[{"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-1368":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},1444935,1896,"Chapter 1368 - 28: Hit Him (Part 2)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1368",1368,"\u003Cp>The biggest trait of O’Neal’s personality is the lack of self-esteem and defiance hidden beneath his playful, humorous smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep down, this big guy is dissatisfied with everything in the world, especially those serious, seemingly lofty things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s never quite convinced, but he’s not the type to say, \"I’m not convinced, I’m going to beat you down.\" Instead, it’s more like, \"I’m not convinced, I won’t show it, but I secretly look down on you and won’t follow your way; I’ll do my own thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From an athlete’s perspective, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A player with a rebellious mindset can reach greater heights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But O’Neal’s problem is, if he meets someone who subdues him, he truly becomes docile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Gan is the person who subdues him, so now O’Neal’s primary issue is how to face Ah Gan and break the barrier within his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you aren’t as good as Ah Gan, shouldn’t you give 100% every time you face the Trail Blazers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can’t shrink to 60% or 70%, or even drop to zero like Cartwright when facing Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beelman doesn’t want O’Neal to always play in the shadows, just as he himself doesn’t want to coach forever in the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-----------------\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal misses both free throws, and Gan Guoyang firmly controls the rebound, dribbling down the court to counterattack—this style of play creates a lot of trouble for O’Neal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the league, besides Ah Gan, there’s no center who plays like this, fierce in the low post like a beast, yet agile on the perimeter like a cunning fox, dribbling, organizing, and breaking through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal only feels it’s unfair that to achieve unmatched strength, he has had to sacrifice mobility and physique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering his fifth year in the league, his weight already exceeds 330 pounds, an extremely daunting number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s not a single player in the league even approaching this weight, not to mention being agile and fast like O’Neal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence, O’Neal has gained unparalleled destructive power in the low post, and typical centers simply can’t stand up to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there are two people who can withstand him: Ah Gan and Karl Malone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karl Malone relies on muscles honed through endless training, while Ah Gan relies on the same breadth of training and power gifts comparable to O’Neal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Ah Gan hasn’t sacrificed his mobility; he remains fast and agile and can play on the court like a perimeter player.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most fatally, his shooting is deadly accurate, and his free throw percentage is historically precise, better than even Jordan’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among similarly sized humans, O’Neal is already at the ceiling of agility, yet someone like Ah Gan wants it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Gan Guoyang dribbles straight in, it creates a significant defensive headache for O’Neal. How should he defend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should he follow him? If he doesn’t follow, what happens when he leaves his man open, how will his teammates defend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Audie Norris voluntarily takes to defend Gan Guoyang, who turns around and backs Norris down, all the way to the basket, then spins for a gentle hook shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thorpe is strong enough among the power forwards, but he’s never a match for Ah Gan, completely unable to hold his ground, and guarding alone is just gifting points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shaq, why don’t you come guard me and let Audie come? Audie’s getting old.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not old yet, Sonny,\" Thorpe retorts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal keeps his head down, charging to the frontcourt without any response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jide feeds the ball to O’Neal again, who powers through Gan Guoyang in the low post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he doesn’t hesitate or overthink, shouldering in with a forceful crash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knows Ah Gan is as tough as a rock, so he uses all his strength, not expecting Gan Guoyang to go with the flow and fall, lying on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee blows the whistle, calling O’Neal for an offensive foul, which makes O’Neal very upset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Gan Guoyang signals to slow down the pace; he wants to take O’Neal in the low post again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very quickly positioning in the low post, receiving the ball with no delay, quickly spins inside towards the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A big step for a moon-hook, elegantly executed with a perfect arc, and the ball goes in accurately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On defense, Gan Guoyang switches to fronting the post to deny O’Neal the entry pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal quickly spins inside, as Jide delivers a beautiful high lob, an alley-oop chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang anticipates the timing of O’Neal’s jump, and as both leap simultaneously, Gan Guoyang disrupts the ball in mid-air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal still manages to control the ball, backs down and turns for a power jump dunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang delivers a precise karate chop, knocking the ball out of O’Neal’s hands, and retrieves it before it goes out of bounds, passing it to a teammate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal stands dumbfounded under the basket, staring at the lost ball without reacting, while the Trail Blazers don’t fast-break, waiting instead for Gan Guoyang to get back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, they go to the low post for Gan Guoyang, this time a shallow post position. Gan Guoyang receives the ball, and the Lakers bring a double team from up top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang spins to face the basket, driving with his left hand along the baseline strongly to the basket—not fast, but rhythmically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this kind of play, Gan Guoyang could have easily teased O’Neal with a step-back plus a mid-range jumper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to showcase the center’s play style for his son watching at home, he chooses to attack the basket, ultimately laying it in despite Thorpe’s help defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You still won’t admit you’re old, Audie?\" Gan Guoyang doesn’t plan to let his old friend Thorpe go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thorpe can only shake his head, knowing that tonight Ah Gan is certainly going to go on a rampage, using O’Neal to make a statement, and it’s better for him to stay out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>",981,"2026-06-06T01:41:54.549Z",1,"novelbin.me","31fa658d4cb8c3839230defbcff592bcd9eabe9917f2570c6216a084f61a8d1d","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1369","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1367",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]