[{"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-1648":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},1445165,1896,"Chapter 1648 - 11: Facing the Twin Towers (Part 3)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1648",1648,"\u003Cp>However, the game was indeed somewhat boring. The slow pace and overly intense confrontation made scoring exceedingly difficult for both teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the previous four games, none of them scored over 100 points, with the highest being 93 points and the lowest 78 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t until the second quarter that both teams gradually picked up the pace, their shots got warmer, and the scoring started to increase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the Pacers leveraged their home court advantage, playing with immense momentum and widening the score gap in one go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They achieved a 10-point lead in the first half, which was significant in a defensive battle like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dad, did you place a bet, who do you think will win?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If it’s not your game, I won’t bet... I don’t think the Pacers are doing well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Pacers are ahead by 10 points, isn’t that something? The score will be very low.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They exerted themselves a bit too early, which isn’t their style. Playing a game and running are similar; everyone has their own rhythm. Trying to be fast and overtaking the opponent too soon can disrupt your familiar rhythm, leading to issues later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Youwei often watched games seriously. Although he didn’t understand the specific technical and tactical details, he had summarized some insights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would observe the momentum of the game and, through intuitive analysis of the forces, make basic judgments about the game’s direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this judgment wasn’t frequently accurate, as too many factors influence the outcome, but sometimes, it was indeed quite predictive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, in the third quarter, the Knicks began their fierce counterattack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, after Spree replaced Rice for the Knicks, their offensive aggression significantly increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, they always relied on Mourning and Kemp, the two inside players, to initiate attacks, with Rice and Houston serving as outside shooting support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Gundy’s offensive arsenal had only three tactics; once used up, everything else depended on extreme defensive pressure to gain an advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem is, basketball is ultimately a scoring game; although you can focus on defense, in the playoffs, your offense cannot be overly simplistic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spree’s arrival provided sufficient diversity. His ball handling, fast breaks, isolation plays, compensated for the biggest shortcoming of the Knicks’ original lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an average of 16 points per game in the regular season, his playoff average score increased to 21 points, becoming the team’s top scorer and most crucial offensive force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His free throw percentage and free throw numbers reached career highs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spree led the Knicks’ third-quarter onslaught, hitting the Pacers hard with a 28:14 run, winning the quarter by 14 points and leading into the fourth quarter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Youwei was right; the Pacers prematurely expended their energy, causing them to be unable to respond to the Knicks’ resurgence in the pivotal third quarter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adelman paced anxiously by the sideline, unable to do anything, while Miller, under pressure, missed his shots. It wasn’t his first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pacer fans at home continually cheered for the home team, but by this point in the series, home advantage was no longer that vital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Home fans wouldn’t storm down to drive the away team out, would they? Truly strong playoff teams consider winning away games as basic operations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first game of the series, the Knicks had conquered Indiana. Returning here, they remained undeterred, simply aiming to win and advance to the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the fourth quarter’s showdown, Miller regained his form, making consecutive outside shots, but Spree always managed to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After enduring the Pacers’ fiercest counterpunch, the Knicks relied on their interior advantage to keep scoring, with Kemp and Mourning consistently grabbing offensive rebounds and succeeding in second-chance points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Knicks had already overshadowed the Pacers in momentum, bringing New Yorkers closer to victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the last minute, the Knicks had already expanded their lead to 8 points, but they dared not relax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Miller always seems to deliver deadly comebacks at such crucial times, using consecutive threes to reverse the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this time, Miller couldn’t create a miracle, the \"Miller moment\" didn’t happen, and the Knicks maintained their lead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, they won 98:92, defeating the Pacers by 6 points away from home, leading the series 3:2 and taking the Eastern Conference Finals match point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entirety of New York City plunged into madness, foreshadowing just how frenzied the next game at Madison Square Garden would be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New Yorkers would eagerly hope for the Knicks to ascend to the highest stage again after 26 years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers also considered the New York Knicks as their primary imaginary adversary, with the coaching staff beginning to study their game footage and tactical strategies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Gan Guoyang calmly prepared to face the Finals, on May 26th, America’s House of Representatives released a confidential investigation report, causing a commotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compiled and named under Congressman Christopher Costa’s leadership, the report identified a significant amount of espionage activity in America since the 1980s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These espionage activities primarily revolved around military actions, nuclear technology, and other national secrets, with behind-the-scenes manipulators pointing directly across the Pacific Ocean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It particularly mentioned, \"Our military operations in Kosovo were leaked and affected, probably related to a renowned professional athlete who has been in America for years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Costa Report\" emerged, bringing Gan Guoyang a major crisis in his career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phones rang nonstop at Gan Guoyang’s home, with all kinds of calls coming — some comforting, some inquiring, some probing, some distancing, and some attacking him...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang remained composed, already prepared. He specifically made a call to Bird, asking, \"Larry, are you still on my side?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other end, Bird was silent for a few seconds, then said, \"I told you, always by your side. I absolutely don’t believe that damned report.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang said, \"Neither do I. I’m looking forward to going to New York; the Knicks will most likely reach the Finals.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No matter who it is, we will win. But going to New York, you should make sufficient mental preparation; the fans there are crazy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It doesn’t matter; I wanted to go see the Twin Towers anyway. You know, I like facing the Twin Towers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1026,"2026-06-06T01:42:05.612Z",1,"novelbin.me","d57ac776e9bc9b3e235f320b0b34f2a9d6bd9e1ed46de527cd35cb1418013123","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1649","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1647",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]