[{"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-427":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},1443966,1896,"Chapter 427 - 45: Incorrigible","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-427",427,"\u003Cp>[December 1986, stocks became the gift in the Christmas stocking, allowing many loyal Celtics fans to taste what it was like to be in charge.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[However, the cost was the near quarter-shrinkage of stock assets within a week, along with a series of defeats for the Celtics at the end of December.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But Celtics fans were still very happy; they believed that Bird, Parrish, McHale, DJ, and Ainge were still at their peak.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[There was a feeling that the Celtics would redeem themselves in 1987, reclaim the championship, and continue to dominate the league for years to come, just as they did in the 1960s.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[And this time, unlike the 1960s, they had money, lots of money.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But injuries quickly took their toll on the team, with Marques Johnson hanging up his boots after just ten games of the new season due to a neck injury.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Another veteran, Scott Wedman, injured his heel and only played six games, leaving the Celtics’ previously solid front line somewhat stretched.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Later, Kevin McHale was also injured, fracturing his navicular bone in his foot, but he insisted on playing, which affected his good form.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Here, it’s inevitable to mention the No. 2 draft pick in 1986, which was originally compensation the Celtics received from the Henderson trade, a classic \"Auerbach-style robbery\".]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[However, it was sent to the Clippers in the Marques Johnson trade, which troubled Auerbach greatly, as he could have used that pick to draft Bias.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The death of Bias was shocking and did not make Auerbach feel any better about missing out on the No. 2 pick, as such a talented player’s death was a huge loss to anyone, a tremendous loss to the league.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Auerbach didn’t think the Celtics dodged a bullet; instead, he felt lost, confused, and bewildered by the current situation, wondering what on earth was happening to the world.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Auerbach was perplexed by the wealthy tycoon-style owners, the agents negotiating on behalf of players, the increasingly independent and uncoachable players, the exaggerated long-term contracts, the omnipresent Players Union, the salary cap, the addition of a referee to the game, the three-point shot, over-reliance on video coaching, dizzying marketing, and the explosion in numbers from the original three-member Celtics office to 25 people, and so on.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The defeat in the 1986 Finals seemed like an omen, as the seemingly flawless Celtics still fell to the youthful, seemingly problematic Portland Trail Blazers.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[At that moment, Auerbach might have sensed something; he began to keep a distance from the team, remaining neutral on various team affairs rather than the past autocratic control, which was completely out of character for him.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Clearly, with the great collapse of 1986, a part of Auerbach’s soul was taken away, never to return, marking a painful defeat.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[By 1987, Marques Johnson’s 15-month-old son accidently drowned in the swimming pool at their Los Angeles home, a tragedy that completely devastated Johnson and rendered him unable to commit fully to competing for championships.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[He ended his career, foreshadowing a series of misfortunes for the Celtics.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>———— Published in 1994, \"Seeing Red: The Red Auerbach Story\" by Dan Shaughnessy, excerpt.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Trail Blazers are facing a depleted Celtics squad tonight, with Marques Johnson absent since November due to a neck injury.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Without their star sixth man, the Celtics immediately struggled with rotation, especially as veteran Wedman was also injured, adding considerable pressure on Bird and McHale.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[On the bench, they only had players like Jerry Sichting and Fred Roberts, who could only contribute a few points, pitiful assists, and rebounds.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[For various reasons, the Celtics still had the highest proportion of White players in the league.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[In their current core rotation, there are only two Black players, with the remaining five being White, which is unique in an NBA that is becoming increasingly Black and fast.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This meant that the Celtics were increasingly unable to keep up in terms of physicality and speed; all they could rely on were skill, teamwork, and a strong fighting spirit.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[And, squeezing out the last bit of potential from their core players.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[At 29, Kevin McHale had the best performance of his career in the regular season, with his scoring average and shooting percentage peaking.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Especially impressive was his shooting percentage; averaging 27 points per game, he shot an incredible 60%, a truly outlandish rate.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[How outlandish? It matched that of Gan Guoyang.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Though Guoyang averaged over ten more points per game.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This season, there were only three players averaging over 20 points per game with a shooting percentage above 59%.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[One was Gan Guoyang, one was Kevin McHale, and one was Charles Barkley.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If you narrow the scoring range to 25 points, Barkley would be excluded, and naturally, above 30 points, it’s just Ah Gan.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Gan Guoyang’s high shooting percentage came from his unstoppable post play; like Barkley, once he received the ball with his back to the goal, there was little the defender could do.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Both of them possessed a strength one to two levels higher than players in the same position; as long as they muscled inside with the ball, the defender was helpless.