[{"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-1629":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},1445146,1896,"Chapter 1629 - 4: Public Apology (Part 3)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1629",1629,"\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers’ lineup thus became more impactful and lively, with Kobe’s overwhelming desire to win and Gan Guoyang’s winning mentality merging together, allowing the Trail Blazers to play high-quality games every night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In January 1999, Kobe’s average score per game increased to 20 points, and his performance became increasingly stable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game against the Orlando Magic, Kobe scored a career-high 38 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game against the New York Knicks, Kobe scored 30 points again, which was not an easy feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On January 21, 1999, in the game against the Lakers, Kobe scored 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, marking the first triple-double of his career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Kobe’s performance, Gan Guoyang actively relinquished some ball control to let this young man freely play, and the Trail Blazers faintly showed signs of a former \"dual-core inside-out\" strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With outstanding performance, young Kobe was once again selected for the All-Star lineup, becoming the Western Conference’s starting shooting guard for the 1999 New Jersey All-Star game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the All-Star game, Kobe gave his all, fully showcasing his excellent isolation skills, scoring a game-high 28 points and leading the West Team to defeat the Eastern Team, winning his first MVP trophy—The All-Star MVP.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was going smoothly, and internally, the Trail Blazers seemed ready for a transition of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the Los Angeles Lakers did with Jabbar and Magic Johnson back in the day, a young guard pairing up with a gradually aging superstar center, another decade of dominance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it’s not just the Western Conference living in the shadows, but the entire NBA is under the Trail Blazers’ vast pressure, as Jordan retired, who will challenge this red-black dynasty?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eastern Conference is filled with powerhouse teams, the Celtics, Nets, Pacers, and Knicks all have the strength to contend for the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they seem to fall slightly short when facing the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Celtics are too young, the Nets are too old, and the Pacers and Knicks lack a true superstar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People generally believe that the Trail Blazers’ championship defense this season will be unstoppable unless the team suffers major injuries, like Ah Gan’s head falling off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But injuries have never struck this ironclad Bionic Man, his consistency has begun to make opponents feel a hint of insurmountable fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected in the regular season, the Trail Blazers once again delivered a dominating performance, losing 10 more games than last season, ending with a record of 67 wins and 15 losses, once more claiming the top spot in the league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The league’s second place, the Boston Celtics, only had 58 wins and 24 losses, trailing the Trail Blazers by 9 victories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On April 23, the playoffs officially began, with the Trail Blazers facing off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, mercilessly sweeping them 3-0, sending Kevin Garnett home to fish once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Garnett’s third consecutive year fishing in the first round, and the second time being eliminated by the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the semifinals, the Trail Blazers confronted the San Antonio Spurs, comprising David Robinson and Chauncey Billups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first two games, the Trail Blazers easily defeated the Spurs at home, leading 2-0.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like yet another match without suspense, the Trail Blazers might end it in four games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, on May 7th, during the third game, the Trail Blazers were in poor form in San Antonio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Always stable, Gan Guoyang was distracted this game, shooting 6 of 15 from the field, only scoring 16 points, playing one of his worst playoff performances in these three seasons, and one of his worst playoff performances in his career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers, as visitors, lost the game 97-101, with a 4-point disadvantage, reducing the series lead to 2-1.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On that day, an international news report was published in a less noticeable section of a newspaper in America:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"On May 7th, multiple jointly-guided attack bombs hit Yugoslavia’s Z embassy. Fortunately, due to personnel attending a basketball event banquet and not returning, no casualties occurred. The country strongly protested America’s attack, seeking compensation for construction costs and mental damages, and demanded a public apology.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang post-game was too anxious to participate in the press conference, instead busying himself with the newspaper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing this brief news report, he tore up the newspaper and tossed it into the trash can.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next game, he won’t be distracted or courteous.\u003C\u002Fp>",735,"2026-06-06T01:42:05.612Z",1,"novelbin.me","828e9f2e8ca4fb28e102ed0abdc3d158d116e6366d09fe89c225800b4b527b51","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1630","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1628",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]