[{"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-1151":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},1444668,1896,"Chapter 1151 - 18: Fighter No More","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1151",1151,"\u003Cp>The arrival of Bernard King has given the Trail Blazers better bench depth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this is only on the surface; whether King can truly integrate into the Trail Blazers’ system still needs the test of the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, King did not come to replace Petrović; the two are from completely different eras and styles of players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Petrović is younger, with a more modern playstyle; his pull-up jump shots, long shots, passing, and driving all fit the current trend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Trail Blazers’ Princeton System, Petrović plays a very crucial role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He often orchestrates from high post or top of the key, setting screens with Sabonis and Gan to create openings in the opponent’s defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With him and Terry Porter in play, the Trail Blazers’ perimeter always has two major shooting threats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They are like two corners on the court, spreading the Trail Blazers’ lineup space wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, the Trail Blazers’ offense is smoother and more potent than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One reason is that Petrović has reached his peak form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his injury, his average score per game reached 21.5 points, second only to Gan in the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Bernard King has reached the end of his career, having grown up in the ’60s and ’70s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, there was no three-point line in the NBA; Bernard King was a typical classical small forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No long-distance shots, high dribbling, great at post-ups, strong low-post scoring, and not much on defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This type of small forward is slowly disappearing from the NBA, with Dantley and Mark Aguirre also entering the twilight of their careers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Players who grew in the ’80s and entered the league in the ’90s don’t play this way anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Small forwards in the ’90s, benchmarked on Pippen, have shooting abilities, strong defense, and high overall skill requirements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scoring is not a primary obligation, but defense is indispensable, and organizational skills are a bonus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Post-up offense is a mere embellishment, no longer a primary tool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Mario Ely, the Trail Blazers’ backup forward, is a typical new-era forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He is active in defense, has a decent three-point shot on offense, with average organization and ball-handling skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a player would not even have made it into the NBA in 1985 because the league didn’t need such players back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, with the times changing, by the ’90s, players like Ely suddenly became valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Older than Gan Guoyang by one year, Ely was re-signed by an NBA team in 1991.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His personal perseverance and refusal to give up are important, but his technical attributes fitting the times are key.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, one’s destiny certainly relies on personal struggle, but must also account for the course of history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Ely fits the current league trend, after Jerome Kossie missed games for various reasons, Ely occupied an important position in the rotation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, after signing Bernard King, Bobby Berman was also somewhat troubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How should this once All-Star veteran be used?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers were prepared for Petrović’s absence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The team had kept Dell Curry as a backup for Porter and Petrović.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the wing, Ely performed well, not to mention Reggie Lewis is a solid starter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lewis is steadily developing into an all-around small forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Trail Blazers’ plan, Gan is the absolute core, Lewis is the versatile outside player, and Petrović focuses on scoring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ’90\u002F’91 Gan Sabonis Twin Towers system has gradually given way to the new Iron Triangle due to Sabonis’ frequent injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these three as the framework, the Trail Blazers can maintain championship competitiveness for 4 to 5 more seasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more, considering Jerome Kossie still sits on the bench, drawing a million-dollar salary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how poor his form, he’s ultimately a veteran of the team, the one most familiar with the Trail Blazers’ system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It makes no sense to bench Kossie and play the older, defensively weaker King, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If King were just an ordinary veteran, like Jones before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or Wayne Cooper at the end of the bench, just being the 12th or 13th player, that would be fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But King is a prideful star, a former team king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you play him less, have him serve others, he’ll feel resentful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he mishandles his relationship with teammates, he could easily become a locker room bomb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Berman of course knows that King and Gan are very good friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They have been familiar with each other since their time in San Francisco; Berman also knows King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, Berman was an obscure high school basketball coach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>King was in his prime, a well-known super scorer in the league, a court star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time has passed; Berman is now a renowned champion coach across America.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whereas King, due to recurring injuries, is on the verge of retirement, nearly forgotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His name once shone bright but has been completely overshadowed by other stars of the new era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At yesterday’s signing ceremony, aside from reporters, not many fans attended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bernard King displayed his Trail Blazers No. 30 jersey in the cold rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The desolation of a once hero is fully evident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Berman discussed with Jerry West in training:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Trading Mark is acceptable; we do have too many front-line players. But with Pete injured, we should sign a guard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West looked at the training ground, casually saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A guard? Do you think we still need a guard?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, now we only have two proper guards in the team, Porter and Curry. Lewis can play guard, but he is now more frequently appearing at small forward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bobby Berman prefers West to sign a small guard back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure during Petrović’s absence, the backcourt has an additional backup.\u003C\u002Fp>",939,"2026-06-06T01:41:51.304Z",1,"novelbin.me","400e61b2a5699f8ca5d1863996ecb4de6651cbf668bbdc009efc1b7b7dec4c09","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1301","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1300",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]