The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 708 Three-Point Contest
Hu Weidong demonstrated outstanding physical fitness.

His jumping ability, speed, and explosiveness are no worse than some Black players.

If there's anything lacking, it's their ability to compete effectively and maintain consistency in their attacks.

After seeing Hu Weidong's dunk, Jerry West made up his mind to bring him to Portland.

He believes that Hu Weidong is a promising talent, and at 21 years old, he still has room for improvement and the potential for change.

Other young Chinese players, such as Sun Jun, also performed exceptionally well at this Olympics.

His ball handling, playmaking ability, and shooting consistency have reached a very high level.

However, Sun Jun is still somewhat inferior to Hu Weidong in terms of physical fitness. In the NBA, physical fitness is always the most important factor.

Scoring this goal greatly boosted the morale of the Chinese team. In the ensuing defense, everyone worked even harder, not giving Croatia an easy chance to score.

Gan Guoyang resolutely guarded the three-second zone, staying inside and interfering with any Croatian player attempting to attack the basket, while also securing every defensive rebound.

Years later, Bobby Bellman mentioned in many interviews and speeches that "Forrest Gump's defense was what really set him apart from other super centers, not his offense, although the difference in offense was also very large."

"From 1989 to 1994, Forrest Gump was at the peak of his defensive dominance. His psychological warfare combined with his keen defensive instincts, unparalleled skills and experience, and superior physical abilities put immense pressure on anyone who dared to challenge him in the paint."

"The three-second rule can be said to be, to some extent, designed to limit Forrest Gump's defense. He was always in the three-second zone, which was too damaging to the opponent's offense."

On the Olympic stage, Gan Guoyang once again demonstrated to the Croatian players what "no-look defense" truly means.

His eyes weren't fixed on the player with the ball, nor on the ball itself, as if he were looking away, observing something else entirely.

You think he's off-target and rush to the basket for a layup or dunk, but he quickly comes up and blocks your shot.

His low-post defense was rock solid; Frankovic tried to back down Gan Guoyang, but couldn't budge him at all.

Even a slight dribble carries the risk of being intercepted; the shot is as swift as drawing a sword.

This level of defensive intensity resulted in Croatia scoring very few points under the basket in the first half, with most of their points coming from outside shots.

Of course, Croatia's shooting was very accurate, which allowed them to maintain their lead throughout the game.

Petrovic's three-point shooting was particularly impressive; he remained incredibly accurate in the knockout stage, making 4 of 5 three-point attempts in the first half.

Neither Adijiang, Sun Fengwu, nor Hu Weidong could stop Petrovic from scoring.

In the first half, Petrovic scored 18 points, helping Croatia to a 49-36 lead over China by 13 points.

Apart from Hu Weidong and Sun Jun occasionally showing flashes of brilliance, the rest of the Chinese team appeared mediocre in the face of Croatia's superior defense and talent.

Numerous missed shots, hesitant passing, slow and sluggish pace, and time-wasting tactics resulted in a rather unattractive performance.

Croatia consistently tried to increase the pace of the game and displayed a variety of passing techniques in their positional attacks, including dribbling, passing, back passes, long passes, and numerous well-coordinated and imaginative combinations.

However, Croatia's teamwork didn't translate into many points because they lacked scoring opportunities under the basket and ultimately had to rely on outside shots.

They are indeed very accurate, and the Chinese team can't defend against them, but they also have a hard time playing like this.

On the contrary, the Chinese team played poorly, but they made full use of Gan Guoyang's power under the basket.

In slow, positional play, Frankovic was completely unable to withstand Gan Guoyang's back-to-the-basket moves and offensive rebounds.

Frankovic, with his tall and slender build and quick reflexes, is actually more comfortable playing against the American team.

Because the US team has always played fast-paced, with players rushing inside with the ball, Frankovic can use his height, wingspan, and reaction speed to block opponents.

Gan Guoyang is different. He uses a power-based style of play to constantly attack the basket and uses his fierce offensive rebounds to launch second-chance attacks. He can not only score, but also stop Croatia's fast breaks.

In the first half, Gan Guoyang scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, including 5 offensive rebounds, making life difficult for the Croatian interior players.

During halftime, Croatian head coach Zevikovo Lejubojevic kept reminding his players to protect the defensive rebounds.

Besides the reprimand, Lejubojevic faces a dilemma: whether to continue playing fast and whether to execute a quick attacking strategy.

In European basketball, team offense and fast breaks have always been the mainstream strategies. Passing, speed, and prioritizing the team are things that are ingrained in the blood and genes of European players.

In Lejubojevic's view, the Chinese team, with its dominant center whose gap with the rest of the team is so huge that the offense and defense have to be completely centered around that one person, is a freak.

The Chinese team is indeed an anomaly. With the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang often plays team basketball, after all, his teammates are all NBA-level elites.

But the Chinese team has no choice; doing it himself is the best solution.

Chinese players have also grasped this principle, focusing most of their energy on spot shooting and defense.

Of course, Gan Guoyang could not have imagined that decades later, when Chinese professional leagues introduced foreign players, many teams would play in the same way.

