[{"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-1391":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},1444958,1896,"Chapter 1391 - 34: Nice Pass_2","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1391",1391,"\u003Cp>This ancient technique has found new life in Gan Guoyang’s hands; Gan Guoyang discovered that after gaining weight and slowing down in explosiveness, the hook shot became a very efficient and effective offensive method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee called a defensive foul on the Trail Blazers, followed by Jordan passing to the corner where Pippen’s three-pointer missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers had a chance to close the gap, but their counterattack was intercepted by the Bulls, who secured the defensive rebound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan received a coordinated pass from Rodman and charged into the paint, facing the Trail Blazers’ Gan Guoyang and PJ Brown’s formidable defense; his challenging floater missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from a fadeaway by Jordan and a hook shot by Gan Guoyang, neither team scored in the first few possessions of the second half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides visibly increased their defensive effort, causing the game to stagnate and making scoring opportunities rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first half, whenever Nike Sal shot, it seemed to go in, but now under Harper’s tight defense, he lost his accuracy and missed two wild shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Van Exel missed two consecutive shots, the Bulls seized a fast break opportunity; Jordan attracted the defense and passed it out to the perimeter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lang Li caught the ball, feigned a drive, then passed it to the corner where Ron Harper launched a successful three-pointer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers’ coaching staff saw this situation as unfavorable, and Van Exel squandered quite a few chances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, it was challenging to get the ball to Gan Guoyang; the Bulls were desperately cutting off the passing lanes to Ah Gan, making it difficult for him to receive the ball smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rick Carlisle signaled to Bird, perhaps suggesting they should call a short timeout to adjust momentarily, the team needed to change its offensive rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The late 90s NBA gameplay looked just like this, especially in the third and fourth quarters: slow-paced, heavy on half-court offense, and frequent misses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s possible to have multiple possessions without scoring, leading both teams to feel stuck, and then suddenly one team breaks through, scoring five or six points to take the lead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though five or six points might not seem much, in the current game tempo and shooting accuracy, it’s a relatively secure lead; it might sustain against the opponent for the entire match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird, however, shook his head, saying, \"It’s not the right time, trust in the players’ ability to adjust.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers made adjustments indeed, with Gan Guoyang starting to dribble the ball past half-court himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan and Pippen approached to surround Gan Guoyang, denying him an easy opportunity to initiate an attack past half-court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang fed the ball to Riddle; Riddle, facing Jordan with his back, lacked confidence and opted for a turnaround shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t go in, but Gan Guoyang gained the upper hand against Dennis Rodman in their positioning battle, tipping an offensive rebound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long pass was sent to the opposite side, where Van Exel received the ball and went for another three-pointer! This guy really dares to shoot, and it went in!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After scoring, Van Exel made a three-point gesture; tonight, he’s got the hot hand and is precisely the sharp tool the Trail Blazers need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Van Exel could score, the pressure on Gan Guoyang lightened, and the teams started the brutal third-quarter battle of offense and defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls at this time executed their signature full-court press, directly pressing the ball handlers tight from the backcourt onwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls’ perimeter players Harper, Jordan, and Pippen, are all tall, strong, and exceptionally capable defenders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially Harper, who became the Bulls’ starting point guard replacing John Paxson, and since he could play shooting guard, he looks exceptionally large at the one position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan also fits as a shooting guard with his small forward’s build, while Pippen, fitting as a power forward, plays at small forward position; they are the so-called \"three tall perimeter players.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever the Bulls operate a full-court press defense, opponents easily make mistakes, becoming chaotic in their offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers were no exception, making consecutive turnovers in the backcourt; even if Gan Guoyang came out as a responder, he was still alone after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls didn’t randomly double-team; they utilized their perimeter height advantage to conduct a high-intensity press, forcing the opponent into mistakes or reckless offense, then capitalizing with fast breaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turnovers were inherently a significant issue for the Trail Blazers, who lacked an organizational conduit on the wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Exel might initiate the offense himself, but his small stature narrowed his vision, and his aggressive style often resulted in errant choices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls launched a 6:0 offensive wave against the Trail Blazers, expanding their lead to 11 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Bird still insisted on not calling a timeout; he watched the players make mistakes like a stubborn parent, demanding the kid realize the error and correct it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Dick Hart grew anxious, saying off the court, \"It’s 11 points behind; is he saving the timeout for after the game as a raffle prize?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird nodded, saying, \"Yes, saving it for the raffle; the first prize is the O’Brien Trophy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hart had nothing more to say, only watch as the situation on the court turned perilous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the Trail Blazers players were also waiting for the coach to call a timeout, yet they received no such directive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Exel wanted to call a timeout but was stopped by Gan Guoyang, who said, \"Give me the ball.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After facing continual obstacles, Van Exel obediently handed the ball over to Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang dribbled past half-court to organize the offense, dodging harassment from Pippen and Jordan using a clever behind-the-back dribble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he shifted direction slightly away from Pippen; after all, he’s a center and can’t perform quick crossovers like Tim Hardaway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even a small gap was sufficient as he used his strength to lean against Pippen for an inside drive, performing a mid-lane riding jumper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scored two and drew Pippen’s foul; Pippen pouted his lips and gestured helplessly to the referee, but to no avail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Gan Guoyang’s fourth time tonight scoring a three-point play; the Bulls’ foul issues were still progressively piling up, though not yet conspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>",1036,"2026-06-06T01:41:54.549Z",1,"novelbin.me","0dfe206e36e7edc6a1f7fde476cc0b2b02d1158db0c2277e2d9490d4b1ab8298","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1392","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1390",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]