The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 707 Ignition
As August arrived, Gan Guoyang spent more than a week in Barcelona with his family.

As the initial novelty wore off, some problems and troubles in daily life began to emerge.

The most troublesome thing is Las Ramblas next to the hotel, where large numbers of tourists and locals gather for parties almost every day.

To be honest, it's hard for both Chinese and Americans to understand the Spanish mentality.

Numerous shirtless men and women gathered and surged in the streets, devouring everything in their path.

If you accidentally get caught up in it, you'll become part of the revelry, whether you like it or not.

Someone in the procession will provide drinks, allowing you to revel and get completely drunk, eventually losing your sense of direction and wandering aimlessly with the procession.

The crazy Spaniards have left even the open and enthusiastic Americans bewildered, and Barkley has barely left the house these past few days.

He often went to Gan Guoyang's room to play video games with Gan Guoyang's son and Stockton's son.

In April 1992, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was released in Europe. This classic game console could play games such as Super Mario Bros. and Dragon Quest.

Three-year-old Gan Wenshan didn't know how to play yet, and sat not far away watching blankly, while Stockton's son was already having a great time playing with Barkley.

Magic Johnson tried to take his son out for a walk, but their stroller was almost trampled by enthusiastic Spanish citizens, and Johnson had to protect his son and return to the hotel.

Thus, this not-so-spacious four-star hotel became a luxurious prison for the stars. The only one to leave was David Robinson, who went to a church to attend a concert and played the saxophone, showcasing his excellent musical talent.

Gan Guoyang really wanted to find a place to train, but the situation outside made him give up the idea. He didn't want to trouble his bodyguards to protect him, and he also lost interest in taking a helicopter.

Unlike Robinson, who is passionate about music and can play the piano and saxophone, Gan Guoyang's talent and energy are focused on basketball.

While waiting for the knockout stage without being able to go out, he chose to spend his time in the hotel gym and swimming pool to maintain his physical condition.

Gan Guoyang is actually more accustomed to this kind of monotonous, repetitive life. He likes to be with his own soul and wait for the explosion in silence.

On August 4th, at 2:30 PM, the first knockout match was about to take place, with Croatia facing off against China.

Gan Guoyang had lunch and then took a helicopter to the stadium. He spent half an hour practicing with his teammates to warm up and get into the swing of things.

The quarterfinals were the best result ever for the Chinese men's basketball team at the Olympics. After successfully advancing to the knockout stage, the Chinese team gained confidence but also felt a sense of uncertainty.

It's a single-elimination tournament; if you win, you continue; if you lose, you drop into the battle for 5th to 8th place. The brutality of the knockout stage is different from that of the group stage. There is no strategic abandonment here, and there is no room for manipulation.

At the Olympics, for the country and for this once-every-four-years opportunity, every athlete will give their all.

Just like regular club matches and the World Cup in football, club matches may be more technically and tactically advanced and more exciting, but the World Cup is definitely on a war-like level.

Especially in the knockout stage, each player carries the expectations of their nation and country. On the field, it is no longer a game, but a battle, until they fall.

Basketball's influence is naturally not as great as football's, but the Olympic basketball competition is like the World Cup in football, representing the highest honor in national basketball.

During the group stage, Gan Guoyang would joke around with his teammates, chat and talk with Sabonis and Petrovic, and make jokes.

In the knockout stage, he completely changed his demeanor, becoming serious and calm. In the noisy stadium, he stood like a stone statue, indifferent yet exuding a dignified power.

Petrovic, who was warming up on the other side, had the same expression, but he was much more nervous inside.

Having played alongside Forrest Gump for three years, been teammates for three years, and won three championships, Petrovic knew how formidable this man was.

Sabonis has already experienced this in the group stage, and Petrovic will also have to go through it in the knockout stage, where every move is crucial.

He regarded this as a necessary trial on his path forward.

Petrovic's three years in Portland were anything but easy.

He was obsessed with basketball, which led him to break up with his girlfriend and give up his handsome long curly hair in favor of a neat short haircut.