If Croatia wants to play fast, their forwards and guards need to position themselves further out to make quick runs down the court, which will weaken their ability to protect the boards.

If the whole team needs to protect the defensive rebounds, the forwards and guards need to stand further inside and fight for the rebounds together with the inside players, which makes it difficult to launch a counterattack immediately.

After thinking for a while, Lejubojevic decided to stick to his own strategy. After all, Croatia was leading by 13 points, so he couldn't easily change his basic tactics and playing style.

However, he still instructed the players to strengthen their rebounding, especially Frankovic.

By this time, Frankovic's jersey was soaked with sweat; he had been battling Gan Guoyang throughout the first half.

In the intense physical confrontation, he was completely outmatched; he had never experienced such a high-intensity battle for the paint.

Lejubodevich patted Frankovich's face and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Frankovic nodded, saying it was no problem, but in his heart he thought that this first half seemed even more tiring and difficult than playing against the Dream Team.

David Robinson of the Dream Team is very strong, but he doesn't like physical contact and prefers to use his speed and jumping ability. Frankovich likes this kind of opponent.

Ewing didn't get much playing time, Barkley was short, and Malone was strong, but his movements were very mechanical, making him easy to interfere with if you anticipated his moves.

Gan Guoyang, however, is a completely different kind of inside player. He is so strong that you don't know how powerful his body is, and his movement and choices are as unpredictable as a ghost.

Before the second half began, Frankovic asked Petrovic, "How do you defend Forrest Gump? How do you deal with him?"

Petrovich pointed to the sky and said, "May God bless you."

The second half resumed, and the 13-point gap wasn't huge, but it wasn't insignificant either.

The Chinese team is still under immense pressure, but everyone is inexplicably confident.

In the locker room, Jiang Xingquan was unusually passionate, encouraging the players to "go all out and make it to the semifinals!"

It's clear that Coach Jiang, who has always been conservative and originally thought that the Olympic Games were already a done deal, has begun to crave victory.

Trailing by 13 points would normally mean a loss, but things are different now because the Chinese team has Gan Guoyang.

In the first half, he tested his skills, mainly focusing on low-post isolation plays and second-chance opportunities on offense, gradually warming up his body.

In Croatia's first offensive possession of the second half, Petrovic drove into the paint to challenge Gan Guoyang's defense.

His dribbling is very skillful, but Petrovic doesn't have many variations in his breakthroughs.

He stopped abruptly, threw the ball, and it was blocked by Gan Guoyang who came over to help defend.

Gan Guoyang, having gained possession, charged straight up the court, and Petrovic immediately fouled him.

He knew Forrest Gump was about to launch a brutal attack like he did in the 92 Finals.

Not stopping him is just giving away points.

Gan Guoyang, who had been fouled, smiled and patted Petrovic on the shoulder.

In a positional attack, China had a throw-in, and Gan Guoyang came out to receive the ball. Frankovic and Toni Kukoc both chased after him.

Gan Guoyang still received the ball, then suddenly accelerated and dribbled past two players.

He drove straight into the basket from the middle and slammed home a one-handed dunk!

The all-around champion from the 1992 Grand Finals has reappeared!
Their playing style was ahead of its time, and it was astonishing in both the NBA and FIBA.

In fact, the Croatian team also has a similar player, namely Toni Kukoc.

He is a bit taller than Gan Guoyang and has equally skillful dribbling and various outside shooting techniques.

However, his impact is far less than that of Gan Guoyang; he is more like an enlarged version of a nimble defender.

In this Olympics, Kukoc played a more supporting role, assisting Petrovic on offense by organizing, facilitating, distributing the ball, and providing spot-up shooting.

When facing the Dream Team, he was closely guarded by Jordan and Pippen, which could be described as severe suppression, and this dealt a blow to his confidence.

Moreover, Kukoc, as a tall perimeter player, has a difficult-to-avoid flaw: a high number of turnovers.

In the five group stage matches, Kukoc had the highest number of turnovers per game on the team, even more than Petrovic, who was often double-teamed despite having more possession of the ball.

As for center Gan Guoyang, he averaged 0.8 turnovers per game in 5 group stage matches, with a total of four turnovers in one game. His ability to control turnovers can only be described as unbelievable.

This attention to detail is one of the reasons why Gan Guoyang is so powerful.

In the ensuing defense, Gan Guoyang changed his conservative, hole-camping style from the first half, suddenly pressing forward and double-teaming Kukoc with Sun Jun.

Kukoc made a mistake, and the ball was stolen by Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang controlled the ball and threw it to Sun Jun, who then scored on a fast break layup.

In the first two rounds of the second half, the Chinese team narrowed the gap to 9 points, and then to within 10 points, which is a very good sign.

Subsequently, the Chinese team resumed their zone defense, allowing Croatia to shoot from the outside and even three-pointers.

The Croatian lads were accurate shooters, hitting three-pointers and long two-pointers, and with skillful ball movement, they pierced the Chinese team's basket one after another.

China's attack relied more on Gan Guoyang because Croatia's defense became tighter, and Gan Guoyang began to be double-teamed by three or four players.

