The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 696 Losing More

On June 28, the U.S. Men's National Basketball Team will play their first official game at Memorial Stadium.

Their opponent is the Cuban men's basketball team.

Nobody thought Cuba could win, including the Cuban team themselves.

Cuban players approached this match with a learning experience, or even a sense of awe.

Inside the glass palace, a massive number of fans awaited the start of the match.

A commotion arose from a corner of the stands.

An even more dazzling figure than the Dream Team players emerged: Gan Guoyang led the Chinese national team players to the front row seats to watch the game.

In Portland, it would be a piece of cake for Gan Guoyang to get a few tickets.

Portland fans around him greeted Gan Guoyang.

Two of the young fans reached out their hands, and Gan Guoyang gave them high-fives.

He didn't refuse to sign autographs for fans; he accepted every autograph book, basketball, and T-shirt offered to him.

When a little girl came up to Gan Guoyang for an autograph, she asked, "Sonny, will you lead the Chinese team to defeat the American team?"

Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "I will do my best, although it will be difficult."

The little girl said, "Could you please go easy on the American team and not defeat them?"

"Why? Don't you want me to win?"

"You've won enough; you should share some with them."

The "they" the little girl was referring to were the American stars warming up on the court.

Bird, Johnson, Jordan, Pippen, Malone, Robinson... Of the 12 players on the Dream Team roster, the only one who wasn't eliminated by Gan Guoyang was Laettner—because that guy hadn't even entered the NBA yet.

Once you get into the NBA, it's only a matter of time before you get beaten up by Forrest Gump; it all depends on how the schedule is arranged.

Moreover, Laettner is a product of Duke, and Gan Guoyang has never had a good impression of Duke players.

Back when they were on the road to NCAA qualification, Gonzaga and Duke had a lot of trash talk, and in the last two years Duke's reputation has only gotten worse.

However, Duke began to dominate the NCAA in the last two years. Under Coach K's leadership, they won the NCAA championships in 1991 and 1992, and were at the height of their fame.

Otherwise, how could a college student like Leitner have made it into the star-studded Dream Team? His only advantage was Duke University's outstanding record.

Coach K was one of the top candidates for the coaching position when the Dream Team was formed, but in the end, Bobby Bellman was chosen due to factors such as reputation and track record.

Another important reason for choosing Bellman is that he understands Forrest Gump, and everyone is curious about how Forrest Gump trained and played.

And if we face the Chinese team at the Olympics, with Berman there, we can definitely devise a good strategy to deal with Forrest Gump.

The American players, of course, also noticed Forrest Gump and the Chinese team in the stands.

Charles Barkley is right, everyone wants to beat the Chinese team the most.

Cuba and the like are not even worth considering by the US team.

Tonight's starting lineup for Team USA is David Robinson, Bird, Johnson, Jordan, and Barkley.

David Robinson was shocked when he stood in center circle ready for the jump ball.

These are my teammates, with this kind of lineup, how can we possibly lose the game?
The Cuban players on the other side looked malnourished in front of the American players.

Robinson easily won the jump ball, and Johnson passed the ball to Bird.

Bird initiated the Dream Team's first offensive play.

Bird has been retired for a year now, and nobody knows how much of his former form he still has.

As a result, Bird first made a crossover to get past the defender who rushed up to defend him. He didn't go for the basket, but waited for the defender to come back to him. Then he used his body to protect the ball, squeezed the defender away, landed on one foot, and took a fadeaway jump shot.

The ball arced beautifully towards the basket, and before it even went in, Bird ran towards the backcourt.

"Shh!"

Bird scored two points, giving the Dream Team their first point.

An incredibly smooth attack drew cheers from the crowd.

As everyone knows, Bird still had fuel in his tank, and the big bird was back.

Fans at the scene held up signs that read: "We miss you, Larry."

People do miss Larry Bird, even though after 1986, injuries kept him and the Celtics away from championship contention.

However, for fans, it's not only the teams vying for the championship that are worthy of their admiration and nostalgia. There's a champion every year, but there's only one Bird in history.

His elegance, intelligence, unique playing style, and extraordinary charm on and off the court have attracted a large number of fans and are fond memories for many.

Without Bird, the NBA court lost a beautiful white spectacle, and with Magic Johnson also leaving, it was a huge loss for the fans.

Cuba's offense and shots appeared hesitant against the Dream Team. In the end, after receiving the ball inside, their center faced Barkley and made a hasty mid-range shot that missed.

