[{"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-1309":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},1444685,1896,"Chapter 1309 - 13: The Number 1 Shooting Guard (Part 5)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1309",1309,"\u003Cp>The real big issue is still defense, the part that gives Bird the most headache, as the Trail Blazers’ defensive resources are truly unbalanced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They have the best rim protector among the big men and an excellent blue-collar power forward, but they lack a competent small forward, and their backcourt defense is riddled with holes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Porter is too old; Van Exel and Riddle are notorious defensive sieves, and although Alon Magee has the potential to become a defensive powerhouse, his height is an issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shooting guard and small forward positions are the ones Bird is most worried about; there’s not a single competent and effective person. They’re all young, attack-loving upstarts, which is quite dangerous and deadly for a team’s defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nowadays, the league has more and more players with excellent physical attributes, strong breakthroughs, and precise shooting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They follow in Jordan’s footsteps into the league, greatly changing the NBA’s style and scene, with more high-flying dunks and breakthroughs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the preseason training camp, Bird kept urging Buckwalter to sign a competent small forward to patch the Trail Blazers’ wing gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buckwalter proposed several candidates like Xavier McDaniel and Dominique Wilkins, all of whom Bird vetoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird made it clear that he didn’t want to add more attack-loving, ball-holding veterans, as this could easily disrupt the team atmosphere and increase management costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, McDaniel’s condition is far from his best, and Dominique Wilkins does not meet Bird’s defensive requirements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wilkins hasn’t had fewer skirmishes with Bird during his player days, and Bird is worried this guy will clash with him after arriving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No coach likes to bring in those who clash with them; Bird doesn’t want to waste energy on locker room battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Buckwalter signed the forward abandoned by the Raptors, Don Antonio Wingfield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavyweight small forward, 6-foot-8 but weighing 256 pounds, just like Van Exel, graduated from the University of Cincinnati.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Exel had just graduated when Wingfield joined Cincinnati, becoming an effective player under Don Haskins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buckwalter signed him for two reasons: first, he had a decent three-pointer, crucial for the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, in style, gameplay, and physique, he’s somewhat like Jerome Kossie, a heavyweight small forward who can occasionally play power forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah Gan is accustomed to having a shadow forward beside him on the court,\" Buckwalter told Bird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shadow forward? Might as well let me play; I guarantee I can completely hide in the dark as a shadow,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird joked, but eventually agreed to the signing because time was running out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The training camp is about to end, and the regular season is about to start, and Bird only feels there’s still a bunch of unresolved issues within the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No choice but to wait for the new season to start, resolving these issues while competing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird can foresee this will be a muddled, chaotic, yet lively and spectacular new season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of October, the preseason training camp officially ends, and in November, the NBA’s 1996-1997 season is about to start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, according to his planned schedule, Gan Guoyang needs to keep his weight at 273 pounds, which is the best weight data he experimented with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the chaos of the preseason, he sorted out his list of offensive moves, tearfully deleting some actions that no longer fit the times and his physical condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the unique move Bernard King once taught him: catching the ball, quickly turning around, leaning forward for a jump shot, and simultaneously elevating and turning—a move unmatched, blindingly fast, and one of Gan Guoyang’s major scoring tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, Gan Guoyang decides to use it less frequently because he is 32 years old and needs to protect his knees; this offensive method is too damaging to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some skills that used to only occasionally show prominence will become regular weapons in Gan Guoyang’s arsenal, like step-back jump shots and small floaters after penetrating the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These are relatively more sustainable styles; Gan Guoyang needs to plan for a longer future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feels excited, thrilled, and nervous about the upcoming new season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pressure is greater than people imagine—as the king returns to the stage, everyone will be watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Playing well is taken for granted; playing poorly, the boos will sound much louder than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old opponents who were once stepped on are all itching for him to come their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On October 31, the entire Trail Blazers team boarded \"Pioneer One,\" flying from Portland to Vancouver, Canada.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their first opponent of the new season will be the NBA’s new team, the Vancouver Grizzlies, a suitable team for the opening match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plane took off on time, and no one was late, which pleased Bird the most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, his pressure is equally great as Ah Gan’s. On the plane, he seems restless, gazing frequently at the white expanse outside the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he is very familiar with NBA games, coaching a team through the regular season is like a blank slate to him, akin to the clouds outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little O’Neal and Kobe sit in sequence; one is excitedly nervous, the other continues feeling dejected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this period, Kobe vented all his frustrations in the gym, striving to bulk up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Training alongside him, Little O’Neal realizes deeply during matches how important strength is in confrontations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe’s good news is that in recent check-ups, his bone fracture has healed; such is the speed of recovery at a young age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the schedule, he is expected to return in the game against the San Antonio Spurs on November 10.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bad news is, Bird does not intend to let Kobe start, but rather to have him play from the bench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This discontented Kobe, yet he cannot refuse; here in the NBA, Bird is the coach, and it’s not up to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This leads Kobe to exhibit some tantrums in daily interactions, like a child sulking without getting candy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang watches this cold-eyed, neither exposing nor intervening, knowing it’s a process that must be undergone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy Kobe needs to temper his temperament well; when he can truly calm down and become patient, his progress will be faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Kobe directly asks Gan Guoyang, \"Why were you able to play as a starter in your first game as a rookie?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang straightforwardly answers him, \"Because I beat all the starters down at training camp, then I became a starter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe is left speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang says to Kobe, \"First find a way to handle Van Exel in defense, to penetrate Alon Magee in offense, to easily beat Riddle one-on-one, then talk about starting, about being a starter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe seriously looks at Gan Guoyang and says, \"Really?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang nods, \"Really.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What if Larry doesn’t agree?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then just beat Larry in the game of horse.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe is silent for a while, then says, \"What if I just beat you directly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang seems to anticipate Kobe saying this, smiles, and says, \"You should first think about surpassing Jordan and becoming the number one shooting guard before talking about that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The number one shooting guard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe silently makes it one of his mid-term goals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And thinking about having to defeat Van Exel, Magee, Riddle, Kobe’s previously dejected mood improves considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart is once again filled with hope and motivation, engaging together with his teammates in the battles of the 1996-1997 season.\u003C\u002Fp>",1231,"2026-06-06T01:41:52.877Z",1,"novelbin.me","93b842af5ef6139881e5822798ca869af45fc887aacf38d5abe3cbe1f0f5ae63","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1160","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1159",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]