The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 931 Choosing an opponent

Gan Guoyang clearly conserved his energy in the final stage.

It wasn't that he didn't want to win, but after thinking it over, he felt it was best not to wake up the American team.

Let them continue playing in the Olympics as they are now.

With a chaotic starting lineup, an unbalanced roster, and weak shooting, this dream team has many problems.

If the Chinese team goes all out in the final moments and defeats the American team, there will definitely be a huge uproar.

At that time, the US team will definitely analyze their first loss, learn from the experience, and revise their starting lineup and rotation.

Carlisle was just inexperienced and lacked prestige; he was not incapable. On the contrary, he was very good at devising tactics and strategies.

If Carlisle gains control of the team after the defeat, and the Dream Team is united, their strength will definitely be even greater.

Furthermore, with the Olympics just beginning, they have ample time to adjust. It would be disastrous if the American team were to undergo a complete transformation by the time the knockout stage arrives.

Gan Guoyang is well aware of his own abilities and those of the Chinese players. Although the American team has a somewhat unbalanced roster, if they unleash their full potential, it will still be extremely difficult for the Chinese team to win.

Gan Guoyang's goal is not to have a good time in the group stage, but to take a long-term view and control the strength and growth potential of this dream team.

Looking at the NBA and other major ball sports championships, there are many examples of championship favorites who lose their first game, but then unite and fight harder.

Gan Guoyang was shrewd and calculating; he didn't want to be a mere background figure who won temporarily, but rather the ultimate winner.

Of course, the road ahead is long. The Olympics are not just about the United States; European and South American teams are also very strong now.

The Chinese team should definitely not focus on a special opponent like the United States, but should instead observe, learn from, and understand the strong teams in Europe and America.

They have accumulated the most experience, trained the longest, and have the best teamwork within the FIBA ​​system. Since the 90s, their overall strength has been getting stronger and stronger.

Ultimately, the US team launched a defensive counterattack in the final stages, widening the gap and securing the victory with a score of 106-96, a 10-point advantage.

The Chinese team missed several three-pointers in a row. Although Gan Guoyang scored, he did not play with a do-or-die attitude, but instead created more opportunities for his teammates.

Although the Chinese team lost by 10 points, it was actually a remarkable achievement. In the past, the Dream Team would often win by 50 or 60 points, making the game a foregone conclusion from the very beginning.

In this match, the Chinese team maintained the advantage for most of the time. Although they were countered in the middle, Gan Guoyang controlled the situation very well. However, the American team successfully reversed the situation in the final stage.

"Forrest Gump clearly held back in this game; that kid's really cunning," Dick Hart told Rick Carlisle.

“I know, I know Dick.”

Carlisle's expression remained serious even after winning the match; he was far from relaxed and had been incredibly tense during the game.

Especially in the final stages, they were afraid that Forrest Gump would have a big breakout and take down the American team in one fell swoop.

It's conceivable that a loss in the first match would be the Dream Team's first defeat in the Olympics since its formation.

Moreover, losing to the Chinese team and to Agan will definitely cause a stir in public opinion in the United States.

Fortunately, they won the game, but Carlisle couldn't relax at all. Hart was right; Forrest was holding back.

Moreover, this is only the group stage, which means that the bomb of public opinion has not been defused, but rather delayed, and could potentially become a bigger and more terrifying bomb.

Carlisle even wondered if he wouldn't have been defeated by Forrest Gump and the Chinese team if he hadn't made it to the finals.

Of course, it would be even better if the Chinese team were eliminated early.

Carlisle shook his head, banishing these strange thoughts from his mind.

Carlisle was unaware that he wasn't the only one with such thoughts; some American players also harbored similar self-destructive ideas.

There's no way around it; Forrest Gump has cast a huge shadow over the entire league. If they were to meet in the finals, it would be really dangerous.

More than a decade of psychological and ideological imprinting had not been for nothing; back in the locker room, Carlisle was still pale.

"We played terribly today." Carlisle threw down his tactical board, clearly dissatisfied with the team's performance.

He wanted to say something to motivate the players, to tell them not to see this game as a victory, but as a lesson learned from a defeat.

However, the players seemed calm and no one wanted to listen to Carlisle's lecture; after all, they had won, hadn't they?

At this point, Larry Brown, as a veteran coach, should step forward and say a few words to reprimand the overly undisciplined players.

However, Brown came over and said, "Let the players take a shower and rest first. After all, we won. We can have the debriefing meeting tonight."