He trained his originally slender and graceful physique to become strong and straight in order to improve his combat ability.

He used to be the Mozart of European basketball, the Croatian basketball prince in people's hearts.

Now, he's more like a general, a brave and powerful basketball star.

However, today he must face the emperor to whom he serves.

Croatia certainly has the advantage in terms of squad strength.

Except for the position of Agam, Croatia is stronger than China in every position.

And it's not just a little bit stronger, it's a whole level stronger.

Especially in terms of talent and ability, this group of young people in China can be considered outstanding young talents in the country, and even have the potential to become a golden generation.

But in terms of talent, this group of Croatian players can rival NBA stars.

If they had been exposed to American basketball education early on and grown up in the American basketball environment, they would definitely be the backbone of the NBA.

In this respect, young people in China are far behind, and Jiang Xingquan is well aware of this.

So, during the pre-match pep talk after the warm-up, Coach Jiang clearly told the players: "In this match, don't play fast against Croatia. Let them be fast, we just need to stay steady. Slow down, calm down, focus on our strengths, defend well, and stick to defense. We need to wear them down, resolutely wear them down, and put all our energy into defense!"

Jiang Xingquan didn't specify how to attack, but everyone knew it was obvious: pass the ball to Gan Guoyang.

The FIBA ​​court is narrower and the three-point line is shorter, which allows Gan Guoyang to better utilize his shooting range advantage.

After getting up this morning, Gan Guoyang tried his best to keep his hands from touching anything other than a basketball, so as to maintain muscle feeling.

Gan Guoyang has no illusions about so-called "team victory"; it's all about individual ability.

On the contrary, when you are determined to "single-handedly crush the opponent", your teammates are more likely to perform beyond their usual level.

Because you shouldered all the pressure, your teammates were able to contribute in the gaps. After all, this group of Chinese players is not to be underestimated.

Once you start thinking, "I need to lead my teammates and motivate them," then you're definitely doomed in this match.

After all, even disregarding Gan Guoyang's exceptional performance, the gap between the Chinese team and Croatia is too large.

Anyone who watched the group stage match between the United States and Croatia could see it.

Fortunately, when it came to fierce and resolute charges, Gan Guoyang never hesitated and never faltered.

Unlike the NBA, the Olympic Games don't have as many fancy elements. After the players are introduced, both sides prepare for the game.

Gan Guoyang's popularity remains high, with countless fans wearing black, red, and white Trail Blazers jerseys with the number 11.

Not far from the bench, you can also see the Chinese women's basketball team members, who came to support the men's basketball team.

Among them is Zheng Haixia, the absolute leader of the women's basketball team.

With Gan and Zheng as their two inside players, Chinese basketball can be said to have been unstoppable in this Olympics.

The starting lineup for the Chinese team in this match was different from that in the group stage.

The starting point guard position changed from Sun Fengwu to Adijiang.

Clearly, what they valued was Adijiang's stable operational control.

As for offense, it's not necessary; just getting the ball consistently into Gan Guoyang's hands is enough.

The starting shooting guard was changed from Zhang Yongjun to Hu Weidong. In several games, Hu Weidong demonstrated his physical qualities and scoring talent that surpassed those of ordinary Chinese players.

He has excellent running and jumping abilities, superb shooting skills, and is very willing to take shots and take responsibility. This is the kind of player needed in important matches.

Sun Jun remains the small forward. He is the most consistent scorer on the perimeter for the Chinese men's basketball team in this Olympics, and also has good playmaking ability.

He has the best chemistry with Gan Guoyang and is an extremely quick-witted athlete. Gan Guoyang specifically requested that Sun Jun start this game.

As for the power forward position, Jiang Xingquan, or rather Gan Guoyang, made a rather unexpected choice: Ma Jian, a forward who hadn't played much in the previous few games.

