[{"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-1776":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},1445193,1896,"Chapter 1776 53: Seeing Through Everything","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1776",1776,"\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers narrowly escaped with a 3-1 victory over the Timberwolves in the first round, smoothly advancing to the semifinals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Minneapolis fans, the dream of \"ending the Trail Blazers dynasty\" shattered after just one day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kevin Garnett once again entered the offseason, looking ahead to his next season, what Gan Guoyang referred to as \"his future.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wolves, centered around Garnett and Marbury, seemed to have a bright future, but in reality, disaster awaited them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, Garnett's friend, Wolves' starting forward Malik Sealy, tragically passed away in a car accident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garnett's emotions were severely hit, and the Wolves lost an important player.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Stephon Marbury did not recognize Garnett's leadership role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was tired of the cold weather in Minneapolis, and after this series, he increasingly believed Garnett was not truly the team's leader. How could you be a core player without even scoring one-on-one, just relying on defense?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marbury's thoughts sowed the seeds for future conflict with Garnett.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The growth of young people is always full of unexpected twists and turns. The so-called \"future is yours\" is often much harder to achieve than imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon returning to Portland, the Trail Blazers awaited their opponent in the semifinals, awaiting the outcome of the Jazz vs. Suns series.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides tied 2-2 in the first four games, pushing the series to a decisive fifth game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jazz twice gained significant leads in the game, only to be tenaciously tied by the Suns, leading to a final showdown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Jazz, whose core players were as aged as those of the Trail Blazers, the longer the series dragged on, the more disadvantageous it was for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, the Phoenix Suns grew increasingly energetic and confident as they played.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The duo of Grant Hill and Antoine Walker proved to be exceptionally fierce offensively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although their performances were unstable, once they exploded, the Jazz team could not withstand them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youth and dynamism were the Suns' most valuable assets, and additionally, the team had the experienced Steve Smith and Kevin Johnson for support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the '99 season, Kevin Johnson planned to retire but was persuaded by the team and fans to stay for one last season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 33, Johnson was no longer the \"Purple Flash\" of his youth; his speed had declined. However, his experience and game management had reached a remarkably high level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the regular season, he averaged 11 points, 7 assists, and 1 steal per game, with improved statistics over the previous season. People hoped he would continue playing after the regular season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, 33 is not particularly old for a point guard, but Johnson insisted he would leave, preparing to shift his focus to politics to realize his political dreams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In what might be the last series game of his career, in Salt Lake City, in the decisive Game Five against the Utah Jazz.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both teams fought fiercely at the Triangle Center; the last time they faced off in a first-round Game Five was back in the 1990 season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That year, Kevin Johnson was 23, Stockton was 27, and now both were in the late stages of their careers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game was intense but unattractive, filled with missed shots and turnovers; both teams' offenses struggled awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere at the Triangle Center was suffocating. The Jazz, with their experience, maintained a lead throughout the first three quarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang watched the game alone in his home's entertainment room, and by the end of the third quarter, the Jazz held a 7-point lead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In such an ugly, slow-paced game of offense and defense, a 7-point advantage was quite significant, and the Jazz had a great chance of winning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Jazz defeated the Suns, Malone and Stockton would face Gan Guoyang again in the semifinals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The animosity and rivalry between the two teams had continued since the 80s, with Gan Guoyang repeatedly trying to defeat them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as the fourth quarter began, Gan Guoyang noticed something unusual: the Jazz team's stamina seemed to falter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their offense became simplistic with Malone going one-on-one, but not efficiently, and their defense struggled to keep up, resulting in more fouls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, for the Suns, Hill, Walker, and others had maintained their energy, starting to capitalize on the Jazz's mistakes with counterattacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first three quarters, the Jazz could rely on quick defensive retreats and fouls to stop the Suns' counterattacks, but they couldn't hold out by the fourth quarter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their stamina couldn't keep up, and they had reached their foul limit; any more fouls, and players would have to come off. The Suns' offensive firepower became unstoppable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hill, like a jet, continuously charged into the paint to score, and his re-slam dunks on a fast break erased the 7-point gap in just three minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Jerry Sloan called a timeout to make adjustments, the brief rest of just over a minute couldn't resolve the fatigue issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The offense could barely be maintained, but the defense truly couldn't hold up; their legs felt like they were filled with lead and couldn't move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For every veteran in the NBA for 10 or even 15 years, reaching this stage of the season is a physical and mental ordeal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang slightly shook his head, knowing the Jazz were done for; their defense and stamina collapsed, and his old allies probably wouldn't meet him in the semifinals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, after the timeout, the Suns' morale soared, and they played more and more fiercely. Antoine Walker hit a three-pointer from outside, Steve Smith scored strong post-ups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suns gradually extended their lead to 7 points; changing from trailing by 7 to leading by 7 happened in just five minutes, plunging the entire Triangle Center into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that five-minute span, the traces of time washed out. Stockton, Karl Malone, and Jeff Hornacek continued to persevere.\u003C\u002Fp>",977,"2026-06-06T01:42:07.224Z",1,"novelbin.me","737e76e8b893ad3d757c25dbb14ce874f8f5b9b4284b6455dc28f53999d2b9e7","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1777","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1775",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]