The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 930 How could I possibly be tired?
Rick Carlisle's decision to field such an abstract starting lineup was truly out of necessity.

Because in the US Dream Team, the coach cannot arrange the starting lineup entirely according to his own wishes.

Everyone here is a star; some are veterans of the league, while others are rising stars heavily promoted by the NBA. If you don't prioritize seniority or follow public opinion when assigning starting positions, people will have objections.

For example, at the shooting guard position, Carlisle actually wanted to start Ray Allen, whose superb shooting skills and excellent movement ability would definitely create a lot of tactical space for the US team.

But the problem is, if you start Ray Allen, what about the three big men, Kidd, Carter, and Payton?
Kidd is the number one choice for starting point guard; his ability and playmaking skills are exactly what the team needs most.

If Kidd starts, Payton can't take the starting point guard position, but it's impossible for him to be a substitute.

Because Payton is the most senior player on this Dream Team and a leader in the team's locker room.

Besides, given his personality and his big mouth, you expect him to sit on a bench? He'll nag you until you have a mental breakdown.

Therefore, Carlisle had no choice but to pair Kidd and Payton in the backcourt, allowing the two point guards to take the starting positions.

So what will happen to Carter? Logically speaking, Carter is a shooting guard. If he loses his position at the guard position, he'll have to sit on the bench. His experience is even less than Ray Allen's.

Carter is very popular. When the Dream Team played warm-up games in various places, many fans came from far and wide just to see Carter dunk.

If Carlisle didn't let Carter play, the fans would shout wildly or boo Carlisle. After the game, some media criticized Carlisle for "keeping the biggest star on the bench."

Even USA Basketball said, "Give Carter more playing time, he's too popular." There was no other way, so Carlisle had to force Carter to play at the small forward position, which is the FIBA ​​forward position.

The most suitable starting player for this position would have been Steve Smith, who is the only relatively standard small forward in this Dream Team.

In reality, Steve Smith's primary position is shooting guard, and the Dream Team didn't actually have a single standard small forward; they brought a bunch of guards instead.

In this way, the Dream Team's bench was filled with shooting guards such as Ray Allen, Steve Smith, and Allan Houston, with all the accurate shooters relegated to the bench.

This is a problem on the perimeter. The Dream Team also has weaknesses in the paint. The combination of Kevin Garnett and Alonzo Mourning looks good, but one is thin and the other is relatively short. They are more defensive than offensive and have significant technical shortcomings. Their ball-handling and attacking ability in crucial moments is average.

This lineup, which is stronger defensively than offensively, has a strong pressing ability on the defensive end, but lacks a spearhead on the offensive end, is clearly inconsistent with Rick Carlisle's tactical coaching philosophy.

It's more like something Larry Brown came up with; in fact, it is indeed the "defense-counter" lineup that Larry Brown advocates.

Brown insists that the US team's biggest advantage is its defense, and that full-court press is their magic weapon for easy victories.

As for offense? The individual abilities of the players are enough. It's just that their shooting isn't very accurate. It's not like they can't shoot. Besides, we can also drive to the basket for layups.

In short, Larry Brown is the most senior member of the team. Although he appears to be an assistant coach, he is actually in charge of the overall situation. However, when problems arise, the head coach Carlisle is always the one to take the blame.

There's nothing he can do; Carlisle is too young, and the Dream Team is a very complex situation that he can't handle. He can only take it one step at a time.

Now, with this weak starting lineup facing the Chinese team, the American team seems to be at a slight disadvantage on paper.

Putting everything else aside, no one at the small forward position can match up against Gan Guoyang, who plays the three-point role. Kawhi Leonard has no choice but to have Garnett defend him.

But what will happen to Wang Zhizhi at power forward after Garnett goes to defend him? He's been doing quite well for the Hawks.

Brown's strategy was to delay and double-team on the perimeter, given that they had two guards, Payton and Kidd, who were extremely strong defensively and in terms of steals.

