[{"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-1782":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},1445199,1896,"Chapter 1782 - 55: This Damn Game (Part 2)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1782",1782,"\u003Cp>Then he ran off on his own, to the corner, to the weak side, and sometimes lurked in the Three Second Zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, the teammates scored and it seemed to have nothing to do with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when the strategy was activated, Kidd always appeared in the right place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, when McGrady’s shot missed, Kidd could sneak an Offensive Rebound right in front of Sabonis and Little O’Neal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Followed by a brilliant pass to the basket, O’Neal caught the ball and slammed it with both hands, scoring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or when he was lurking in the weak-side corner, Lakers’ low post offense stalled, and the ball returned to Kidd’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One more pass from Kidd, and often the Lakers’ Triangle Offense was revitalized, with very few dead ball situations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phil Jackson was right, Kidd was truly an excellent \"off-ball organizer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His sense of positioning is superb, which is crucial for the Triangle Offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, for Kidd, the Triangle Offense is too simple and lacks fun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Triangle Offense is like that, its principles are very simple, but the changes are numerous and complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once you grasp the principles, the subsequent changes follow naturally, without the need for rote memorization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you cannot grasp the principles of the Triangle Offense, or some basic skills are lacking, integration can be very difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kidd, with a commanding presence, easily mastered the Triangle Offense, and held an invisible dominant position in the offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like in the previous matches between the Trail Blazers and Lakers, Kidd has always been the key factor in the Lakers’ victories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this clearly, Rick Carlisle immediately adjusted the defensive strategy in the second quarter, allowing Kobe to guard Kidd, putting more pressure on Kidd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doing this indeed weakened Kidd’s power, but the problem that came with it was the overall defensive quality of the Trail Blazers’ perimeter declined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, Kobe not only provided suffocating one-on-one defense, but also offered help defense, rebounding, unexpected steals, and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the semifinals against the Suns, without the pressure of Grant Hill’s assault, Kobe was very impressive on defense, with many brilliant help defense, positioning, and key defensive rebound battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlisle letting Kobe bite Kidd felt a bit like treating symptoms rather than the root cause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, after the matchup adjustment, the Trail Blazers started showing some defensive holes in the second quarter, giving the Lakers an opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers seized this chance, launching a 7:1 run, leading by 7 points, and taking the initiative in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlisle immediately called a timeout, with Dick Hart reminding him that Kobe should focus on defending the shooting guard position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kobe is not good at guarding Kidd who moves without the ball, he’s suited to guard the ball handler, where the ball is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Kobe on defense isn’t the type who excels without flashy achievements; he must actively engage the strong side, engage at the forefront of ball possession battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carlisle quickly made adjustments, simultaneously substituting Terry Porter for Brellock, as Brellock’s height was at a disadvantage against Kidd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phil Jackson also moved his pieces around, trying out more players and combinations in the first game of the series to see which works best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Devin George got 2 minutes of playing time in the middle of the second quarter, resulting in Gan Guoyang seizing the opportunity for a three-pointer and a 2+1, narrowing the score gap to 1 point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Jackson quickly substituted Devin George, and for the remainder of the game, George did not get a single second of playing time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jackson was also sweating bullets, even after almost 10 years has passed, Ah Gan’s ability to seize opportunities was still as strong as ever, just making a slight mistake and he would be on you like a shark smelling blood, biting fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, in the first half, Gan Guoyang was much like in previous games; besides getting warmed up at the start, he spent most of the time playing conservatively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maintaining basic intensity on defense, focusing on fast breaks and easy scores offensively, if it wasn’t a particularly good chance, he’d opt to pass and create opportunities for his teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, those recent two minutes proved that this guy’s nerves were tightly strung, a patient hunter lurking beneath the water’s surface, eyes fixed on you, ready to make you pay if you err.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jackson merely probed slightly to realize, Ah Gan had declined, yet his predator instincts remained, perhaps even more acute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because when an old tiger ages, it relies more on surprise attacks and ambushes, rather than frontal assaults.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying on Gan Guoyang’s sudden exertion, the Trail Blazers caught up in the middle of the second quarter, drawing level at 51:51 by the halftime break, with both teams evenly matched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding the score, Jerry West wasn’t satisfied; he shouted as the Lakers players left the court, \"Without a lead of more than 10 points, how are you going to face Ah Gan in the third quarter!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Gan Guoyang was conserving energy in the first half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only exerted in certain phases, such as opening by battling O’Neal for a few rounds to prevent the team from falling into a pit early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, in the middle of the second quarter when the team was trailing, taking advantage of Devin George’s appearance, scoring six consecutive points to tie the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first half, Gan Guoyang scored 13 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and made 4 assists, which to him, was an unremarkable set of stats for half a game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the locker room, Phil Jackson reminded the players to be wary of Ah Gan’s sudden outburst in the third quarter on defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s a cunning guy, like a hunter, always lurking in the shadows aiming arrows at us. Our defense must stay vigilant at all times. Focus, everybody focus, every minute and every second!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",978,"2026-06-06T01:42:07.224Z",1,"novelbin.me","3077e186a46da0156a44171fbb1cae37e82b6d9411e8faee988d1c1e13d7cb5a","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1783","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1781",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]