[{"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-1210":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},1444827,1896,"Chapter 1210 - 9: Unbeatable Gan_5","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1210",1210,"\u003Cp>Marley, Barkley, and even Kevin Johnson were frequently mismatched against Gan Guoyang, and he easily took advantage of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns’ lackluster defense gave the Trail Blazers an opportunity to exploit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the Suns’ intense and rough defense, at times nearly clashing with the Trail Blazers’ players,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>their tactical efforts couldn’t hide strategic flaws, nor compensate for systemic issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being short, an inherent weakness in basketball, was brutally exposed by the Trail Blazers, or rather by Ah Gan, despite the Suns’ efforts to compensate with strength and speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns put up a determined resistance, but the lack of offensive rebounds and loss of defensive rebounds kept them underwater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers didn’t repeat their Game 1 mistake of being led by the nose by the Suns, but used their height, rebounding, and mismatches to firmly control the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it comes to \"control,\" no one in the history of the league can compare to Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This master of control, who holds the threads, slowly tied up the free-spirited and enthusiastic Sun Team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paul Westphal thought they could win on the road and regain home-court advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the reality was that after losing the second game, the Sun Team was already caught in Ah Gan’s web, struggling to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Game 2, Charles Barkley fought hard because he realized Ah Gan was weaving his web.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the morale and home-court whistle advantage at their Phoenix home, drawing out fouls to send Ah Gan out for half a quarter, winning this game for a 2-0 lead would be a completely different situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they lost both road games, they would still have a chance to adjust and return to Phoenix for a critical game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like a game of chess, one wrong move and you’re controlled at every step, gradually sinking into a quagmire, hard to extricate yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley played at a high level again in the fourth game, but Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers launched fierce attacks, targeting the Suns’ weaknesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang and Sabonis dominated the paint, with Sabonis achieving his playoff-high of 31 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half of those points came from Gan Guoyang’s assists, who consistently fed Sabonis the ball after drawing enough defensive attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang scored 33 points, had 11 assists, and grabbed 15 rebounds, controlling the game inside and out, with the Twin Towers firmly grasping the Suns’ lifeline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever the Suns tried to gain momentum, Gan Guoyang would step up, using mismatch advantages to score or assist, steadily suppressing the Suns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This rendered Barkley’s 37 points ineffective, unable to break free, always submerged, with the most discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most disappointing aspect for Phoenix Suns fans remained Kevin Johnson, who only played well in the first game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the second game, he got blocked repeatedly, the third game was a blowout, making statistics meaningless, and in the fourth game, he was still hindered by the Trail Blazers’ tall players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a Point Guard, lack of height and long-range shooting ability is a fatal flaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He can compete against teams with similar weaknesses or less strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Kevin Johnson is also a top scorer, capable of tough plays, potentially dominating when in form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once faced with a top team balanced in all aspects, a smaller player like Johnson suffers greater losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the first to the fourth game, scenes of Kevin Johnson scoring inside were rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering the key moments, he either got blocked or wildly threw up shots, leaving it to fate whether they went in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ironically, during crucial times when Barkley was fatigued, only Kevin Johnson had the ability to break through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could the Sun Team do? If he didn’t play, others couldn’t score, unable to manage possession, so he had to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these times, he was inferior to Petrović, who, despite his knee injury, still had height on his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Petrović scored inside against the Suns more frequently than Kevin Johnson, despite less possession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Game 4, 95-101, the Trail Blazers claimed another victory at home, winning three straight games after one loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The series was completely reversed, with the Trail Blazers leading 3-1, just one victory away from reaching the finals for the fourth consecutive year!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the game, Charles Barkley’s expression was unusually serious as he lowered his head and left the court back to the locker room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, inside he felt less dejected than he appeared, feeling a slight relief despite trailing 1-3 after this loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt like everything was expected, with Ah Gan being too strong, and losing Game 2 indeed led to an insurmountable challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Westphal still didn’t truly understand Ah Gan or how to play a series against the Portland people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When playing the Trail Blazers, whether in one game or a series, one must seize the lead first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Win early, take the lead, only then is there hope of holding victory, or else await being controlled by Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an interview, Barkley sincerely said, \"This year might not be the best Trail Blazers team, but it’s definitely the best Ah Gan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving Portland, Gan Guoyang found Barkley and gave him a heavy box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley held the box, saying, \"What’s this? Hawkmann’s head?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His brain isn’t this heavy, and it’s not suitable as an MVP gift. Open it back home.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang specially crafted a gift to give Barkley as an MVP memento.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, gifting it while the two teams were competing would be inappropriate, so it was best to give after the two road games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley, however, couldn’t resist taking a peek and found the box filled with something golden, like gold!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gold?! That’s great stuff, but... you’d better keep it for now. Give it to me once I make it back to Portland.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you sure the series will return to Portland?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Absolutely, I haven’t played enough yet, or are you already scared?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang gave Barkley a bright smile, assuming this guy wouldn’t back down even at 1-3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But, backing down isn’t in Barkley’s nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang kept the box, saying, \"Alright, I’ll wait for you to come back to Portland. If you don’t return, I’ll take this back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley hesitated, then quickly snatched the box, saying, \"The series will come back to Portland, but a gift is a gift, two separate things.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on court performance alone, Barkley was truly excellent this year, prompting Gan Guoyang to give his all in the series.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to beat Ah Gan, it requires skill, effort, time, place, and luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without extraordinary luck, one cannot beat Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>",1089,"2026-06-06T01:41:51.875Z",1,"novelbin.me","eef2ebcb5b9deddd0610b2cde7163402d37ee58064c97b002274829781f5740a","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1211","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1209",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]