Ma Jian is only a little over 2 meters tall. In terms of physique and style, he doesn't resemble an Asian player at all, but rather an African American player. He is very strong and plays an aggressive style, comparable to a Chinese Barkley, although he is much weaker in strength and physique than Barkley.

He was selected for the national team in 1989 and performed very well in the 1989 Asian Championships and the 1990 World Championships.

However, his playing style was not favored by Jiang Xingquan. After Jiang Xingquan became the head coach of the national team, Ma Jian had far fewer opportunities to play.

However, after Gan Guoyang joined the national team, he became very interested in this American-style striker, and the two exchanged a lot of messages in private.

Ma Jian has a strong desire to play in the United States. Unlike Hu Weidong, who is rather lazy and indifferent, Ma Jian is very ambitious.

Gan Guoyang is already considering introducing him to his alma mater, Gonzaga. Fitz needs an experienced and physically strong inside player like him.

Compared to the Chinese team's major overhaul of its starting lineup, Croatia's starting lineup remained stable with no changes.

Petrovic's starting position as point guard presents a significant challenge for both Adijiang and Hu Weidong.

Unlike Sabonis, Petrovic didn't say much before the match.

He was even reluctant to remind his teammates, "Forrest Gump is dangerous."

Because he felt it was unnecessary; everyone was going all out on the field, so what was there to remind each other of?
During the game, he would give it his all to compete against Forrest Gump, while his teammates just needed to do their own thing.

That's just his personality—a touch of arrogance, yet absolute confidence in basketball.

Even when facing his emperor, he remained steadfast in his belief in victory.

The match started on time, and Gan Guoyang overpowered Frankovic in a contest for the ball.

Frankovic shone on the defensive end in the game against the Dream Team.

Robinson, Jordan, Malone and other top players all suffered at his hands and got blocked by him.

Standing at 2.18 meters tall, he was 10 centimeters taller than Gan Guoyang, but Gan Guoyang completely ignored this difference.

They use their wingspan and strength to gain possession of the ball, and then immediately make a fast break and charge towards the frontcourt.

The Croatian team had prepared before the game and knew Gan Guoyang's power, so they immediately followed Gan Guoyang towards the three-second zone.

However, Adijiang passed the ball to Sun Jun on the wing, and Sun Jun immediately hit a three-pointer!

Although Coach Jiang insisted that the ball must get past Gan Guoyang's hands if possible.

However, Sun Jun remained calm and independent, and dared to make a move when most of his opponents were distracted.

Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn't blame Sun Jun; instead, he gave him a high-five to encourage him, saying that scoring such a goal at the start of the game was extremely important.

However, China's lead quickly disappeared as Petrovic scored one-on-one against Adijiang and hit a three-pointer after a pull-up jumper.

For Petrovic, who is used to the NBA three-point line, the FIBA ​​three-point line is too short.

For the next three rounds, Gan Guoyang failed to find a good attacking opportunity, and Croatia resorted to the extreme tactic of three-man encirclement to deal with him.

Furthermore, while defending Gan Guoyang, Frankovic could also spare some energy to help defend the paint – this was the best defensive method the Dallas Mavericks used to deal with Gan Guoyang.

Apart from Sun Jun's three-pointer, no one else on the Chinese team managed to capitalize on their scoring opportunities, and everyone was undoubtedly a bit nervous.

On the defensive end, the Chinese team opted for a zone defense at the start.

This was a choice made out of necessity. We knew that Croatia's outside shooting was very accurate, but if we tried to defend them one-on-one, the weakness of Chinese players in defending one-on-one would be magnified.

Only with zone defense and Gan Guoyang establishing a foothold in the paint can Croatian players find it difficult to score inside, preventing them from being picked off one by one and hindering their ability to score both inside and outside.

Of course, if Croatia's outside shooting is on fire and they unleash a barrage of three-pointers to overwhelm the Chinese team, then the Chinese team will be helpless, and in that situation, Gan Guoyang will be powerless to turn the tide.

There's no other way but to gamble. Every match the Chinese team plays at the Olympics involves an element of gambling.

