[{"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-1338":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},1444755,1896,"Chapter 1338 - 20: No Elbows_5","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1338",1338,"\u003Cp>Once they can’t overpower their opponents on defense, relying on offense to turn the tide becomes incredibly difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang scored 14 points and made 3 assists in a single quarter, single-handedly breaching the Cavaliers’ defense inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Kobe did a great job tonight of compensating for the team’s weak individual defense on the outside, completely shutting Brandon down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers launched their final counterattack, but lacking talent and a leader, they faltered in the contest of key plays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang scored 31 points in total, leading the Trail Blazers to a 91-83 victory in Cleveland, securing their third consecutive win!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe had 6 points, 1 steal, and 3 rebounds, reaching a career-high 25 minutes on the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a post-game interview, he calmly said, \"This is just what I’m supposed to do. If I complete the task, coach will keep me on the court. It’s that simple.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe believes he is on the right path, and he foresees smoother progress in future games and expects to soon achieve his first career dunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the schedule dealt another heavy blow to the Trail Blazers. After playing against the Cavaliers on November 12th, they immediately traveled to Indianapolis that same night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another back-to-back away game, everyone cursed the NBA’s schedule on the plane, as within just over two weeks at the season’s start, they arranged two back-to-back away games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Indiana Pacers were ready at their home ground, where Reggie Miller was in his tenth year in this \"godforsaken\" place, something he never expected when he first arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had evolved from a skinny player in the 1987-1988 season, who was deemed fragile in the league, to the league’s toughest shooter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Gan Guoyang, the teammates around him have changed completely, yet he remains steadfast here, even if he never imagined dedicating his basketball career here initially.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miller has matured, becoming a dangerous scorer whose output isn’t large, but in some games, he will blend into the background, only to contribute crucial points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he hits a hot streak, he can make opponents pay dearly with his long-range shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird had returned to his hometown, and initially, he had considered coaching the Indiana Pacers, as it was close to his home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Pacers took in the coaching team from the Trail Blazers then—Rick Adelman came to Indiana with Jack Shaloff and John Wetzell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adelman performed well there, leading the team step by step to become regulars in the playoffs, once threatening the Bulls and Heat, the two superpowers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a 1996 trade, they acquired Antonio Davis and Mario Ely from the Trail Blazers with a number 10 pick, and traded Mark Jackson from the Knicks, completing their lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, they have the Dutch giant Rick Schmitz, Antonio Davis, and Dale Davis on the inside, with Reggie Miller, Mario Ely, Mark Jackson, Jalen Rose, and Derek McKey in the backcourt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They may not have MVP-level superstars, but each position is strong, and their overall lineup is quite balanced in offense and defense. Undoubtedly, they will be a significant force on the Eastern stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the Trail Blazers, with a young age structure and severe lack of cohesion, facing strong, balanced teams with tough defenses like the Supersonics and Pacers, they can quickly fall behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the fatigue from back-to-back away games is a real killer of form; they haven’t even acclimated from the Cavaliers game when they’ve already stepped on the yellow floor of Conseco Fieldhouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For young players like Little O’Neal and Kobe, the physical stamina issue in consecutive away games is secondary; the key is how to adjust their emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game, Little O’Neal felt like he was in a daze, as if dreaming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t sleep on the plane and slept until the afternoon upon arriving in Indianapolis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ate a little and came to the stadium for warm-ups, and soon the game was about to start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tonight’s opponent is the Pacers? I thought it was the Cavaliers?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ve got it wrong; we’ve already played the Cavaliers. You’re all muddled up, Jermaine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe reminded Little O’Neal. Little O’Neal was confused, whereas Kobe was excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The outstanding performance against the Cavaliers gave him confidence and motivation, and tonight he proactively told Bird he wanted to guard Reggie Miller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird agreed to let Kobe take on this task, wanting to see how Kobe would fare against the league’s best moving shooter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game started on time, and the Pacers’ overall strength overpowered the Trail Blazers, who again fell into the Ah Gan dependency syndrome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the offense, if the ball didn’t pass through Ah Gan’s hands, it played out chaotically and without structure. Van Exel is good in chaotic battles, but his short stature is a hindrance in set-piece plays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang was receiving the ball a lot in high and shallow low positions to orchestrate the attack, but the Pacers’ defense was formidable, with Double Davis, Garik Schmits in rotation, and constant harassment from Mario Ely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is this how you guys welcome me back to the NBA?\" In the face of adversity, Gan Guoyang didn’t lose his composure but instead joked with these old buddies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game, Adelman, Shaloff, Ely, Davis, and others all expressed their desire to welcome Gan Guoyang back, and so this was how they did it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang felt the problems brought by his decreased explosiveness and speed, as in the slow-paced set-piece offense and defense, he now more easily fell into defensive traps.\u003C\u002Fp>",917,"2026-06-06T01:41:52.877Z",1,"novelbin.me","c1563437eca200a5237b3c90fa37b2bb0aa69e5c3ca236e7b30c4b3c0defc381","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1339","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1337",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]