Brown's words deflated Carlisle's pent-up anger. What could he do if the assistant coach didn't support him?

Dick Hart, who was standing nearby, was a little angry. He said to Brown, "Larry, you should be on Rick's side!"

Brown smiled and said, "I'm on Team USA's side. We won, so let's rest. We'll be fine. We still have a lot of potential in Game 1, don't we? We only used 50% of our energy in this game, so don't worry too much."

Larry Brown spoke quite casually, leaving Hart's anger unfulfilled.

Hart didn't want to create conflict within the team and worsen the locker room atmosphere, so he had no choice but to put up with it.

Unlike regular teams, the Dream Team cannot replace the head coach's assistant coaching staff if they are not effective.

Besides, Carlisle doesn't have enough qualifications to get the assistant coach he wants, so having Hart's support is already pretty good.

Soon, reporters came to interview the Dream Team players. Some took showers, while others gave interviews. Carlisle's idea of ​​boosting morale completely failed.

"I wish we could lose," Carlisle even thought.

If we lose this game and everyone goes back to the locker room dejected, I'll be able to say what I want to say and make the changes I want to make.

At the very least, he can maintain a consistent and reasonable starting lineup, instead of trying to balance things out by fielding different starters based on seniority.

The US team used this lineup tonight against China, but will make some changes for the next game against Italy, so that players like Vin Baker and Raheem can get on the court sooner.

This is a rule set by the Dream Team: the starting lineup doesn't have to be fixed. There are many players who can play, and everyone should be given a chance.

But given the current strength of the US team, can they really play like this? Can they afford to?

Carlisle was unaware that this was no longer something he could control or decide.

On the other side, in the Chinese team's locker room, after the game, everyone gathered together to listen to Jiang Xingquan's speech.

Jiang Xingquan said a few words, coughed, and said, "Let's hear what Agan has to say."

Everyone perked up after hearing what Coach Jiang said.

Gan Guoyang closed the locker room door and asked the assistant coach to play the videotape of the game.

The game had just ended, and the video recordings were already prepared—a level of tactical training treatment that the Chinese men's basketball team had never received before.

Gan Guoyang sat with everyone, holding a remote control, watching the video and analyzing the details and key points of the match.

“We won’t focus on the details, because they won’t be useful to you. Let’s look at some key points.”

"We need to pay attention to several turning points in the game, as well as several balls that have a great impact."

"There are some other game habits I won't go into detail about, like stopping the ball when double-teamed. That shows a lack of basic skills. Practice more, think more, and keep that in mind, understand?"

"That shot selection was good, very decisive. Don't overthink it. When playing against Team USA, the more you think, the faster you'll die."

Gan Guoyang critiqued each player's performance on the court, offering both criticism and praise, though criticism definitely outweighed it. The entire locker room was silent except for the sounds of the game from the video recording and Gan Guoyang's commentary; the atmosphere was somewhat suffocating.

Everyone was under a lot of pressure. Every player who took the stage would receive feedback from Gan Guoyang, and they were all thinking about how to play the next match and what to do.

This tense atmosphere and positive, united attitude are exactly what the tournament needs. With only ten or twenty days left, we grit our teeth and go all out. Single-elimination matches are all for the best results.

This is different from the league. The league is long and requires relaxation, a steady pace, and rhythm. The championship demands more explosive power on the field—this is Gan Guoyang's strength.

The video had been playing for almost an hour, and the reporters outside were getting impatient. Finally, the door opened, and the reporters rushed in to interview Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang was very cunning. In the interview, he praised the American team, saying that they had great potential and resilience, and that they took down the Chinese team in the final moments.

"These children have made significant progress, while I have regressed. Time is truly merciless." Gan Guoyang's sighs were so convincingly genuine.

Given his seniority, there are some players he could indeed call kids, because no one on the entire US team has more seniority than him.

The most senior player, Gary Payton, was a player drafted in 1990. He was originally Gan Guoyang's junior.

There wasn't a single player who participated in the draft in the 80s.

That night at the hotel where Team USA was staying, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen shared a room.

They saw Gan Guoyang's hypocritical performance on television.

"Shit, Forrest is talking nonsense! Has this guy's form declined? Fuck, I'm exhausted from guarding him!" Garnett complained.

“But he’s definitely not as good as he was at his peak, is he?” Ray Allen said from the side.

