[{"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-1765":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},1445182,1896,"Chapter 1765 49: Fists Can Cure Anxiety Disorders","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1765",1765,"\u003Cp>[I know that I can be a great player, but when I was young, I didn't know how to achieve that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing I knew was to work hard; hard work was the only thing I could control. So during training, I ran as fast as I could, persisting even when I was very tired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But effort alone was far from enough on the offense; during my rookie years, there was a period when my shooting was terrible, and it took me some time to learn how to shoot and develop some skills to score points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could do many things like fast breaks, breakthroughs, opportunistic plays, offensive rebounds, but my fundamentals were too poor, which prevented me from contributing consistently; I felt frustrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The biggest change I felt upon entering the NBA was the pace of the game; everything here was fast, very fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether on the court or off, you had to make quick decisions, and for a time, I didn't know what I was doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a player can't do what they want and hesitates a lot, it becomes very frustrating and depressing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I now realize this was one of the root causes of many of my issues and one reason why I frequently lost my temper during my early years in Chicago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt underestimated; I wasn't placed in the right position, the tactics didn't revolve around me, referees always had issues with me, and coaches didn't give me enough attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was full of anger, unwillingness, and hidden restlessness, and I was disappointed with my showcase season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, in a well-known game, this problem of mine got resolved; that punch hit me in a soul-shattering way, and to some extent, I was reborn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a game in 2000 where the Bulls faced the Portland Trail Blazers at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the 80s and 90s, Trail Blazers versus Bulls games were like the national derby of the NBA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Gan vs. Jordan, they had countless classics, their rivalry ran through the entire rise and glory of the NBA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, Michael Jordan retired early, and Ah Gan stayed in the league, ending their legendary rivalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, as we stood on the floor of the United Center wearing Bulls jerseys, there was a sense of shame because we weren't worthy to stand here competing against the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan; the grandeur of Gan vs. Joe would never return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our performance this season was very poor; I couldn't find direction on the offense and could only focus most of my energy on defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I became one of the decent defenders in the league early on; when I stood on the defensive end, I felt calm and confident, unlike the panic on the offensive end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So before the game, I thought to myself, I definitely can't face off against Ah Gan like Michael did, but at least I can cause some trouble on defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out to be pure fantasy; Ah Gan often appeared at the small forward position this season, and I was eager to challenge him, trying to guard him one-on-one in several possessions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, he kept dismantling me with undefendable mid-range jump shots and rugged breakthroughs. His experience was extremely rich, and his details impeccable; it was very hard to interfere with his offensive choices; in the end, you could only leave everything to luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were me now, facing such a player, I would try my best and wouldn't blame myself after the game because this is the NBA, this is the world, it's very unfair, and you can only do your responsibilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But back then, I was young and obstinate; I tried everything to disturb Ah Gan using all sorts of means, including little tricks and trash talk inherited from the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn't unaware of Ah Gan's terrifying reputation; throughout the 80s and 90s, we grew up watching Ah Gan fight; he was Muhammad Ali in our hearts, Hulk Hogan on the NBA stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for some reason, maybe I thought Ah Gan was already old and fought less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps I felt that a noble star like him wouldn't lay hands on a small role like me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe I was full of thoughts of being Chicago's next Michael Jordan and wanted to defeat Ah Gan at that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many reasons, and in any case, I was fearless, spitting trash talk at Ah Gan, making small moves, even engaged in physical confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought I could restore my dignity through resorting to force; this is the initial intention of many court bullies when they act, to reclaim their face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To me, it was commonplace; as mentioned before, I grew up in an environment of street fights and wasn't afraid of conflict, treating frequently due to fight injuries; everything turned around until I was completely mature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, I was only twenty years old, and Ah Gan gave me a vivid lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he decided to hit me, there were no signs, completely unlike the movies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In movies, for a better visual, the two would verbally attack each other, show their teeth, hug, start fighting, with a fierce exchange until someone wins with a certain move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Real combat isn't like that, and I was careless; I forgot Ah Gan was a cold-blooded killer, not the kind of guy who yells threats for a long time and then symbolically acts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most fights actually involve threats primarily, with the actual fight requiring a process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Gan didn't go through that process or perhaps had gone through too much; the souls beneath his fist were too many, he was too quick, and he didn't need to worry about his reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>",954,"2026-06-06T01:42:07.224Z",1,"novelbin.me","39a02f87e480e6db3e14f85555b67322f07c7d98ebafbaaf34d94e0a5101d999","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1766","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1764",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]