The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 710 Victory
After the finals, Gan Guoyang immediately began preparing for the Olympics.

From mid-June to the end of July, Gan Guoyang underwent targeted training for a month.

He is not only working on cohesion with his teammates, but also setting new goals for himself for the Olympics and the new season.

The most important point is weight loss.

In the 1992 season, Gan Guoyang reached his peak weight of 270 pounds.

Towards the end of the season, he weighed close to 275 pounds, but after the finals, he dropped to 265 pounds, which was a huge strain.

In preparation for the Olympics and the new season, Gan Guoyang did some research and decided to reduce his weight back to around 260 pounds.

The purpose of doing this is twofold: firstly, for health and physical fitness. While a large body weight can be very powerful, it can also cause significant damage to the knees and ankles.

As Gan Guoyang approaches 30, he needs to control his weight slightly in order to maintain his health.

Secondly, there's the issue of playing style. After unlocking a more advanced playing style in the finals, Gan Guoyang needs to be more agile.

If he frequently uses backcourt dribbling, quick drives, and crossovers, the immense inertia and impact from his high weight will not only break through opponents but also damage his joints.

Therefore, he only used this style of play desperately in the 1992 finals. After winning the championship in the sixth game, Gan Guoyang could feel his knees burning.

He needs to lose weight for the new season and for the Olympics.

After losing weight, Gan Guoyang's physical strength declined, but he was still an invincible force in the basketball world at that time.

6尺10，260磅的体重在FIBA已经是超重量的存在，2米18的弗兰科维奇比甘国阳高10厘米，体重也不过才255磅。

In 1990, Frankovic was selected by the Celtics in the draft and played in the NBA for a period of time. Later, due to the arrival of Divac, Frankovic chose to leave the team and return to Europe to play.

With the game nearing its end, Frankovic could only watch from the sidelines.

But Croatia still has a key player in the paint, namely Raja.

Raja and Frankovic, one is the main attacker and the other is the main defender.

Raja was originally a player the Celtics wanted, but the Lakers snatched him away.

Later, the Celtics acquired Divac, so Raja naturally wouldn't go to Boston.

Next season, Raja will have the opportunity to go to the Trail Blazers and begin his NBA career in Portland.

Raja has beautiful footwork in the low post and is very talented offensively, but his talent couldn't be utilized tonight.

In one-on-one offensive and defensive confrontations, whether it was Ma Jian taking on the ball while Gan Guoyang came over to help defend, or facing Agan one-on-one, Raja's performance was not satisfactory.

It must be said that Gan Guoyang's defense of the paint was truly impregnable; Croatia's interior score was only 10 points tonight.

After that, he gave up on attacking in the low post and could only steal some points on second-chance opportunities and easy baskets.

In Croatia's crucial attack, Petrovic hesitated, wondering whether to attack himself or take a team approach and create opportunities for his teammates.
This hesitation made Petrovic less decisive in making his choice. While controlling the ball, he noticed that Raja had an opportunity to receive the ball in the low post and attack the basket.

It wasn't Agan defending Raja, but Ma Jian. Petrovic thought for 0.1 seconds, then decided to play it safe and pass the ball to Raja so he could take Ma Jian one-on-one in the low post.

The moment the ball left Petrovic's hand and flew toward Raja, a feeling of regret washed over him. Petrovic thought to himself, "I should have taken that shot myself."

If it were Forrest Gump, would he pass the ball?
He will, right? If his teammates have a chance in a crucial moment, Forrest Gump will pass the ball.

But Petrovich's intuition told him that in such a moment, Forrest Gump would definitely throw it himself.

But it was too late. The ball flew smoothly into Raja's hands, and Raja used his height and footwork to overpower Ma Jian.

Ma Jian is only a little over 2 meters tall, while Raja is 2.10 meters tall, but Raja weighs only 225 pounds, which is just over 100 kilograms.

In terms of weight, Ma Jian is not at a significant disadvantage.

Previously, Ma Jian pursued a flexible inside game, which proved quite effective in Asia.

He and Gong Xiaobin, both just over 2 meters tall, were very effective offensively against smaller Asian teams like South Korea and the Philippines.

However, they are not as effective against European teams that are tall and agile as you.

In Portland, Gan Guoyang advised Ma Jian that if he wanted to play basketball in the United States, he should either go the outside route and play the small forward position.

However, the small forward position requires outside talent, dribbling skills, and shooting ability. Ma Jian has always been trained as an inside player, so his foundation is not good enough.

The second option is to pursue the path of a short, stocky inside player, similar to Mason, improving his strength, defense, and rebounding abilities.

