[{"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-1496":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},1444913,1896,"Chapter 1496 - 7: Smooth Sailing_5","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1496",1496,"\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers are not without confrontation; their inside game remains one of the strongest combinations in the league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what’s more captivating is their smooth, imaginative, and creative offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the team is so well-coordinated and strong overall, there are often spectacular team plays during games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang and Sabonis, once great partners, have grown more harmonious with the passage of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On November 8, the Trail Blazers faced off against a formidable New York Knicks, with Jeff Van Gundy, who was \"killed\" last season, visiting again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People wondered if the Knicks’ iron-clad defense could halt the Trail Blazers’ fluid offensive wheels, and the answer was naturally no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly a year apart, returning to the Rose Garden, Jeff Van Gundy was still apprehensive and didn’t dare to say any provocative words before the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he strongly praised the Trail Blazers’ recent performances, saying, \"Their offense is groundbreaking and mesmerizing; I’ve been watching their game tapes all along.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Gundy didn’t lie; he really was watching, hoping to find ways to curb the Blazers’ offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when it came to the game, he realized: there was no way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers don’t follow a fixed path; while their offense is organized, it doesn’t have a traditional playbook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princeton’s offense had a playbook, with players running similarly based on positioning to execute plays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the Trail Blazers’ fluid offense has abandoned the playbook; it relies on the players’ instincts and experience, adhering to basic offensive principles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they play, opportunities arise, and they feed the ball to the player in the best position to score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, even the Trail Blazers players don’t know what kind of play they’ll execute next or who will finish it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This unpredictability puts immense pressure on defenders and brings much joy to the offensive side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone has a chance; anyone might become the star of a particular offensive play, making it very interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, not everyone can appreciate or understand this joy, like Kobe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent games, Kobe has still been a substitute; when he comes off the bench, as long as Ah Gan isn’t there, he automatically assumes he’s the star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Ah Gan is there, he steps back slightly, taking on a secondary role, controlling the ball on the perimeter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, such opportunities aren’t abundant, and the veteran Blazers are forgiving, giving him a chance to showcase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this game against the Knicks, facing New Yorkers’ tough defense, substitute Kobe scored a season-high 27 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, Kobe indeed made significant progress compared to his rookie year; he’s physically stronger and appears more mature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The improvement in physical fitness is crucial; without a strong physique, it’s impossible to make a mark in the NBA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers also triumphantly defeated the Knicks by 110:92, an 18-point victory, achieving their sixth consecutive win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeff Van Gundy’s dark circles became more pronounced; he realized the Trail Blazers might overthrow the league again, and he, as a defensive specialist, had no solutions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After beating the Knicks, the Trail Blazers’ winning streak continued, and their offensive momentum had an unstoppable frenzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a runaway heavy truck on a downward slope, unstoppable, anyone in their way falls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All six home games were victories, and after eight consecutive wins, they headed to Phoenix for an away game, easily defeating the Suns for nine straight wins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Followed by six more consecutive home games, the favorable schedule made the Trail Blazers’ victories effortless, with players’ stamina fully recovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crushed the Magic, defeated the Timberwolves, thrashed the Grizzlies, soundly beat the Pistons, routed the Kings, defeated the Hawks, again six consecutive wins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including the season opener in late October and the 14 games in November, the Trail Blazers astonishingly achieved an undefeated record, claiming a spectacular 15-game winning start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, these 15 games were nearly all dominating victories; the smallest winning margin was against the Timberwolves, still winning by 11 points, with 20-point victories being abundant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A 15-game winning streak tied the NBA’s best start record; the last to achieve a 15-game winning streak was the 1994-1995 Miami Heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heat bided their time that year, exploded, and ultimately won the championship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even the Heat couldn’t win every game by such margins like the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a month, the Trail Blazers remained unbeaten, right up until Larry Bird’s return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird felt complicated emotions; he had closely followed the Trail Blazers’ progression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew they added three strong reinforcements, coupled with the growth of younger players, and expected the Blazers would explode in performance this year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t expect an explosion this rapid, so much so that Guoyang was right — with or without him, it was the same!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Bird returns to work; if upon return, the team loses and ends their 15-game winning streak, wouldn’t it prove they’re better without him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird’s choice of return timing was also quite poor; the Blazers were just concluding a sweet November, starting their Eastern away trip in December.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first match was not elsewhere but in Boston; the Trail Blazers would face the Celtics away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buckwalter advised Bird to wait until after the away trip, returning to Portland for the game before making his comeback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Bird insisted on returning in December to face the Celtics; firstly, he couldn’t stay idle and didn’t want to watch the team win without any participation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secondly, during this game, the Celtics would retire Robert Parish’s jersey; Bird must attend his old teammate’s jersey retirement ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So on December 1, he appeared directly on the special plane flying from Portland to Boston, returning to his post amid surprised and joyous gazes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird remained calm, only smiling and shaking hands with Ah Gan upon seeing him, informing Gan Guoyang of his return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Welcome back, Larry! I’ve always said, you didn’t need to worry; we’d keep winning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, Sonny, for leading the team well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some pleasantries, Bird suddenly asked, \"Sonny, how did I hear you’ve been telling people I’m dead and even set up photos for me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang hurriedly denied, saying, \"Who’s spreading nonsense, spreading rumors?! I... I only wanted everyone to adjust to having you with us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"F**k You, Sonny.\" Bird flipped Gan Guoyang the middle finger, then asked, \"Where did you get my photos from?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cut them out from Sports Illustrated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1052,"2026-06-06T01:41:56.527Z",1,"novelbin.me","24288fedb1bd15d3ec9a906be63dafa7e544984399b5c2218f26e60a7401ea53","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1497","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1495",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]