[{"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-1582":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},1445418,1896,"Chapter 1582 - 35: Teamwork (2)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1582",1582,"\u003Cp>We collaborated at the 1992 Olympics, at which time he was still at his peak, an incredible shooter and passer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 97-98 season, I saw glimpses of his peak again, to my surprise, and asked him how he managed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"I’m wondering the same thing, how did I manage that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to tell him, this is the power that a team gives to the individual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along with Mu Lin, who came through a trade, was Brellock, who earned the respect of the team and fans with his defense and fighting spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1997 playoffs Western Conference Finals, John Stockton played a representative series of his career, and our backcourt defense collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terry Porter could no longer provide high-quality defense and pressing quick offense; Brellock’s arrival was critical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Atlanta, he had to take on a lot of offensive responsibilities, but in Portland, he could focus on defense, playing the best defensive performance ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His contributions were often overlooked; as Point Guard, he was the most reliable piece on the court, hardly making mistakes, which was the most important thing for the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In crucial, key moments for the team, Brellock was never absent; he could always hit key three-point shots or make critical defensive plays to contribute to victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could understand my thoughts, conveying the coach’s intentions to the court instantly, which is fundamental for a player in the No.1 position, and in this, he is very trustworthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1997-1998 season, a great regular season, Brellock’s performance improved more and more in the latter half, especially after the All-Star game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the team’s offensive operation speed was increasingly fast, our offense ran like wild horses across the court; as a Point Guard, Brellock was an indispensable engine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he often wasn’t the organizer or initiator of the attack, he was a great finisher and an important strike force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, what truly infused qualitative power into our team was the return of Arvydas-Sabonis to Portland; he was my favorite player in Portland, no question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many admirable things about him; so tall yet so agile, such huge hands yet such delicate wrists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he had extremely high endurance to injuries, which was very similar to me, and I deeply understood and admired him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His legs and knees were riddled with issues, spending the entire season in pain; he could have not returned to the NBA, but undoubtedly, he was bewitched by the Sea Siren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I admired him, playing many games with injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even very small things, like stepping on a towel, would cause him foot pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation was worse than it appeared to the outside world; he had too many injuries in the past, and the issues were somewhat alleviated in Europe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But, after all, he was aging; in Europe, it’s not like he didn’t play any matches, just that the consumption was somewhat less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the All-Star game, I gave him only 4 minutes of playtime; I asked if he minded, and he said a bit, as 4 minutes were too many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabonis was too important for us, or rather, he was too important for Ah Gan; with him, Ah Gan could freely play the role he loved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was Ah Gan’s shadow warrior, an important shadow in the sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, injuries were always troubling him; I asked if he was willing to meet my friend Dan Derrick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dan had helped me resolve my back pain issues, and Sabonis was willing to try any method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the playoffs, he took time to fly to Boston, spending a few days with Dan, who immediately began treating his ankles and knees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He used joint loosening techniques, a kind of deep massage, usually causing pain, which can break down scar tissue and restore the vitality of joints, muscles, and ligaments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few treatments, I could see that Sabonis was improving; I knew that without him, the Trail Blazers would lose a part of their soul, and everything would be different with him there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said that Sabonis had a very fiery temper when he was young, that his enormous physique could crash any NBA tough guy like a truck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since his son was born, he’s become much more gentle, diligently playing through injuries; he was no longer so fierce, and that’s precisely the role we needed on our team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This brings up Isaiah Riddle, a thorough villain, who used to like being late but was hardly ever late in the 97-98 season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Believe me, any championship-level team needs such a role, no matter how smoothly the regular season goes, there will always be moments in the playoffs when excessive toughness is needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the 1984 Finals, the Celtics versus the Lakers, when Kevin McHale took down Rambis during his layup, as if a clothesline toppled a biking boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever people talk about playoff intensity, the TV stations always replay this clip; I’ve always believed Kevin didn’t do it intentionally, but after he did, he reversed the series’ situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers were scared; they didn’t dare challenge physically; they lost the series.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our team has the best fighter in league history, who took down the Detroiters; this was, I believe, the greatest thing Ah Gan did in his career, akin to Mike Corleone taking down the four families, clarifying the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we can no longer let the core players of the team take on such work; now in the league, doing so carries high risks, getting ejected, getting suspended.\u003C\u002Fp>",921,"2026-06-06T01:42:05.224Z",1,"novelbin.me","52a60beb448183712d567606f9dacca73c2f7b4826ac02858c7a2fa86157ef04","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1720","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1719",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]