[{"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-774":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},1444191,1896,"Chapter 774 - 15 The Strongest Opponent in the Western Conference_2","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-774",774,"\u003Cp>Both have led teams to the finals, both fell short of the crown, both forced a trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difference is, Monroe wanted more money, and would’ve stayed if the Bullets were willing to give him a big contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Barkley didn’t lack money, times have changed; NBA stars like Barkley could make money from endorsements, advertisements, and sneaker deals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The contract Avia offered him was not much less than his player salary; today’s NBA top stars no longer rely solely on player contracts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Barkley wanted was the championship; he longed to relive the taste of the finals, to return to the finals stage, and to provide a good living environment for his children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time Pollin learned from Monroe’s lesson; he sent Charles Barkley to the Western Conference instead of keeping him in the East to avoid troubling himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even with Barkley in the West with the Phoenix Suns, the war of words with the Bullets never ceased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley kept trashing Washington’s basketball atmosphere as terrible, the team’s recruitment and infrastructure as completely inadequate, and even the jersey aesthetics as a total mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, Pollin accused Barkley of being arrogant, disrespectful to coaches and teammates, and having a huge appetite, eating a lot and hence, excreting a lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The verbal sparring began to wane as the Phoenix Suns’ record rose throughout the new season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang was right; in the NBA arena, victory can cover up most problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the drug scandal, the Suns achieved great rebuilding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The management soon realized that without a superstar, it would be impossible to get past the Lakers or Trail Blazers in the Western Conference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers just weren’t enough; they needed a real star capable of shifting the balance between East and West.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles Barkley was their answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before visiting Portland, the Phoenix Suns boasted a record of 10 wins and 3 losses, placing second in the Western Conference, including a victory over the Chicago Bulls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Challenging the Portland Trail Blazers tonight is the first step in Barkley and Ah Gan’s battle for the throne, their first encounter of the season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since arriving in sunny Phoenix, Barkley’s mouth hasn’t stopped talking; he praised the sunshine of Phoenix, saying, \"If you’re going to take a beating, do it in the sun, then even if you lose, at least you can let off steam with a round of golf in great weather.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He mocked the high crime rates in the Washington area, saying, \"Oh, it’s been 24 hours since I’ve heard a gunshot or a siren, I’m kind of not used to it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When asked what he thought of cities like New York, Washington, and Philadelphia on the East Coast, Barkley praised, \"I love New York, I love Washington, I love the East Coast! Because I have a gun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley’s remarks angered fans and media in the Northeastern region on one hand, and on the other hand, he won the love of many fans — there are fewer and fewer stars in society who dare to speak out boldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most people with power, money, and fame tend to be careful with their words, fearing misspeaking might bring negative consequences, but Barkley is not one to fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the last matchup against Michael Jordan, Barkley boldly declared before the game, \"This year’s scoring title is mine!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And indeed he surpassed Jordan in scoring and won the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing Gan Guoyang this time, Barkley boasted in a pre-game interview, \"This year’s Rebound King is also mine, no one can match me on rebounds, not even Ah Gan, as long as I focus!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley really was getting ahead of himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this year, he did have the capital to be so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In November, his average points per game reached a career-high of 29.7 points, close to 30, second only to Jordan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His average rebounds reached the second-highest in his career at 13.3 per game, just 1 rebound away from Ah Gan’s 14.3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Barkley focused on stats, it’s not impossible for him to overtake Jordan or Ah Gan in either category.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, aiming to seize both the scoring title and the rebounding title is a bit of a fantasy for Barkley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He doesn’t have the endurance like Ah Gan, and when it comes to shooting percentages, he’s even further behind Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Ah Gan heard about Barkley’s boastful stance from reporters; knowing Barkley’s bluffing nature, he didn’t take the bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only said, \"If Charles needs it, I can miss more shots, providing him with rebound resources.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two have been good friends for years, and Ah Gan always indulged Barkley’s need to save face, as Barkley always cared about appearances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the game itself, Gan Guoyang never held back against Barkley; this was a form of respect for a valiant opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 7:30 PM, Barkley stood for the first time in a Suns uniform on the floor of the Memorial Coliseum, facing Ah Gan directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truth be told, Barkley felt somewhat intimidated on the court against Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could taunt Michael Jordan face to face, but it was hard to do so against Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Ah Gan was an all-around player in the same position enveloping Barkley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides his appetite, Barkley had no edge over Gan Guoyang, and this lack of confidence affected him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, Ah Gan held a \"court poop\" scandal over him; although he trusted Ah Gan’s character, it felt like a ticking time bomb, making him uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pre-game media boast about beating Ah Gan in rebounds was his most confident claim yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sonny, you know...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t know. Prepare to die, Charles.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was their final conversation before the game started.\u003C\u002Fp>",952,"2026-06-06T01:41:38.168Z",1,"novelbin.me","1a479cb2a20b1e5981df9047bc6b093621dffeeab58953a5fc060cf81f0a0dc5","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-775","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-773",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]