[{"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-662":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},1444079,1896,"Chapter 662 - 51 Dark Nation·Dark Team_2","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-662",662,"\u003Cp>It’s hard to say whether he could become the next Jabbar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Lakers side, Magic Johnson had just turned 30 this year—the prime age for a point guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 33, Larry Bird was already physically debilitated, while Johnson maintained excellent physical condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When playing under Pat Riley, Johnson thought he could only play until he was 30 because Riley’s training and play styles were extremely draining on the body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Don Nelson took over, he lightened Johnson’s load. Although Nelson also played a fast offense, his pressure on players wasn’t as severe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lakers built their team entirely around Johnson, with the point guard as the core, creating a smoothly functioning lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To date, the Lakers’ record was second only to the Trail Blazers, closely trailing behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the evening game started, when Jerry West appeared at the Great Western Forum, the crowd still erupted in applause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lakers fans acknowledged West’s contributions, and his departure from Los Angeles was blamed more on Jerry Buss than on West himself wanting to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West’s typically stern face softened somewhat; he waved to the fans, and his heart, kept in suspense, finally relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this game, West hesitated about whether to follow the team to Los Angeles for an away game; as the team’s manager, he could have chosen not to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some internal struggle, he finally returned to the Great Western Forum and watched the game sitting alongside the team owner, Tang Jianguo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jianguo was elusive, mostly absent from Portland, entrusting all affairs to Jerry West to handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if the game was in a major city like New York or Los Angeles, Tang Jianguo would make sure to appear, striving for camera time, appearing on live TV and in post-game reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, his business had been doing worse, with real estate and casino businesses faring badly; the Trail Blazers were the most thriving asset he held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to leverage the Blazers’ exposure to maintain his reputation, so banks and consortiums would continue to lend money to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For many celebrities, exposure is life—exposure brings reputation, attention, traffic, and funds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celebrities don’t fear being scolded, blackened, or controversial; they dread being ignored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the New Year’s game between the reigning Western Conference champions, Trail Blazers and Lakers, how could Tang Jianguo miss this chance to hitch a ride on the hype?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game started, he pulled Ah Gan and Magic Johnson together for handshakes and photos in the players’ tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang, of course, had to give his boss face, while Magic Johnson’s smile appeared reluctant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Trail Blazers had become the Lakers’ biggest threat for the championship, the relationship between Magic and Gan Guoyang had been lukewarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Johnson was indeed powerful, many of his behaviors both on and off the court were hard for Gan Guoyang to understand; they were not cut from the same cloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who were close to Gan Guoyang were usually of the old-school sort in character and style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This included people like Stockton, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, and Ewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic Johnson had a tough playing style, but his personality carried a lot of the unpredictability commonly seen in Black cultures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His closest friend, Isiah Thomas, was also unpredictable in temperament and erratic in behavior—it was hard to grasp what he was really thinking or intending to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps individuals like them simply don’t overthink and follow their instincts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the 1989 finals, the relationship between Magic Johnson and Thomas was on the verge of collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the new season, they had reconciled, but whether they were as close as before, no one knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking the photo, they exchanged a few words and then returned to their respective locker rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time for pre-game warm-ups, Gan Guoyang was chatting eagerly with AC Green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang was closer to Green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Really, this guy Green was as tough as steel—so many years in the League, and he was still as chaste as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only was he still a virgin, but he hadn’t even had a girlfriend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Green’s sister was married, while he, the older brother, was still green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang asked Green, \"When do you plan to get married? If you don’t marry soon, your gun will get rusty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That depends on God’s guidance. I hope to win another championship first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you keep staying with the Lakers, I’m afraid you won’t have a chance. Why not come back to Portland?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Gan Guoyang’s \"lure,\" AC Green just smiled and did not respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He really was a person of firm will—not only did he adhere to his principles, refusing indulgences before marriage, but last year he even founded the \"AC Green Youth Foundation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The foundation aimed to organize green, healthy youth camps to promote and advocate for chastity before marriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could be said that AC Green practiced what he preached, incorporating his beliefs into real life, staying true to himself, and striving to influence others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game started on time that evening, and the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup had changed significantly from last year: Sabonis had become the team’s starting center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In December, the Trail Blazers had suffered several defeats; the issue was insufficient defensive pressure on the perimeter, allowing opposing guards to fully unleash their firepower and ultimately breaking through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bobby Beelman rejected Jerry West’s idea of trading Petrović for a defensive forward, having a simpler and more effective method in mind: letting Ah Gan play the power forward position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mychal Thompson, after being a starter for two months, had no complaints about being a substitute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As one of the Trail Blazers’ most veteran players, Thompson faced criticism in his rookie years for being sloppy and lacking a strong competitive spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>",954,"2026-06-06T01:41:36.635Z",1,"novelbin.me","a72e0c8f3d986e4c2e76e893b5706e82d394e3ba135b5b501c337b0076483a4a","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-663","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-661",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]