"I don't want to encounter him at his peak, it's terrifying... thankfully he retired from the NBA."

"I've heard you say that at least twenty times already, don't bring it up again."

"I'll retire if he comes back!" Garnett exclaimed in a panic, babbling incoherently.

But Gan Guoyang did leave a significant shadow on Garnett.

A talented player like Garnett, who plays with boundless passion, rarely gets frustrated or discouraged throughout his career.

And Forrest led the Trail Blazers to defeat Garnett's teams three times in the playoffs, each time without any suspense.

In Garnett's mind, beating Forrest was impossible; he felt utterly powerless to match up against him on the court.

I'm really happy to have won today, but after all, this is the Chinese team.

And I always felt that Forrest Gump had something up his sleeve.

He only scored 30 points, along with 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

A mundane triple-double, not at all like Forrest Gump.

In the final moments, he didn't use his extra power to drive to the basket or draw fouls for points.

These are all things Garnett will encounter when he faces Forrest in the playoffs.

Once the afterburner is engaged, it's very difficult to stop it.

Nothing tonight. Could it be, as Forrest Gump himself said, that he's really getting old?

Thinking about it this way, Garnett's mind became a mess, and he began to hesitate.

Finally, never mind, let's think about the next game first, and tomorrow I can go to Sydney and see what's going on.

Besides, I'm not the boss, so I shouldn't overthink it.

Another bigger problem with the Dream Team is the diffusion of responsibility; their sense of honor is noticeably weaker than in the previous two editions.

92 was the first time, 96 was the first time fighting on home soil, but this year, everyone is losing interest.

So, in the past, everyone was scrambling for spots, but this year everyone is giving up their spots.

The first day of the men's basketball competition has ended. In the other group, Yugoslavia, Spain, and Canada all secured victories.

In other competitions, the earliest shooting event saw Chinese athlete Tao Luna win the first gold medal for the Chinese team, completing the tradition of the shooting team winning its first gold medal.

The outcome of a basketball game doesn't become clear until near the end of the Olympics, even after the games have started.

This also means that the men's basketball players can go around to watch other games and experience the whole Olympic Games.

Of course, this was not an easy task for Gan Guoyang, as he was approached by a large number of people who wanted his autograph and photos wherever he went.

On the 18th, he went to the table tennis hall to watch the preliminary rounds, and when he arrived, there were noticeably fewer people watching the table tennis matches.

After all, basketball is very popular in Australia, and even those who don't watch basketball know the name Gan Guoyang.

Another day of signing autographs until his hand was sore. After a while, Gan Guoyang decided that it was better to go out at night, as it was too conspicuous and troublesome during the day.

After a short break, on the 19th, the Chinese team faced New Zealand in the second round of Group A matches.

This is the weakest team in Group A, even weaker than the Chinese team. The Chinese team absolutely must win this match.

Even without Gan Guoyang, China still has the advantage against New Zealand, let alone with Gan Guoyang.

Before the match began, the New Zealand players performed the Maori war dance as usual. After the war dance, they came over one by one to shake hands with Gan Guoyang.

"Give me your autograph later."

"Can we take a photo together? My son really likes you."

"My dad is your fan."

My wife loves you!

Gan Guoyang experienced the warmth of New Zealanders when he played a warm-up match in New Zealand.

Once they arrived at the Olympic venue, their enthusiasm remained undiminished; after all, competing against each other at the Olympics is a different experience.

A photograph, a signature—these become eternal memories and commemorations—and if you ever need money in the future, you might even be able to exchange them for something else.

Gan Guoyang nodded, agreeing to the New Zealand team's request, and then threw himself into the game.

During the competition, neither side gave an inch, and both fought with all their might for national honor.

However, the gap in strength between the New Zealand and Chinese teams is indeed quite large, especially in terms of height.

At halftime, the Chinese team led New Zealand by 15 points. With Gan Guoyang controlling the game, the outcome was not in much suspense.

In the end, the Chinese team easily defeated New Zealand 85-62, a 23-point advantage, securing their first victory in the group stage.

Securing an early victory is still very important for the Chinese team, as it gives them more room for strategic maneuvering.

Then on the 21st, the Chinese team narrowly defeated the French team 84-82 by 2 points. Gan Guoyang scored 11 points in the final moments, helping the team to take the lead and win the game, securing two victories.

With two wins in hand, advancing from the group stage is much easier for the Chinese team, and they can now consider choosing their opponents.

(End of this chapter)