[{"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-1194":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},1444743,1896,"Chapter 1194 - 26: MVP\u002F1993_4","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1194",1194,"\u003Cp>Marley, Johnson, Sebalos, their offense is quick and swift, not focusing on deliberate tactical coordination. They attack as soon as there’s an opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is also a current trend in NBA offense, giving each player on the court enough offensive autonomy instead of rigidly following tactical routes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This flexibility and autonomy pose great difficulties for defenders. The Trail Blazers, who once had the best man-to-man defense in the league, now have their footwork slowing down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns are different from the Supersonics. The Supersonics’ two cores are good at everything besides independent offense, especially defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns’ two cores are the opposite; their independent offensive capabilities are very strong, but other areas, especially defense, have considerable shortcomings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the Trail Blazers’ inside line begins to bear a lot of pressure, and at this time, the Trail Blazers face a new problem: should Gan Guoyang play the four or the five?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Gan Guoyang plays the five, it means he can’t guard Barkley, and Sabonis must defend Barkley instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The regular season has already proven that Sabonis’ defense on Barkley is ineffective, so Gan Guoyang has to step up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, once Gan Guoyang goes to defend Barkley, only Sabonis is left in the paint, making the Trail Blazers’ rim protection challenging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Barkley frequently handles the ball on the perimeter. This year, his playmaking ability has improved by a notch, averaging 5.1 assists per game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Barkley’s three-point shooting has improved considerably under Gan Guoyang’s years of reminders, making him a significant threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first quarter, Barkley hit a three-pointer and delivered two assists, making the Suns’ offense run smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without solid defense, the Trail Blazers’ offense is somewhat choppy and fragmented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the wild cheering of the US West Center Suns fans, the Trail Blazers ended the first quarter trailing the Suns by 6 points, 25:31.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conceding 31 points in a single quarter is obviously substandard defense for the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While defending Barkley, Gan Guoyang recalled the game years ago when he single-handedly defended Larry Bird on the perimeter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the 1986 Finals. Besides Ah Gan, no one on the Trail Blazers could match up against Bird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang could lock down Larry Bird’s scoring, but Bird would still use passing and positioning to keep Gan Guoyang preoccupied with other tasks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, the Trail Blazers’ inside had veterans Bill Walton and Mychal Thompson to provide support, allowing Gan Guoyang to focus on dealing with Bird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the Trail Blazers’ inside has only Sabonis. PJ Brown and Davis, the two rookies, are obviously lacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against such top teams like the Suns, Beelman is reluctant to play the rookies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Jerome Kossie were in good form, he could help inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, throughout the semifinals, Kossie hardly got any playing time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the West Finals, suddenly putting Kossie in is demanding the impossible, as Kossie can no longer hold up either side of the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, besides the Twin Towers inside, the Trail Blazers have an overall lineup that’s relatively lean, short, and fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang sat on the bench, gulping water while the coaching staff was striving to find solutions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the playoffs, the preparation and arrangement before the game are crucial, and changes should not be made lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, persistently implementing tactics is more useful than hastily changing them on a whim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you change without preparation or practice, you might lose even worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beelman decided to stick to the existing strategy and, no matter what, finish this game first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any problems or lessons learned could be summarized and adjusted in the second and third games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Trail Blazers continued to follow their established strategy, further strengthening their defense, and competing with the Suns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Trail Blazers have a deep foundation. In the second quarter, Petrović and Porter found their offensive rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consecutive three-pointers from the perimeter, meanwhile inside, Gan Guoyang started moving inside more to assist Sabonis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers quickly tied the score, forcing the Suns to call a timeout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Charles Barkley stepped up, continually receiving passes and making mid-range jump shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley, facing Ah Gan, transformed into a mid-range marksman. This year, he has honed his mid-range shooting skills significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang responded in the low post, with scores on both sides rising alternately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the Suns caught onto a better rhythm. After Barkley broke the deadlock, they launched another wave of offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>NBA games are like this, wave after wave. Whoever can dominate the rhythm often gains the advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the one chasing from behind is always more exhausted and more prone to lagging behind. Tonight, the Trail Blazers are the chasers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To deal with Gan Guoyang, the Suns specifically traded for John Salley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paul Westphal used Salley and Mark West in a rotation against Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the third quarter, Salley and Mark West both came on, going all out in the siege.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Gan Guoyang was trapped, he chose to pass, but several crucial shots by Porter and Lewis missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This led to the Trail Blazers falling behind again at a critical point in the chase, making it even harder as they tried to catch up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the fourth quarter, the competition had reached an intense stage. Like the first semi-final against the Supersonics, Gan Guoyang launched into attack mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consecutive jump shots and low post scores followed, yet unlike the Supersonics, the Suns could respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Marley, An Ji, all made crucial shots at important moments.\u003C\u002Fp>",918,"2026-06-06T01:41:51.304Z",1,"novelbin.me","945d75e886b6866a3f9f0c5be07d49d146a6e6a6e593747cf7b7438de7cc36e9","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1333","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1332",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]