[{"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-944":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},1444361,1896,"Chapter 944 - 9 Friends","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-944",944,"\u003Cp>[The idols who once stood ahead of Jordan fell one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isiah Thomas and his Pistons declined, then disappeared without a trace like melting snow in springtime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Larry Bird retired in July 1991; age, injuries, and inconsistent shooting prevented him from prolonging his time on the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what shocked Jordan the most was Magic Johnson’s retirement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On November 7, 1991, Jordan was training when Johnson’s agent, Lang Rosen, called the Bulls’ public relations head, Tim Harleem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan quickly learned the bad news, and the elite circle of the NBA knew earlier that Johnson would announce his retirement that afternoon due to testing positive for HIV.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan was stunned; when he came to his senses, he asked, \"Is he going to die?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnson was Jordan’s idol during his school days, a basketball hero, and his departure was utterly unbelievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A peculiar NBA season began as many indulgent players secretly went for HIV tests, fearing that any of Johnson’s parties they attended might have been dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan got swept into rumors suggesting he bet with his teammates on which Hollywood star he would sleep with during West Coast road trips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s said he won at least once, though it’s unclear who it was with or how it was proven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the Bulls quickly discarded their focus on these off-court matters and put their hearts into the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan understood that no matter how many idols fell, there was still someone ahead of him, running far, far ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So far ahead that Jordan could barely see his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klaus adjusted the team roster, and in a November trade, he sent Dennis Hopson away in exchange for backup guard Bobby Hansen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had been tormented in the finals by Petrović, and needed a guard capable of harassing and shooting to fill the gap in the backcourt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls’ sole target at that time: the Portland Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The loss in June was a heavy blow, but it also spurred the players to keep growing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The new season brought the Bulls a surprise: Scottie Pippen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1992 season, Jordan remained one of the top two players in the league, just as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question now was, who was the third? With Bird and Magic Johnson retired and Isiah Thomas subdued, the answer was up in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some said it was Hakeem Olajuwon, but he hadn’t reached the second round for several seasons and his style of play was becoming more detrimental.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some said it was Charles Barkley; he was indeed a strong contender for third, but the Suns’ performance after the start of the 1992 season left much to be desired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barkley and Sam Bowie were both affected by injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others said it was Clyde Drexler; this was his fourth season with the Heat, and he needed to lead them to greater heights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, the three rings he won in Portland would gradually lose their shine, overshadowed by the brilliance of the Suns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bulls scout Jim Stack said, \"Pippen is reaching a new level; he’s catching up closely behind Jordan. Michael is an A+, and Pippen is an A, and pretty close.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years later, Tex Winter reflected and noted that Pippen had become a special kind of player, similar to Magic Johnson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He could make his teammates better; I think he’s superior to Michael in that way. Just my personal opinion, sometimes—of course, not always—but there were indeed times when Michael hurt his teammates. Pippen was different, thoroughly selfless. Michael needed to be selfish, as he was a great scorer. Most of the time, when Michael was in a position he thought he could score, he wanted to score, while Scottie often passed up opportunities and got his teammates involved.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan was undoubtedly a tremendous force in basketball, yet it was Pippen who learned to assist and guide this force in a way that very few players could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the person ahead of Jordan and Pippen combined the strengths of both, like an insurmountable mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bulls had a phenomenal start in the 1992 season, going 38-4 at one point, and people thought they could challenge for 70 wins, surpassing the Lakers’ and Trail Blazers’ 69 wins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We were going for 70 wins, but then our Western Conference road trip ended 6-4, before the All-Star break. Michael got ejected in Utah for bumping heads with referee Tommy Wu De.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third overtime had Wu De calling a foul on Michael, and Michael argued emotionally with Wu De, their heads bumped, and Wu De ejected him, after which Jeff Malone’s free throws finished us off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The team trainer Shaver said, revealing that during that period, Jordan’s mood was unstable, and off-court issues were disrupting his form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it turned out, it was due to the gambling issue, the exposure of matters with Charlotte Bley, the unexpected murder of Doe, Richard Escinas consistently hounding Jordan for money, his reputation was hanging by a thread, ready to collapse like Magic Johnson’s at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, Michael needed help, help from friends.]\u003C\u002Fp>",840,"2026-06-06T01:41:39.741Z",1,"novelbin.me","ef40c57a19f04b47a910ae7f6765da1c4755529cdbde076687375851275c71f8","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-945","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-943",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]