[{"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-831":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},1444398,1896,"Chapter 831 - 34 Really Want to Win_2","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-831",831,"\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang made both free throws, and the Trail Blazers took a good start leading 4:0.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Jordan was calm and unhurried, and did not rush to compete with Ah Gan just because the latter had taken the first shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan played very much as a team, like a regular shooting guard – receiving, passing, moving, and using his off-ball capabilities to occupy the Trail Blazers’ defense, creating opportunities for his teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls’ first basket came from Pippen, who took a mid-range jumper from the right side after receiving a pass from Jordan and made the shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Triangle Offense has a high degree of freedom, which poses quite a challenge for defenders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bobby Beelman has always insisted on one-on-one defense against the Bulls – including against Michael Jordan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the beginning, Reggie Lewis kept a tight hold on Jordan, following his movements like a shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Jordan somewhat uncomfortable, while on the other side, Gan Guoyang continued to attack the Bulls’ interior, whether it was Cartwright or Buck-Williams, neither could stop Ah Gan in the low post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls tried to sever the connection between the other Trail Blazers players and Gan Guoyang, a consistent defensive strategy of theirs, with intense pressure from the perimeter and harassment starting even before the half-court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Learning from the previous loss, Sabonis stepped up as an important pivot in the perimeter, continually providing screens for the backcourt players and facilitating hand-to-hand movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While not a master organizer, Sabonis has a very strong tactical awareness, able to sort out the situation on the court well, alleviating the local ball pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever the Bulls pressured the ball-handler in a certain direction, Sabonis would immediately go for the assist, a solid screen to clear the way for his teammate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After receiving the ball, he could also make plays at the top of the arc; with his tall stature, strong ball protection skills, quick release, and precise passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Bulls applied outside pressure, Sabonis, standing tall on the perimeter like a tower, fed ammunition to Ah Gan inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the ball was in Gan Guoyang’s hands, the rest didn’t involve the other Trail Blazers players, just leave it to Ah Gan to sort it out, as he had ways to get the ball into the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang scored 12 points in half a quarter, helping the Trail Blazers to a 16:10 lead over the Bulls by 6 points, prompting Phil Jackson to call the game’s first timeout for adjustments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with Ah Gan’s strong offensive, Jackson knew he had to contain it – expecting Ah Gan to cool off by himself was unrealistic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a cannon that could remain potent and an untiring siege machine; betting on its cooling down was a recipe for a miserable defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jackson substituted Cartwright, who was underperforming, for Purdue, and directed Jordan and Pippen to converge on Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buck-Williams had no choice but to match up against the much taller Sabonis, and the Trail Blazers were likely to let Sabonis go one-on-one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’d rather let Sabonis go one-on-one than allow Ah Gan to keep scoring. If Sabonis gets the ball at the high post, let him shoot. But if he gets it in the low post, cut off his pass!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>League’s coaches have contended with Ah Gan for years, and Pat Riley came up with the \"Ah Gan Rule,\" with coaches pooling their ideas to come up with many strategies against Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All these strategies gathered together led to a consensus: it’s better to divert Ah Gan effectively than try to block him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s the so-called \"stay away from Ah Gan.\" The best way to make him useless is to make him not want to play himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When would he not want to play on his own? Naturally, when his teammates have a good opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This violates all other defensive principles, which emphasize, you must not let the opponent fully blossom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather let Michael Jordan or Chamberlain score individually than letting them activate their teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this golden rule does not work with Ah Gan; he is a player that if you let him play, he can truly break your defenses down entirely by himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not just an occasional outburst for one or two games, but most of the time, if you indulge him, he’ll punish you for your impetuosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s such a superlative offensive ability that surpasses both Michael Jordan and Chamberlain, making NBA coaches abandon conventional defensive thinking and avoid his edge at all costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phil Jackson uses a combination of blocking and diverting, on the one hand having the best perimeter defenders like Pippen and Jordan join in the encirclement of Ah Gan, forcing him to look for other opportunities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, deliberately exposing flaws and letting Buck-Williams guard Sabonis, creating mismatches, Ah Gan would most likely pass the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang is a player with strong team spirit, and regularly in game time, when his teammates had a good chance, he would definitely pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as the ball leaves Ah Gan to someone else, whether it is a mismatch or an open spot, it’s a plus for the defending team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, Jackson would naturally have other ways to curb the scoring efficiency of the other Trail Blazers players – now it was a contest between the Trail Blazers’ offensive efficiency and the Bulls’ defensive rotation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, Jackson had Jordan, an offensive weapon, to offset Gan Guoyang’s fierce firepower to some extent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game, Jackson told Jordan that if he wanted, he could go all out and play his own way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan disdainfully refused, saying, \"Frightened by Ah Gan, scared to use your own strategy, and wanting me to save the world?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jackson shook his head and did not contend with Jordan – this guy, play however you love to play.\u003C\u002Fp>",980,"2026-06-06T01:41:38.369Z",1,"novelbin.me","61da6ef146f6586e34454d754e06128b8c92c9422253e4cbc037f519cd1a8835","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-832","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-830",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]