[{"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-1384":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},1444951,1896,"Chapter 1384 - 32: The Best Mindset (Part 2)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1384",1384,"\u003Cp>Because he’s afraid of pain, it’s a secret he never wanted to share with anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His most painful experiences on the NBA court were caused by Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he was beaten violently, another time he was thrown onto the technical stand, both times he grimaced in pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reflecting back, Rodman doesn’t know where he found the courage back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he would never compete with Ah Gan, while most other so-called tough guys are just pretending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including Charles Barkley, whom Rodman sees as someone who bullies the weak and fears the strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Ah Gan is real, and once he gets going, he doesn’t hold back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first quarter, the Bulls and the Trail Blazers engaged in a fast-paced offensive and defensive battle amid a rather chaotic atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers had an advantage on the inside, they grabbed 4 more rebounds than the Bulls, all offensive rebounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Trail Blazers couldn’t turn the rebounding advantage into a scoring advantage, as each offensive rebound couldn’t immediately result in a score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not that the Bulls were protecting the basket well, but the Bulls’ outside players were incredibly quick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PJ Brown, Ah Gan, AC Green, as long as they grabbed the ball under the basket, the Bulls players would immediately defend and intercept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang wanted to use rebounds to take advantage in the first quarter, but the Bulls stopped him with steals and out-of-bounds disruptions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Trail Blazers on defense faced the Bulls without any good solutions, they could only stick to one-on-one individual defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to before 1993, Jordan in 1997 initiated more attacks from the 45-degree position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His back-to-the-basket offense was in its prime, comparable to Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tremendous strength, skilled and quick footwork, spirited turnaround jump shots, combined with diverse offensive tactics, left defenders helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In comparison, Gan Guoyang could play like Jordan, but he couldn’t because he had more tasks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to set screens for teammates, act as the pivot, battle for offensive rebounds, and catch and organize from the outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers were behind the Bulls 27:28 by one point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starting with a lead, as the game progressed, the Trail Blazers clearly couldn’t keep up with the Bulls’ pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls were impeccable in details, every offense and defense with no major errors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They perfectly controlled the tempo, easing back after the initial clash with the Trail Blazers, applying pressure with a more relaxed half-court offense and solid perimeter defense, while seizing the game’s initiative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Bulls were leading by just one point, Phil Jackson took a big breath of relief after the first quarter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the break, he told Jordan, \"Ah Gan might still be the same Ah Gan, but the Trail Blazers aren’t the same Trail Blazers anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a match between strong teams, usually, one quarter is enough to assess the opponent’s abilities, knowing their level and cards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially for top teams like the Bulls, who had the highest-level battles with the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The epic battles in the 1991 and 1992 Finals are still vivid in Jackson’s mind, that suffocating feeling and uncertainty kept everyone tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now the Trail Blazers? Ah Gan still presses aggressively, yet the other Trail Blazers don’t have the past intensity, they’re excellent, a strong team, but not top challengers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Exel, Riddle are just challengers in chaotic battles, showing brilliant performances in steady-paced rounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it comes to crucial moments or critical junctions in the game, they struggle to provide Ah Gan with sufficient support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan is too familiar with situations like this, he experienced it from 1985-1990, constantly struggling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now it’s finally Ah Gan’s turn to feel that,\" Jordan smiled, chewing gum, touching the wound at the corner of his eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting on the bench to calm down, as adrenaline fades, pain washes over, Jordan spat out the gum, cursing, and put another piece in his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jackson said, \"Ah Gan acting early might not be bad, it shows he has no other options, most of the time he’s calm, making him lose his cool is beneficial.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan glared at Jackson, \"Oh really? Then stand on the sideline and curse his father, see if he loses his cool.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, forget it, Michael, let’s just play good basketball, solve problems with the game.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phil Jackson tried to talk to Dennis Rodman, hoping he would target Ah Gan in the upcoming game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Trail Blazers are far inferior to the Bulls, Jackson knew that in a regular-season game, Ah Gan could turn the tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dealing with Ah Gan requires continuous targeting from start to finish, at least suppress his shooting percentage below 60%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Rodman didn’t want to deal with Jackson, somehow he got a newspaper and sat on the bench with his legs crossed, reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Put away that damn newspaper! Where the hell did you get it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I had leftovers from when I used it in the bathroom. Coach, I’ll fully commit to defending Ah Gan, but don’t expect me to trash talk or get physical with him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re as scared of him as that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you’re not afraid, you can go greet his dad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jackson thought his head might explode, what kind of people was he coaching?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally hoping this game would dispel fears and anxiety about Ah Gan, it seemed that even winning wouldn’t help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Phil Jackson soon let it go, perhaps Rodman and Jordan’s attitude is already the best mindset.\u003C\u002Fp>",915,"2026-06-06T01:41:54.549Z",1,"novelbin.me","f04695561f6d3baaaef74f289e484080552cc84dcc2b0f190edc6f86d1320b66","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1385","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1383",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]