[{"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-1560":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},1445388,1896,"Chapter 1560 - 27: Going the Extra Mile (Part 2)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1560",1560,"\u003Cp>At this point, the Trail Blazers did not want to lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between a 20-game and a 30-game winning streak, it’s the easiest time to stumble and lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they pass the 30-game winning mark, the team gets past that fatigue \"peak\" and starts to move more freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This match is a crucial moment; if they overcome it, they could reach even greater heights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they can’t get through it, the streak will end, and everything will become history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers do not want to become history; they want to create history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the jump ball between Sabonis and Rick Smits, the game began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smits tipped the ball to Mark Jackson, and the Pacers started their first possession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pacers’ starters are Rick Smits, Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Dale Davis, and Mario Ely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No difference compared to last season, but the Pacers have a very deep bench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bench includes talented players like Antonio Davis, Jalen Rose, and Travis Best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their offense and defense are very balanced; under Adelman’s guidance, their overall team combat power is strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They made thorough preparations for this game, and the Pacers quickly scored with smooth offense at the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, Rick Smits cut to the basket, facing Ah Gan’s help defense, calmly passing the ball to Dale Davis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Davis received the pass and then passed it to Miller, who was cutting to the wing. Miller caught it and made a mid-range jumper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This play showcased the Pacers’ superb teamwork, successfully evading Ah Gan’s defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, Smits receives the ball, Gan Guoyang covers, Smits passes to Davis, Davis dunks directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because Ah Gan was defending, after he helped cover Smits, Smits passed to Davis, and Gan Guoyang could turn and defend both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Davis forced a dunk or layup, he would face a solid block; only Gan Guoyang in the whole league could defend like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pacers went deeper into the tactics to avoid Gan Guoyang’s one-against-two ability, passing to the weak side for Miller to finish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this, Miller, who was still on the strong side stretching space, had to run a long way to the weak side, working hard for a shooting opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tiring? Yes, but worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the Pacers’ coaching staff knew Gan Guoyang very well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What seemed like a successful tactic was actually a trap set by Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They needed to take an extra step to bypass this hidden trap and score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the start, the Pacers adhered to this rule: \"take an extra step.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the opening offensive, the Trail Blazers were somewhat unclear on their focus. Gan Guoyang was prematurely double-teamed by the Pacers, but they did it so cleverly, being the home team, no foul was called.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Lin’s first shot missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pacers collected the defensive rebound, and Miller pushed the fast break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and Rick Smits repeatedly executed a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, stretching the Trail Blazers’ defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miller found an opportunity, passed on the ground to Smits, who had the option to shoot mid-range at the top of the arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smits jumped up but still passed in the air, redistributing to Miller who slid to the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miller caught the ball, with Riddle not closely following, and Miller made a three-pointer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pacers opened with a 5-0 lead, playing very impressively in their first two possessions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time, taking an extra step, when it seems like an opportunity, they passed again to create a better one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers felt the pressure; Riddle controlled the ball outside, attempting to overpower Miller with his back, but his turnaround jumper missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Gan Guoyang grabbed the offensive rebound, laid it in, and scored the team’s first points of the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Undoubtedly, the Pacers had a better start; their offense was very smooth, while the Trail Blazers still seemed to be in a trial run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smits hit a mid-range shot, Dale Davis grabbed an offensive rebound, passed it out, Mark Jackson drove in for a floater and scored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Trail Blazers’ side, passing became smoother, but outside shooting continued to falter, missing repeatedly, as the Pacers’ defense was stellar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the Pacers took a 9-2 lead early on, a 7-point gap, prompting Larry Bird to call a timeout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire arena was jubilant; a good start gave Pacers fans hope of ending the champions’ winning streak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A ray of light appeared in the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Trail Blazers’ side, everyone remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of cold start wasn’t the first or second time; it was quite normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, the adjustment would be to let Ah Gan attack aggressively, and typically the offense would soon recover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Bird didn’t do that during the timeout; he realized that the difficulty of tonight’s game wasn’t the offense but the defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pacers’ offense felt too smooth; if they continued to play this way, the whole game would be very difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first half, it was about finding rhythm; if the Pacers found their rhythm and tactical focus, trouble would come in the second half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Experienced Bird knew this problem needed to be resolved quickly, so he decisively made adjustments, subbing out the ineffective defender Riddle for Kobe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of Kobe’s defensive abilities, Bird increasingly trusted him, and his playing time increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only a matter of time before he replaced Riddle as a starter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides subbing Kobe for Riddle, Bird also replaced Sabonis with AC Green.\u003C\u002Fp>",905,"2026-06-06T01:42:05.224Z",1,"novelbin.me","46f2337fde362710b4ec5b8f9b3bebb79a9efd9c0c9c2417225f2c8ead62ed13","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1561","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1559",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]