[{"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-1639":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},1445156,1896,"Chapter 1639 - 8: See You in Los Angeles","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1639",1639,"\u003Cp>[Scottie Pippen wore a smile, and his tone was calm, but his words were full of malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won’t apologize to Charles Barkley, not even with a gun to my head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s the one who should be apologizing; he owes me an apology. His ass is so fat, it doesn’t even look like a basketball player’s.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s a very selfish person; he hasn’t shown any desire to win, and I don’t want to play with him anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Michael once said, Charles will never win a championship because he lacks dedication and doesn’t know self-discipline. I should have listened to Michael. If I had, I wouldn’t have come to New Jersey but to a more competitive place.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In August 1999, summer, Scottie Pippen’s response on an ESPN talk show took the entire League by surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His bold wording and sharp, unforgiving comments startled many people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many underestimated the severity of the conflict between Pippen and Barkley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan was among them; he didn’t expect Pippen to say such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within minutes of the show airing, Jordan called Barkley — twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Barkley that he wasn’t mocking him behind his back, nor had he ever said that Barkley would never win a championship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley later told Sports Illustrated’s writer Jackie MacMullan, \"I don’t know if Michael was more upset that Scottie said those things or because he dragged his name into it. I know Scottie, the whole League knows he’s unreliable, a fence-sitter. You can fool the media and fans, but you can’t fool the players; Scottie’s a fool who exposes his backside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conflict between Pippen and Barkley intensified, and they were destined not to continue their partnership in New Jersey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles Barkley faced a choice after losing the seventh game of the semifinals to the Pacers; he never returned to New Jersey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had two paths before him: 1. Leave the NBA; 2. Go to Portland.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>— 2022, published, Mote Bella’s biography of Charles Barkley, \"Barkley,\" excerpt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Charles Barkley left the playoffs in the 1999 season, the last big man in the League was Shaquille O’Neal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Lakers’ private jet landed at Portland Airport, O’Neal looked out the familiar scenery from the window with a melancholy gaze, and a bad feeling washed over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Portland, again Portland, the painful lessons of failure here for O’Neal could fill a book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his seventh year in the League, 26 years old, yet still hadn’t grown into the dominant center people had expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang, nearly ten years older than him, always overshadowed him like a huge inescapable shadow, a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jerry West repeatedly comforted O’Neal, \"Wait, just wait, your time will come.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West wasn’t wrong; Gan Guoyang would eventually grow old and weak; O’Neal was only 26 years old, four years before he turned 30.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If O’Neal had learned about Chinese history, he would know that many great figures, the path to success, was just to endure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Endure in youth until their greatest rivals grew old and died, and then the world would become theirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jerry West got through it by waiting until Bill Russell retired, and only then did the Lakers have their day, winning a championship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for O’Neal, such days were hard to bear; how could a man stay under others for long?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a premonition that if they lost this series, what kind of criticism and ridicule would he face again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same attacks he faced last playoffs when they were eliminated, only more severe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the semifinals, O’Neal delivered a dominating performance, finally leading the team to avenge Utah Jazz.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But facing the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang, O’Neal still felt no confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plane landed steadily at Portland Airport, and the Lakers were about to begin their Western Conference Finals journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers were ready and waiting, but their condition wasn’t as good as people imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Injuries were slowly eating away at this aging team; their average age was one of the oldest in the League.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The starting five, Mu Lin, Sabonis, Gan Guoyang, Brellock, were all over 30, some even over 35.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Lin and Sabonis had been plagued with injuries all season, playing intermittently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brellock maintained good form, but for a small point guard of his stature at 183 cm, decline can come in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isiah Thomas faced injury at 31, leading him quickly to the brink of retirement, and then he left the League.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terry Porter, AC Green had become the ninth and tenth players on the team, their careers entering countdown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers’ peculiarity was that, while assembling a championship roster, they hadn’t neglected nurturing new talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, Kobe, Little O’Neal, and Ben Wallace were gradually taking over the main roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe had secured his spot as the starting shooting guard, and Little O’Neal became the team’s most important interior rotation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ben Wallace was also a crucial defensive piece inside, Bird highly appreciated these two young interiors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his plan, after Gan Guoyang and Sabonis retired in the future, they were to be the pillars of the Trail Blazers’ interior for the next decade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were games where Bird would move Gan Guoyang to the small forward position, allowing Ben and Little O’Neal to partner inside, playing a speedy counter-attack lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this setup was precisely what the Los Angeles Lakers feared the most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to O’Neal’s presence, the Lakers were somewhat fearful of speed-type teams on both offense and defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when O’Neal couldn’t exert destructive power on offense, the Lakers would easily fall into a state of imbalance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One reason the Lakers could take down the Jazz in the semifinals was because O’Neal was unstoppable on offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, O’Neal altered his previous style of pure low-post power play, incorporating some pick-and-roll and cuts into his offensive strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to integrate as much as possible into the flexible offense led by Kidd, reducing pure power play to make his offense more versatile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This change was effective, and the Lakers successfully advanced, but who knows how it will be against the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On May 16th, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals commenced at the Rose Garden Arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers aimed for another Finals appearance since 1988.