The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 711

Just one day after the Chinese men's basketball team defeated Croatia to make history by reaching the Olympic men's basketball semifinals, on August 5th, the Chinese women's basketball team defeated the Cuban women's basketball team in the semifinals, making history by reaching the Olympic women's basketball finals.

Unlike the men's basketball team, the Chinese women's basketball team has a very balanced strength among its players. Zheng Haixia is the absolute core player, but she cannot dominate like Forrest Gump.

Four Chinese players scored in double figures, and all 10 players who took the field scored, ultimately leading to a resounding 109-70 victory over Cuba and a smooth advancement to the finals.

The women's basketball team's opponent in the final was not the powerful United States, but the CIS team that defeated the United States in another semi-final.

Although the Soviet Union collapsed, the CIS countries retained a large number of basketball talents, and together they remain a powerful force.

On August 6th, the Chinese team will face the CIS men's basketball team in the semifinals, which will be the final obstacle preventing the Chinese team from reaching the final stage.

The match between the Chinese team and the CIS team took place that afternoon. After that, the Dream Team USA and Lithuania would play another semi-final.

Before the match began, the entire Dream Team came to the sidelines to watch the semi-final between China and the CIS. At that moment, they were all on the side of the Chinese team.

Charles Barkley told the Olympic press corps, "I applied to become a Chinese citizen this afternoon to help the Chinese team compete, and then I'll change it back tomorrow."

The reporter asked him, "So what about your game tonight?"

"The Dream Team won't be a problem without me, but I really want to help Agan today."

Barkley's words reflected the sentiments of all the Dream Team players; they really wanted to face the Chinese team in the finals.

The chance to beat up Forrest Gump is right in front of you; if you miss it, who knows when you'll get another chance?

In fact, the Dream Team was very disappointed after the group stage results came out, because the United States and China were not in the same half of the bracket.

The Chinese team will face Croatia in the first round, and everyone in the Dream Team believes that it will be very difficult for the Chinese team to get past Croatia.

The US team played a game against Croatia in the group stage and was very impressed with their strength, noting that all five of their starters are capable of playing in the NBA.

Unexpectedly, Forrest Gump once again staged a dramatic comeback, delivering a spectacular display of patience and counterattack.

While there was an element of luck involved in the final blow, those familiar with Forrest Gump know that this was his signature move.

American media outlets published lengthy articles praising Forrest Gump after the game, calling him a "natural winner," an "incredible killer on the court," and stating that "his desire and control over victory reached an unbelievable level."

Reporters are also eagerly anticipating a major battle between the Chinese team and the Dream Team. At that time, the outcome will not be important; the scene of Forrest Gump battling against the American stars will surely be a classic moment in basketball history.

Gan Guoyang knew that the American team really wanted to play against him, so before the game, he went to the American team bus and said to the Dream Team members, "Our game comes first, and your game comes after. If we lose, you also lose, so then we can play in the bronze medal match."

Charles Barkley found this absurd suggestion quite reasonable.

"What's the point of winning a gold medal if we can't beat Forrest Gump in this Olympics?"

Barkley's teammates and the U.S. Olympic Committee have become accustomed to his nonsensical and rambling remarks.

During this Olympics, there were constant conflicts between Barkley and the US Olympic Committee, or rather, there has always been a conflict between the US Olympic Committee and the Dream Team.

The Olympic Committee disapproved of the Dream Team being separated from other athletes, staying in luxury hotels instead of the Olympic Village, being chauffeured around, and being escorted by security detail.

IOC official Leroy Walker said, "Maybe I'm too old-fashioned and conservative, but I can't understand why some athletes live in dormitories while others live in luxury hotels. We are all part of the U.S. delegation. I'm not sure why we necessarily need these NBA players. We have many excellent players in colleges, and if we select the right people, we can still win gold medals."

"Professional athletes should abide by the rules of the Olympics just like other athletes, instead of receiving special treatment."

Years later, Walker became president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and he will continue to fight this issue with the Dream Team at the next Olympics.

David Stern gave a good reason for the players to stay in hotels, saying that during the league season, players spend hundreds of nights on the road and in hotels while playing away games, unable to stay with their families. Now they have the opportunity to live with their families in hotels, which is a great compensation for them.

Charles Barkley was not so easy to talk to. He angrily retorted to Walker: "Who the hell wants to stay in the Olympic Village in 100 degrees Fahrenheit? Some bastards don't pay a cent and just want to torture others. Did we spend a penny of your money on our hotel rooms and security guards? You're just being nosy."

