[{"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-1429":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},1444996,1896,"Chapter 1429 - 44: Only He Is Flying","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1429",1429,"\u003Cp>Jump ball between both teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang was the first to tap the ball, but Van Exel didn’t catch it securely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball bounced off his leg and was intercepted by Stockton, starting the Jazz’s first offensive play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, the Jazz team changed their team logo and game jerseys from the classic music note logo to Salt Lake City-themed snow mountain jerseys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold, towering snow peaks on the jerseys symbolize the Jazz team’s stern and precise team offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the opening play, the Jazz used continuous ball movement and outside runs, ultimately relying on Malone’s high post pass to a cutting Ostertag, who received the ball and powered over PJ Brown for a layup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers persisted with man-to-man defense; Gan Guoyang directly matched up against Karl Malone, with no intention of playing any defensive tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang immediately inbounded from the baseline, signaling to Van Exel, indicating he planned to target the offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No pick and roll, no low post, Gan Guoyang opted for a direct baseline cut, with Van Exel lobbing the ball inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ostertag was caught off guard when Gan Guoyang struck him from behind, but Gan wasn’t satisfied with simply scoring a layup; he chose to pause after receiving the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ostertag instinctively pursued on defense, with Stockton nearby unable to alert him in time, and the two collided in mid-air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang, leaning against the sturdy Ostertag, made the layup, and the referee’s whistle blew, calling Ostertag’s foul, granting an additional free throw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xie Te, you can’t start by fouling Ah Gan; it’s dangerous, very dangerous. Let him score; you can’t entirely stop him from scoring, and he may have targeted you. Be careful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stockton warned Ostertag that giving away a 2+1 on the first play was a dangerous signal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Greg Ostertag was the 28th pick in the 1995 draft, a graduate of the University of Kansas, standing at 7 feet 2, typical of a big white center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jazz selected him in hopes he could fill the three-second zone defensive void left by Mark-Eaton’s retirement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Ostertag naturally couldn’t compare to Mark-Eaton in blocking and defensive talent, his physique was equally tall and strong, with qualifying rim protection skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Importantly, Ostertag was younger, with mobility greatly superior to the aging Eaton, not hindering offense much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Eaton’s career’s final years, his offensive burden on the team had been severe, with the Jazz playing four-on-five when he was on court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ostertag was certainly not a remarkable center; during his rookie season, his playing time was limited, averaging just 3 points and 3 rebounds with nothing notable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, Ostertag progressed quickly, rapidly becoming the team’s starting center, with stats rising to 7 points and 7 rebounds, along with a valuable 2.1 blocks per game — achieved in an average of 23 minutes per game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made him one of the league’s most efficient rim protectors and a crucial three-second zone defender alongside Karl Malone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His defensive significance to the Jazz was vital, hence Gan Guoyang targeted this sophomore right from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Successfully made the free throw, completing the 2+1, back on defense, Gan Guoyang continued tightly marking Karl Malone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malone had no shot opportunities, and it was rare for the Jazz not to arrange low post offenses for Malone — risking turnovers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stockton used a simple pick-and-roll to break into the basket, shaking off Van Exel, then scoring a left-handed layup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers were indifferent to the conceded points, quickly inbounding from the backcourt; Gan Guoyang moved to the low post to block Ostertag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Received the ball, turned, faked, drew the foul — all seamless, leaving the big white bear #00 with no chance to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second foul; less than a minute into the game, Ostertag was already burdened with two fouls, infuriating Jerry Sloan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He complained to the referee, with the fans hissing, but both fouls were too obvious for the referee to ignore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jerry Sloan reluctantly subbed in backup center Greg Foster early, indicating some lack of preparation during regular games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ostertag left the court, the Jazz’s rim protection level dropped a tier, allowing Reed to quickly score a bank shot off Gan Guoyang’s pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers were determined to engage the Jazz team in a shootout, contesting offensive efficiency and scoring continuity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang focused his defensive effort on Malone, giving Stockton and Hornersek ample room to maneuver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stockton soon hit a mid-range jump shot from the arc top, and quickly intercepted defensively, initiating a fast break, assisting Russell’s layup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jazz’s scoring was rapid; with Stockton and Hornersek, the ball rarely stalled in their hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jazz’s offense was dual: one part being Stockton-Hornersek-centric, with outside screens and movements, inside cuts and positioning, and fast break initiation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This part played dynamically, fully exploiting the organizational support and personal attack capacities of the two white guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other part was a Karl Malone-centric low-high-low system for rhythm adjustments or strong attacks, giving the ball to Malone for one-on-four scenarios.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, Karl Malone achieved near-masterful levels in ball-handling isolation plays, reaching about 65% of Gan’s peak performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claiming only 65% underscores overall efficiency shortcomings, particularly in attack techniques; peak Gan Guoyang was unmatched due to combining inside-outside play unpredictably.\u003C\u002Fp>",872,"2026-06-06T01:41:56.049Z",1,"novelbin.me","60d41d798517bf4b99583952b61d8dcb5fab67366bfd6610d739eb695e69dc6c","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1430","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1428",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]