[{"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-712":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},1444279,1896,"Chapter 712 - 76 Smooth Criminal_3","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-712",712,"\u003Cp>\"Then who are you planning to... take out?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I still have six fouls to give, just enough for six of them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This... this isn’t a good idea... Referee! Timeout, I need a substitution!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-----------------\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Gan Guoyang and Beelman were talking, the Trail Blazers finally scored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Petrović, with the ball, broke through and charged under the basket, using his slender body to force his way into the Pistons’ inside line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was sent flying out of bounds by Salley, and the referee called Salley’s foul—Salley’s first foul of the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pistons’ players were using their first fouls to go hard against the Trail Blazers’ players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Petrović didn’t back down; he got up from the ground, stood on the free-throw line, and sank both shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Divac defended against Melvin Turpin’s low post move, and on the counter-attack, Sanders scored with a layup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, Melvin Turpin responded with a drive to the basket for a layup; his offensive skillset was quite comprehensive, said to have learned a lot from Mark Aguirre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>30:25, the Trail Blazers were behind by 5 points, Beelman called a timeout, and Gan Guoyang removed his tracksuit to re-enter the game, replacing Mychal Thompson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hornacek replaced Terry Porter, with Sanders continuing to play to give Kossie more rest time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the timeout, Gan Guoyang told everyone, \"Let’s show the Detroiters a little color. What you need to do is pass the ball to me when you should, and don’t hesitate to attack on your own, because I might be heading to the locker room to rest at any moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers’ teammates looked at each other; they knew there was a good show coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pistons also made a substitution; Bill Lambier re-entered the game, and Melvin Turpin went to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas returned to the court as well, Dumars took a short break, and Mark Aguirre stayed to continue as the main offensive threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big-ass Rick Mahorn replaced Salley; once Daley saw Ah Gan’s return, he knew it was time for Mahorn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game proceeded to the second quarter, both teams gradually getting into form, and sweat steamed up on the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noisy arena, wave after wave of cheers and jeers, stimulated every nerve of the players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was becoming combative and brave; Detroiters have always taken pride in this, as they have the strongest fighting spirit in the League.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all masters at dirty plays, able to cleverly use certain moves to quietly attack the opponent, without getting ejected from the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mahorn, Lan Bi’er, Rodman, Melvin Turpin, and Thomas were all studying or even had doctorates in small tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mahorn’s unique skill was in his butt, a big rear that could compete with Barkley’s, often used cleverly in physical matchups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, a \"gentle\" bump would send an opponent reeling, or when you jump for a layup, an \"accidental\" thrust of the hips could make you flip in the air and give you an embarrassing blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the referee caught it and called a foul, Mahorn would look innocent, claiming it wasn’t intentional, that he was born with a big butt, and it was the opponent who bumped into him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When dealing with taller players, Mahorn particularly enjoyed playing the \"pull the chair\" trick, and Ewing had been frequently troubled by it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ewing, straightforward in nature, would naively push with his butt inward, and Mahorn would suddenly pull the chair, catching Ewing off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stumble called for traveling was the best-case scenario, but if Ewing accidentally fell hard and injured his knee, that would be trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the timeout, Mahorn was marking Ah Gan one-on-one; he didn’t dare punch or slap Ah Gan, but the small tricks continued incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grabbing Ah Gan’s jersey with one hand and continually pushing forward with his knee, in an attempt to push Gan Guoyang out of the Three Second Zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang knew that although Mahorn appeared to be thrusting forward, he was likely contemplating a \"pull the chair\" to make him fall flat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang called for the ball on the left low post, Hornacek passed to Gan Guoyang, but instead of his signature quick turn, he observed, then dribbled slowly inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mahorn backed up two steps, waited for the right moment in Ah Gan’s exertion, and then, taking advantage of the situation, pulled the chair!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang’s balance wavered, he turned and was about to fall, but at the same time, he elbowed Mahorn in the ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was falling, Gan Guoyang tossed the ball towards the basket; the ball bounced a couple of times on the rim and miraculously went in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two points were good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Mahorn bent over holding his ribs, Ah Gan’s stealthy elbow hit Mahorn so hard it felt like a drill to the bone; a hard elbow to the ribs wouldn’t that hurt?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The play was not called a foul by Strom, and there was no replay on the spot, so when Mahorn gave Strom an innocent look, Strom just shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The innocent looks of the Pistons’ players, in the eyes of the referees, were all acting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mahorn could only swallow the loss and grit his teeth as he ran toward the frontcourt to continue the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Bi’er saw a hint of something and complained to the referee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strom looked at him incredulously and said, \"You’re saying Ah Gan used a stealth elbow? Are you sure?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sure, I also saw... I... I saw it with my own eyes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strom shook his head and signaled for the game to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the person who had been hit by Ah Gan the most, Lan Bi’er’s sense of smell was extremely sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that Ah Gan played very openly and honestly, never using sneaky tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he was going to hit, it was straightforward, the kind of sacrificial play that would give both parties a foul trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stealth elbow, such a dirty trick, Ah Gan would use? And he used it so well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the moment of imbalance while turning, arms raised pretending to keep balance, he managed to land one on Mahorn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The move was smooth, without any hint of pretense, perhaps it wasn’t intentional?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Bi’er would soon find out if Ah Gan did it on purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master of crime was already eyeing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, on the Trail Blazers’ bench, Beelman nodded toward Anthony Mason, who sat at the end of the bench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anthony, get ready to play, the team will need you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mason was surprised; he hadn’t gotten much playtime during the entire playoffs, and now he was needed during such an intense moment of the finals?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when he saw Lan Bi’er secretly pinch Sabonis, causing conflict between the two, Mason started to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I got it, I will complete the task.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beelman nodded; since Ah Gan had decided to play tough, as a coach, he would definitely support Ah Gan’s decision.\u003C\u002Fp>",1155,"2026-06-06T01:41:37.192Z",1,"novelbin.me","2d1166fe9eab82783c6fcd4590a59f18362acd711992eda9f0d3431e20a743cb","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-713","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-711",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]