[{"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-1439":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},1445006,1896,"Chapter 1439 - 46: Gone or Die (Part 3)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1439",1439,"\u003Cp>At the Olympics, in the same training camp as Charles Barkley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then in the 1984 draft, everyone entered the league together, becoming teammates + rivals of the 80s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the middle, Drexler \"betrayed\" the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan, joining Pat Riley, who was intent on revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley, after years of painstaking effort, poached from the Trail Blazers, bit by bit forming a team, finally acquiring Olajuwon, getting infinitely close to a successful revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, in 1993, they were dramatically defeated, with unaccomplished ambitions, but fortunately, in 1995, they successfully won the championship, though regrets remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Gan made a comeback, Charles Barkley ventured to Miami in the east, forming the third wave of Avengers, aiming to attack the championship and seek revenge once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Riley’s management, the Heat’s lineup was considered luxurious for many consecutive years but ultimately won only one championship trophy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last summer in a massive restructuring, after acquiring Charles Barkley, the Heat formed an almost shameless four-star luxury lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the history of the NBA has repeatedly proven that the success rate of stacking basketball stars is not as high as imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Lakers’ Chamberlain-West-Baylor Big Three, to the Philadelphia 76ers’ luxurious caravan, to the Celtics’ five-star lineup, many times they barely secured a championship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And dynasty teams are often built through drafts; mid-road star-studded lineups often maintain combat effectiveness for only one or two seasons, collapsing once a championship is won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heat not only faced internal division issues but also problems of aging core players leading to injuries and declining form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the start of the season, Charles Barkley was in great shape, and together with Olajuwon, Drexler, and Tim Hardaway, they swept the league for a time, even the Bulls were not their match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by mid-season, Barkley began getting injured, Olajuwon and Drexler’s forms were not as good as before; Olajuwon married a much younger wife, while Drexler, entering the late stage of his career, began to lack the motivation to compete for a championship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, the Heat’s real team leader became the young Tim Hardaway, and Riley preferred to use the ball-handler position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Magic Johnson to John Starks, and then to Tim Hardaway, Riley’s offense liked to give the ball-handler enough freedom to solve problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hardaway posted all-star level stats and controlled a lot of possessions, and tension began to develop between him and the original core, Hakeem Olajuwon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no longer just a Heat internal issue, but a public struggle known throughout the league, and the conflict between Hardaway and Olajuwon was just on the surface; the real deep conflict was with Riley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Olajuwon increasingly could not tolerate Riley’s excessive interference in the team and lack of respect for him personally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Big Dream is a Muslim, and he has many religious limitations in his lifestyle, like fasting during Ramadan, not eating during the day, which undoubtedly affects his training and game state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In earlier years, Riley could support Olajuwon’s customs, but in recent years, as Olajuwon refused to renew his contract, Riley’s reproach and dissatisfaction with Olajuwon increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even criticized Olajuwon: \"If you want to maintain religious purity, why marry someone so much younger, affecting your condition?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Olajuwon quite unhappy, as marriage was his personal affair, and even if it affected his condition, it was his own matter; moreover, declining in his 30s was entirely normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, Olajuwon was still performing at an all-star level most of the time, just not comparable to the likes of Ah Gan or Jordan, and he felt he was worth a big contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering 1997, as Barkley got injured, Olajuwon’s dissatisfaction grew, and the Heat’s performance became unstable, with their record gradually falling behind the Bulls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the All-Star break, the Bulls were already running away with the lead, while the Heat dropped to third in the Eastern, having to compete with the Hawks for home-court advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this highly anticipated Heat vs. Trail Blazers game, both Barkley and Olajuwon were listed as ineligible to play; one was injured, the other had intestinal discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley had already missed over 20 games this season; he didn’t even participate in the All-Star Game, and now he sat absentmindedly on the sidelines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game, Gan Guoyang hugged him; when the summer trade was completed, Barkley called Gan Guoyang, and they agreed to meet in the Finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Barkley still had confidence in making it to the Finals, though the team had various issues, but in the playoffs, everyone aimed to win, and they had a chance against the Bulls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Barkley was still thinking of keeping a way out for himself; he whispered to Gan Guoyang: \"Sonny, if things don’t work out, leave a spot for me in Portland.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, Barkley said such things as a joke; he had pride and didn’t want to cling to Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it was hard to say, even though he was only 33, his poor body management and dietary control made his condition decline rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this injury, Barkley noticeably felt that his peak was quickly slipping away, no matter how hard he tried to hold onto it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he didn’t hurry, he might really never win a championship in his whole career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Trail Blazers’ side, someone was also absent; Riddle was benched for a game by Bird for being late to practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kid gritted his teeth and persisted for more than half the season, but relaxed near the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since last time being suspended after fighting with Kobe, he was once again watching from the sidelines, and replacing him in the lineup was indeed Kobe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe got the starting opportunity, which once again made him feel ambitious, thinking tonight he would dunk on Drexler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game, he provocatively stared at Drexler, keeping his eyes fixated on the Glider as if trying to see through him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Drexler, after experiencing the ups and downs over the years, had little pursuit left for basketball and played more for enjoyment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Kobe’s belligerent gaze, Drexler, as someone who’d been there, said to Kobe: \"Good evening, Bryant, another of Ah Gan’s toys.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe glared at Drexler, saying: \"I don’t understand what you’re talking about.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drexler chuckled and said: \"You’re another deputy developed by Ah Gan, right? A beautiful buzzer-beater against the Jazz, I forgot, I was one too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe said disdainfully: \"But you became a deserter, a traitor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drexler maintained his smile and said: \"You’re naive, young man. There are only two outcomes for Ah Gan’s sidekicks: gone or die, that’s destiny.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe still scorned: \"I don’t believe in fate; get ready to be dunked on by me, traitor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drexler put away his smile, not because of what Kobe said, but because Ah Gan was approaching, he couldn’t keep laughing, or he’d get targeted.\u003C\u002Fp>",1139,"2026-06-06T01:41:56.049Z",1,"novelbin.me","988d4c3b8c01e4ddc9c0b92b4df3a29d3492b14e79ea6b0b94adc952d4da0b03","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1440","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1438",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]