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Kevin McHale was different, relying more on skill, his long arms, and excellent finishing ability.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Larry Bird, at age 30, raised his average points per game from 25 last season to 29 this season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Losing the championship and MVP made Bird endure a summer of arduous training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, most of his time was spent battling his chronic back pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he did not receive proper treatment, and this guy was still doing heavy lifting at home, his back problems worsened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Bird stepped onto the court and saw Gan Guoyang energetically warming up, he said enviously, \"I heard you got married, looks like you’ve got a strong back, otherwise you wouldn’t dare to get hitched.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang, aware of Bird’s bad back, suggested, \"I’ll teach you a good way to exercise your back—do 1,000 sit-ups every day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird gave Gan Guoyang a \"fuck you\" and a \"happy marriage\" before getting ready to immerse himself in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite poor health and an extremely weak rotation, the Celtics, relying on their stars and traditions, still firmly held the top spot in the Eastern division.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Philadelphia 76ers had completely declined, the Milwaukee Bucks seemed challenging but Jack Sikma could not bring a qualitative change to them, and the Atlanta Hawks were full of bluster but brittle inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real challengers to the Celtics’ dominance in the Eastern division were the young, brutish Detroit Pistons and the Washington Bullets with Moses Malone and Charles Barkley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their encounters, the Celtics distinctly felt the impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The solid, tough frontcourts of these two teams challenged the increasingly aging trio of Celtics’ frontcourt stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the trio, Robert Parish was the oldest at 33 years old, entering his tenth year in the League.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, his performance also improved, his average points per game increased, and his time on court soared since they no longer had a sixth man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against most of the League’s frontcourt players, Parish had no problems with his height, wingspan, and strength enough to oppress the Eastern division.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, last year in the finals, he was utterly obliterated by Gan Guoyang and even developed a psychological shadow because defending against Gan Guoyang was indeed a nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long-lasting nightmare, overpowering offensive abilities along with extended minutes on court, left opponents exhausted after each game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Parish, who already had a face as fierce as a chieftain’s, looked even more worried standing at center court facing Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Gan Guoyang started, he drew a foul on Parish with a face-up breakthrough, prompting the usually silent center to protest against the referee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang didn’t care much about that, stepped up to the free-throw line, and scored both shots, earning his first points of the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Red Auerbach sat in his usual front-row seat, wearing his brown glasses and watched the game with a serious expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From 1947 to today, Auerbach had been watching NBA games for a full 40 years, witnessing all sorts of changes in basketball. Compared to 40 years ago, the NBA today is a completely different game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through all the changes, Auerbach had always kept up with the trend, even once being a creator of the trends, but now the tide had overwhelmed him, he began to find the games incomprehensible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was now 70 years old; he had gained a lot from basketball, the Celtics gave him a lifetime contract exceeding $250,000 annually after going public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until July 31, 1992, he could collect $250,000 a year, and after that date, his salary would drop to $125,000 per year, until his death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a reward for Auerbach’s contributions, but after the Celtics went public, they were worth a hundred million dollars, with Auerbach’s contribution he could have taken 10% of the shares, easily equating to a fortune of $10 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auerbach didn’t do so; he only took what he thought he deserved, a modest annual $250,000 compared to his contribution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The moment I was willing to take a $250,000 lifetime contract instead of team shares, I knew I had become a hopeless, inflexible old fool. But I accept all this; it’s the inevitable path every aging person must take—to die clinging to one’s glory, rather than flailing around in a desperate attempt to stay alive, forsaking principles for profit; that would be the real hopelessness,\" Auerbach later reflected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time on the court, Gan Guoyang had already stacked 10 points over Robert Parish’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang was even more ruthless than in last year’s finals, with Parish, already burdened with one foul, not daring to be too aggressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the strength disparity and the tactical spread, Parish felt as lonely and helpless as the last of the Native Americans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Gan Guoyang showed no mercy; he preferred to establish a sufficient lead in the first quarter to make the rest of the game easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Celtics appeared somewhat unprepared and were taken by surprise with the Trail Blazers leading 14:6; KC Jones called for a timeout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auerbach wiped his glasses, wondering how Jack Ramsay could have coached such a team and such a player.\u003C\u002Fp>",1704,"2026-06-06T01:41:13.548Z",1,"novelbin.me","3a1598856bddcdf1883c4b43b605787ca6dcd3771f26f06a6cd5701edba74ff9","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-373","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-372",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]