[{"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-57":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},1443624,1896,"Chapter 57 - 54 Passion","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-57",57,"\u003Cp>\"Shui Zhong Team’s center, Sunny Gan, blocked Reggie Miller of Riverside High School’s layup from behind! He sprinted from the backcourt all the way to catch up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The TV station replayed Gan Guoyang’s block in slow motion, and the commentator’s usually flat voice suddenly became dramatic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just the CBS live broadcasters who were amazed; the Los Angeles fans at the Great Western Forum were also taken by surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miller had made a steal near the three-point line (the floor wasn’t changed), and there was no one ahead in the frontcourt, while Guoyang was at that time in the paint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by the time Miller took the ball up to the basket, Guoyang had already sprinted like a leopard to catch up and blocked the shot from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The somewhat loose, subdued atmosphere in the stadium became somewhat lively because of this play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Los Angeles fans used to high-level college basketball and NBA games, the level of this high school competition was indeed a bit poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pace was slow, the players were short, and a zone defense made the offense and defense look sluggish. Additionally, a team comprised almost entirely of Chinese people wasn’t very appealing visually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason why so many people came to the Forum to watch the game was, first, because the game was of great significance, involving a rivalry between Southern and Northern California; second, because the tickets were cheap, many were complimentary tickets given to various schools and organizations by the event committee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sports fans seek speed, strength, and explosiveness, enjoying the accelerated heartbeat and hormone release that comes with confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A basketball game with strong technical and tactical elements is certainly a pleasure to watch, but it ultimately doesn’t match the thrill of raw power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is why the NBA broadcast contract was only 88 million, baseball was on the decline, while the NFL could sign a contract worth 2.1 billion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang’s long-distance block was like a stone thrown into a calm pond, beginning to ripple outward gradually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From fans to players, everyone gradually became excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball was blocked out of bounds, and possession remained with Riverbank Polytechnic High School.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They played a clever baseline inbound play, and Reggie Miller caught the ball at the corner and scored a long shot after receiving it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two points were still obtained. After scoring, he pointed at Guoyang, \"I still got it! Your block was useless!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miller actually dared to provoke Guoyang openly, instantly igniting Guoyang’s competitiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the last game, Guoyang had been left a little frazzled by Quentin Stephenson, so this time, he was more restrained with his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Miller had opened this door of death, the battle wouldn’t cease until victory was decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guoyang signaled to Chen Xing with a look, and the two executed a pick and roll at the top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guoyang rolled to the basket, Chen Xing tossed the ball into the air, Guoyang caught it in mid-jump, landed and dribbled inside, easily shoving aside Riverside’s center, and slammed a two-handed dunk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sequence was smooth and continuous; Guoyang’s impact, the White interior players of Riverside High School simply couldn’t withstand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leopard began to extend its claws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s a dunk. I heard even your sister can dunk, but you can’t, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guoyang knew a bit about Reggie Miller’s story with his great sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This would be one of the themes of their \"friendly exchanges\" tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miller hated it when people talked about his sister, as if he had to live in her shadow his entire life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered one time when he scored 39 points in a game and excitedly asked his sister, \"How many points did you score in your game,\" ready to brag afterwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Cheryl said, \"I scored 105 points,\" and Miller was devastated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Cheryl sat courtside; she had already finished the CIF California State Championship for girls, leading Riverbank Polytechnic to an effortless victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, she would graduate from high school, having led her team to 132 wins and 2 losses over four years. Many colleges had offered her scholarships, and she could go to any school she wanted for study and basketball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the national team was calling for her, this woman who could dunk in games was considered possibly the greatest female basketball player in America’s history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And her poor brother was being humiliated by a Chinese center from Northern California, with yellow skin and black hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miller tried to drive to the basket in offense, directly challenging Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how could his slender body possibly take advantage, as he got blocked again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This block, Guoyang slapped the ball directly into Franklin’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franklin initiated a fast break, and Riverbank Polytechnic’s defensive transition was quick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both teams started to tighten their defense and picked up the pace in their running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Miller got blocked, he immediately hustled back and used his long, slender arms to swat away Franklin’s counterattack layup in mid-air!