[{"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-1286":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},1444653,1896,"Chapter 1286 - 9: Little Bull 4","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1286",1286,"\u003Cp>Before the training began, Bird calmly stated, and then for two and a half hours in the morning, he meticulously tracked the time as he commenced a grueling physical torture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regular shuttle runs, baseline shuttle runs, dribbling runs, layup runs, one-on-one man-to-man offense and defense runs... various aerobic and anaerobic training related to running and jumping seemed endless, tormenting everyone in the training camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Gan Guoyang, Kobe, and Little O’Neal, the rest of the training camp consisted of undrafted rookies and players on short-term contracts, who spent the entire summer mixing in different training camps, hoping to earn some wages while finding a stable and reliable job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers’ rookie training camp was always known for its harshness. Any player who could persist and rise from here would be held in high regard wherever they played.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially as they could say, \"I trained with Ah Gan, who is the number one in the NBA.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone who trained with Gan Guoyang naturally had to marvel at Ah Gan’s abundant stamina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The physical training program Bird prepared for the rookies was merely an appetizer for Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Midway through the training, during a break, Gan Guoyang shouted to Bird, \"Larry, if this is your level of coaching, I think you’re overpaid!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang used the phrase \"you are overpaid,\" a common saying by Auerbach to evaluate players when he was with the Celtics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever a player didn’t perform to his standards, the Redhead would bellow while puffing on his cigar, \"You’re overpaid! I paid too much!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird thought to himself, this kid is really well-informed, even knowing the Redhead’s catchphrases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He retorted, \"As of now, you’re the most overpaid person in the entire league. Thirty million, my God, can you build a nuclear bomb?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang shamelessly boasted, \"I’m the nuclear bomb on the basketball court!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two and a half hours of morning physical training ended, and almost everyone was utterly exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only two people seemed unfazed, one was Gan Guoyang, the other was Kobe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the training, Kobe even approached Gan Guoyang saying, \"We should continue that unfinished one-on-one game.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang didn’t refuse, saying, \"Sure, I can play with you until you don’t want to anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will never get tired of playing, be careful, Sonny, I will keep improving.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang smiled without responding; he liked this spirit Kobe had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On one hand, he didn’t want to dampen Kobe’s enthusiasm and zeal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, he felt this energy needed good guidance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the draft began until now, Kobe always had a sense of urgency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, he didn’t need to be in such a hurry, he was only 18 years old with plenty of youth ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Kobe didn’t see it that way; he was eager to improve and didn’t want to waste a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the morning training, Kobe spent the entire afternoon with Gan Guoyang and Little O’Neal in the gym for additional training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe’s one-on-one offense wasn’t much better than his defense; in high school, he was invincible, but against the NBA’s number one defender, he was helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang’s defensive prowess was historically superior, more stable than his offensive position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On offense, people mentioned Jordan and Chamberlain, but on defense, Ah Gan was the strongest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After gaining weight to 280 pounds, Gan Guoyang’s movement speed had decreased; his start and lateral movements weren’t as good as during his peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his experience and skills were unparalleled, with an exceptionally strong predictive ability, and he was well aware of Kobe’s habitual moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe repeatedly tried to use speed, explosiveness, or repeated dribbling and crossovers to shake off the defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, he found Ah Gan, this 280-pound, 32-year-old player inside, to be unbelievably agile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, his verbal assaults didn’t cease, tormenting Kobe both physically and mentally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I were 5 years younger, you wouldn’t score a single basket today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m old, but why do your legs seem older than mine?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your dribbling is too rigid, too predictable; I can tell your next move just by watching your toes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Faster, faster, you’re without any resistance, as soft as a lump of cotton!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know, I was the one who had Buckwalter pick you; now your performance is a bit disappointing... block you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang left an opening for Kobe to drive to the basket, then blocked Kobe’s layup from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While giving the open space, Gan Guoyang skillfully stuck to Kobe, not allowing him any chance to explode upwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lack of resistance made Kobe’s layup weak and powerless, after an entire day of training and one-on-one, his legs felt leaden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe not only got blocked but also got knocked out of bounds, lying on the floor, looking up at the high steel ceiling, dizzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All afternoon, the number of shots Kobe made could be counted on one hand, while the baskets Gan Guoyang made were countless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in middle school, Kobe could already beat his former professional player father Joe Bryant in one-on-one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In high school, Kobe was unbeatable one-on-one, frequently putting up scores of 100:5, 100:8 in friendly games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Kobe finally experienced what it was like to have the opponent score 100 while he scored only single digits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe’s vision suddenly darkened, a huge figure stood beside him, reaching out a hand towards him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lying there, Kobe looked at standing Ah Gan, his huge, strong body like a statue, and he seemed to have traveled back to the summer of July 1986.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The statue radiated a dazzling light, towering and boundless, looking at him with compassionate eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>",932,"2026-06-06T01:41:52.558Z",1,"novelbin.me","ceb4846f3c131cf6db5a729476e9568f2e3de28668dc4c42c423cd718eb66dd8","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1287","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1285",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]