The problem is that Kidd is Payton's underling, and Payton is Forrest Gump's underling. When the two of them compete, Kidd is at a disadvantage in terms of both momentum and mentality when facing Forrest Gump.

Payton, in particular, is a trash-talker who can unleash a torrent of abuse on anyone he can get his hands on. Moreover, his trash-talking is completely subconscious, without any thought required, like a flowing faucet, and it doesn't affect his performance at all.

But when he encounters Forrest Gump, the tap automatically turns off, and the only function of his mouth is to chew gum. Even when he talks to his teammates or gives tactical instructions, he becomes much gentler.

As if afraid of disturbing Forrest Gump, he came over and gave him a good thrashing. There was no way around it; for point guards like Payton who lacked shooting skills and relied on back-to-the-basket techniques, Gan Guoyang was a complete nemesis.

What troubles Gan Guoyang the most is the lack of a tall, shooting forward at the small forward position (position 3), and Carlisle is filled with anxiety about this match against the Chinese team.

As expected, after the game started, the Chinese team quickly scored and took the lead, with the team's first point coming from Wang Zhizhi's shot.

Gan Guoyang received the ball at the high post, drawing the defense's attention, and then passed the ball to Wang Zhizhi on the baseline. Wang Zhizhi received the ball and immediately made a two-pointer from mid-range.

His touch is quite soft, a natural talent for a big man. During his season with the Hawks, Wang Zhizhi followed Gan Guoyang's advice and did not focus on building muscle, but instead continuously improved his shooting skills.

The biggest improvement is in the speed of attack.

Wang Zhizhi's shooting speed is slightly slow during domestic competitions.

Because of his height, excellent wingspan, and outstanding athleticism among domestic players.

Therefore, his shots are difficult to interfere with; he has enough time to make the right move and release the ball in the safest way.

But that didn't work in the NBA. Defenders there were generally physically stronger, faster, stronger, and had better jumping ability.

If you shoot too slowly, your shot will be blocked or interfered with, and your accuracy will drop significantly.

In the NBA, you have to be fast. Everything has to be fast: fast running, fast shooting, fast reaction.

After a season of honing his skills, Wang Zhizhi's ability to catch and shoot has greatly improved.

At the start of the game, he became the number one scoring weapon for the Chinese team.

One was a mid-range jumper, another a fast break layup, and yet another a drive to the basket that drew a foul from Garnett, resulting in two successful free throws.

Wang Zhizhi scored 6 consecutive points, helping the Chinese team take a 6-2 lead and giving the American Dream Team a rude awakening.

The American team discovered that the Chinese team's interior defense was quite formidable, with three tall players inside who would easily get their shots blocked.

Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi, one as the main scorer and the other as the secondary scorer, were squatting under the basket. "Come in."

Carter got blocked by Yao Ming right at the start of the game, which clearly showed that he was unprepared and had not made sufficient preparations for Yao Ming's height.

Attacking the paint has become extremely difficult, and in the low post, Mourning and Garnett's back-to-the-basket moves are simply ineffective in the lack of space and the trapezoidal layout of the paint in FIBA ​​courts.

As a result, the most common offensive tactic used by the US team at the start of the game was for the players to take the ball and shoot from mid-range. If the shot went in, that was a goal; if not, they would retreat to defend and prevent the Chinese team from counterattacking.

In the past two Olympics, the US team's real weapon was their defense.

In FIBA, the use of zone defense, the trapezoidal three-second zone, and small courts has limited the ability of NBA players to create space and score one-on-one opportunities.

Therefore, counter-attacking is their magic weapon. They often use high-intensity, full-court pressing defense for a period of time, forcing the opponent to make consecutive mistakes and launch counter-attacks. This can not only quickly open up the score gap, but also greatly damage the opponent's morale. It can be described as an invincible weapon that kills the opponent's spirit.

