[{"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-82":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},1443649,1896,"Chapter 82 - 21 So Dirty","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-82",82,"\u003Cp>At seven o’clock in the evening, Pauley Pavilion was packed, as the second game of the Western Conference Sweet Sixteen was about to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Gan Guoyang and his teammates officially entered the court through the player tunnel, the stadium erupted in noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Los Angeles, Gan Guoyang had already become an undeniable basketball celebrity, having thoroughly conquered the local fans with his play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the venue, except for the Duke Blue Devils’ section booing him, everyone else was cheering for him and the Bulldogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The banner of \"Gan’s Restaurant\" fluttered high in the air, pushing the atmosphere of the stadium to a climax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Playing in Los Angeles feels damn good,\" Guoyang thought to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bigger the stage, the more excited Guoyang became, feeling neither nervousness nor timidity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was born for basketball’s big moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beelman emphasized tonight’s tactical strategy over and over before the game began; he had already discussed these points countless times before, and the players’ ears were calloused from hearing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other four starters were now just watching Guoyang, waiting to see how their leader would deal with Duke, ready to move at the right opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McPhie, Stockton, Van Nort, and Blair Anderson all clenched their fists, tense, looking like they were about to enter a brawl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were typically students of good character and academics, and apart from Stockton, who liked to be tricky, the others rarely played dirty, overall embodying a sense of fairness and integrity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, they were determined to strike first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing on the court, players from both teams bumped fists and shook hands as a sign of respect; Guoyang stood at the center circle for the jump ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke’s starting center was Jay Bilas, a 6-foot-8 white center who was on the shorter side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally a power forward, Duke didn’t have a better big man, so Bilas was forced to play the center position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To compete against taller opponents, Bilas had spent the entire summer in the school’s gym, adding 25 pounds of muscle to enhance his ability to contest underneath the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the jump ball, Bilas chose to concede; he didn’t jump, trying to steal the Bulldogs’ ball to launch a fast break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Stockton’s hands were quick, he controlled the ball and dodged Johnny Dawkins’ attempt at a steal, initiating the first assault for the Bulldogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guoyang headed straight for the basket, and Stockton’s first pass was a high lob to the paint; Guoyang leapt up to catch the ball, turned and cut underneath, pushed past Labis, and scored with a right-handed slam dunk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Labis tried to use his body to block Guoyang under the basket, denying him an easy turn and approach to the hoop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, his body, despite the added 25 pounds of muscle, utterly failed to withstand Guoyang’s dribbling and pushing; he stepped back and then watched helplessly as Guoyang easily dunked the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s the deal, Jay, do you need help?\" his teammate Mark Alarie asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke differed from other college teams in that they strictly adhered to man-to-man defense, resolutely avoiding zone defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach K had implemented this defensive strategy from the moment he joined Duke, aiming to enhance defensive intensity and the players’ defensive focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this, Duke’s players were more combative, as man-to-man defense required defenders to be more competitive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t need it; you stay out of this!\" Labis shouted back at Alarie as he inbounded the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crossing the half court, Guoyang told Labis, \"Why reject a teammate’s goodwill? You need his help; you’ll hurt his feelings that way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Labis glared at Guoyang, remembering Coach K’s repeated cautions to take this number 11 Chinese player seriously, as he was a big trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach K had asked Labis if he could handle him one-on-one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Labis had pounded his chest and said no problem, claiming he could even handle Ewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after the first confrontation under the basket, Labis felt somewhat unsettled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawkins hit a mid-range jumper, and it was the Bulldogs’ turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Duke was playing man-to-man, Guoyang started to post up, calling for the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stockton’s pass was smooth, and Guoyang firmly pinned Labis down on the low block.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guoyang’s post-up technique was top-notch, his footwork excellent; after all, he was schooled by Sermonde.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Labis tried to push Guoyang out but couldn’t move him an inch, as he was completely immovable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guoyang caught the ball, bumped once with the dribble, swiftly turned around, and released a high-arching jumper that went in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’d I tell you, have your teammates help you out a bit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck you, I’ll take care of you myself,\" Labis swore furiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang’s face darkened as he said, \"I was kindly reminding you, and you curse at me. You people from Duke really have no manners.