[{"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-706":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},1444273,1896,"Chapter 706 - 72 - s Promise_3","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-706",706,"\u003Cp>His hefty buttocks became a formidable tool for attacking the Bulls’ Three Second Zone; neither Cartwright nor Grant could stop him from rampaging through the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Detroit, Melvin Turpin unleashed his talent, his strong power, and smooth offensive touch, and the Pistons didn’t need him to do anything else but attack the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pistons won by a large margin, securing the match point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this game, the result between the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs had already been decided (since the Spurs played six games in the semi-finals, the Western Conference finals started later.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang in Game 4 achieved a miraculous buzzer-beater with 0.8 seconds left, defeating the Spurs, taking the victory away on their court, as well as the Western Conference championship and the tickets to the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a significant stimulation for Jordan; Ah Gan was waiting for him in the finals again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Bulls team performed crazily in Game 6, Hodges hit four three-pointers out of four attempts, securing 19 points with a perfect shooting rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, someone stepped up to help Jordan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls triumphed over the Pistons, pushing the series to a Game 7.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This presented a perfect opportunity for Jordan and Ah Gan to meet in the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the game, Jordan still did not take interviews in the locker room; instead, he went to the media room, sitting alongside Phil Jackson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He answered the reporters’ questions, and when asked, \"How do you feel about Ah Gan already making it to the finals?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan responded candidly, \"I know he’s waiting for me, and I’m waiting for him too. I’ll be there, brother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan’s father, James, told him, \"Son, our chance has come, grab it, you need to grab it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, dad.\" Jordan agreed, he had been waiting for this day for too long, far too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Bulls’ plane to Detroit, Jordan seemed to have regained his usual humor and optimism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if the previous conflict with his teammates didn’t exist; he joked as usual about Pippen’s shoes and Grant’s shaving cream, saying it smelled like a freshly manured lawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And everyone asked Jordan, \"Michael, where did you put your comb?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 1990, Jordan’s hairstyle changed from a thin buzzcut to a completely bald head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the balding genes inherited from his father could no longer be hidden, rather than having a ridiculous Mediterranean-style hairline like Drexler on the court, he might as well just shave it all off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that the team’s atmosphere had returned to its best state, ready to defeat the Pistons in Game 7 and then meet the Portland people in the finals, the match-up all fans had been eagerly anticipating in recent years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan vs Joe, staged in the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon arriving in Detroit, the situation quickly changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Jordan’s view, his teammates disappeared again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Firstly, Jim Paxson couldn’t play due to an ankle sprain; he had to undergo surgery in the summer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pippen had a migraine before the game, he took aspirin but it didn’t help; during the game, he kept blinking and used an ice pack on his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the game, Pippen made only 2 out of 10 shots, disappearing like last year’s playoffs, last time it was Lan Bi’er who got him, this time it was his own pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cartwright’s knees were sore, he was exhausted; Hodges missed his three-pointers; BJ Armstrong, just a rookie, scored only 1 out of 8...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls collapsed in Game 7, Jordan’s 31 points looked so powerless, like a drop in the bucket, utterly ineffectual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They suffered a 20-point defeat at The Palace of Auburn Hills, scoring only 74 points as the Pistons’ vicious defense made them look pitiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At halftime, they were already far behind; Jordan once again furiously yelled in the locker room, the humor, warmth, and harmony from the plane before the game, all turned into an illusory dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the bus leaving The Palace of Auburn Hills, Jordan hid in the back row and wept; he lost his chance to enter the finals and once again lost to the disgusting Isiah Thomas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, he once again broke his promise with Ah Gan, failing to meet in the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, after returning home to Chicago, the first thing Jordan did was silently unplug the phone line, and then threw all the phones in the house into the trash can.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, two days later, he still received a mail from Portland, inside was just a simple card, it read:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dear Michael:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>See you in June next year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, I’ll avenge you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your loving friend, the great four-time champion, two-time MVP, two-time Best Defensive Player, Dunk and Three-point dual champion, Lan Bi’er nemesis, future Hall of Famer, Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——1990.06.05\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan was both annoyed and amused by this letter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought about tearing it to pieces, but decided to keep it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carefully, he stored it in a drawer, then changed his clothes and went to the gym for practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, there was only one day left before the finals began.\u003C\u002Fp>",849,"2026-06-06T01:41:37.192Z",1,"novelbin.me","b3c4e8d150c46cbb5c17908581ce4556cab45731ce9471ba5a20b32e7a813914","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-707","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-705",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]