Gan Guoyang has always been Ma Jian's idol, and is recognized by Ma Jian as the greatest player in history. Of course, he listens to his idol's guidance.

So during this month, he worked hard to improve his strength and defensive awareness, and unexpectedly, he was quite good at understanding these aspects.

In tonight's match against Croatia, Ma Jian played a crucial role on the defensive end.

Raja struggled to get inside, pushing Ma Jian along.

Just as Raja was about to turn and hook his hand, Gan Guoyang's help defense had already arrived.

With the ball in mid-air, Ma Jian simply raised his arms, without jumping or committing a foul.

Gan Guoyang came over, jumped high, and lightly touched the ball with his finger.

Gan Guoyang's classic block never gives the opponent a chance to steal the ball and easily launch a second attack after the block.

Gan Guoyang got control of the ball in just a few seconds.

The Croatian players all swarmed around Gan Guoyang, and the ball was knocked out of bounds.

China still had possession of the ball, and Jiang Xingquan immediately called a timeout.

Jiang Xingquan used the last timeout of the game, a moment that would decide the outcome.

The Chinese players were exhausted, but also very excited; they had a chance to defeat Croatia!
Everyone wants to hear how Coach Jiang Xingquan will arrange the tactics for this final attack.

Jiang Xingquan had just removed his hand from Gong Luming's arm, and facing the Chinese players who had returned to the field, he remained silent with a stern face.

Everyone stared at Jiang Xingquan with curious eyes, as if to say, "Coach Jiang, say something! It's the last attack, we'll listen to you."

Jiang Xingquan was silent for two seconds before speaking his first words after the pause: "I just wanted you guys to take a break."

The team members were devastated. What was Lao Jiang doing? A timeout at a crucial moment, just so we could rest?
There was no way Jiang Xingquan wasn't nervous, as this was his first time leading a team to the Olympics at such a crucial moment.

When he called a timeout, his mind went blank; he hadn't even thought of any tactics to devise. The current situation was beyond his capabilities.

At a time like this, it's already quite good that he remembered he had a timeout in his hand and didn't commit a timeout violation and give away free throws.

Gan Guoyang took a big gulp of water and said to everyone, "It's okay, I'll set up a tactic." As he spoke, Gan Guoyang took the tactical board from Gong Luming. In this kind of situation, Gan Guoyang had plenty of experience.

He experienced so many crucial moments and grand occasions that they are too numerous to count.

"I will definitely be Croatia's primary defensive target. At this point, we must remember not to overcomplicate things, absolutely not. I will receive the ball on the outside to draw the defense's attention. Once I get the ball, I will drive inside if possible. I will follow up and attack for second-chance opportunities. Don't shoot from long range or mid-range; get as close to the basket as possible! I will inbound the ball, and Sun Jun, you will receive it. Stay calm, remember to stay calm..."

Gan Guoyang decided to personally inbound the ball. In the narrow FIBA ​​arena, inbounding the ball is a challenge, especially at crucial moments.

Gan Guoyang didn't devise any overly complicated tactics, knowing that in situations like this, the more complex the tactics, the more likely problems would arise.

The timeout ended quickly, and both teams returned to the court. The Chinese team then served from the backcourt.

Gan Guoyang took the inbound pass, holding the ball in his hand, and remained calm. He first made a feinting motion as if throwing the ball forward.

After attracting attention, he immediately threw the ball to Adijiang, who caught it, and Gan Guoyang immediately came over to receive it.

The two players made a handoff screen, and Gan Guoyang received the ball and charged forward. The Croatian players dared not double-team him, nor did they dare to leave him open.

After crossing the halfway line, Gan Guoyang passed the ball to Adijiang, who then passed it to Sun Jun. At this point, Croatia's defensive attention was focused on Gan Guoyang at the top of the penalty arc.

Sun Jun feinted and charged inside with the ball!

Facing Toni Kukoc's defense, Sun Jun could only manage a weak floater.

This shot wasn't aimed at scoring; it was to give Gan Guoyang an offensive rebound.

The ball hit the backboard, bounced off the rim, and then bounced out again. Gan Guoyang squeezed under the basket like a bulldozer!
The Croatian players simply couldn't handle Gan Guoyang; three of them couldn't compete with him for the rebound.

He drove to the basket for a layup, but the pass was too long. He drove again, put it back in, and the ball went in!
"nice shot!"

Thousands of miles away, the CCTV commentator shouted "Good shot!" in an enthusiastic voice.