Unfortunately, Croatia had a good shooting touch from three-point range in the first half, with Petrovic scoring the first basket.

He then assisted his teammate to score another basket, followed by Petrovic dribbling on the outside before suddenly stopping and pulling up for a three-pointer, which hit the team's third three-pointer!
Croatia started with a 9-3 lead, quickly extending their lead to 6 points.

Jiang Xingquan was so anxious that he almost called a timeout to adjust the defensive strategy.

But Gan Guoyang stopped Jiang Xingquan, reminding his teammates, "Don't change, stick to it, they won't always be this accurate."

Immediately afterwards, Gan Guoyang came out to receive the ball, suddenly accelerated from the top of the arc to drive into the basket, pushed past Frankovic, and scored with a hook shot!
Under these circumstances, the Chinese team continued this tough approach to resolve the immediate crisis.

Frankovic felt a surge of power from the competition, more so than David Robinson, Ewing, and Barkley.

However, the situation remains unfavorable for the Chinese team. Croatia's attack is like a thin, sharp knife, and they can always find opportunities to calmly shoot when facing a zone defense.

Croatian players are far superior to Chinese players in terms of individual ability and physique, especially Petrovic, who is unmatched by anyone.

After 6 minutes of play, the score was 18-9, with China trailing by 9 points. 3 of China's 9 points came from Sun Jun, while the remaining 6 points were scored by Gan Guoyang.

Jiang Xingquan called a timeout, and Adijiang started. He performed well on the offensive end, but on the defensive end, his short stature made him vulnerable to being attacked.

Jiang Xingquan made a substitution, replacing Adijiang with Sun Fengwu, and bringing in Gong Xiaobin in the paint, temporarily replacing Ma Jian.

Ma Jian played hard on defense at the start, but the effect seemed mediocre. Now the Chinese team needs to score more.

Gong Xiaobin is handsome and dashing; in terms of looks, he is second only to Forrest Gump in the Chinese team. He is also very talented on the offensive end.

After entering the game, the Chinese team played a positional attack tactic. Gan Guoyang received the ball in a low position and made a back pass to Gong Xiaobin.

Gong Xiaobin received the ball, faked out the defender, and scored with a reverse layup, narrowing the gap to 7 points.

China's goal is to keep the point difference around 10 points in the first half, preferably not exceeding 15 points.

The second half will be when the Chinese team unleashes its killer moves, and that's when Gan Guoyang will step up and give it his all.

But things weren't looking good, as Croatia hit another three-pointer, this time by Toni Kukoc.

In the game against the United States, Kukoc was thoroughly outplayed by Pippen, Jordan, and others.

The Chinese team doesn't have the defensive prowess of players like Jordan and Pippen.

Gan Guoyang was confident he could lock down Kukoc, but he couldn't, because the three-second zone was more important.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang had only one word in his mind: forbearance.

He and his teammates had to endure, they had to stick to the zone defense, and they had to wait patiently.

After conceding a three-pointer, Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball across half-court and then passed it to Sun Fengwu.

He signaled to slow down and play a good game, then moved to the low post, where Croatia double-teamed him again.

Three players were surrounding them, but Sun Fengwu suddenly passed the ball to Hu Weidong, who was receiving it in the middle.

Hu Weidong received the ball and drove from the top line to the basket. At that moment, Gan Guoyang spread his arms and blocked Frankovic and the other Croatian players who wanted to help defend, clearing the way for Hu Weidong.

Hu Weidong took a step inside the free throw line, jumped on one foot, flew directly towards the basket, and slammed the ball in with one hand!

The entire basketball arena erupted in cheers. The TV commentators cheered for Hu Weidong's dunk, and the audience stood up and applauded.

Hu Weidong, who dunked successfully, showed no expression; he even frowned slightly.

I dunked too hard, my hand hurts a little.

This dunk, worth two points, failed to change the situation of being behind.

But it ignited the morale of the Chinese team, and they will definitely persevere.

(End of this chapter)