The US team followed the same approach in building its roster. Larry Brown is indeed very skilled on defense, and his control of formations is well-known throughout the league.

Payton and Kidd's backcourt duo's pressing and tackling ability is astonishing; it would be hard to find a better backcourt defensive combination in the world right now.

The problem is that the Chinese team has Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang's strength and skillful dribbling ability often rendered double-teaming and pressuring him on the perimeter ineffective.

Back in the day, even the defensive duo of Pippen and Jordan struggled to contain him; it would have been even more difficult for his underlings Payton and Kidd, and their underlings' underlings.

When the Chinese team was attacking, Gan Guoyang would follow Li Xiaoyong in the backcourt. Once Li Xiaoyong was double-teamed, Li Xiaoyong would immediately pass the ball to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang received the ball and immediately charged forward. His charge disrupted the Dream Team's defensive system. He cut into the middle and whether he passed the ball to Wang Zhizhi or Hu Weidong on the wing or lobbed it to Yao Ming in the paint, his offensive threat was enormous.

Not to mention his own strong offensive capabilities.

As a result, after only 5 minutes of the first quarter, the Chinese team completely dominated the American team.

They started strong, beating the US team 13-5 and taking an 8-point lead, which was quite surprising.

If it weren't for the fact that Chinese players have slightly weaker finishing abilities and American players have stronger one-on-one defensive skills, the gap between the two sides would be even greater.

Kevin Garnett's defensive ability inside the three-point line was on full display. He could guard Gan Guoyang at the high post and then drive to the basket to block Wang Zhizhi's layup.

This speed of movement and defensive coordination is already 85% of Gan Guoyang's peak level—Gan Guoyang no longer defends like this, he doesn't have that much energy anymore.

The US team gradually tightened their defense, their form was improving, and they successfully defended against another Chinese attack. Kidd then initiated a fast break. A precise pass reached the frontcourt, where Vince Carter received the ball, drove to the basket, shook off his defender, and slammed home a one-handed dunk!

A classic American-style defensive counter-attack. Gan Guoyang knew that the American team had recovered, and that the Chinese team's initial offensive wave had come to an end.

At this point, the team had two options: call a timeout or make adjustments themselves. Gan Guoyang naturally chose the latter, wanting to force the American team to call a timeout.

"I'll go to the low post, Wang Zhizhi, you come to the top of the key, Yao Ming, you go to the weak side, pretend to grab an offensive rebound, give me the ball, give me the ball!"

Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball across half-court, directed his teammates' positioning, and then passed the ball to Hu Weidong, who then played inside-out against Gan Guoyang on the strong side.

Gan Guoyang received the ball, and the American team immediately double-teamed him. Gan Guoyang then passed the ball to Hu Weidong, who took a three-pointer but missed.

Yao Ming contained Mourning, and Gan Guoyang battled with Garnett under the basket, grabbed the rebound, dribbled inside, and turned to score a layup.

Although he plays the small forward position, Gan Guoyang still has an absolute advantage in strength and skill in the paint, and his offensive rebounds are as fierce as ever.

Seeing this, Carlisle knew that Gan Guoyang was about to exert his strength, so he immediately called a timeout to check Gan Guoyang's condition—the US team's timeout came much earlier than usual.

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Bobby Bellman only used a timeout in the final, and didn't use a single timeout in the other games.

Carlisle was at a loss. Although the team's offense and defense were gradually improving, their offense was really not good enough.

Payton missed both of his mid-range jumpers, Kidd didn't shoot at all, and Garnett scored 4 points with two mid-range jumpers, while Carter scored 2 points on a fast break.

Compared to 1992, China no longer uses pure zone defense, but rather a combination of zone and man-to-man defense, because the players' abilities have improved, and Gan Guoyang can no longer single-handedly dominate the paint.

While Yao Ming is tall, he still lacks strength and experience. Relying solely on him in zone defense carries risks—this year's Chinese men's basketball team is more of a team effort.

