[{"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-1543":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},1445060,1896,"Chapter 1543 - 21: Back View (Part 2)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1543",1543,"\u003Cp>This is one of the major reasons for O’Neal’s deficiencies in character: he has never competed against players stronger than himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He is always taller and stronger than everyone else, and by a wide margin. On the court, he is always the most imposing figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the plays for him are theoretically in his favor; no one can withstand him. He doesn’t have to struggle in adversity, never needs to think about \"winning with fewer, conquering the strong with the weak,\" that’s a problem for others to consider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, O’Neal lacks some resilience on the court, while off the court, he exhibits a lot of flamboyance and playfulness, mixed with a giant’s sense of inferiority, which when magnified, often leads to emotional outcomes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last person similar to O’Neal was Wilt Chamberlain, who had the same godlike power and was also a leviathan on the court, far exceeding others in physique and strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chamberlain was missing a lot of resilience in his character; he was too clean to commit fouls, unwilling to perform dirty work, afraid of injury, and often shrank at critical moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Off the court, he was involved in thousands of affairs, trying every sport, volleyball, boxing, Harlem Basketball Team, playing around everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, when O’Neal encounters defenders like Gan Guoyang or Malone, who do not fall behind in strength, he often appears very uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang clearly indicated that he won’t use small tricks, but will face it head-on, challenging O’Neal to bring it on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal held his breath, using his weight and inner rotation to try to push Gan Guoyang away to the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, after turning, he couldn’t continue to push inward; Gan Guoyang stood firm, unmoving under the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal attempted to go up hard, but his dunk was blocked by Gan Guoyang, flipping him over to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball didn’t slip from his hands; Gan Guoyang bent down to fight for it, and the referee raised both thumbs, signaling for a jump ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why think about dunking? Aren’t you using your secret weapon?\" Gan Guoyang asked O’Neal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because it’s a secret weapon, it can’t be used casually,\" O’Neal retorted stubbornly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jump ball at the free-throw circle, Gan Guoyang touched the ball and directed it to Sabonis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Sabonis received the ball, he slung it to the frontcourt, where Mullin caught it and passed to Riddle cutting through the middle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riddle prepared to dunk directly, but unexpectedly, Tracy McGrady leaped high from behind and swatted the ball out of bounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beautiful pass and an equally beautiful defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first and second in the Western Conference were playing exceptionally exciting and intense from the start of the first quarter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, it seems unlikely for the Trail Blazers to easily defeat the Lakers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They also need a tough fight, to grind their teeth on hard bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McGrady’s spectacular block stirred the eagerness in Kobe on the sidelines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe was itching to get on the court and match up against McGrady; young players’ competitiveness is very strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang set a screen for Mullin, and Mullin scored again from mid-range at the baseline; his touch was good tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Lakers’ side, O’Neal received the ball in a shallow position but didn’t dare to go head-to-head again, passing it to Holi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holi, against Mullin’s defense, shot a direct three-pointer and scored!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the playoff series of Rockets against Trail Blazers, Holi’s strong outside three-pointers caused certain trouble for the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The score was tied, and in the following rounds, both teams had high shooting percentages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang hit from mid-range at the top, while O’Neal seized an opportunity for an offensive rebound to score a dunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal is indeed smart; he’s calm now, and despite his fears, his choices are correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starting with a long-range hook shot, if he can’t make a move in the low post, he won’t force it, opting to screen for teammates and push in for an offensive rebound to attack again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If aggressive offense doesn’t work against Ah Gan, isn’t scavenging options? Is it not okay to dodge and play?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, Jerry West saw O’Neal playing so rationally, so calmly, and with such team spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, West was quite gratified, thinking Shaq indeed matured and grew; he knew how to play against the powerful Ah Gan now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little did he expect he was just a bit timid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With fast-paced exchanges, both sides’ scores rose quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the interval, Trail Blazers led Lakers 19 to 18, with a 1-point advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During rotation time, both teams started making substitutions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In regular-season games, Bird would always give his players ample playing time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe replaced Chris Mullin instead of Riddle, as Bird believed the team needed height and athletic ability in the two and three spots to counter the Lakers’ young frontline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Holi and McGrady, both around 6 feet 7 inches, they posed significant offensive and defensive threats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Statistics alone don’t show it, but watching the game process reveals that in offense, they can fast break, shoot, and handle many possessions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On defense, their height and wingspan are comparable to some interior players; they can provide double-team support, and pose interference, greatly compensating for O’Neal’s defensive coverage issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holi can play the four spot, and McGrady can also defend the four spot if needed — Jerry West chose them specifically for Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, currently, Holi and McGrady can hardly pose a threat to Ah Gan in offensive and defensive battles, but what about two years later, or five years later?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West had personally experienced Ah Gan’s strength and once nurtured a four-peat monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, to defeat this monster, his greatest weapon wasn’t O’Neal or McGrady and Holi, but patience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He believed that the day would come when Ah Gan would decline, and by then, the Lakers would fully rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Kobe entered the game and replaced Mullin, the Trail Blazers’ backcourt became more lively, adding more X-factors on the offensive end.\u003C\u002Fp>",1006,"2026-06-06T01:42:01.245Z",1,"novelbin.me","0171c4f026d233f6fdda1f6166cf3b84be4e026d34766600c7ac6e853e37f1a2","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1544","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1542",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]