[{"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-950":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},1444367,1896,"Chapter 950 - 11: Sacrifice","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-950",950,"\u003Cp>On February 18, Gan Guoyang welcomed the birth of his second child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On that day, the Trail Blazers were playing at home against the Phoenix Suns, and Wang Fuxi was waiting at the hospital for labor to begin in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang was worried about his wife and child, feeling uneasy even before the game started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beelman urged Gan Guoyang to go to the hospital early and allowed him to miss this game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gan Guoyang decided to play, as the Trail Blazers really needed a win to boost morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before and after the All-Star game, the Trail Blazers’ performance was average, and they had already matched the records of the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, the Jazz played very strongly; after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for consecutive seasons, they continued to adjust their roster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They sent away an old teammate, Stockton’s good friend Bailey, and traded for forward Tyrone Corbin to strengthen the team’s weak position at the three-spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the long term, the strength of the three-spot will determine the Utah Jazz’s upper limit. This \"Point Guard-Power Forward\" lineup structure urgently needs reinforcement in this role segment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Golden State Warriors also made a big trade in November, sending away their excellent Shooting Guard Mitch Richmond and receiving forward Billy Owens from the Kings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Warriors’ TMC combination declared its dissolution after riding high for two seasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the long run, this trade wasn’t good; Richmond is an All-Star level Shooting Guard, while Billy Owens is just a competent three-spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, in terms of immediate effect, acquiring Owens strengthened the Warriors’ defense, transforming them from a purely offensive team into a more balanced one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mike Dunleavy played a more balanced offensive and defensive game with the Warriors, and their record this season surged, positioning them in the upper division.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season, both teams have defeated the Trail Blazers, and the new situation compelled the Trail Blazers to remain vigilant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If tonight’s game against the Suns was lost, the Trail Blazers would lose the top spot in the Western Conference, which Gan Guoyang didn’t want to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Professional doctors take care of them at the hospital; safety is absolutely assured. Even if I went, I wouldn’t be of any help. But here, I can help, and significantly so.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang indeed had a point, and Beelman could only pat his shoulder and say, \"If you choose the game, perform well, don’t regret losing the chance to witness your child’s birth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood, I’ll try to finish the game early and head to the hospital sooner.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle against the Suns kicked off at 7 PM Pacific Time, the third game at the Rose Garden for the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers were no longer bothered by the new arena; they finally experienced its goodness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brand new locker rooms and complete facilities allowed everyone to relax better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expansive arena could accommodate twenty thousand fans, making the scene bustling and grand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every fixture, from the floor to the hoops and lighting, was state-of-the-art, allowing the Trail Blazers players to feel like they belonged to the best team in the league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight the Trail Blazers were at full strength, with players like Sabonis and Lewis recovering from injuries, bringing the team’s rotation back to a healthy state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So right from the start, the Trail Blazers unleashed an offensive barrage against the Suns, with Sabonis delivering his best first quarter since recovering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He registered 5 assists, grabbed 5 rebounds, and scored 7 points in a single quarter, assisting Ah Gan as the Twin Towers dismantled the Suns’ defense in the Three Second Zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Sam Bowie and Sabonis suffered from leg injuries this season, perpetually in and out of play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bowie is an important defensive barrier for the Suns’ interior; however, he was forced out after two fouls in the first quarter, leaving the Suns to rely on Mark West to withstand Ah Gan and Sabonis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way he could hold on, and the Trail Blazers ended the first quarter leading the Suns 39-27, ahead by 12 points, firmly controlling the game’s direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the second quarter, the Trail Blazers displayed smooth and fluid positional play, with Gan Guoyang handing the attacking stage to Sabonis, Lewis, Petrović, and Porter, focusing more on rebounds and defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a season and a half of training, adjustment, and games, the essence of the Princeton System was integrated into the Trail Blazers’ tactical bloodstream; they executed each strategy, pass, and movement, living the Princeton philosophy, aiming to find the back door, ensuring ball movement, and not chasing absolute speed, but seeking to grasp rhythm completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Trail Blazers finished a set-play offense with 8 passes and finally broke through under the basket for Gan Guoyang to receive the ball and dunk with both hands, the Rose Garden reached its climax tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheers and applause surged like a tide, forcing the Phoenix Suns to call a timeout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charles Barkley played quite frustratedly, recently unlucky and unsatisfied with his performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last year’s All-Star game had him in the spotlight, but this year he’s purely a side character, and lost ten thousand dollars in a golf game against Ah Gan and Jordan’s group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterwards, Barkley felt somewhat conned, as if Jordan owed money and he was brought in to cover part of the debt as the scapegoat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In life, Barkley’s biggest problem is the relationship with his wife; they’ve hit a crisis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past two years brought a series of events impacting their relationship; rumors circulated they had separated and were preparing for a divorce.\u003C\u002Fp>",942,"2026-06-06T01:41:39.741Z",1,"novelbin.me","3fb3c9ef6db44d8d74b2cd1676379973dfff6d04944282b2d5797ac12cb37591","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-801","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-949",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]