During the timeout, Carlisle made a substitution. He wanted to bring on Ray Allen, but after thinking it over, he put on the more senior Allan Houston instead. This is the current situation of seniority in the Dream Team.

Allan Houston replaced Payton, who was chewing gum and cursing under his breath. His performance at the start of the game was quite poor. Facing Agan and the tall Chinese team, his breakthroughs were limited and he had a hard time playing.

Houston made his move immediately after entering the game, receiving a pass from Garnett on the right side and hitting a jump shot for two points, bringing the US team closer to the score.

The Chinese team, on the other hand, took their time, focusing their attacks around Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang knew that he couldn't rush things, otherwise, if they fell into the American team's counter-attacking and chaotic rhythm, it would be very difficult to win.

The most important thing for the Chinese team is the success rate. If they miss and the American team launches a counterattack, it will be difficult for Gan Guoyang to defend and block the attack alone.

In the first 20 minutes of the game, without the interference of various timeouts, the game proceeded very smoothly, and the Chinese team's attack success rate was indeed quite high.

Gan Guoyang's control of the rhythm has reached a state of perfection. He knows exactly when to fight and how to fight, where to start the attack, and what to do if he misses the target.

He may not have the flashes of brilliance or extraordinary passing talent of Bird or Magic Johnson, but his court awareness and mental calculation ability are among the best in history.

Moreover, he has accumulated a wealth of experience on the field. In many cases, his passing and movement no longer rely on tactical routines, but are subconscious.

Bielman's lessons for Chinese players at the training center, where he had them memorize tactics, were effective, and the Chinese players' tactical awareness improved significantly—provided that Gan Guoyang was in charge.

He saw Wang Zhizhi on the wing, Yao Ming under the basket, and Hu Weidong with opportunities at the three-point line, and he would make the best choice: to break through the middle himself.

They attacked several times in a row, then passed the ball, then provided support, using feints and deceptions to keep the American team guessing about the Chinese team's offensive tactics.

Thus, the advantage that the Chinese team established in the first 5 minutes was barely maintained until the end of the first half, with the Chinese team leading the American team 54-50 by 4 points.

After making adjustments, the US team gradually found their rhythm and capitalized on the relative weakness of the Chinese players' individual abilities, constantly launching counter-attacks and exploiting mismatches.

The Chinese team didn't double-team either, because they didn't know who to double-team. The American team had a balanced lineup, and each player could withstand a certain amount of offense, so double-teaming anyone wouldn't work. They simply stuck to zone defense and individual defense.

Of course, the Chinese team's game plan includes a double-team strategy, and they have conducted detailed research on who to double-team and how to double-team. However, the coaching staff does not plan to use these tactics in the first group stage match.

Unlike 1992, Gan Guoyang has returned for this Olympics, and the men's basketball team is strong and well-prepared, with their goal being the Olympic gold medal!

During the preparation meeting and warm-up matches, Gan Guoyang repeatedly emphasized to everyone that our goal is the gold medal, and the United States is our biggest opponent.

However, before reaching the final destination, the Chinese team needs to be strategic, since in terms of overall strength, the Chinese team does not have an absolute advantage among the teams.

After the start of the second half, the US team made a strategic change. Payton and Kidd stopped focusing on pressing and harassing the Chinese ball handlers and instead worked together to attack the inside players, such as Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming.

The purpose of this move was to disrupt the Chinese team's positional attack and prevent them from executing their high-success-rate, slow-paced positional warfare effectively.

Sure enough, the Chinese team missed several attacks in a row, and the American team seized the opportunity to counterattack, launching a 6-0 run and taking the lead!

However, Gan Guoyang immediately responded with a strong three-pointer from the right 45-degree angle during the offensive, without any tactical coordination, purely based on individual ability.

The Chinese team regained the lead, but judging from the momentum of the game, the American team has regained control of the rhythm and situation, and their overall strength is indeed strong.