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang charged from behind, grabbed the loose ball, and leaped to slam it home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miller couldn’t defend another player in time, so he simply reached out to push Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, Gan Guoyang still managed to dunk the ball in the hoop, and Miller got called for a defensive foul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2+1, Gan Guoyang stepped up to the free-throw line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn, he can’t be moved.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miller thought a light touch would disrupt his balance and cause Gan Guoyang to miss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang kept his balance in the air, his strength and explosive power shocked Miller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder this Chinese team made it to the finals, no wonder before the game, many people were talking about this Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strong fighting spirit ignited inside Miller; he wasn’t Quentin Stephenson, facing a powerful opponent only made him want to take on the challenge, never to back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After making the additional free throw, Gan Guoyang taunted Miller by saying his push was as weak as a girl’s—of course, not the kind of girl his sister is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Miller didn’t blindly attempt to break through inside anymore but instead sought outside scoring opportunities through collaboration with his teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Xun was quite effective in guarding Kevin Johnson since they were of similar heights, and Xu could rely on his physical stamina to tangle with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was much less effective against Miller, who was nearly 2 meters tall and played with a shooting style from a distance, making it hard for Xu to interfere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shui Zhong Team still used a zone defense, which gave Miller more opportunities to shoot from outside; he hit three mid-range shots in a row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His shooting got hot, and after a made basket, he pointed at Gan Guoyang and shouted, \"You can’t make a single shot; you idiot!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang immediately retaliated with a long-distance shot on offense, hitting back at Miller, \"You look as ugly as a cockroach when you shoot; didn’t your sister teach you how to do it properly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tension was rising on both sides, and the language was getting increasingly intense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Players who talked trash with Gan Guoyang before usually got put in their place after a few rounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Miller was different; even if he was down in terms of the game and stats, he only grew more determined, brave enough to take shots and talk back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Miller had also never encountered an opponent with such sharp play and words; several times he was on the verge of throwing a punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing Gan Guoyang’s physique and the strength he felt when clashing with him, he thought better of it; a gentleman uses his tongue, not his fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scoring soared in the second quarter, from a 16:16 tie all the way to 41:43, with the Shui Zhong Team leading by 2 points at the end of the first half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near the end of the first half, during the last offense by Riverbank Polytechnic High School, Miller confronted Gan Guoyang’s help defense and made an ultra-long-distance shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shot from outside the three-point line, and if it weren’t a high school game, that would have been a three-pointer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You were just a bit short, just a little short of blocking me! Are your hands not long enough, or are your feet too slow? Are you pitying me? Why didn’t you block it? Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the shot, Miller unleashed a torrent of trash talk at Gan Guoyang, who wanted to respond with a basket but time was running out in the first half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tossed the ball single-handedly towards the frontcourt, a full-court heave that hit the rim but didn’t go in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire stadium sighed; it was such a pity that the ball didn’t go in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Miller was dumbfounded; Gan Guoyang’s one-handed flick sent the ball flying so far, and it almost went in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guy’s power and touch were terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to make the miracle shot, Gan Guoyang then vented all his frustration on Miller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the other players and referees were preparing to leave the court, the two engaged in a passionate word war at mid-court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, referees and teammates had to pull them apart, each heading back to their locker rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Gan Guoyang was fired up as well, and the fans on-site were thrilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were even more excited for the second half of the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, some unexpected changes were taking place both on and off the court.\u003C\u002Fp>",1581,"2026-06-06T01:41:13.545Z",1,"novelbin.me","07f60b0ab356a2701eaa1a2603f18851343facf62ddec4bb7c065c923a6b8adf","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-58","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-56",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]