[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-golden-age-of-basketball":3,"chapter-the-golden-age-of-basketball-the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1871":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Golden Age of Basketball",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1445338,1896,"Chapter 1871 85: Paper Money","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1871",1871,"\u003Cp>[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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, for Americans, it was a victory that felt more like a loss, and many years later, that's how everyone sees it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang, a name that haunted three generations of American stars, floats like a ghost, always hovering above.\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Excerpt from \"America Hoops\" by Bob Reitz, published in 2009.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Team USA's performance was disappointing. Although they won, the ugliness of the process stripped the \"Dream Team\" title of its former glory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird's words were as sharp as ever, somewhat defending the old Dream Team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The team's configuration, players' abilities, and conditions were far from the best; they almost fell at the hands of Lithuania.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pray that France can beat China in the semi-finals,\" Bird thought to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given Gan Guoyang's understanding of these American players and his psychological pressure, it would certainly be ominous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It can be said that Team USA's poor performance gave China quite a bit of confidence; the Dream Team was only so-so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the previous games, tonight Gan Guoyang moved to his familiar center position, marking an intensity increase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This relatively smaller lineup aimed to play man-to-man defense against France's multiple-point three-point shooting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among all the teams, France had the most three-point attempts, and each game became increasingly accurate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the final score, it was clear France won by scoring a few extra threes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three-point shooting has always been a weapon for victory among underdog teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the China Team was neither arrogant nor overly cautious not to change their lineup and tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the knockout stage, every phase and every ball becomes critical, with the game being decided in a single match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the coaching team felt confident, decisively changing formation after video study to meet France.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, putting Gan Guoyang at center wasn't an odd move; it was a move that couldn't be more correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>France, however, was in trouble; they hadn't anticipated Gan Guoyang reverting to the center position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant many of their pre-match arrangements needed adjusting, especially on the defensive end—should they double-team the inside?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang's power in the low post was unmatched in FIBA at that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>",998,"2026-06-06T01:42:08.237Z",1,"novelbin.me","b6da201170819b8c3c6a626c4ac85066e9dd335fd2a3c317e94012ef73c64ddf","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1872","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1870",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]