What terrified the American players and coaching staff was that whenever the American team seized one or two opportunities and widened the score gap, Gan Guoyang could always easily step up and respond with three-pointers, mid-range shots, or offensive rebounds, quickly catching up in the score.

The score remained close, and during a timeout, Carlisle finally decided to double-team Gan Guoyang.

However, double-teaming is not very effective. If a tall player comes out to double-team him, he will drive to the basket; if a shorter player comes out, he will shoot directly. His three-point shooting is incredibly accurate.

Judging from his speed of movement, Gan Guoyang is noticeably slower than at his peak; he relies more on rhythm and feel.

The player repeatedly dribbled on the perimeter, outmaneuvering the US team's double-teaming and tight defense, and moved extensively around the perimeter.

Every now and then, he would dribble behind his back, between his legs, or deftly flick the ball with his fingertips. The basketball was like a puppy tethered to Gan Guoyang's hands, and no one could take it away from him.

Although this caused the Chinese team's attack to falter for several rounds and even resulted in time running out, Gan Guoyang's brilliant dribbling performance, reminiscent of a football match, still won cheers and applause from the fans in the stadium.

Rick Carlisle remarked that Forrest Gump seemed to be in better shape than before he retired, relaxed, with a flexible body, and his dribbling was incredibly skillful.

Is this guy aging in reverse? And with his height and build, his dribbling is so precise, like Zhang Fei embroidering or Li Kui dancing, it's breathtakingly beautiful.

Anyone with eyes could see that Gan Guoyang was holding back, not going all out against the American team, but instead repeatedly probing and even taunting their defense.

Kevin Garnett had been keeping an eye on Gan Guoyang the entire game. He was feeling tired. With five minutes left in the game, during a timeout, Garnett felt some soreness in his calves.

He'd rather go toe-to-toe with Gan Guoyang in the low post than have his ankles go numb from being outplayed by Gan Guoyang on the perimeter.

"Luckily he retired. This guy's playing style is getting more and more outside, making him harder and harder to defend." Garnett said, panting heavily.

At this point, the US team was leading the Chinese team by 2 points, with the difference between the two teams being extremely small.

A major advantage of the US team is that they have a large number of players who can play, allowing for a 12-player rotation and high-intensity offensive and defensive battles throughout the game.

Carlisle knows this stuff well; the Portland Trail Blazers used to do it this way, which is why the US team played more smoothly and gained a bigger advantage as the game progressed.

Their stamina and aggressive defense put immense pressure on the opponent. If it weren't for Agan holding on, the Chinese team would have collapsed in the latter part of the first half.

After the timeout, the US team was on high alert, and Carlisle used a lineup of Carter, Kidd, Garnett, McDyess, and Steve Smith.

This is undoubtedly a more reasonable and stronger combination. They need to withstand Forrest Gump's outburst in the final stage and win the game.

However, to the surprise of the American team, Forrest Gump did not explode in the final stage; he simply played his usual offense and defense.

He passed the ball when he needed to pass it, and shot when he needed to shoot. He didn't change his rhythm or forcefully attack the basket to draw fouls. He remained steady and composed throughout.

As a result, the American team seized the opportunity and unleashed a 16-5 offensive surge against the Chinese team. The Chinese team only managed two free throws by Gan Guoyang and one three-pointer by Hu Weidong.

Thanks to this counterattack, the US team gained the upper hand in the final moments, extending their lead to double digits.

The team gradually relaxed, and Kidd even dared to ask Gan Guoyang, "Sonny, are you tired?"

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "It's not time to really work on you yet, how could I possibly get tired?"

Kidd was a smart man; he knew what Forrest Gump meant—this guy was preparing for the finals.

"How confident you are," Kidd thought. "If we don't make it to the finals, then Forrest Gump, all your preparations will have been for nothing."
(End of this chapter)