Throughout the Olympics, Barkley was engaged in a war of words with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“You should learn from the Chinese delegation. Look at Forrest Gump. He also stays in a hotel and is chauffeured around by helicopter every day. The leaders of their delegation didn’t say anything. They even made Forrest Gump the flag bearer! The flag bearer! God, when will I be able to carry the Stars and Stripes around the stadium?”

Barkley's envy of Gan Guoyang was palpable, and as a result, his desire to face Gan Guoyang in the finals grew even stronger.

In previous games, Barkley was the leading scorer for the US team, and Bellman was used to using him like Forrest Gump.

When in doubt, Barkley can simply push the ball into the box from the low post; it's simple, efficient, and hard for opponents to resist.

To date, Bobby Bellman has not called a single timeout in any of the Dream Team's games.

There's absolutely no need for that. Letting the players solve the problem themselves is enough. Calling a timeout would be disrespectful to them.

In the afternoon, Berman and his Dream Team members sat on the sidelines, waiting for the match between the Chinese team and the CIS team to begin.

While warming up, Gan Guoyang ran over to the Americans and chatted with Bellman, Jordan, and others.

"Give it your all, Sonny! Make sure you join us in the final. Everyone's waiting for you," said Berman.

Gan Guoyang: "Of course I will do my best, but aren't you all afraid of losing to me in the finals?"

Everyone else laughed, but Berman said seriously, "We're afraid, so we'll give it our all when the time comes."

Berman spoke very seriously. He had certainly considered the possibility of losing to Gan Guoyang if they met in the final, after all, he was the one who knew Gan Guoyang best.

They have been working together for over a decade. Forrest Gump's role is paramount in helping Bellman reach his current position as head coach of the US team and win the gold medal, which will make him a basketball champion and leave a significant mark on basketball history.

Before meeting Forrest Gump, he was a disillusioned coach who had been expelled from school and was almost addicted to alcohol and gambling. He was prepared to waste his life in grassroots basketball training camps, and at best, he would have a talented kid he had coached for a week make it into the NCAA and become a local basketball star with some fame, and that was all.

After meeting Forrest Gump, everything changed. He seized the opportunity, kept learning, and unleashed his talent.

Now we're just one step away from winning the Olympic gold medal, which will bring true fulfillment.

He gripped Gan Guoyang's hand tightly and said, "Sonny, the coach is counting on you again this time."

Gan Guoyang broke free from Behrman's grasp and said, "Bobby, why aren't you thinking of betraying us now!"

“I’m an American, and everyone serves their own master.”

"You damned scoundrel, give me some truly useful advice."

“Alexander Volkov, that guy is the core, you should know that. If you can handle him, your chances of winning will be much higher. It shouldn't be difficult for you. In that group stage loss, did you throw the game?” “I didn’t throw the game, it’s just that the coach didn’t want me to play for too long. He’s much more lenient than you.”

"Shit! You played the full 40 minutes last game! Sonny, play more if you want to win!"

The player Bellman mentioned, Alexander Volkov, is the core of the CIS's interior, a second center, and is the same height as Gan Guoyang, 6 feet 10 inches.

A versatile big man who played for the Hawks from 89 until last season.

Of the Soviet team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1988, four starters are now in Lithuania, and the remaining one is Volkov.

He was a decent role player for the Hawks, but in the CIS, he was the core of the team's frontcourt, ranking among the top in scoring, rebounding, and assists.

In the quarterfinals, the CIS faced Germany. Volkov scored 15 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists, helping the CIS defeat Germany and rendering Schremf's 32 points and 10 rebounds useless.

The CIS side certainly knows that the most terrifying thing about the Chinese team is their center, Forrest Gump. If they can take down Forrest Gump, they can take down the Chinese team. But who can take down Forrest Gump?

Learning from the lessons learned from the previous match against Croatia, the CIS team believes that they should still use defense to deal with the Chinese team, whose attacking options are limited.

In the group stage, the CIS team had the second fewest points conceded by all teams, only about 20 points more than the United States team.

This is enough to show that the CIS is good at defense, especially their zone defense, which is disciplined, flexible, and has excellent teamwork.

After all, the team inherited the Soviet Union's training system and player development system. Even a weakened giant is still a giant, and its overall strength is still very strong.

However, the CIS team also has its weaknesses. After eliminating the Lithuanian talents, their overall talent is only average, especially their lack of height.

Among the eight teams in the knockout stage, the average height of the CIS teams is shorter than that of the Chinese team.

The pillar of the inside is the 6-foot-10 Wolkoff, who is the same height as Gan Guoyang, but looks a size smaller.

