[{"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-1139":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},1444556,1896,"Chapter 1139 - 16: Evil Dragon","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1139",1139,"\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers ended their Southeast road trip with a loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Losing to the Heat was disappointing, but somewhat acceptable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fatigue of back-to-back away games, combined with the opponent’s meticulous preparation, gave them a reason for the loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the post-game locker room, Bobby Berman wanted to say something but found there was nothing to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were in the past, when they were confident and full of morale, he would have angrily scolded everyone on the team for losing such a game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would point out each player’s problems during the game and make them watch the carefully edited video clips repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would casually open his swear word dictionary, extracting a few passages to shame the players into working hard and delivering a great performance in the next game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not anymore, the years of victories and the various unexpected twists this season have been tormenting the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even their undefeated Ah Gan could sense a hint of fatigue today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole team, from spirit to body, had prematurely entered a fatigue period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For continuous away games, losing only one could be considered not bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Berman himself felt quite weary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the game, he had only one thought in his mind, to leave Miami as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to return to Portland, to his home, where someone was waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s good news for the Trail Blazers, the All-Star Game is coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At mid-season, when the whole team is exhausted, an All-Star Game allows the players to recharge a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Gan Guoyang once again effortlessly secured the Western Conference starting center position and was the All-Star vote leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two three-peats and six championships have given Gan Guoyang an unparalleled bonus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how weak the entire Trail Blazers team is currently, in the eyes of the fans, they are an invincible force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Gan Guoyang, Petrović and Reggie Lewis were both selected for the All-Star reserve roster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year’s Western Conference All-Star head coach is the new Suns coach, Paul Westphal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This former Suns player is coaching the team for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, he had been an assistant coach for the Suns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Fitzsimmons could no longer lead the Suns further, Westphal replaced him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He is an enthusiastic and incredibly smart person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During his playing days, his crowning moment was the 1976 Finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, he represented the Suns in the Finals against his old team, the Boston Celtics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the crucial Game 5, the two teams were tied 2-2 in the first four games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They battled into the second overtime, and John Havlicek hit a go-ahead shot at the final moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Celtics led 111-110.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Boston Garden Arena’s timer ran out, and the buzzer sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Celtics fans rushed into the court, declaring the game over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns protested, and the referees ruled there were two seconds left in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the game continued, and the Celtics fans were getting impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because with only two seconds, there wasn’t enough time to advance the ball from the backcourt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns also had no timeouts left, and the game was likely to end early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless someone on their team could cross the court and hit a shot like Jerry West.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns were originally going to do just that, as a last throw of the dice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Paul Westphal exploited a loophole in the rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He forcefully called a timeout, resulting in a technical foul for the Suns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Celtics got one free throw, and the ball possession still went to the Suns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns were able to inbound from midcourt, and two seconds was enough to complete an attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, Garfield Hyde received the ball, turned, and made a jump shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns tied the game, bringing it into a third overtime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Suns eventually lost the third overtime and subsequently the Finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns’ tactic of exploiting the nonexistent timeout to save the game is still etched in NBA history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this game, the NBA changed the rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calling a timeout without having one would result in not only a technical foul but also losing possession of the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paul Westphal’s tactic became a unique moment in NBA history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, after becoming the Phoenix Suns’ head coach, Westphal immediately brought a new look to the Suns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns became the most vibrant and passionate team in the entire league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles Barkley, under Westphal’s \"release,\" also reached his maximum potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the MVP rankings, Barkley was second, only behind Olajuwon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time in years, Ah Gan and Jordan were not in the top two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, their popularity remained incomparable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the fan voting for the All-Star Game, their votes were extremely close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang narrowly defeated Jordan to become the vote leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another feature of the 1993 All-Star Game:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time in NBA history that no players from the Los Angeles Lakers or the Boston Celtics participated in the All-Star Game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two traditional giants, in the new era, are inevitably heading towards decline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old team-building system of the previous era has already decayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The logic of the new era’s management has already become mainstream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David Stern, through ten years of effort, has shaped the NBA into the league he envisioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A colorful, star-studded, and diverse league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On February 19th, Gan Guoyang, Petrović, and Lewis headed to the All-Star Game’s destination in Salt Lake City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Salt Lake City was hosting the All-Star Game for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place, perceived by Americans as desolate, remote, and closed, welcomed perhaps the most illustrious star lineup in NBA history.\u003C\u002Fp>",943,"2026-06-06T01:41:50.199Z",1,"novelbin.me","aaecce47593b22c257a3881d3dffe64fc0c2892561cd4bd9f94ac5f38be802cf","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1140","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1138",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]