[{"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-987":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Golden Age of Basketball",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":18,"prevChapterSlug":19,"totalChapters":20,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":12,"created_at":14,"updated_at":14,"volume":15,"translator":16,"content_hash":17},1444454,1896,"Chapter 987 - 26 Higher","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-987",987,"\u003Cp>Salt Lake City has an extraordinary love for the Jazz team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1980s, they almost lost the Jazz, when the team had already decided to move to Las Vegas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this relocation had materialized, the Jazz team might have become a completely different team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the difference between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas is just too great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>NBA fans find it hard to imagine how Karl Malone and John Stockton would continue to play for the Las Vegas Jazz.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps Stockton would have been traded after the Jazz lost in the first round to the Warriors, to get Tim Hardaway, and Malone would be sent to an Eastern team after losing to the Suns in the first round, in exchange for draft picks to get Larry Johnson from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the 1991 draft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Larry Miller saved Salt Lake City’s ownership of the Jazz, but what truly saved them was the fans’ passionate love for the Jazz team and basketball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fred Ball, the chairman of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce, once said, \"We will never become an NFL city, will never have a Major League Baseball team, we will always choose basketball, love only basketball. The Jazz is our team, if one day the Jazz can fight all the way to the finals and win the championship, the city will go crazy for them. Of course, maintaining the current level, we are just as satisfied.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Salt Lake City fans, reaching the Western Conference Finals is enough to show their crazy side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang also has a special feeling for Salt Lake City, as his first journey in the NCAA national tournament started at the Salt Palace Arena in Salt Lake City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This damned city had no place to eat or drink at night, so everyone had to go to the cinema to watch a movie and get some food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stockton was one of those who complained at the time, he never expected his career to intertwine here, and now, seven years have passed, and he still remains here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game, Stockton invited Gan Guoyang and his family to his home for dinner, Stockton’s parents, brothers, and friends all came to Salt Lake City to watch these two games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stockton’s son, David Stockton, naively said to Gan Guoyang: \"Uncle Sonny, can you be nicer to my dad, and not beat him up too badly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David’s words made Stockton a bit embarrassed, and Gan Guoyang laughed heartily: \"No problem, I’ve always been kind to John. But I think your dad will perform excellently himself, he doesn’t need anyone to help him, you should believe in him, okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sorry Sonny, kids speak without thinking, they don’t understand what sports competition is yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s not me saying it John, but you were indeed beaten up quite badly. 41 points, is Karl dead or something, doesn’t he know to stand up for you at this time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, when Isiah Thomas was scoring crazily against Stockton, Malone once elbowed Thomas, knocking him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, when it’s Terry Porter’s turn, Malone has chickened out, not daring to make any move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t joke, this is the playoffs, and with you here, he wouldn’t dare.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two seasons, the Trail Blazers’ games have been very peaceful, without any fights or conflicts on the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Undoubtedly, this peace was achieved by Gan Guoyang through his punches, kicks, and elbows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole league knows that Ah Gan is really ruthless; if you get hit by him, you suffer not only physical injury but also embarrassment in front of all of America.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, when Isiah Thomas was elbowed like that, people instead pleaded for him, players have long figured out that it’s best not to fight with Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malone’s iron elbow is infamous in the league, apart from Thomas, even a tough guy like David Robinson almost perished under Malone’s elbow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 88-89 season, during the Jazz’s home game against the Spurs, Malone knocked David Robinson out with an elbow, who was then taken off on a stretcher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It can be said that if it weren’t for Robinson’s exceptional talent and strong physique, beyond ordinary people, this elbow could have been fatal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this elbow, Malone became even more infamous in the league, coupled with the college scandal of having a child with a minor, further branding him as a villain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Gan Guoyang has never been afraid of Malone, not only because Malone can’t beat him, but also from a character standpoint, Malone clearly bullies the weak and fears the strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy mostly dares to act viciously only in Salt Lake City, once he goes to away games, facing tens of thousands of opposing fans, Malone behaves much more orderly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this point, Gan Guoyang doesn’t think much of Malone, similar to Rick Mahorn, always targeting guards with dirty hands, but not daring to mess with tough guys in the paint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But honestly, it’s been a long time since he last fought in a game, and Gan Guoyang feels a bit itchy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, even though the Trail Blazers won these two games, Gan Guoyang still felt the victory was not satisfying enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the second game, the reason why he was willing to keep creating opportunities for Porter and give the shooting rights to the perimeter, was because he felt himself at a bottleneck, unable to advance or retreat, feeling awkward inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, it wasn’t satisfying enough, he remained as solid as a rock, unmatched in offensive and defensive influence, yet he couldn’t see further or reach higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing on the peak, he drew his sword, looking around, feeling lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, in the second game, he focused all-out on assisting and defending, allowing Porter, Petrović, and Lewis to launch the primary offensive explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Porter’s 41 points, Lewis scored 25, and Petrović 18, the Trail Blazers’ backcourt firepower was astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-06-06T01:41:40.447Z",1,"novelbin.me","e111ad432d98438253084210f165e16849e2f4ef99f9ca680d268861a3f1fe31","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-988","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-986",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]