[{"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-479":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},1443696,1896,"Chapter 479 - 96: More is Less","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-479",479,"\u003Cp>The first quarter saw both teams score the lowest points of the series, ending in a 21:21 tie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang scored 7 points and delivered 2 assists in the first quarter, which was a rather ordinary performance for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the intense competition and both sides’ poor shooting from the outside, the game was somewhat unsightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a common occurrence as a series progresses; it often comes down to who can make some changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers’ significant change last game was to increase Wes Matthews’s playing time, which proved effective in offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t until the third overtime that Matthews finally exploded, helping the Lakers seal the victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the second quarter began, the Lakers brought Matthews back in, letting this powerful guard take the reins on offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack Ramsey patted Gan Guoyang on the back after the break and said, \"Ah Gan, stop drinking water, get on the court.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang said, \"Aren’t I supposed to rest at the start of the second quarter?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not today, you’re not resting, you’ll play more, leading Hornacek and Kossie.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hornacek was a year older than Dell Curry and had a more traditional style; by the end of the season, he had increasingly gained Ramsay’s trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took some of Jim Paxson’s minutes as their styles of play were quite similar, but Hornacek was a bit more modern, while Paxson’s technique was too classical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, Ramsay decided to let Hornacek get some time on the court, but with a rookie in play, to stabilize the situation, Gan Guoyang needed to be there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang sighed; to play less, he had to play more—where the hell does that make sense?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley, seeing Gan Guoyang not resting during the break, tensed up and instructed Duckworth and Frank Brickowski to tighten their defense on Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t plan to bring Jabbar in early; Jabbar needed enough rest and with it being only the second quarter, the Lakers had room for error.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brickowski was the Lakers management’s substitute for Rambis; both were around 6-foot-9 white interior players with similar functions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Rambis, he had two advantages: one, he was stronger, and two, he wasn’t as fearful of Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the second quarter resumed, the Trail Blazers’ offense struggled, and they had some issues with their positioning; Hornacek’s pass inside was not decisive enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, the Lakers stole the ball and counterattacked, with Wes Matthews quickly advancing and hitting a mid-range jumper from the top of the arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers took the lead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang patted Hornacek, saying, \"Don’t be nervous, just be decisive, it’s alright.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, Gan Guoyang called for the ball in the low post, spread out, received the ball, and drew a foul from Duckworth with a turnaround jumper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duckworth, wary of Gan Guoyang’s shooting, hugged too tightly and got tricked into a foul by Gan Guoyang’s skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang stepped up to the free-throw line and easily hit both shots, 23:23, evening the score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the free throws, Gan Guoyang said to Hornacek, \"I told you it’s okay, we caught up quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang’s confidence and encouragement calmed Hornacek, who was playing in the Western Conference finals for the first time, and he became less nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duckworth received the ball on offense, charged forward, and scored with a small hook shot; Gan Guoyang let this one go, learning his lesson to avoid fouling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed to stay on the court for a longer time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quickly taking the ball out of the backcourt, Gan Guoyang passed to Hornacek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also on the court were Jerome Kossie, Bill Walton, and Vandeweghe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Porter, Drexler, and Thompson were resting off-court, with an offensive set-up on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang’s task was to lead them to better offensive coordination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved to the wing to set a screen for Hornacek, then swiftly cut inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hornacek took advantage of the screen and, with space created, hit a mid-range jumper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A precise and beautiful shot, the Lakers players were all focused on Gan Guoyang, not expecting the rookie to take such a decisive shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>25:25, once again the score was tied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duckworth wanted to attack Gan Guoyang again, but the ball was directly stolen by Gan Guoyang this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Duck was getting a bit ahead of himself, thinking he could take on Gan Guoyang twice in a row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hornacek and Gan Guoyang set another screen on the wing, but this time the Lakers were watching closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hornacek didn’t get a chance to shoot, and the ball went back to Gan Guoyang, who caught it at the top of the arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Gan Guoyang has the ability to shoot from mid-range, the defense was sticking close