He could hardly receive the ball in the low post near the basket, where it was too easy to be surrounded. Instead, he received the ball further out, threatening with three-pointers, and then using drives, back-to-the-basket moves, and other offensive techniques to break through Croatia's defense.

The confrontation between the two sides reached a fever pitch, and Gan Guoyang's arms were covered with bloody welts.

As Croatia's interior players accumulated more and more fouls, the Croatian head coach began to worry.

If they keep committing fouls like this, they'll be in foul trouble and have to go to the free-throw line soon, and then there won't be anyone left on the bench.

The score difference between the two sides remained between 10 and 15 points.

The Chinese team was very tenacious, but Croatia always managed to make their shots and widen the gap.

The Chinese team has been persisting, gritting their teeth and sticking to their defensive strategy, refusing to change their approach and letting you shoot.

The goal was to prevent Croatia from attacking the basket and launching fast breaks; they were simply being shot at and unable to win.

With five minutes remaining in the final stages of the game, the Chinese team was still trailing Croatia by 10 points.

Ten points, five minutes is enough, but both defense and offense need to keep up.

Gan Guoyang also felt exhausted because he hadn't rested for a single minute during the match.

Jiang Xingquan deliberately called a pause so that Gan Guoyang could sit down, drink some water, and catch his breath.

At this point, Gan Guoyang had already scored 37 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots, keeping the Chinese team hanging on.

60: 70.

After the timeout ended and they returned to the court, Petrovic, who had been resting on the sidelines for a while, also came back.

Before the serve, Gan Guoyang suddenly said to Petrovic, "Pete! Want to play a three-pointer?"

Petrovich's heart tightened upon hearing this. He glanced at Gan Guoyang but remained silent.

Sweat kept pouring down my face.

Three-point shooting is an extra practice activity that the Trail Blazers players do after their daily training session.

As the two players who practiced the most intensely on the team, Gan Guoyang and Petrovic often stayed in the training hall to practice three-pointers.

Whoever scores 100 points first wins the competition.

No one picked up the balls, their locations were not fixed, and no one counted them.

In training, it was often just the two of them going back and forth between the two ends of the court, constantly shooting, retrieving the ball, running, and shooting again.

After half a day of training, my body was exhausted. This kind of practice is very helpful in improving my three-point shooting ability, but it is also very painful.

Over three years, the two played nearly a hundred such matches, with Petrovic's record being 1 win and N losses.

Moreover, Petrovich knew in his heart that he had cheated in the match he won.

Since there are no referees, everyone counts by themselves. Whoever reaches one hundred first stops shooting and wins. It all depends on the honesty of the two players.

After a series of losses, Petrovic finally couldn't take it anymore. In one match, before he had even made 100 shots, he ended his shooting session and declared victory.

Gan Guoyang was very happy to invite Petrovich to dinner, but Petrovich felt bad because such a false victory did not really make him happy.

He stopped exaggerating his hits and started throwing honestly, but he still couldn't beat Gan Guoyang.

He lost not only because of his accuracy, but more importantly because of his physical fitness; Forrest Gump's physical consistency was too abnormal.

So when he heard Gan Guoyang say "three-point game", his hair stood on end.

He immediately reminded Frankovic, "Keep an eye on Agam, he's a great three-point shooter, keep a close eye on him!"

Before Frankovic could react, Gan Guoyang had already received the inbound pass from Sun Jun and was about to shoot a three-pointer from the top of the arc.

Frankovic immediately rushed to close the distance, but Gan Guoyang faked a move and collided with Frankovic, drawing a three-point foul.

Petrovich cursed under his breath, "Old coin," Forrest Gump was such a trickster, always up to this kind of thing.

Standing at the free-throw line, Gan Guoyang deliberately stood back a bit, much like Wilt Chamberlain in his prime.

Chamberlain was more accurate from a distance than from close range, while Gan Guoyang was just testing his shooting touch; he wouldn't recklessly shoot three-pointers.

After adjusting his breathing, he made all three free throws, narrowing the gap to 7 points.

China's zone defense became even tighter. Petrovic attempted to break through, passed the ball, and his teammate received the ball and broke through again.

"Beep!"

The referee blew his whistle again.

Ma Jian fell to the ground, having drawn an offensive foul from his opponent at the baseline!
A beautifully drawn foul; this might be Ma Jian's most important performance tonight.

The Chinese team quickly launched the ball from their backcourt, a departure from their previous slow pace. Gan Guoyang received a pass from Hu Weidong and dribbled the ball across half-court.

At this point, no one on the Croatian team was marking him, and Frankovic was so tired that he was lucky if he could even run back to his defensive position.

Only Petrovic reacted and ran to guard Gan Guoyang, but Gan Guoyang easily pushed Petrovic aside and used a KIKI-step on the left side to take a three-pointer!
That distance would be considered a mid-range shot in the NBA.

With exceptionally smooth footwork and release, the ball swished into the net!
After scoring, Gan Guoyang shouted to Petrovic, "The game has started, Pete, come on!"

(End of this chapter)