[{"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-1861":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},1445328,1896,"Chapter 1861 81: King of the World (Part 4)","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1861",1861,"\u003Cp>Back when we played the Princeton System, cuts and backdoor cuts were used much more frequently than pick-and-rolls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang was an exceptionally skilled inside player at setting screens, and his pick-and-roll cooperation with Porter, Drexler, Kobe, and Petrović was merely an auxiliary tactical method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fundamental reason was that the League did not encourage it. The screener had to stay stationary, and the power of the pick-and-roll was greatly reduced. You cannot screen well, subsequent tactics are difficult to carry out, giving defenders too much time to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, FIBA rules differ; the penalty scale for pick-and-rolls is much more lenient. The screener can make many movements and can move in certain directions, the variations of the pick-and-roll increase, causing more trouble for the defenders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two consecutive offensive plays, Lithuania scored in both, while China Team only saw Hu Weidong hit a mid-range shot. Lithuania took the lead and had possession of the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang knew he had to find a way to break Lithuania's continuous double screens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Gan Guoyang adopted the strategy of firmly bypassing the defense, bypassing the screen, and using his long arms to interfere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jasikevicius attempted a direct three-point shot but missed due to interference, and Yao Ming grabbed the rebound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fast break, Gan Guoyang dribbled with long strides, rushing coast-to-coast to the basket, and scored with a single-arm slam dunk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 36, after storing energy with hands on hips for a while, he could still initiate a fast-break counterattack on his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The score was tied, 84:84, with 30 seconds left, and Lithuania called a timeout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yunas arranged the tactics for the critical offensive play, while Sabonis, behind Lithuania's bench, was pacing around anxiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he knew, once it reached such a critical time, it was Ah Gan's time, and they had to be careful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabonis' intuition was correct; although Yunas arranged the offense for quite a while, issues arose during the inbound play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Ming stood at the sideline to interfere with the inbound pass, causing Lithuania's sideline pass to be too high and slow, which Gan Guoyang anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang dashed over and jumped up, tapping the ball towards the frontcourt, leading to a bigger mistake from Jasikevicius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Gan Guoyang was running forward with the ball, Jasikevicius hugged Gan Guoyang from behind, resulting in an unsportsmanlike foul, granting China Team two free throws and possession!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This play completely buried Lithuania's hopes of winning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Gan Guoyang had directly intercepted and scored a fast-break, earning two points, Lithuania would still have ample time to attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They might even have had the chance for a three-point buzzer-beater to take the game directly, not giving Ah Gan a chance for a counterattack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jasikevicius acted impulsively, bewildered by Gan Guoyang's defense throughout the second half, leading to mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is Gan Guoyang's terrifying aspect; when matched against him, it's easy to crumble, and once you crumble, mistakes happen, often costing the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, after the foul, Jasikevicius squatted on the ground, covering his face for a while, feeling himself too foolish, questioning why he reached out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what's done cannot be undone; it was too late. Gan Guoyang made both free throws; in two Olympic Games, he never missed a free throw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>84:86, and China Team still had to inbound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang received the ball, and Lithuania had to foul again, leading Gan Guoyang to the free-throw line once more, hitting both free throws again, 84:88, a 4-point gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lithuania had no timeouts left; when their last offensive three-pointer missed, the game ended, and China Team defeated Lithuania by 4 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a group stage record of 3 wins and 1 loss, they secured advancement and locked in one of the top two group positions, ensuring they wouldn't be in the same bracket as Team USA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the victory, Gan Guoyang also raised both arms, enjoying the cheers from the entire crowd. However, his expression was much calmer; even when he won an NBA championship, he remained composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang scored 33 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and snagged 3 steals throughout the game. He successfully locked down Jasikevicius in the second half, making the King of Europe realize the weight of the King of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>",712,"2026-06-06T01:42:08.237Z",1,"novelbin.me","da601c4eb27088cee16ce26716044a3e63835c7e2ddf22203c6c7408808d5e79","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1862","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1860",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]