After scoring, Gan Guoyang raised his right hand high, tying the score. The Chinese team had endured the whole game and finally equalized!

At this moment, the referee blew his whistle and gave Raja a foul for hitting his hand, so Gan Guoyang had to stand at the free throw line!
The Chinese team's bench erupted in cheers. The Chinese team might be able to turn the score around, and if that happens, victory will be in their hands.

Jiang Xingquan and Gong Luming stood close together, hugging each other's arms tightly, both trembling with nervousness.

Gan Guoyang was the calmest one. He stepped to the free-throw line, took the ball from the referee, and made a slight adjustment.

A slight adjustment, and the free throw went in! They took the lead!
76-75, China finally took the lead.

But now is not the time to celebrate; the game is not over yet, and the ball is still in Croatia's hands.

Croatia did not call a timeout, quickly inbounded the ball from their own half, and Petrovic, without hesitation, charged forward with the ball!

Hu Weidong closely followed Petrovic, while Gan Guoyang quickly returned to defense and had already rushed to the basket.

If Petrovic were to force his way to the basket, he would definitely be met with help defense from Gan Guoyang.

Petrovic used his stronger body to push past Hu Weidong, stopped abruptly, and with the same KiKi-step step-back, launched a powerful three-pointer!

The ball flew towards the basket like a cannonball and landed right in the center—it went in!
In just a few seconds, the plot twisted repeatedly, leaving the fans in the stadium in disbelief.

Petrovic miraculously hit a three-pointer on a fast break, putting the team back in the lead!

Croatia led 76-78, and now the Croatian bench erupted in cheers.

But the game is not over yet; there are still a few seconds left.

Croatia employed a full-court press defense, forcing China to serve quickly.

The Croatian players all swarmed around Gan Guoyang, while Sun Jun took the inbound pass.

At that moment, Sun Jun remained exceptionally calm and accurately served the ball to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang dodged the interception, and at that moment the Croatian players dared not foul, as a foul would result in a free throw.

They "escorted" Gan Guoyang as he charged forward, with Petrovic among them.

Gan Guoyang dribbled the ball forward along the left sideline, where the sideline served as his protective wall.

Croatian players dared not push, because if they did, they would be called for a blocking foul, which would be terrible.

Gan Guoyang charged across the midfield like a tank, taking two strides to reach the three-point line. Time was running out.

Gan Guoyang jumped forcefully, soaring high into the air, and with his powerful arm strength, he threw the ball towards the basket!

Petrovic tried his best to block, but he couldn't reach it. He was filled with fear and had a bad feeling.

In the past, whenever the ball was in Forrest Gump's hands, he felt at ease, knowing that his boss would put the ball in the net.

Now, he felt only fear and anxiety. He didn't even dare to look towards the basket; he just stared at the Chinese team's bench not far away.

Two seconds later, he saw everyone on the Chinese team's bench jump up, including their seemingly old-fashioned coach.

The Chinese rushed onto the field, and the stadium erupted in cheers of amazement. Petrovic knew what the outcome would be.

He closed his eyes in anguish, turned away without looking back, and stood there, letting his tears flow and mingle with his sweat.

If he had made that three-pointer earlier, would everything have been different? They definitely could have won the game and gone even further, right?
But it's all over now. Today belongs to the Chinese team, and to that bastard Agan. Petrovic finally understands why the opponents are so afraid of Agan.

It's truly disheartening. Apart from Agam, the rest of the Croatian team had such a significant advantage over the Chinese team, yet they failed to capitalize on it at all.

If it were a seven-game series, Croatia would be confident of winning four straight, but this is the Olympics, and it's a single-game series.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang was covered in Chinese teammates, and everyone was celebrating wildly, a rare sight for them.

The Chinese team had won before, and everyone was happy, but they were always very reserved and introverted.

This time, there's no need to suppress or restrain yourself; let's enjoy ourselves to the fullest and revel to our hearts' content.

The Chinese men's basketball team made history by advancing to the semifinals, with Gan Guoyang scoring 41 points in the game, including 24 points in the second half.

This included a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, which may be the most classic shot of this Olympic basketball tournament.

For a long time to come, it will be repeatedly broadcast on television, along with Gan Guoyang's other classic goals.

At the scene, a CCTV reporter pointed the microphone and camera at Gan Guoyang, who shouted into the camera: "Today, China is the victor! We Chinese are the victors! I believe that our cause, all our cause, will be victorious!"

On August 4, 1992, this scene, along with Gan Guoyang's decisive goal, became an eternal classic and an indelible and wonderful memory of the Republic.

(End of this chapter)