[{"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-976":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},1444443,1896,"Chapter 976 - 20 - s Rain Man_3","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-976",976,"\u003Cp>Now, Gan Guoyang more often squats in the three-second zone as the last line of defense, while the young SuperSonics, at every critical juncture of each quarter, start to escalate the intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Trail Blazers’ turnovers begin to increase, and what makes the on-site fans and Bobby Berman most anxious is that the ball cannot be passed to Gan Guoyang in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The SuperSonics know that once Gan gets the ball, eighty percent of their defense fails, so to succeed defensively, they must prevent Gan Guoyang from receiving the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Gan Guoyang wants to get the ball in a relatively shallow position, the SuperSonics still defend rigorously, even at the expense of opening up the three-second zone, allowing the Trail Blazers to cut inside and make backdoor cuts to the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their forwards would use their speed and explosiveness to quickly rotate for help defense, with Michael and Shawn Kemp frequently putting on a defensive chase-down block spectacle during the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the biggest flaw for Gan Guoyang as a center; he needs feeding, requiring outside ball possession assistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the League banned isolation play, this has always been a tactical focus for the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he could choose to receive the ball in a more outer position, beyond the three-point line, or even near midcourt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang can still kill opponents beyond the three-point line, but his efficiency is certainly lower than near the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George Karl knows that Gan Guoyang can shoot threes and long shots, unlike the Bulls’ comprehensive blockade, the SuperSonics simply let him shoot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shoot, if you can really kill me with six or seven three-pointers, consider me unlucky, but don’t think you’ll get any low-post opportunities, don’t think about receiving the ball easily near the three-second zone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, Gan Guoyang’s three-point touch is really mediocre, 1 out of 3 in the first half, and missing both attempts in the third quarter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come the playoffs, the instability of the three-point shot is easily exposed; even the best shooters sometimes go cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without stable low-post offense for a foundation, relying entirely on three-pointers, once the touch is off, the offense can easily collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, under the SuperSonics’ highly targeted and excellent defense, the Trail Blazers’ offense shows signs of collapsing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason the score difference hasn’t widened, always maintained around 3 points, is solely due to the personal ability and experience of the Trail Blazers players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as time goes by, the SuperSonics play better, more passionately—the confidence of a young team shines through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is when some miraculous shots, lucky shots appear; Shawn Kemp breakthroughs against Gan Guoyang, managing a 2+1.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After scoring, Kemp roars with fists clenched in celebration, even happier than after a dunk; managing a 2+1 against Gan is no small honor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang has always controlled fouls well; his defensive skills and reaction abilities are top-notch, so getting beaten by a 2+1 is indeed rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee’s call was correct, Gan Guoyang raised his hand to acknowledge the foul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Kemp made the free throw, Bobby Berman called a timeout, and Gan Guoyang took a big gulp of water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kemp’s offensive performance tonight wasn’t particularly good, far from devastating like against the Warriors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Kemp was well-positioned on defense and rebounding; this rash young man has truly matured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spared no effort competing with Gan Guoyang on both ends, dedicating all his energy to rebounding and defense as an offensive power forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His crazy hustles, crazy help defense, facing the League’s top player without fear—a stark contrast to his embarrassment, bewilderment in the 1989-1990 season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is only his third season, having entered the League right out of high school, he’s just 22 years old this year, youthful and energetic, with countless possibilities ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Payton is only a sophomore, joining hands with McMillan on defense to restrain Porter, causing Porter to underperform tonight, failing to fulfill his role as the point guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The SuperSonics, fighting more courageously, gradually widened the score and tenaciously withstood the Trail Blazers’ final counterattack, sealing the final score at 98-94.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a 4-point advantage, the SuperSonics ended the Trail Blazers’ 21-game home playoff winning streak and became the only team in recent seasons to lead the Trail Blazers 1-0 in a series.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After winning the game, George Karl kept clapping, encouraging every SuperSonics player; they played superbly tonight—David toppled Goliath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kemp only scored 11 points this game, but grabbed 14 rebounds, delivered 3 blocks, and made 2 steals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his defense, Gan Guoyang scored only 28 points, and the lack of attempts led to the Trail Blazers’ offensive operation sputtering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the game, Gan Guoyang felt frustrated but also heaved a big sigh of relief—the 21-game home winning streak was finally over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Losing isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it means they can start anew, after all, the series isn’t over yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the game, when both sides shook hands in greeting, Gan Guoyang hugged Kemp, praising him: \"Well played, young man, tonight you defeated me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kemp felt both flattered and proud, momentarily at a loss for words, just smiling dumbly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang continued, \"The nickname ’Rain Man’, today, is yours; you deserve it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",865,"2026-06-06T01:41:40.447Z",1,"novelbin.me","9f48adef68865fa1a7444e19c5982e5711c4a8b6a396d5a87280c676ed2e05ed","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-977","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-975",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]