[{"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-1726":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},1445436,1896,"Chapter 1726 - 316: Deep Memories (Part 2)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1726",1726,"\u003Cp>That guy Larry, in three years of coaching, how many critical moments have been turned around by Gan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why do I have to think so much about these things? Carl felt he was really foolish, really naive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carl indeed was a bit naive. During his time as an assistant coach, he focused on offensive tactics without realizing that as the NBA’s head coach, tactics are supplemental; knowing how to utilize players and resources effectively is key.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t truly stepped out of the assistant coach’s role, hadn’t completed the mental transition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once I got my mind clear, things indeed became simpler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Carl was rather diplomatic, using Kobe, hinting at Gan a little, and then eased into a favorable position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This move was somewhat juvenile, Gan Guoyang could see through it, but he didn’t mind, as their ideas aligned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the return of two star players, the Trail Blazers maintained their original starting lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Carl specially instructed Alan Henderson to put more effort into his defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henderson, who frequently played power forward during his time with the Hawks, had decent interior defense skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Henderson realized that tonight Gan was going to go all out, and ball possession should be handed over to Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, the Utah Jazz team remained the same. Since reaching their peak in 1997 and 1998, they inevitably started to decline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malone, 36, Stockton, 37, Hornersek, 36, had all entered the twilight of their careers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the trio maintained their form quite well, with very minimal decline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malone this season remained an All-Star caliber player, averaging 25+9, quite stable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to long-term commitment to fitness and good living habits, his competitive level was significantly higher than Charles Barkley, Ewing, Olajuwon, David Robinson, a group of interior players whose draft rankings and talent once surpassed his, making him the era’s second-best veteran interior player, only after Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no denying, time is indeed a terrifying yet wonderful thing. It’s so fair; whatever you put in, squander, or waste, it records every bit without missing a single trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Stockton and Hornersek, two white outside players not heavily dependent on athleticism, also maintained excellent game conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stockton was even better than in 1998, as injuries had plagued him then, and his performance wasn’t great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, he continued to maintain a quasi-star level with stats of 12+8 as an outside player, and it’s likely he could continue for a few more seasons given his condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hornersek, similarly, only got better with age. His outside shooting accuracy markedly improved: this season, his free-throw percentage reached an astonishing 95%, and his three-point percentage hit 47.8%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bear in mind that when he first entered the League, Hornersek was a traditional white guard who couldn’t shoot threes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Trail Blazers’ rookie training camp, Gan Guoyang pushed Hornersek to practice threes, ending up practicing for an entire career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By his career’s end, you could say he mastered the technique, becoming nearly perfect in shooting accuracy, averaging 12 points per game, showcasing scoring explosiveness in key matches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s most commendable is that the three veterans had extremely healthy bodies, maintaining very high appearances, rarely missing games, diligently completing each match like clocking in at work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made them a respected spectacle in the NBA in the late 90s, a unique benchmark in the NBA, a rare example of old-school basketball endurance under the glitzy commercial league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no helping it; Salt Lake City was too remote, and any star player with some talent and ability didn’t willingly come here to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jazz team could only use these dedicated veterans to the fullest, until they couldn’t run or play any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang was happy to see old friends Stockton and Hornersek on the court again. For him, every game with them was one less game to play together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially Hornersek, who might retire after this season, while Gan Guoyang could also leave the NBA after finishing this season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Hornersek retires and Gan Guoyang retires, Stockton will continue to fight alone on the court for the championship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not like you guys; I still don’t have a championship ring.\" Stockton joked with Gan Guoyang and Hornersek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game officially started, the three gathered for a chat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you’d come to the Trail Blazers earlier, I’d already have a championship.\" Gan Guoyang still said persistently to Stockton.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not like Charles either.\" Stockton said, glancing at Barkley who was daydreaming on the bench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three exchanged a few more pleasantries, bumped fists, and prepared to start the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Karl Malone watched the three talking from the side, unable to join in naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he was teammates with Stockton and Hornersek and had a good relationship, he couldn’t compare to Ah Gan when it came to the strength of their bond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This continued to be a sore point for Malone because Stockton and Hornersek each won championships with Gan, both the NCAA championship and NBA championship, which were very significant honors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malone had won an Olympic gold medal together with Stockton, yet that belonged to the Dream Team’s collective stars, not the product of their collaboration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, their ties were always somewhat less, their relationship always a layer thinner due to the lack of exclusive championship memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, Gan Guoyang had consistently been at odds with Malone, both on and off the court, with constant confrontations which Malone couldn’t best Gan Guoyang at, leaving him undeniably frustrated.\u003C\u002Fp>",907,"2026-06-06T01:42:06.584Z",1,"novelbin.me","5e413ec7f97da3888f15e136b30c45edcc49a97b7e4f7456f5e88bfd3b657005","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1590","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1589",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]