Under the basket, Robinson and Barkley combined to secure the rebound, and it seemed the Cuban had no chance of winning the offensive rebound; the two strong men were too tight in their positioning.

In FIBA ​​games, the trapezoidal three-second zone is larger than the rectangular one, making offensive rebounding more difficult – of course, this applies to other teams.

Jordan then received the ball and took a short mid-range shot, which Charles Barkley then used like a small truck to push past the Cuban player and grab the offensive rebound, scoring two points.

Barkley was as strong as a wild boar. Cuban players who were about the same height as him, or even a little taller, looked a size smaller.

In the stands, Gan Guoyang introduced and analyzed the playing characteristics of these American players to the Chinese team players, and how to deal with them.

"Bird, he's a bit slow, but he's strong and has great ball control. He's also very cunning and slippery when he plays. Never jump to defend him, and then it's all down to luck. This guy's stamina probably isn't what it used to be."

"That Barkley guy just now, who was like a wild boar, was very strong. Let him shoot, then let him go to the side, block him in the middle, don't let him go to the middle, leave the side lanes for him to go, that's the only way."

"David Robinson, number 5, is not focused enough and plays a bit softly. You need to be patient and stick with him. Don't try to outjump him. It's most effective to target his lower body."

"Michael number 9... never mind, I'll handle him."

When it came to Jordan, Gan Guoyang thought for a while but couldn't come up with a good solution.

If he were with the Trail Blazers, there would naturally be people willing to hunt down Jordan, but with the Chinese team...

At this moment, the Cuban team hit a three-pointer from the outside, narrowing the score gap.

But Magic Johnson immediately drove to the basket and drew a foul, earning free throws.

Cuba tried hard to launch a positional attack, focusing their efforts on the low post on the left side.

The ball was received by their number 11, who was guarded by Barkley. Number 11 attempted a turnaround jump shot. Barkley used his superior strength to push him aside, then jumped to contest the shot, resulting in a miss for number 11.

“You think you’re Sonny just because you’re wearing number 11!” Barkley shouted.

Bird gets the ball and passes it to Johnson, who launches a fast break from midcourt and is unstoppable.

As he approached the basket, he made a no-look pass behind him, and Robinson caught the ball, jumped, and slammed it home with both hands!
The reason Berman started David Robinson was because of his ability to break down defense quickly and create beautiful counter-attack combinations with Bird and Johnson.

While Robinson has some flaws in his personality and playing style, he is perfectly suited to playing a supporting role, doing defensive work, fast breaks, and picking up loose balls.

It was obvious from this play that Robinson was following up with a fast break, and when he received the ball from Johnson, he was a little confused. He paused for a moment before getting up to dunk.

Gan Guoyang chewed his gum, thinking that if he were to defend, this pause would allow him to steal the ball or block it from the front.

But what happens after they cut it off? Barkley and Jordan will follow suit, and it's highly likely they still won't be able to stop it.

This dream team is truly too strong, with top-notch personnel and players at their peak in terms of ability, experience, and basketball IQ.

Gan Guoyang knew in his heart that this group of people were not only the top players in the current NBA, but also among the most outstanding talents in the entire history of the NBA.

Such a genius, Gan Guoyang could take down one or two at a time, but a dozen or so?
It's impossible unless it's a fight instead of playing ball.

Having watched the beginning of the match today and considering the training situation with the Chinese team, he knew there was no chance.

So, after explaining things to his teammates for a while, he obediently shut up.

Commentary? What a load of rubbish! It's all useless.

He's thinking about one thing right now: he doesn't want to be in the same group as the Americans during the draw.

That way we can meet the US team later, or even better, not meet them at all.

Otherwise, with everyone so eager to get started, who knows what kind of trouble they might cause the Chinese team.

He knew that during yesterday's opening ceremony, Barkley had yelled that he wanted to "beat Forrest Gump up!"

That fatso is so arrogant, relying on being on the Dream Team, he thinks he's some kind of freed-up serf singing praises.

Although others didn't say it, they must have had similar thoughts: to settle scores and seek justice when the time comes.

Gan Guoyang had originally planned to have the Chinese and American teams have a private match in Portland.

Thinking about it now, I'd better not. Those bastards are definitely going to go all out. If my teammates don't gain any experience and all they get are lessons, it will affect their confidence.

With Gan Guoyang on the team, the Chinese team still has a fighting chance against other strong teams from Europe and South America; they need to maintain their confidence.

As the game progressed, the Dream Team became more and more relaxed. They hardly needed any strategy; they just let the players play freely.

