[{"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-130":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},1443897,1896,"Chapter 130 - 30 Creating his death_2","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-130",130,"\u003Cp>After a while, Barkley’s call came through, and Gan Guoyang picked up the receiver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Charles, are you munching on a burger?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bullshit, I’m in season mode, I’ve already started dieting!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re playing against Jordan tonight, make sure to bring your A-game and aim to kill him out there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you guys place a bet or something?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley knew Jordan and Gan Guoyang well; those two would often make bets during training camp on all sorts of trivial matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first match of the season for both Jordan and Gan Guoyang, and it would be strange if they didn’t bet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s right, we’re betting on who scores more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want half of that!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We didn’t bet money.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what’s the point? Why the hell did you call me, just to interfere with my eating?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Barkley hung up the phone, but Gan Guoyang had achieved his purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He figured Barkley would give it his all against Jordan in their first NBA encounter, even if not just to help him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gan Guoyang expected, Barkley played with great effort in the opening game, facing off against Jordan in front of 13,000 viewers at the Chicago Stadium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan tried his best, scoring 18 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists, and making an impressive 5 blocks—including two against Barkley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley managed to score 15 points and added 6 rebounds and 3 assists, but the Washington Bullets lost 100:109 to the Bulls on the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the game, Gan Guoyang teased Barkley for not getting as many rebounds as Jordan, to which Barkley retorted that he had less playing time!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you still got blocked twice by Michael.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... I’ll definitely get back at him later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scoring 18 points wasn’t a particularly big challenge for Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang knew that his goal for the first game was to help the team win, not just to outscore Jordan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their bet was nothing more than a bit of fun amidst the tedious game schedule; he wasn’t going to shoot extra just to outscore Jordan for the sake of winning the bet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The evening of October 27th, in Kansas’s Kemper Arena, the 1984-1985 season opener.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sports arena with its rather peculiar design had over 14,000 spectators that night, with an attendance rate that exceeded seventy percent, which was quite good back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Kansas Kings had changed cities back and forth since the ’50s, but had trouble finding a stable footing in Kansas City—a basketball town where most fans were die-hard supporters of the Kansas Jayhawks and nobody wanted to watch the poorly-performing Kings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To expand their market influence, the Kings established a second home court in Omaha, Nebraska, but that didn’t work out well either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Nebraska, there were hardly any people, let alone spare time to watch basketball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The good attendance that night owed somewhat to the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang; during his college road trips, Gan Guoyang had visited Kansas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Donning the Trail Blazers’ red and black number 11 jersey, lacing up in Avia’s red and black sneakers, Gan Guoyang looked quite different as he walked onto the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dimly lit gymnasium, which had less than perfect lighting, Gan Guoyang shone like a beacon, standing out among the black players so that everyone couldn’t help but notice him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ramsay put Gan Guoyang in the starting lineup; the power forward was Mychal Thompson, the small forward Vandeweghe, the shooting guard Jim Paxson, and the point guard Valentine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A roster that is reasonable in terms of both age and ability, with Drexler sitting on the bench as the sixth man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there’s a problem with this starting lineup, it’s that the Vandeweghe + Paxson forward-guard combo is too weak on defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two white perimeter players, brimming with firepower, but their defensive abilities and attitudes leave much to be desired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the NBA allowed zone defense, their shortcomings would be greatly reduced, but since the NBA only allows man-to-man, it poses a real problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack Ramsey is certainly aware of this problem, but he also knows that there’s no such thing as a perfect team; everyone is playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang stepped up to the center circle to jump ball, facing Lasalle Thompson, a center who stands at 6-foot-10 but is exceptionally muscular.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes later, Lasalle Thompson, like many centers who faced Gan Guoyang for the first time, exclaimed, \"How is this guy so strong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was akin to the first time players faced Jordan, \"How can this kid move so fast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right from the start, both teams launched into an offensive battle, as the existence of a 24-second shot clock made the pace of NBA games much faster than in NCAA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the mid-1970s, the average NBA scoring has been on the rise, fluctuating around 110 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last season, the league’s average score was 110.1 points—without much use of the three-point shot, the 110 points per game were achieved through multiple rounds of fast-paced two-point play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang, following Valentine, Paxson, Vandeweghe, and others, sprinted back and forth over several rounds, already grabbing a number of rebounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lasalle Thompson is an expert in offensive rebounds, but when Gan Guoyang firmly boxed out beneath the basket, he couldn’t get through at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the assurance of defensive rebounds, the Trail Blazers had no worries on offense, allowing Vandeweghe and Paxson to push forward boldly without having to stay within the free-throw line to compete for the defensive rebounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the first five minutes of the quarter, after a clattering barrage of shots, when the Kings called for a timeout, the score was just 15:12, the Trail Blazers ahead by three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shooting percentages for both teams were unsightly; one at forty percent and the other in the mid-thirties. Guoyang had already snagged 6 rebounds, including 2 offensive rebounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you guys keep bricking like this, I’m going to grab 40 rebounds tonight!\" Gan Guoyang reminded everyone from the bench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers’ offense, although fast, was not sloppy; on the contrary, their plays were very organized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentine was a steady orchestrator, and white players like Vandeweghe and Paxson had a high tactical literacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thompson, having played several years in college, was likewise seen as a reliable big man by his coach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Gan Guoyang, needless to say, despite his cursing and fancy tricks in training, come game time, he played more disciplined basketball than anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ramsay even praised him, saying that Gan Guoyang’s picks at the top of the key were textbook-level, solid and perfectly executed, better than most centers in the league today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, his teammates didn’t capitalize on the opportunities and missed their shots, failing to extend the lead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ramsay encouraged his players, shoot more boldly, run faster, \"Find your offensive rhythm in the first quarter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the start of the season, the players’ tasks included not only winning games but also finding their form and getting the body in sync with game tempo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An NBA season is very long, with ups and downs, and a good start can smooth out the path ahead considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gan, do you want to take a break?\" Ramsay asked Gan Guoyang, who was drinking water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rest? You’re so kind to me. If I keep playing under you, I could play until I’m fifty,\" said Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quit your bullshit and get back on the court. If they’re not shooting well, can’t you damn well score yourself?\" said Ramsay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ramsay was slightly critical of Gan Guoyang for passing to teammates rather than going for his own shot after grabbing two offensive rebounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he was just talking; he knew Gan Guoyang was trying to help his teammates find their shooting touch.\u003C\u002Fp>",1293,"2026-06-06T01:41:13.546Z",1,"novelbin.me","8b3d1f89d93b043b7a29d4d1af2a539d902d0a70b816ab8d375a1d782de21205","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-131","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-129",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]