Chapter 1851 77: Abstract Debut_2

Of course, with the Olympics about to start, the purpose of these rumors is obviously not to attack Sydney, but rather to promote China's bid for the 2008 Olympics.

It can be said that with the appearance of these rumors, along with Gan Guoyang's showcase of influence in Sydney, the hosting rights for the 2008 Olympics going to China is almost a certainty.

No country can compete with China for the hosting rights.

The 5 days passed quickly, and by September 15th, the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics was grandly held at the main stadium.

Australian singer Tina Elena performed the song "The Flame" at the opening ceremony, which became yet another classic Olympic theme song.

At the highly anticipated Olympic flame lighting ceremony, Australian sprint star Freeman ignited the flame in the water, followed by the flame rising slowly from the water, officially announcing the start of the Olympics.

During the athletes' entrance ceremony, Gan Guoyang, for the second time, carried the flag for the Chinese delegation at the forefront of the team.

When the China Team entered, the whole audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Gan Guoyang held the national flag with a serious demeanor, at that moment he was not a basketball superstar, but a qualified flag bearer.

The opening ceremony concluded successfully, and the Olympic competitions began, with basketball starting on the third day of the games. Gan Guoyang and the China Team were already eager and impatient.

Their first opponent in the group stage was Team USA, both teams were placed in the same group, and would battle for a spot in the top eight.

The game took place in the afternoon at Sydney's Super Dome Park. In the previous two matches, France had defeated New Zealand, and Italy had defeated Lithuania.

The match between China and America was considered the main event, with all 18,000 seats at the Dome Park filled, everyone wanted to see how Ah Gan would once again stand up to the Dream Team on the court since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Before the game started, in the China Team locker room, Gan Guoyang and his teammates were chatting and laughing, helping everyone to relax.

"There's nothing to fear about NBA players, they're just stronger and faster, nothing else."

"Like Mourning, plays like an idiot, can't box out for rebounds, and is unstable in protecting the boards."

"Kevin Garnett is just a skinny guy, he can shoot but can't drive, if you put a little force, you can defend him."

"Jason Kidd and Payton, you don't have to worry about them, they can't shoot, let them throw, they won't make a splash."

"Let's stick to the strategy, firm zone defense, firm three-point shooting, don't overthink it, alright?"

Gan Guoyang intentionally disparaged the NBA Dream Team stars to shatter the team's illusions and fears about NBA stars.

Although they are very strong, as challengers, if you fear the opponent, what might have been a 20-point gap could widen to 50 due to psychological issues.

This is a tactic Gan Guoyang often used on the NBA courts, where although the opponents had a gap in strength, because of past shadows left, the gap would become a chasm.

Now, Gan Guoyang needed to make sure his teammates weren't affected by this negative mindset, so they could perform at their best.

Actually, for this match, the China Team didn't really care much about winning or losing. After all, it's America, even with Gan Guoyang, beating them would still be very tough.

Instead of exhausting too much energy and using up too many tactics against America in the group stage, it would be better to relax and play to their best.

If they win, it's like hitting the jackpot, if not, just treat it as a warm-up for the subsequent matches.

"Everyone go out there and play freely, make your own moves if you can, don't hold back, this match is just for us to find our rhythm."

Just before taking the court, Gan Guoyang gave a little pep talk, a bit of psychological massage.

But this doesn't mean that Gan Guoyang didn't want to win the gold medal, he knew clearly that the full effort should be saved for the finals.

The primary goal now is to advance from the group stage with a good ranking, and preferably not face Team USA before the finals.

While Gan Guoyang was playing mental coach for his teammates, in the neighboring Team USA locker room, Rick Carlisle was doing the same work.

"Ah Gan is not something to be feared..." Carlisle said.

"Coach, don't you feel guilty saying that? Speak while holding the Bible, Rick." Loudmouth Payton interrupted Carlisle's spellcasting.

The locker room erupted in laughter. For Carlisle, controlling the Dream Team's locker room has always been a troublesome issue.

"Alright, Ah Gan is very formidable, but we still have to face him, and there is a way to deal with him. We have the best players, this is a great opportunity to beat him."

The room fell silent again. After a while, Jason Kidd spoke up: "Coach, you should say something practical, like how to defeat him. You are his coach, you should know his weaknesses best."

Payton added from the side: "Don't let the coach tell you something that doesn't exist, guys, let's just avoid confronting him too much, isn't that the consensus?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Over the years, when facing the Trail Blazers, the consensus opinion has always been to avoid Ah Gan for a better chance of winning.

Afterward, everyone started discussing game strategies, assigning who would primarily defend Ah Gan, who would assist, who would disturb, and who would trash talk for interference, etc.

All Carlisle could do was stand by and listen to these big names deliberate amongst themselves. He didn't have much authority because his experience wasn't enough, and his track record was too thin.

Rick Hart, though senior enough, had always been an assistant coach and lacked clout among the players, only garnering respect because of his reputation.