The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 703 The Ugly American
FIBA and NBA games differ significantly in their pace.

NBA games consist of four 12-minute quarters, totaling 48 minutes, and are timed precisely.

Every time the ball goes dead and is served from the backcourt, the clock is stopped to ensure that the players are on the court for every single second.

FIBA games consist of two 20-minute halves, totaling 40 minutes, and are played using a fixed time.

Aside from free throws, timeouts, and fouls, the timer generally doesn't stop when the ball is inbounded from the backcourt.

At the same time, NBA games have a lot of timeouts, breaks, more fouls, and referee arbitration and deliberation sessions, etc.

These elements that delay the game's time and pace are absent in FIBA ​​matches.

Therefore, the pace of FIBA ​​games is much faster than that of the NBA. Even if a 40-minute game is very intense, it will usually be over in just over an hour.

No matter how much you try to delay, it's hard to drag it out for an hour and a half.

Since NBA games have seen an increase in commercial sponsorships and advertising, the games have become longer and longer.

A match that finishes in an hour and a half is considered quick; a match that drags on for two hours is normal, and sometimes intense matches can last for two and a half hours.

This leads to more ups and downs in NBA games, with different situations and storylines in each quarter.

The first quarter was evenly matched, the second quarter saw a widening gap, the third quarter saw a comeback, and the fourth quarter saw a crucial game-winning shot and a game-winning shot in the final moments.

It was quite a show, full of twists and turns. If the referee had controlled the pace and the situation a bit more, it would have been even more exciting.

FIBA games are fast-paced, intense, and tightly-knit, with fewer ups and downs than the NBA, but they can still be very exciting in the final stages.

The NBA is like a three-hour blockbuster with twists and turns, while FIBA ​​is more like a 90-minute movie with a clear theme and a fast pace.

Today's match left Lithuania with little time and opportunity; the clock was running very fast.

Trailing by 6 points, Sabonis hit a crucial three-pointer from the top of the arc.

The point difference was narrowed to 3 points.

Subsequently, Gan Guoyang, facing a double-team at the top of the arc, passed the ball to Sun Jun.

Sun Jun faked a breakthrough and then passed the ball back to Gan Guoyang, who made a mid-range jump shot despite Sabonis's defense.

When his shooting touch was uncertain, Gan Guoyang used a lot of breakthroughs, counterattacks, and drawing fouls to maintain the score line and keep close to his opponent.

Once he took the lead, and as he gradually regained his touch through free throws and layups, he began to take some difficult shots to break through Lithuania's solid defense.

Under FIBA ​​rules, Lithuania, with its players including Sabonis, has a very solid half-court defense, especially in the paint.

If Gan Guoyang continues to attack from the low post, he will definitely be constantly besieged by Lithuania, given that FIBA ​​can double-team him in advance.

So, having found his rhythm, Gan Guoyang began his shooting performance.

Sabonis delivered a brilliant pass during the offensive play, bouncing it to Curtinettis, who made a reverse layup, avoiding Gan Guoyang's block, and successfully scored.

Gan Guoyang no longer had time to criticize the Chinese team's defensive lapses. He quickly inbounded the ball from the backcourt, dribbled it up the court, and the Lithuanians dared not press him.

Sabonis is in a dilemma: should he follow or not?
With their interior defense weakened, the Chinese team's cuts and backdoor plays will penetrate their defense.

Not following? Gan Guoyang initiates the attack directly with the ball on the outside, making it difficult for others to defend him.

Of course, Sabonis himself also faced difficulties, but he had the height advantage and was very familiar with Gan Guoyang's playing style.

Gan Guoyang will have a tough time defeating Sabonis in a one-on-one match.

Sabonis decided to stick with him, extending his position to the three-point line and lowering his center of gravity for one-on-one defense.

Gan Guoyang turned and dribbled with his back to the basket. Despite being in the lead, he remained calm and observed Lithuania's defense.

At this moment, both forwards, Hu Weidong and Sun Jun, were on the field, and the two young men were running tirelessly.

Lithuanian defender Jomicius suddenly crept up from behind, attempting to intercept.