When defending, they would defend one-on-one, and if the opponent couldn't score, they would launch a counter-attack. The Cuban team simply couldn't stop the Dream Team's iron cavalry.

This was the most relaxed game that Bellman had ever coached. His main jobs with the Dream Team were: 1. Calling timeouts and making substitutions, and 2. Making jokes about Forrest Gump during training and games.

The first task is to ensure the normal rotation of team members.

The next task is to provide mental motivation for the Dream Team players.

"Run! Run! Ladies, get running! That beach boy is watching from up there, give him a little shock, show him what real American basketball is!"

Berman didn't need to devise any tactics; getting the players running was the only important thing, and then he just needed to tell the players: Forrest Gump is watching.

Barkley received a pass from Johnson and slammed it home with a two-handed dunk.

Barkley received another pass from Jordan, drove through the middle, and slammed home a two-handed dunk.

Tonight, Fatty and David Robinson are going to dunk on the Memorial Arena's rims.

The score gradually widened, and the gap between the Cuban team and the Dream Team in all aspects was too great, leaving them with absolutely no hope.

This was even more disheartening than a practice match; the only offensive option for the Cuban players was to take any shot from the outside.

Whether they score or not depends entirely on luck, and if they don't, the US team will launch a strong counterattack.

Then you continue to struggle in positional warfare, while the American team continues its strong counterattack, and the cycle repeats itself.

Looking at the score, the difference was already heading towards 20 or 30 points.

Gan Guoyang sighed and said to Coach Jiang Xingquan beside him, "Coach Jiang, do you think it's fair for us to lose by a few points against the American team?"

Jiang Xingquan looked serious. During his time in the United States, he had gained a deeper understanding of his own abilities and those of the players.

He was a newcomer and not very famous in the domestic basketball world.

His role as head coach of the national team has been quite controversial, as the training is too demanding and rigorous, which has led to dissatisfaction among many older players who have families to support, ultimately resulting in their departure from the team.

But this is exactly the effect the Basketball Association wants. They need fresh blood, young people who can train and play hard.

Jiang Xingquan was very nervous about coming to the United States. He could cut other veteran players, but he absolutely could not control a big star like Gan Guoyang.

If the two of them don't get along, he will definitely lose his position as commander. However, Jiang Xingquan is a man with a strong personality and temper. He believes that if the two of them have a conflict, he can simply leave.

But after actually getting to know Gan Guoyang and training together for a period of time, Jiang Xingquan's vague admiration for him turned into genuine respect.

Gan Guoyang greatly respects head coach Jiang Xingquan. While offering opinions and suggestions, he also follows the coaching staff's arrangements and is willing to discuss everything with the head coach.

This solidified Jiang Xingquan's position as head coach, and at the same time, Jiang Xingquan also discovered that Gan Guoyang knew more and more deeply than him in some aspects.

"I think... with you here, we'll only lose by 30 or 40 points."

Hearing Jiang Xingquan say this, Gan Guoyang sighed and said, "I'm afraid I'll score more than 30 or 40 points, maybe even 50 or higher."

Jiang Xingquan asked incredulously, "But you were here..."

"It is because of me that the score is going up to 50 points, or even higher."

Jiang Xingquan was momentarily confused. Why did they lose even more despite having Agan by their side?

Without giving Jiang Xingquan a chance to think, Gan Guoyang continued, "Our goal should be clear: to reach the quarterfinals and strive for the semifinals. Of course, I think it's even more important to give the players opportunities to train. Players like Hu Weidong, Sun Jun, and Gong Xiaobin all have a good foundation, but they haven't played many international matches and haven't been eating well, so they still have a lot of room for improvement."

Jiang Xingquan nodded, but in his heart he thought, "You saw the Chinese team's training slogan before and felt that 'Firmly determined to enter the top eight' was not catchy or imposing enough, so you changed it to 'Firmly determined to win the championship,' and now you've changed it to the top four?"

Jiang Xingquan's impression of Gan Guoyang was further enriched by his understanding of Gan Guoyang's "realism".

While having confidence, one should also be realistic and avoid being overly ambitious or making unrealistic pronouncements.

Moreover, it's clear that Gan Guoyang values ​​the future development of the national team, rather than just focusing on the immediate future.

With such a powerful figure establishing training bases overseas and providing tremendous support, Jiang Xingquan is full of confidence in the future of Chinese basketball.

However, there was one question he couldn't understand: why did having Forrest Gump actually lead to more losses to the American team?

(End of this chapter)