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawkins’ long-range shot missed, and he complained to the referee about Stockton’s sneaky defense tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee ignored him, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound. Labis tried to steal the ball, but Gan Guoyang twirled it around his head, taunting him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he dribbled the ball quickly past half court, suddenly accelerated at the top of the arc, and slammed a one-handed dunk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Duke players were totally caught off guard by Gan Guoyang’s sudden attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alari tried to block Gan Guoyang but was sent flying out of bounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawkins attempted to break through with speed on the counterattack, only to be sent flying by Gan Guoyang, who came over to defend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee called a foul on Gan Guoyang, and Coach K was frantic, claiming it was a flagrant foul, deserving of a technical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since the game had just started, the referee didn’t want to give a technical to Gonzaga’s star player so quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went over to remind Gan Guoyang to be a bit more mindful of his defensive moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang nodded his acknowledgment, and then Dawkins made both free throws, keeping Duke close in the score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke’s defense was getting more physical, with Labis constantly shoving Gan Guoyang off the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang ignored these little tricks; he was very focused during the game, no matter how much you pulled, dragged, or pushed, his mind stayed on the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anderson took a mid-range shot from outside, it missed, and Gan Guoyang squeezed past two Duke players to grab the offensive rebound, then drew a foul from Labis on his layup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just a few minutes, Gan Guoyang took the game into a fiery, confrontational pace and atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach K paced along the sidelines, feeling as if he had been hit in a vital spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to his plan, as the game went on, and the \"intensity\" of man-to-man defense increased, it should be Duke who would disturb the opponent’s mental state and emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That way, the game would slowly enter Duke’s rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Dean Smith’s North Carolina sometimes couldn’t withstand Duke’s \"noise\" and would complain to the referees after the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Coach K’s strategy; lacking in talent and height, they had to use emotions to affect the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like slowly heating a furnace until it became a blazing fire, in which talent would melt away with sweat and hard work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang was like a bucket of molten steel, poured right over it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Making both free throws, Bulldogs 8:4 kept the lead, the first 8 points all came from Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bulldogs suddenly switched to man-to-man defense too and applied full-court pressure to Duke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawkins broke through and passed the ball inside, Labis attempted a layup but was blocked by Gan Guoyang from behind!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alari grabbed the offensive rebound to try for the putback, but was knocked to the ground by an onrushing Van Nort from the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke players immediately surrounded them, and Gan Guoyang stepped in front of Van Nort, blocking away all the hands that the Duke players stretched out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The players started a shouting match right on the court; naturally, it was mostly Gan Guoyang cursing at Duke, and chaos ensued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee called a technical foul on Van Nort and warned the Bulldogs’ players to mind their hand movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a timeout, and Beelman asked Van Nort why he committed the foul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... I just wanted to foul him. I was just doing what Gan was doing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But Duke didn’t do anything; they’ve been playing clean.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who cares, I just wanted to hit him. Plus, I couldn’t let Gan get another foul.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That reason was still very important. If Gan Guoyang got two fouls early on, it would be difficult for the Bulldogs to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well done, Nort. But you also have to pay attention to your own foul control. I can’t do without you under the basket either,\" Beelman said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang patted Van Nort on the shoulder, this 6-foot-9 power forward with an impressive wingspan, number 33, was a good partner for Gan Guoyang under the basket, doing a lot of the dirty and tiring work, sharing the defensive and rebounding pressure with Gan Guoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game continued, and the emotions of both sides had flared up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach K sat on the bench, unable to help complaining to the school’s athletic director, \"How can Gonzaga University play so dirty?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1535,"2026-06-06T01:41:13.545Z",1,"novelbin.me","68ce3de0e65e5b42e2e8678b140ead2b778250d8468f4979d4a2bebea1132d27","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-83","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-81",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]