[{"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-1146":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},1444563,1896,"Chapter 1146 - 17: The Last Spot (Part 2)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1146",1146,"\u003Cp>But New Jersey isn’t Detroit, and the Nets aren’t the Pistons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a successful person tries to replicate their past success in a different time and place, failure is more often the outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because success is difficult to duplicate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daley abandoned Fitch’s high-pressure management, hoping to be kinder to the players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So after every grueling game, Daley would tell the players:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take a good rest, guys. We did well tonight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the next morning at team practice, Coleman didn’t show up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daley called Coleman to ask what was going on, whether he was sick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coleman replied: \"You said yesterday that we should take a good rest. If I’m resting, why would I come to practice early in the morning?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The argument made sense, but it was not Daley’s intention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A misalignment in understanding is always painful for a manager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had experienced a similar period with the Detroit Pistons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After four long years, Daley found his way forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time in New Jersey, will he have enough time and patience to find a new way in four to five years?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seems unlikely, because teams always expect immediate results from renowned coaches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That evening, the Trail Blazers faced the Nets, and against a top-tier team, the Nets played quite well initially.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides were evenly matched; the Trail Blazers had strong offensive firepower but also considerable defensive weaknesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially with increasing turnovers, which gave the Nets many opportunities, resulting in a chaotic game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daley sighed inwardly, noting how the once disciplined, nearly flawless Trail Blazers were now leaking everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the critical moments of the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers pulled away with a 14-4 offensive surge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trio of Gan Guoyang, Lewis, and Petrović were highly efficient offensively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With alternating isolations, passing plays, and the space created by the Princeton System, once they exerted pressure, the Nets couldn’t hold up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a difference in individual player capability; Gan Guoyang was still in stellar form, driving to the basket repeatedly in key moments to score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This style has yet to be countered effectively by coaches in the league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if there were strategies, they lacked players who could execute them well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Gan Guoyang focused on playing center, Daley couldn’t stop Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that this guy can play both inside and outside, he’s even harder to compete against.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the All-Star break and adjustments, the Trail Blazers relatively easily defeated the Nets on the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the game, Daley shook hands and hugged Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daley couldn’t help but exclaim, \"Sonny, I never expected you to keep improving. Are you never weary?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang sensed the fatigue in Daley’s eyes and words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"I do get tired, but I’ll never show it in front of my opponents.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your competitive spirit is bewildering.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your sense of style is consistently great, Chuck!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the game, the Trail Blazers stayed at the hotel for the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their next game was the day after tomorrow in Philadelphia, just over 80 kilometers away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t need to rush on a flight overnight, just take a bus on the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the whole team got to stay an extra night in New Jersey to rejuvenate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day during the day, Gan Guoyang received a phone call from Bernard King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He invited Gan Guoyang to his home in New Jersey for a chat with Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang recalled the summer of 1985, when he frequently visited Bernard King’s home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Bernard King was recovering from a devastating injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang learned the entire reverse shooting technique from Bernard King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This technique has been used by Gan Guoyang ever since and has been refined to perfection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially King’s heel spin and the technical details of turning and jumping to shoot in mid-air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this, Gan Guoyang has the fastest spin jump shot in the league, faster than many guards and small forwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a major reason why he is so hard to defend against—a reminder that in the world of martial arts, speed conquers all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also absorbed Bernard King’s sweet-spot shooting experience and applied it in defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His astonishing no-look defense and blocking stemmed from adapting this sweet-spot experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Gan Guoyang’s mind, there already exists a holographic view of the court beyond vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knows what he can do in his position and anticipates what the opponent will do in theirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This anticipation gives Gan Guoyang an edge in speed and fluidity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His opponents always marvel at why Ah Gan is so quick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Body, technique, and anticipation—all are indispensable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bernard King was Gan Guoyang’s mentor in this regard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Initially, Bernard King was reluctant to teach Gan Guoyang these technical details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they were harsh on the knees, and in the end, King was ruined by knee injuries, falling from the peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But King underestimated Gan Guoyang’s physical resilience; after all these years, Gan Guoyang’s body is still in excellent shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bernard King reached the peak again with the Washington Bullets, entering the finals in 1988 and the All-Star game in 1991.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That All-Star night, Bernard King told Ah Gan he had reached the Mount Everest of his basketball career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But fate was still cruel, as reaching the summit was followed by a downward slide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 1991, he suffered a major knee injury again, tearing the cartilage in his right knee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He underwent arthroscopic surgery at the hospital to repair the torn cartilage.\u003C\u002Fp>",909,"2026-06-06T01:41:50.199Z",1,"novelbin.me","a33b750db98d9cbada12228aff58f9c68c180289540464d59f02d6c909091ec8","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1147","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1145",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]