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten years, it’s been ten years since they tasted the Finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers’ starting lineup was still impressive in height: O’Neal, Thorpe, Holi, McGrady alongside Kidd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shorter team would only get bullied by them, but fortunately, the Trail Blazers also had outstanding height—except for the point guard position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers seized Kidd’s mismatch advantage against Brellock right from the start, repeatedly setting up plays in the low post for Kidd to back down and single out Brellock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clever move, Kidd can play one-on-one, but what’s scarier is his ability to pass. After continuously scoring against Brellock, Bird called the first timeout of the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>11:6, the Lakers took an early lead in the first quarter, and Del Harris made a brilliant move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Silver Fox summarized a lot of experiences in the continuous battles with the Trail Blazers—this might be the fate of every Lakers coach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Riley, to Beelman, to Harris, and perhaps someone after them, they’re all racking their brains on how to deal with Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the ideas they come up with are quite similar, always adhering to a crucial principle: avoid Ah Gan as much as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never think about piling resources on Ah Gan offensively or defensively; it’s useless, a complete waste. The Twin Towers proved that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, increasing investment in other positions, whether in talent or numbers, the more, the better, which can open a breakthrough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, how did the Jazz and Lakers win against the Trail Blazers? It was all due to the breakout performance of the point guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The point guard position is the furthest from Ah Gan, the hardest part for him to interfere with and impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harris evidently grasped this trick. Against the Trail Blazers, he abandoned the O’Neal-centric strategy and turned to Kidd as the core, with O’Neal as a support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the shorter Brellock, Kidd played with ease, excelling both in scoring and passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers’ perimeter also learned from the Rockets’ experience, stacking tall, shooting-proficient forwards who shoot upon receiving the ball, avoiding challenges in the Three Second Zone against Ah Gan’s rim protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the point guard’s direction and the perimeter’s bombardment, the Lakers surprisingly took a 7-point lead by halftime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers’ offense appeared somewhat chaotic, failing to capitalize on their fast breaks and fluid offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, their three-point accuracy was generally poor, while defensively, they were repeatedly scored against, limiting their fast-break opportunities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Lin, the outside engine of the ’98 season, has declined significantly this season, with alcohol reappearing in his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After achieving the dream of a championship, there’s little motivation to continue self-discipline and move forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the second half, the Trail Blazers made adjustments, with Bird deploying Little O’Neal and Big Ben more frequently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang switched to the small forward position, and at this point, the Lakers had Holi, McGrady, and Kidd triple-team Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brellock and Kobe attempted several mid- to long-range shots but missed, while O’Neal protected the defensive rebounds well under the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This big guy, as long as Ah Gan doesn’t target him, still wields considerable power under the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the Lakers won their opening game against the Trail Blazers with a 101:95, 6-point advantage, earning the first win of the West Finals!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>O’Neal scored 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, including 15 defensive rebounds, a performance that delighted the Los Angeles media greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the post-game press conference, O’Neal was all smiles; he couldn’t believe that instead of a hopeless loss, he managed to snatch a victory in Portland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victory brings confidence, something the Lakers lacked; now they see hope in overturning the Trail Blazers in a series.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because their main players have become more mature, while the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan are only getting older.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A day later, still at the Rose Garden, the Trail Blazers bounced back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This game saw a return to form in their three-point shooting, hitting 10 out of 18 from beyond the arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They leveled the series score with a cathartic victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this was within the expectations of the Lakers team; they didn’t plan to win two games in Portland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snatching one and grabbing the home-court advantage, they’ve already achieved their goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the post-game interview, O’Neal confidently said, \"See you in Los Angeles, Trail Blazers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>See you in Los Angeles, as if O’Neal forgot that Los Angeles has always been Gan Guoyang’s basketball territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the early ’80s, he was crowned the King of Los Angeles, the true sunshine boy of California.\u003C\u002Fp>",1795,"2026-06-06T01:42:05.612Z",1,"novelbin.me","73beb8145d54a56c5d35e8cbfbed4cc4090da0d68d38838499db4e912c8e6e69","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1640","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1638",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]