When they played in the NBA, Volkov and Gan Guoyang only faced each other occasionally, since the Hawks and Trail Blazers were in different divisions and only played against each other twice a season.

Gan Guoyang is an absolute starter, while Volkov is a bench player. The Hawks' head coach wouldn't be foolish enough to have Volkov guard Gan Guoyang one-on-one.

But by the time of the Olympics, there was no other option; Volkov was already the best interior defender the CIS could field.

In the group stage, Gan Guoyang scored 26 points against Volkov in 30 minutes, but ultimately lost by only 7 points.

During the jump ball, Volkov felt a chill run down his spine looking at Gan Guoyang's cold gaze.

Anyone who has ever played in the NBA knows Forrest Gump's strength; he's been beaten to a pulp by him to some extent.

In this situation, NBA experience can actually have a negative effect, automatically causing players to develop a sense of fear.

Moreover, the CIS team didn't even have a proper national flag when they participated in the Olympics this time.

Other national teams are fighting for their nation and country, and after winning, they can drape their national flag and represent their country.

What exactly is the CIS? Russia? Belarus? Or the Soviet Union? Yes, and no.

This loosely bound confederation, forcibly assembled, greatly diminishes athletes' sense of honor in representing their country.

The Chinese team is completely different. They are not satisfied with reaching the semi-finals; they want to strive for the finals and secure a medal.

Especially since the women's basketball team has already made it to the finals, why isn't the men's basketball team striving for the finals? We can't let the sports world always be dominated by women.

And after their successful quarter-final victory against Croatia, the players knew that the strategy of focusing on defense and leaving the offense to Agam was effective.

Even if the game looks bad, as long as we win, why worry about everything else? Anyway, the Chinese team's games haven't been very entertaining in the past.

Before tonight's game, Coach Jiang Xingquan clearly ordered, "We must resolutely focus our offense and defense on Comrade Agan, play slowly, play positional offense, play with high success rate, play a good defense, and go all out to reach the Olympic finals!"

The leaders of the Olympic Committee came to give a pre-competition pep talk. If both the men's and women's basketball teams can make it to the finals, it will be a huge boost to Chinese sports.

After all, basketball, a comprehensive sport, is different from individual events where winning gold medals is a different matter, especially for men, where a medal is of great significance.

After the game started, Gan Guoyang quickly got into the game, immediately overpowering Volkov in the low post and scoring, and then easily turning around on the baseline to receive a hook shot.

After that, Gan Guoyang entered a state of endless one-on-one play in the low post, receiving the ball in the low post and scoring every time he got the ball and turned around.

Volkov weighed only 218 pounds, and in front of Gan Guoyang's truck, he was like an innocent little car, unable to withstand the force at all.

In the group stage, Gan Guoyang kept setting up his teammates, passing the ball, and assisting. But in the semifinals, he stopped pretending and just kept playing one-on-one.

You can play one-on-one in the low post, face the basket one-on-one when you receive the ball at a 45-degree angle, or one-on-one when you receive the ball in the corner. You can play from any angle.

If the CIS team tries to double-team, Gan Guoyang can ignore it and continue attacking, or pass the ball if his teammate has a good opportunity.

The CIS's disadvantage in height was obvious; their double-teaming efficiency was not as good as Croatia's, and their defense against Gan Guoyang was inadequate.

In this match, Gan Guoyang scored 51 points against the CIS team, leading his team to an 81-73 victory, dominating from start to finish and crushing the CIS team!

The game became a personal offensive showcase for Gan Guoyang, with various shots, hook shots, skillful low-post footwork, and extremely solid fundamentals combined with a wide range of techniques, demonstrating to Spanish fans what it means to be the number one basketball player.

As the match was about to end, the entire stadium rose to cheer for Gan Guoyang's brilliant performance. Gan Guoyang spread his arms wide, enjoying the enthusiastic Spanish cheers.

On the sidelines, the American players were applauding, with Jordan, Barkley, and others beaming with joy, because they knew that the long-awaited opportunity had finally arrived.

Bird chewed his gum, crossed his arms, and said, "Don't get too excited, guys. That's Forrest Gump. Think about what would happen if we lost the final, guys."

As soon as Bird finished speaking, the smiles of everyone on the Dream Team vanished, and they recalled the scenario of losing to the Chinese team and Gan Guoyang in the finals.

A nightmare, an absolute nightmare.

“I will commit suicide,” Barkley said bluntly.

"I'll kill Leroy Walker first."

“I’m serious,” he added.

(End of this chapter)