Gan Guoyang reacted quickly, immediately dribbling the ball to avoid Jomicius's tackle, and then immediately passed the ball to Hu Weidong.

Hu Weidong received the ball, broke through on the wing, and the Lithuanian inside player helped defend. Hu Weidong then passed the ball to Sun Jun, who cut into the middle.

Sun Jun received the ball and dunked it in with both hands!
Sun Jun learned from his mistakes in the first half and dunked without hesitation.

At 23, he still has enough stamina to jump and blast the basket.

Gan Guoyang attracted the attention of two defenders, inevitably creating a gap in the Lithuanian defense.

No matter how fast the rotation is, it still can't keep up with the speed of the passing, and the most important interior barrier, Sabonis, is not there.

The point difference remained at 6 points. The Chinese team quickly returned to defense and used zone defense again.

Gan Guoyang loudly directed the joint defense formation. At this stage, using one-on-one marking would easily lead to disruption.

The Chinese team was at a disadvantage in terms of both physicality and familiarity, so they simply used zone defense again, betting on the Lithuanian team's mentality.

Lithuania was indeed very anxious, with continuous passing on the outside, finally getting the ball to Matthewionis, who made a strong three-pointer from the wing!
Goal! The Lithuanian player has a really strong hand.

With the score difference reduced to 3 points, Lithuania still has a chance to turn the tide.

But Gan Guoyang immediately received the ball in the corner and made a mid-range shot.

Sabonis responded with a hook shot, while Gan Guoyang suddenly stopped and made a jump shot during the drive.

Sabonis then assisted a teammate for a jump shot, and Gan Guoyang received a pass from Sun Fengwu and hit a three-pointer from the wing!
Whenever Lithuania scores, Gan Guoyang is able to immediately respond and maintain the lead.

This made the Lithuanian players increasingly anxious, and at that moment, Mashuglionis hit another three-pointer!
He was Lithuania's toughest shooter in the second half, having already hit three three-pointers today.

It's time to test Gan Guoyang's touch again.

Hu Weidong dribbled the ball across half-court, passed it to Sun Jun, and then to Sun Fengwu.

Gan Guoyang was entangled with Sabonis in the low position.

In terms of height and build, Sabonis is much taller than Gan Guoyang.

But in terms of strength, Gan Guoyang is stronger than Sabonis.

Sun Fengwu lobbed the ball to Gan Guoyang, and everyone spread out.

The Lithuanian players still tried to close in and double-team Gan Guoyang.

Foul! Matthew Liones' defensive foul. This is his third foul.

With two minutes remaining in the match, the competition intensified.

In order to conserve physical strength, Jiang Xingquan chose to make a substitution, replacing veteran Sun Fengwu with A Dijiang.

Adijiang doesn't have much independent attacking ability; his greatest strength is ball control, which allows him to keep the ball firmly under control.

At this moment, the Chinese team needs players like this: if you can control the ball without making mistakes and then pass the ball to Gan Guoyang, you are a good defender.

After the ball was served again, Adijiang received it and began to use his agile and skillful ball control to evade Lithuania's tight defense on the outside.

He broke through the middle to draw the defense and passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, who gripped the ball firmly with both hands, pushed past the Lithuanian defense, and forced a layup, drawing a foul.

Gan Guoyang and Adijiang high-fived. This attack not only wasted time but also drew a foul, achieving two goals at once.

Adijiang thought to himself, if Song Ligang or Shan Tao were to make this kind of play, they would either lose the ball or miss and get blocked. Only Agan could protect the ball and draw a foul from the opponent.

This power is truly unparalleled.

Gan Guoyang stepped up to the free-throw line and made both shots.

The Chinese team suddenly adopted a full-court press.

Lithuania was caught off guard and hastily passed the ball forward.

As a result, Gan Guoyang outmaneuvered Sabonis, stepped forward, and intercepted the ball!
Gan Guoyang, who successfully intercepted the ball, immediately passed it to Adijiang.

The short and sturdy Adijiang darted back and forth on the court like a groundhog.

He just doesn't lose possession of the ball; he can control it.

