Chapter 1871 85: Paper Money

[Donnie Nelson, Lithuania's assistant coach, was shocked by the progression of this semi-final because none of his players had ever attended an NBA training camp.

Logically, they didn't even have the qualifications to enter the NBA, yet they came together and almost defeated a team composed of the best players in the NBA.

As an American with a deep connection to basketball history, Nelson didn't know whether to hope for success or failure when Jasikevicius took that potential game-winning shot.

Of course, for Americans, it was a victory that felt more like a loss, and many years later, that's how everyone sees it.

In fact, there wasn't much difference between winning and losing; at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, it was an undeniable fact that American basketball was caught up to by the world.

The narrow victory against Lithuania only slightly delayed the effect of the poison," Ray Allen said in an interview after the game: "We're glad the shot didn't go in, but we all know what we have to face next.

Gan Guoyang, a name that haunted three generations of American stars, floats like a ghost, always hovering above."]

—Excerpt from "America Hoops" by Bob Reitz, published in 2009.

Team USA's performance was disappointing. Although they won, the ugliness of the process stripped the "Dream Team" title of its former glory.

Someone quickly stood up to voice this sentiment—well, that person was Larry Bird. He made a guest appearance on a program, watching the Olympic live broadcast with everyone and providing commentary.

After the semi-final, he was asked by the host about Team USA's two-point near loss to Lithuania and their brush with being defeated.

Bird bluntly said: "They are not a Dream Team at all; in the history of Olympic basketball, there is only one Dream Team, and that's the 1992 Dream Team. The rest are merely the US National Team, not a Dream Team. If you have to call them a dream, it would definitely be a nightmare, not a dream."

Bird's words were as sharp as ever, somewhat defending the old Dream Team.

An important reason is that after watching the game, he realized that in the finals, this Team USA would have a hard time dealing with Ah Gan.

The team's configuration, players' abilities, and conditions were far from the best; they almost fell at the hands of Lithuania.

"Pray that France can beat China in the semi-finals," Bird thought to himself.

Given Gan Guoyang's understanding of these American players and his psychological pressure, it would certainly be ominous.

Moreover, Rick Carlisle would most likely be cornered by Ah Gan. Up to now, Carlisle has been solely focusing on controlling players and locker room issues, without any tactical creations.

Bird worried for Carlisle; next season, back in the NBA, Carlisle had an even more challenging task—to support the Trail Blazers post-Ah Gan era.

What was thought to be a chance to earn military medals at the Olympics turned out to be a scenario of taking blame and enduring damage; Carlisle was indeed having a rough time.

Just twenty minutes later, China took to the court to start their semi-final against France, and dressed in white jerseys, China appeared to be in high spirits.

It can be said that Team USA's poor performance gave China quite a bit of confidence; the Dream Team was only so-so.

But for now, defeating France was the goal, and Gan Guoyang reminded every teammate to keep their eyes on today and focus on what's underfoot.

Unlike the previous games, tonight Gan Guoyang moved to his familiar center position, marking an intensity increase.

This was also a strategic adjustment made after discussions between Jiang Xingquan and the coaching team, as they had played against France before, and France would surely target China's strong inner tower.

Although theoretically, the more a final battle, the less you should change formation recklessly, a semi-final doesn't quite carry the weight of a final.

The China Team was not making an odd move but rather changing to a more correct tactic by putting Gan Guoyang directly to jump ball at the center.

Yao Ming rested off the court, Wang Zhizhi started as power forward, Sun Jun as small forward, with Hu Weidong and Guo Shiqiang as the guards.

This relatively smaller lineup aimed to play man-to-man defense against France's multiple-point three-point shooting.

While Yao Ming's presence in the Three Second Zone had deterrent power and could free up Gan Guoyang, their group stage proved France's external three-point shooters were too many, making zone defense disadvantageous.

Among all the teams, France had the most three-point attempts, and each game became increasingly accurate.

In the last game against Canada, France took 24 three-point shots, twice as many as their opponent, with a success count three times higher.

From the final score, it was clear France won by scoring a few extra threes.

Three-point shooting has always been a weapon for victory among underdog teams.

Thus, the China Team was neither arrogant nor overly cautious not to change their lineup and tactics.

In the knockout stage, every phase and every ball becomes critical, with the game being decided in a single match.

Now, the coaching team felt confident, decisively changing formation after video study to meet France.

After all, putting Gan Guoyang at center wasn't an odd move; it was a move that couldn't be more correct.

France, however, was in trouble; they hadn't anticipated Gan Guoyang reverting to the center position.

This meant many of their pre-match arrangements needed adjusting, especially on the defensive end—should they double-team the inside?

Gan Guoyang's power in the low post was unmatched in FIBA at that time.

FIBA's trapezoidal Three Second Zone meant that posts were set further out, making it harder for a center to initiate the offense as easily as in the NBA.

With a smaller court and shorter three-point line, the inner space could easily be clogged, making strong low post attacks easily targeted on FIBA courts.