to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duckworth was pulled out, and Guoyang lobbed a high pass to underneath the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jerome Kossie caught the ball, turned his back, and shot an easy basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang and Hornacek’s pick-and-roll drew most of the Lakers’ defensive resources, resulting in a weak side defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Kossie cutting deeply under the basket, it was very difficult for the Lakers to stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>25:27, the Trail Blazers took the lead again, and the Lakers immediately launched a fast break, with Wes Johnson making a long pass to the frontcourt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brickowski received the ball for a layup, but Kossie, coming from behind, interfered and blocked the shot, sending the ball out of bounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley saw the situation turning bad, so he subbed out Kevin Duckworth and sent Jabbar into the fray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had Jabbar come on than he received a pass, turned, and hooked the ball in. It was his first successful hook shot of the evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The score was tied again, and the Trail Blazers counterattacked. Vandeweghe took the ball and drove under the basket for a layup but missed, with Kossie desperately fighting for the offensive rebound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He passed the ball out to Guoyang at the top of the arc, who feigned a shot to draw the defense then passed it to Hornacek in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hornacek took a mid-range shot and scored again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Hornacek’s second basket of the night, a very steady shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching him shoot was far more reassuring than watching Drexler take a shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers’ defense was gradually becoming perplexed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On offense, AC Green tried to power through Kossie, but his turnaround layup under the basket did not go in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kossie grabbed another rebound, and on the counterattack, Guoyang received the ball in the low post, turned quickly, and drove under the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing a double team, he passed cleverly between the defenders to Walton, who dunked the ball with one hand!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>27:31, the Trail Blazers led by 4 points. Their offense was becoming more and more fluid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After scoring the dunk, the Lakers did not pause, with James Worthy making an ultra-long baseline pass to the frontcourt!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jabbar, who had already run up front, was waiting; when he ran fast, he really didn’t look 40, his legs still seemed young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, what appeared to be a guaranteed basket became trouble as Jabbar went for the layup and was surprisingly disrupted from behind by Hornacek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hornacek, the quickest to the ball starting near the mid-court line, theoretically had no chance guarding Jabbar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t give up and still charged trying to block Jabbar, who instead of dunking went for a layup and used too much force, missing the shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following up, Kossie snagged the rebound, and the Trail Blazers went on the offensive. Hornacek got the ball and made a long pass inside the three-point line; Guoyang leaped, caught the ball, landed, spun, and charged under the basket, completely ignoring Brickowski as he dunked the ball right over him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brickowski was knocked out of bounds, falling to the ground and staying down for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To top it off, the referee called a blocking foul on Brickowski, and Guoyang got an additional free throw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley, seeing this, furiously protested to Earl Strom, but the roar from the crowd drowned out his objections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guoyang converted the free throw, 27:34, extending the lead to 7 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley still didn’t call a timeout; he believed a deficit within 10 points didn’t warrant one yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jabbar’s offense continued to miss, and the Trail Blazers, grabbing the rebound, counterattacked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the ball didn’t go through Guoyang’s hands; he simply set a screen at the top of the arc, then moved down to attract the defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball was passed to the wing where Vandeweghe caught it and made a three-point shot from the perimeter—and scored!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The success of that shot meant that everyone listening to the game on the radio in Oregon could hear Bill Schonely’s exhilarating \"Rip City!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pat Riley finally couldn’t take it anymore and called a timeout, bringing Magic Johnson back in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason Riley hadn’t called a timeout earlier was that he wanted Guoyang to play for a while longer, to wear him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan had not rested for a minute in the first quarter, and continuing to play like this in the second quarter was a significant drain on his stamina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Riley didn’t consider, however, was that if the game continued this way, Gan might be able to rest for the entire fourth quarter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back on the bench, Gan exchanged high fives with his teammates, understanding another principle: playing more might actually mean playing less, getting things done earlier is the way to go.\u003C\u002Fp>",1570,"2026-06-06T01:41:13.547Z",1,"novelbin.me","174af02f7f20d7853f9d2da287cdedc7300d69bee51094609fe190ff37f83560","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-480","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-478",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]