After dribbling for 10 seconds, he passed the ball to Gan Guoyang, who came over to receive it.

Gan Guoyang used his agile footwork and dribbling skills to avoid Lithuania's strong defensive interceptions.

The Lithuanian players found that when they tried to engage in physical contact and intercept the ball, they were bounced away whenever they touched Gan Guoyang's body.

This guy is too strong. You can't use high-intensity physical contact to interfere with him, and then you just have to watch Gan Guoyang dribble and drive to the basket again.

A head-to-head battle between teammates Sabonis and Gan Guoyang!

Just as Sabonis was preparing to go head-to-head with Gan Guoyang, Gan Guoyang suddenly walked towards the baseline.

A classic, beautiful Moon hook, a hook shot right over Sabonis' head!
With only 30 seconds left in the game, this was a very fatal goal.

The point difference increased from 5 to 7, and the Lithuanian team had no chance left.

The head coach called a timeout, and the Chinese team's bench was already incredibly excited.

They never expected that they would be able to defeat the strong European team, Lithuania, in their first game!
The score is 87-80. So far in the second half, Lithuania has only scored 31 points, while the Chinese team has scored 49 points, overtaking Lithuania by as much as 18 points.

Of those 49 points, 31 were scored by Gan Guoyang alone, and the remaining 18 points were also directly related to him.

Before the game was over, he had already scored 45 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists.

On defense, he contributed 8 blocks, forcing Lithuania to only dare to shoot from the outside.

In the second half, Lithuania struggled with both psychological and defensive pressure, resulting in a poor three-point shooting percentage.

This is the main reason why they were overtaken after leading by 11 points, and it can be said that the Chinese team had a certain element of luck.

But in a tournament format, luck plays a very important role. Who told Lithuania to miss those shots?
Jiang Xingquan struggled to control his inner turmoil. A game that had been strategically abandoned was about to be won?
I initially thought the Chinese team would be at the bottom of the group, but now it seems that Lithuania, the basketball powerhouse of Europe, is nothing special after all!

After the timeout, Sabonis received the ball in the middle and sank a super long three-pointer!
87:83. No wonder Sabonis has been playing in the NBA for three years. His individual ability is much stronger than before.

But time was no longer on Lithuania's side. Adijan dribbled the ball again, weaving between Lithuanian players, and it took six seconds before Lithuania finally committed a foul.

Adijiang made one of two free throws. At this point, Lithuania did not have enough timeouts left. After Sabonis missed another three-pointer, Gan Guoyang grabbed his 23rd rebound of the game.

Lithuania conceded, and the Chinese team won 88-83, a 5-point advantage, defeating the formidable Lithuania in their first match and securing their first victory in the group stage. After the win, the Chinese players appeared rather reserved, or perhaps they were all somewhat bewildered—had they really won just like that?
It didn't seem to take much effort; it felt quite easy.

There's a kind of feeling where, even though I can't beat you, I look up and see you're dead.

How did he die? He was beaten to death by my older brother alone.

45分23个篮板7助攻8盖帽外加2次抢断，这个数据放在NBA也是非常炸裂的存在。

Not to mention his godlike performance in the fast-paced and short-duration FIBA ​​Olympics.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang is extremely efficient, with a shooting percentage of 75% and a perfect free throw percentage.

At this point, the Lithuanian players finally understood why Sabonis was so wary of Forrest Gump.

He is undoubtedly the best player in the world of basketball, and Lithuania's defense against him is far too lax.

However, there was nothing Lithuania could do to prepare for Gan Guoyang's first appearance on the FIBA ​​stage.

Sabonis had done enough, but his third foul in the second half was a fatal turning point.

After the match, the two teammates hugged and shook hands on the field, and chatted about their experiences in the game.

"You're very brave, Avidas. You've been guarding me one-on-one most of the time. If you could play smarter on offense tonight, we can't beat you guys."

Gan Guoyang pointed out Lithuania's problems incisively: the defense did not make any specific arrangements to target Gan Guoyang, and the offense used Sabonis too rigidly.

Sabonis is no longer the Sabonis of 1988. After three years in the NBA, his individual offensive power and game control are stronger than before.

