[{"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-1775":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},1445192,1896,"Chapter 1775 52: The Future Is Yours","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1775",1775,"\u003Cp>\"No worries, I can handle it, I'm fine! I'll hold down Ah Gan and give confidence to the team.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kevin Garnett glared and said through gritted teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Philip Saunders understood what Garnett meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He is the leader of the team, and since the opponent's leader is back on the court, he must suppress him to boost the team's morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Offensively, there's not much hope; Garnett tried, but against the Trail Blazers' strong individual defense, his efforts fell short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Garnett is truly confident in his defense. If he can suppress Ah Gan in the upcoming defenses, it would be a huge morale boost for the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sanders hesitated for a moment. He thought, at this point, tactical arrangements aren't that important; the players' morale is decisive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, he agreed to Garnett's request and decided to let him go one-on-one against Gan Guoyang in the upcoming games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he went on the court, Garnett vigorously pounded his chest, encouraging his teammates to maintain the lead and enter the fourth quarter ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Timberwolves' most effective offensive strategy was still Stephon Marbury's ball-handling breakthrough, where he forcefully broke through the defense, received favorable calls, and went to the free-throw line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He made both free throws. In Marbury's mind, he is the true leader of the team, not quite convinced of Garnett's leadership.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout this series, Marbury's offense has been the lifeline for the Timberwolves. Without his counterattacks and solo plays, the Timberwolves' offense would collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, Marbury's offensive efficiency isn't high, similar to last season's finals with Spree, being the only ball-handler capable of breaking defenses in the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the late 1990s, with the trend of slow-paced and defensive games, such a ball-handler was extremely important in the playoffs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition, Marbury has been dissatisfied with Garnett's big contract; having stayed reluctantly, he's naturally unconvincing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, to prove his leadership, Garnett started engaging in one-on-one battles with Gan Guoyang—of course, on the defensive end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without the ball, Garnett was sticking close, with his height, wingspan, and agile footwork making him a tough one-on-one defender.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang, with his extensive experience, rendered Garnett's little tricks ineffective, standing like an immovable mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even at 36, even having lost much weight, his strength has peaked in his career—this is Gan Guoyang's reliance after making a comeback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conversely, strength was Garnett's weak point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Positioning, catching the ball, Gan Guoyang pressed in and then gracefully spun for a jump shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the zero-degree angle mid-range, Garnett was squeezed off balance and couldn't even jump to contest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A two-pointer made, tightened the score to one point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did your coach ask you to guard me?\" Guoyang asked on the way back to defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I chose to guard you myself,\" Garnett straightforwardly replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's good, Kevin, you've got guts. But let me tell you, there's no safe word here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marbury fell into solo play, breaking into the paint only to be disrupted by Sabonis, who had just returned to the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabonis being on the court actually signaled that Gan Guoyang was about to open up offensively, as he was already warmed up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trail Blazers' counterattack, Gan Guoyang sprinted down, Garnett quickly returned on defense, Gan Guoyang received a pass from Kobe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dribbled with a series of feints, suddenly stepping back, attempting a long-range two-pointer from the right corner!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A poor shot choice, Garnett tried hard to block, but the ball arced high, still going in!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overtake!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With one minute left in the third quarter, the Trail Blazers finally took the lead, 65:64, over the Timberwolves!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, Marbury tried to storm the basket again but was blocked heavily by Gan Guoyang, his solo play too self-centered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was little synergy with Garnett, and Guoyang had already seen through his offensive pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the last attack of the third quarter, Gan Guoyang held the ball on the outside, with Garnett lowering his center and watching intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, Guoyang dribbled, suddenly accelerated, then stopped for a long-range three-pointer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the lead, boldly shooting threes, this was Gan Guoyang's style of extending the advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball went in precisely! And almost ran down the clock for the third quarter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>68:64, after Gan Guoyang's return, the Trail Blazers completed the score reversal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the fourth quarter, Garnett finally realized he had made a grave mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He misguidedly thought he could single-handedly stop Ah Gan's offensive onslaught, especially when Gan Guoyang found his rhythm and was full of energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After warming up, the stiffness disappeared, and the shooting touch was quickly rediscovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing Garnett, Gan Guoyang continually punished this excellent defensive big man with his mid-range and face-up dribble attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match turned into an outside duel between two tall players—although Garnett was the one being single-handedly dominated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guoyang, having found his rhythm, showed Minneapolis fans why mid-range shooting is a divine weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No elaborate preparations, no exhausting breakthroughs, everyone else just stands still, catch, adjust, shoot, score two points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this way, Guoyang made five jump shots over Garnett, along with two face-up dribble attacks, leaving Garnett clueless about Guoyang's next move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With diverse changes and impeccable tiny details, showing no weaknesses, this was the result of the historical star finely honing his skills over more than a decade at age 36.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Guoyang's leadership, the Trail Blazers launched an 18:6 offensive surge in the fourth quarter, completely crushing the Timberwolves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang also utterly broke Garnett, as he said, there's no safe word tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since you're on the stage of one-on-one duels, you must accept the outcome of victory or defeat, life or death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No third path exists—unless you claim groin pain halfway and let your teammate guard instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garnett chose to stand and fight to the death; toward the end, he despaired at his own performance, his emotional descent visibly apparent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he persisted, persisting until the very end of the game, persisting until his season completely ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the final buzzer sounded, Garnett knelt on the floor, punched it twice, then got up to embrace Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang tightly embraced this stubborn big guy, patting his shoulder, saying, \"Don't worry, the future is yours, it surely is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>99:86, the Trail Blazers won the fourth game with a 13-point advantage, leading the series 3:1, and advanced to the semifinals.\u003C\u002Fp>",1045,"2026-06-06T01:42:07.224Z",1,"novelbin.me","a33302c96104c4c7b45d735324bb8aa9cfb865bc2bcc6349e6f388eaf9a51a93","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1776","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1774",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]