[{"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-1130":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},1444547,1896,"Chapter 1130 - 13: Can’t Hit the Brakes (Part 2)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1130",1130,"\u003Cp>O’Neal nodded, recalling every offensive and defensive play from the first half in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reason told him that such confrontation really elevated his game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every play, every detail was worth pondering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every low-post offensive and defensive possession was a contest of skill, strength, and intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Playing against Ah Gan in this half-court game for dozens of possessions, he learned more than he might in half a season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The talentless bust centers in the league could only watch helplessly as O’Neal dunked over their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal’s repeated dunks pleased him, excited the fans, and boosted the ratings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it did nothing for his skill improvement, just dunking and nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet emotionally, O’Neal felt an indescribable emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially knowing he still had an entire second half to face off against Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected it to be like this before the match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This emotion was a mix of anger, fear, excitement, and frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a tangled mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled his childhood when he had just moved to Hainesville, Georgia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lived with his stepfather, who was in the army, in the military barracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To adapt to the new environment, he always acted ferociously, becoming the school bully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In class, he threw paper balls at the teacher and was reported by a boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He arranged to meet the boy in front of the school after class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy dawdled until five o’clock before showing up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal, who had been waiting in ambush, rushed forward and knocked him down, giving him a heavy kick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, the boy fell to the ground convulsing, eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal was terrified, thinking he had killed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, he found out the boy had a seizure and was taken to the hospital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, his stepfather gave O’Neal a severe beating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From then on, O’Neal never played pranks or bullied anyone at school again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, stepping onto the court and growing up, sometimes he still couldn’t restrain himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was so powerful, and whenever he saw weaker guys, he couldn’t resist stomping on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Survival of the fittest, that’s the rule in basketball, a place to unleash wildness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what if he becomes the weaker one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if he gets trampled by the stronger ones?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was only during this halftime break that O’Neal finally understood why his stepfather had beaten him so hard back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because you can’t always be the strongest; there’s always someone stronger than you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you are the strongest, an individual can’t overrule a team, can’t overpower an organization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal now encountered someone stronger in every aspect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the third quarter was about to begin, he returned to the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, unlike the start of the first half, O’Neal saw Ah Gan chewing gum and felt a bit apprehensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang smiled at him, what did that smile mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mocking me for playing lousy in the first half?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or was it the moment for the hunt in the second half?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal took a deep breath and decided to face it with courage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were already losing by so much, he might as well go all out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He made up his mind that if Ah Gan kept going one-on-one with him and he couldn’t stop him, he’d just foul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At worst, he’d foul out rather than stay on the court and get beaten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he thought this way, when it actually came to the game, he had to be more cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being Gan Guoyang’s fan, O’Neal was aware of Ah Gan’s wrestling and boxing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when he watched the Trail Blazers’ game against the Pistons, seeing Ah Gan beat up the whole Pistons team, the Silver Dome massacre, O’Neal was incredibly excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, the tables turned, and now it was his turn to go up against Ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better not provoke him; if it goes too far, the two might end up fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal wasn’t confident about fighting Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third quarter started, and the Trail Blazers launched their attack first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The score was 64:48, with the Trail Blazers leading the Magic by 16 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A considerable advantage, so Porter dribbled unhurriedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang returned to the low post to engage in a positioning battle with O’Neal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here we go again!\" O’Neal cursed under his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Idol, you really can push the intensity, targeting me on the first play of the second half!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Porter passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, and Scott immediately came over to double-team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Porter feigned an inside cut, but in reality, he moved outward, taking the defense with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang suddenly passed the ball behind his head to the truly cutting Sabonis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabonis was even taller than O’Neal, but his matchup was 6’7\" Terbert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabonis lifted his arm and easily took the shot, scoring with a soft underhand shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terbert tried to interfere, but even jumping couldn’t reach Sabonis’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Gan Guoyang pass the ball, O’Neal sighed with relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was stubborn, saying, \"Can’t take the shot when double-teamed, Ah Gan?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying it, he regretted it, wondering what his stubborn mouth was saying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang smiled and said, \"There’s still a long way to go, Shaq.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On offense, O’Neal stopped forcing shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved outside, creating space for his teammates to attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waited for opportunities, looking for a chance to charge inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was one of O’Neal’s usual tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lay in wait, rush for the offensive rebound, and deliver a powerful dunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, it was better to be flexible and look for opportunities rather than forcing plays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, after several possessions of laying in wait, O’Neal realized it wasn’t working at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Gan’s protection of the defensive rebound was flawless, leaving no chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, with Sabonis as a partner, the Trail Blazers’ rim protection was extremely tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Twin Towers complemented each other, covering inside and outside, left and right, top and bottom, securing the three-second zone thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Magic players could barely find an opportunity, relying on individual ability to score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And without O’Neal’s low-post offensive threat, the Magic’s offense became handicapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then in defense, Gan Guoyang consecutively assisted Sabonis, cutting inside and scoring thrice under pressure from double-teams.\u003C\u002Fp>",1028,"2026-06-06T01:41:50.199Z",1,"novelbin.me","64870683dd711b7d44248604b671548ab852bcd78d7fd86c447ffa6747bb8b57","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1131","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1129",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]