It was evident during crucial moments of the game that if he got going, with the support of his teammates, it wouldn't be easy for Gan Guoyang to stop him.

If the game had dragged on for another two minutes, and Sabonis had found his rhythm on offense, with his hook shots and three-pointers coming into play sooner, the outcome would have been uncertain.

However, Lithuania still used the old FIBA ​​style of play and did not give full play to Sabonis's strength.

Sabonis scratched his head and said, "You haven't used your full strength yet, have you, Sonny? I thought you were going to strategically give up."

Gan Guoyang said, "I was indeed prepared to strategically concede, but since we were about to win, of course we had to take it. I really didn't go all out; I'm saving it for the Americans. Good luck, and I hope to see you in the finals."

Gan Guoyang patted Sabonis on the shoulder, saying that in terms of player quality, Lithuania has a chance to reach the final, as long as they don't face the United States early on.

The victory over Lithuania has given Gan Guoyang and the Chinese team a strong boost of confidence.

China can beat the former champion Soviet Union team with its main lineup. As for the remaining teams, apart from the United States, China has a chance to beat them all.

This was the level of world basketball at the time, and there was a significant gap between it and the NBA. Top European teams couldn't beat even the weakest NBA teams.

In terms of physical fitness, tactical awareness, and technical skills, there is a significant gap between them and the highest level in the United States.

In this situation, Gan Guoyang could truly take on five opponents single-handedly, leading a Chinese team that was mediocre but not particularly bad to victory against a strong team.

The game ended right at noon, and Gan Guoyang and the Chinese men's basketball team celebrated their victory at a Chinese restaurant in Barcelona.

Victory is indeed a powerful motivator; everyone is full of ambition and has a great appetite.

At 2:30 p.m., Australia and Puerto Rico played their third match in the same group.

Australia, featuring NBA center Luke Longley, defeated Puerto Rico by a large margin.

After three matches in Group B, the Chinese team is ranked third due to their point differential, which is a good result.

Since the US team is guaranteed to finish first in Group A, the first and third place teams in Group B can avoid the US team's half of the bracket.

It would be very difficult for the Chinese team to get first place in Group B, and the Chinese team doesn't need to get first place.

Because winning first place inevitably means that Gan Guoyang will expend a lot of energy, this core must be used sparingly.

In order to defeat Lithuania today, Gan Guoyang played the full 20 minutes of the second half.

FIBA games are fast-paced with few interruptions, involve running all over the court, and involve high-intensity defense, which takes a lot of energy.

Only someone with the stamina of Gan Guoyang could sustain himself for the entire match.

During the meal, Jiang Xingquan apologized to Gan Guoyang, saying, "I should have let you rest in the second half. You're really going to burn out playing like this."

If Jiang Xingquan were to coach a club in the future, he would be the kind of ruthless coach who has five starters playing the full match and almost never makes any rotations.

Even a ruthless person like that would feel guilty if he encountered someone even more ruthless like Gan Guoyang.

At the intensity of the Olympics, a center ran for 37 minutes and didn't rest for a minute in the second half. What does that even mean?

So while apologizing, Jiang Xingquan served food and toasted Gan Guoyang, truly showing his respect.

The NBA's number one player is truly something else; even a god couldn't compare.

At 4 p.m., Gan Guoyang and his teammates, having eaten and drunk their fill, returned to the stadium to watch the most anticipated game of the day: the American Dream Team versus Angola from Group A.

This is the first game of Group A, and the outcome is not in any suspense. Everyone just wants to watch the Dream Team's performance and experience the power of what may be the strongest basketball team in history up close.

Gan Guoyang found a spot near the Dream Team's bench and sat down with his teammates and family. Tickets for this game were extremely hard to come by, but Gan Guoyang certainly had a way to get them.

The Dream Team players are warming up on the court.

The strongest team has the strongest players behind them.

To be honest, the members of the Dream Team felt a bit uneasy.

Barkley greeted Gan Guoyang, "Sonny! Want to grab a drink tonight?"

"Shut your mouth, Charles!"

Gan Guoyang's words were pointed.

