena for warm-up preparations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Magic arrived at the court first for shooting practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal’s mind was completely focused on the players’ tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers’ players could enter at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, there was a commotion from the audience seats near the players’ tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wearing white sportswear with red and black stripes, the Trail Blazers’ players ran onto the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leading them was Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ran out from the shadows, chewing gum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked even more robust than he did on TV.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The live audience burst into loud applause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was an away game, Gan Guoyang had exceptional popularity in any arena across All-America.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in new teams like Orlando and Miami, where fan loyalty to the home team wasn’t strong yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many in the audience were tourists; they were there for the spectacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang high-fived the fans reaching out on the sidelines and even signed autographs for some of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He appeared more popular than O’Neal in Orlando.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of jealousy surged in O’Neal’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was clearly his home court; he was like a king here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why did these people seem to turn against him as soon as Ah Gan arrived?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the little fans, look at them, all wearing Trail Blazers No. 11 jerseys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One kid wore a Magic No. 32 over it, but when Ah Gan arrived, he lifted his outer clothes to reveal a black No. 11 for Ah Gan to sign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game, O’Neal, who had been thinking about honing skills and mutually respecting Ah Gan, was now thinking about defeating Ah Gan in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I need to dunk hard on his head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal was fixated on dunking over Ah Gan’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of O’Neal’s goals was to dunk over every rival center’s head in the league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that in mind, he turned and jumped with the ball, delivering a powerful two-handed dunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basket wobbled, and the reporters crouched below jumped up in fright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since he broke a basket in Phoenix, all stadiums have reinforced their baskets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After landing, O’Neal looked at the frightened reporters, grinning mischievously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was just a big playful kid who liked to tease people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shaq! Nice dunk!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal turned and saw Ah Gan walking over with the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their first close encounter; O’Neal didn’t expect Ah Gan to greet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, his mind went blank, and all thoughts of dunking on Ah Gan vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wiped his hand on his pant leg because Ah Gan reached out a hand toward him, and their huge hands met in a handshake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal thought Gan Guoyang would squeeze his hand hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His muscles were already tense, prepared to counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, Gan Guoyang shook hands politely and gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A fearsome pair of hands, perfect for basketball. Someone must have tried to recruit you for football, right? But you still prefer basketball.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang’s compliment caught O’Neal off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hurriedly replied, \"Yes, that’s right, I practiced football in high school, but I didn’t like it at all. Basketball suits me better! I love basketball, I... I also...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal wanted to say, I also love watching your games, I enjoy watching you play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swallowed back the words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feared saying it would make him sound too much like a fan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, Gan Guoyang said, \"I’ve watched you play, on TV.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The NCAA games were stunning, your dunks are exhilarating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And your combination of agility and strength is surprising.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s hard to find someone as tall as you, yet as agile and able to operate from a low center of gravity as necessary. You’re an unprecedented player.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",940,"2026-06-06T01:41:50.199Z",1,"novelbin.me","7fa663666b76464c11e135467b0cf84effcb370a15cd0bfa86a52f0d5b2bfeb0","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1126","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1124",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]