[{"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-1410":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},1444977,1896,"Chapter 1410 - 39: One-on-One","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1410",1410,"\u003Cp>The game against the Philadelphia 76ers marked the start of the Trail Blazers’ short Eastern road trip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, they visited Washington and Charlotte, securing victories on the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang showcased his exceptional defensive dominance in all three matches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Washington, he nearly shut down the Bullets’ power forward Rashid Wallace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t until the last stages of the match, when the outcome was no longer suspenseful, that Wallace managed to score 4 points, barely avoiding the embarrassment of being scoreless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the matchup against the Hornets, Larry Johnson found himself frustrated and threw in the towel when faced with Gan Guoyang, unable to support the Hornets’ interior after Alonzo Mourning’s departure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once formidable interior Twin Towers crumbled due to disunity, leaving Larry Johnson struggling during his time with the Hornets, with his departure from Charlotte imminent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For new teams like the Hornets and Magic, the establishment of team culture is still incomplete, and lacking an authoritative leader can easily lead to internal conflicts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hornets losing Mourning and the Magic losing O’Neal are both bloody lessons for the two teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang defeating Johnson was just the final straw; disunity is the biggest issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After wrapping up the Eastern trip with three victories and returning to Portland, the Trail Blazers went through a period of recuperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The team faced some injury issues, with Van Exel having sprained his finger, Riddle suffering from a leg sprain, and PJ Brown experiencing back problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the Trail Blazers’ medical response system, they missed several games upon returning to Portland, as well as a few away games before the All-Star break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Injuries affected the team’s completeness and rotation, and Larry Bird had to continue adjusting the lineup while making changes to certain strategic components.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, young players like Kobe and Little O’Neal could shoulder considerable playing responsibilities, lessening the impact of the veterans’ absence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially Kobe’s performances on the court sometimes served as a warning to Van Exel and Riddle: If you continue to miss games or don’t perform well, this kid will soon replace you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Off the court, Kobe never hides his intention to supplant Van Exel and Riddle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever possible, he would challenge Van Exel and Riddle to one-on-one bouts during practice breaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Exel and Riddle are different styles of backcourt players, with Van Exel being agile, quick, possessing ghostly footwork and precise outside shooting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riddle is physically strong, excels in post moves, is adept at low-post battles and fadeaway shots, forcing Kobe to use different techniques and strategies against them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, both are volatile characters, often trash-talking during practice, sometimes leading to physical scuffles, resulting in a tense atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Kobe is unfazed, boldly challenging the two veterans, sometimes remaining silent when provoked to cursing, other times retorting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe’s actions further agitate veterans like Van Exel and Riddle, motivating them to be more earnest and diligent in training and matches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They certainly don’t want to be outperformed by Kobe, especially Van Exel, who doesn’t want to become a substitute with Kobe starting and himself just a backup rotation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Van Exel works hard in training; where he previously disliked extra practice, now he seizes any opportunity to train with Kobe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dedicates a lot of time to honing his three-point shooting prowess and making his elusive footwork even more unpredictable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Kobe observes from the sidelines, sometimes challenging Van Exel, though Van Exel often refuses, fearing Kobe might learn too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he can’t resist Kobe’s persistent persuasion, with Kobe even using poor provocations, claiming Van Exel is afraid of being surpassed, hence reluctant to face-off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Exel, being straightforward, responds by saying he’s not afraid, leading to more frequent joint training sessions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Initially, Van Exel completely dominated, with Kobe unable to fend off Van Madman’s agile and unpredictable footwork, struggling to find a pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After spending more than a week, Kobe gradually picked up some patterns, accumulated experience, but defending was still difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bouts against Van Exel provided some assistance for defending Allen Iverson, but not much; Kobe couldn’t hold Iverson one-on-one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Exel initially resisted sparring with Kobe but eventually began seeking him out for joint practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing that rather than fearing being surpassed by Kobe, it was better to embrace the challenge and progress through sparring with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe is a highly intelligent young player, adept at learning, and Van Exel also progresses while guiding him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surviving in this league by concealing skills won’t work; continuous exchange and learning are necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, no technique or tactic is secret; anyone can learn, depending on how much sweat you’re willing to invest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In comparison, Riddle’s attitude towards Kobe is worse; from the start of the season, he disliked Kobe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, not many in the team really like Kobe; at best, they don’t dislike him, but none truly like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this guy is so arrogant, always with his head held high and an imposing demeanor, naturally making people uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>",826,"2026-06-06T01:41:56.049Z",1,"novelbin.me","621711972be4898b50fc000dfc486b56ae575560e3b7120b574f4868d3ea2fe6","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1411","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1409",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]