Once in Spain, Barkley's mouth never stopped.

Either eat or talk.

He speaks recklessly in the media, constantly displaying his unique American arrogance.

The Dream Team enjoys privileges that no other athletes have: hotels, guards, the freedom to travel, and access to casinos and brothels.

In short, they are just like the United States in the world in 1992—lawless, number one, and everyone fawns over them.

The US team doesn't take any opponent seriously. The Soviet Union has disintegrated and become Lithuania and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Yugoslavia is banned from participating for political reasons, and their most talented players have become the Croatian national team.

The two most talented national teams in Europe have both fallen apart, and even if they were intact, they wouldn't be a match for the Dream Team.

The only thing Americans are thankful for now is that Forrest Gump was Chinese, not Croatian or Lithuanian.

Apart from Agan, the Chinese team was the weakest among all the participating teams, which greatly reduced Agan's threat.

Even so, Gan Guoyang's 45-point performance in the morning still caused a stir and a little panic among the Dream Team.

Everyone in the league has been suffering under Forrest Gump for too long. Are we going to get beaten up again at the Olympics?

Impossible, absolutely impossible! If we meet in the knockout stage, we'll go all out!

Angola should be the second-worst team after China, who are without Gansu.

They had no power to resist the United States.

Once the match started, it felt like an adult playing against children.

The Dream Team started the game with a terrifying 36-7 score against Angola, including a terrifying 31-0 run.

The strongest aspect of the American team is not their offense, but their tight defense, coupled with fast breaks and counterattacks, which is simply a game-changer.

After scoring a layup on a fast break, Barkley inexplicably elbowed the Angolan player wearing number 8.

The player's name is Coimbra. He looked like an African refugee next to Barkley and inexplicably got elbowed.

Perhaps his action while guarding Barkley angered the big man, and he got too excited and made that mistake on impulse.

Poor Coimbra was elbowed hard, and a painful expression appeared on his face. The referee blew his whistle and called a technical foul on Barkley.

Angola got a free throw opportunity, and they finally scored again.

This elbow did not earn the praise of the American players; Barkley did indeed go a bit too far.

Jordan pulled Barkley aside and scolded him for not doing this, saying, "If you keep doing this, we'll put you on the bench."

At this point, Jordan remained fair, demonstrating that the American team took the Olympics very seriously and that superior strength doesn't mean you can act recklessly.

In a single-elimination tournament, anything can happen, and once you capsize, there's no going back.

Gan Guoyang also shouted at Barkley, "Charles, are you a coward who bullies the weak? If you've got the guts, come and elbow me!"

Barkley was very frustrated. He was repeatedly taught a lesson by Jordan and Forrest Gump, and he could only swallow his anger. Who told him that he couldn't beat them?

After Coimbra scored on a free throw, the Dream Team launched another attack, bringing the score to 16-64 at halftime, a gap that was difficult to describe.

The Chinese team was sweating bullets looking at the intensity of the American team's defense; they were much more aggressive than they were during the Copa America.

It seems they're holding back on the Copa America. Luckily, they didn't play practice matches against the Dream Team in the US, otherwise their confidence would have been utterly crushed.

全场比分定格在了48:116，美国队狂胜安哥拉68分，也就比58分多了10分而已。

After the game, rather than the exaggerated score and the US team's amazing performance, people focused more on Barkley's elbow.

The video was repeatedly broadcast on major television stations, and newspapers published photos criticizing Barkley, or rather, criticizing "the Ugly American."

Barkley, of course, didn't care. He turned the tables and said, "He hit me first, so I hit him back. This is a black man's business, an eye for an eye."

In reality, Coimbra didn't hit Barkley at all; Barkley was just making excuses and refused to apologize publicly in the media.

But privately, Coimbra is a fan of Barkley. He approached Barkley and asked to take a photo with him and get his autograph.

Barkley readily agreed, and then Coimbra made another request: "I'm a huge Forrest Gump fan. Could you please help me get his autograph or a photo with him?"

Buckley felt he hadn't elbowed him hard enough, but he still held back his anger and said it was no problem, he could shake Forrest over.

(End of this chapter)