[{"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-1214":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},1444831,1896,"Chapter 1214 - 30: Iron Curtain (Part 4)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1214",1214,"\u003Cp>Magic Johnson speaks eloquently, and he indeed has the right to do so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, from his expression and demeanor, one can tell Johnson is quite excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he once stood on this court battling with Gan Guoyang, his blood flows with a competitive gene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After playing the Olympics, Johnson considered making a comeback; that summer, he trained again and participated in several preseason games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, before the regular season started, his comeback was opposed by some active players who were concerned about the transmissibility of AIDS.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnson could only announce that he would not return and began to live the life of a retired player.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Writing books, shooting commercials, engaging in social activities, and working as a guest commentator on television.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now standing on the heated stage of the Western Conference Finals, facing the Portland Trail Blazers, his old rivals and friends, how could he not be excited and expectant?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, this court no longer belongs to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the thrilling opening ceremony ended, the Trail Blazers, clad in white jerseys, stood on the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another despairing fact is that since their championship season in 1990, the Trail Blazers have only lost one game at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was last season when they unexpectedly lost the first game of the semifinals to the Seattle SuperSonics; otherwise, Western teams found it difficult to conquer the Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Garden Arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fans here possess an overwhelming confidence; before the match begins, their screams and cheers seem so elegant and composed, unlike the madness in other cities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang again secured ball possession during the tip-off, and the Trail Blazers initiated their first offense of the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lewis perhaps got too relaxed, receiving and shooting a mid-range airball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Barkley’s three-point shot attempt missed as well; the scenario was different from Game Five indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Game Five, Barkley and the Suns hit their shots from the first quarter, becoming increasingly smooth thereafter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang also attempted a jump shot but missed similarly, while Barkley seized the rebound and pushed the ball past half-court to launch an attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Backing Sabonis down into the post, Lewis came to double-team, and Barkley stepped back to pass the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Richard Dumass received the ball in the middle, immediately passing it to Mark West under the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West dunked the ball, and the Suns scored the first point of the match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers started with some caution, you could even say they were slightly constrained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever a series reaches its final step, it’s inevitable to exercise some caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three unsuccessful offensive attempts, finally, Terry Porter received a long pass from Lewis at the left corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Porter caught the ball and quickly shot a three-pointer, scoring! The Trail Blazers broke the deadlock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Suns’ side, Dan Majerle also drove in for a layup and drew a foul on Sabonis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first quarter, the Suns adopted a notable strategic change: Paul Westphal basically abandoned Kevin Johnson on offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of not letting Kevin Johnson handle the ball, they used him as a traditional point guard to dribble, pass, and organize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the responsibility of driving the attack from the perimeter was given to Dan Majerle and Richard Dumass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Westphal realized that using Kevin Johnson as an attacker only served as a block party for Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In such cases, the more Kevin Johnson attacked, the greater the harm to the team, as his efficiency was too low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, with Porter not performing well, Johnson could shine, but the inside was too tightly controlled, leaving him to rely on his inconsistent jumper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without sharp drives, the power of the once-purple lightning significantly waned, as Kevin has not shaken off the shadows since high school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Kevin Johnson turned into an organizer and passer, it meant that Paul Westphal’s offensive transformation of the Suns throughout the entire season hadn’t worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This looked not much different from the Suns before, the so-called multi-core offense had become an empty promise, already dissipating by Game Six.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first quarter, Majerle, Barkley, and Richard Dumass consecutively attacked inside, achieving good results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, Gan Guoyang did not host a block party; not every night can he get 10 blocks in a single game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns’ defense was also quite effective, strictly guarding against Gan Guoyang receiving the ball, hoping to cut off the Trail Blazers’ most efficient scoring point at the source.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>28:24, the Suns had a good start, making their Game Six look not so bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the Trail Blazers, as the game progressed, they played more and more patiently, especially Gan Guoyang, who was patient, continuously creating opportunities for his teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His aim was not only victory but also to engage his teammates before the finals began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Porter scored 8 points in the first quarter, becoming the team’s highest scorer; after resting, he felt quite good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the second quarter, the contention between both sides intensified, with actions growing more aggressive, leading to physical confrontations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns deliberately stirred the waters, hoping to create some incidents in Game Six, expecting to bring about some unexpected situations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a strategy devised by Paul Westphal before the game, as he believed that at this point, some means were necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang showed immense restraint; he did not hit anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He twice pointed at Dan Majerle’s nose, scolding, and pushed Mark West away twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles Barkley, on the other hand, remained calm, coming over several times to advise and stop Ah Gan from getting angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley knew Ah Gan very well; if things got physical, no one on the Suns would be a match for him.\u003C\u002Fp>",939,"2026-06-06T01:41:51.875Z",1,"novelbin.me","9e8bc6790298e116da3a4162a9c0a5c0616fbca3748b41e801700ce2180022c6","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1215","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1213",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]