Furthermore, Carl doesn't have enough experience to request the assistant coach he wants; having Hart to support him is already quite good.
Soon, reporters came to interview Dream Team players, while some were showering, others were being interviewed, and Carl's idea of boosting morale completely fell through.
"It would be better if we lost," Carl even thought.
If this game were lost, everyone would return to the locker room dejected, and he could say the things he wanted to say and make the changes he wanted.
At least he could establish a reasonable starting lineup and not have to adjust the starters for balance.
Tonight, Team USA used this lineup against China, but in the next game against Italy, there would be partial changes, allowing players like Vin Baker and Rashim to play earlier.
This was the rule set by Dream Team: the starting lineup doesn't have to be fixed, there are many players who can play, and everyone should have opportunities.
But can Team USA really play this way with its current strength? Is it possible?
Carl doesn't know; it's out of his control and decision now.
On the other side of the locker room, after the game, everyone gathered together to listen to Jiang Xingquan speak.
Jiang Xingquan said a couple of words, coughed, and said, "Let's listen to what Ah Gan has to say."
Upon hearing this from Coach Jiang, everyone perked up.
Gan Guoyang closed the locker room door and asked the assistant coach to play the tape of this game.
The game had just finished; the footage had been organized—this was a level of tactical training that the past Chinese Men's Basketball Team never had.
Gan Guoyang sat together with everyone, holding a remote control, analyzing various details and key points of the game as everyone watched the tape.
"We won't focus on overly fine details; it's useless to you guys. We'll look at some key points."
"Pay attention to the game's turning points and to some influential shots."
"Certain game habits I won't talk much about. When trapped, pause, those are basic skills that are poor. Practice more, think more, keep it in mind, understand?"
"The choice for this shot is good and decisive; don't overthink it. Against Team USA, the more you think, the quicker you die."
Gan Guoyang evaluated everyone's performance on the court, with both criticism and praise, although criticism was certainly more frequent.
The entire locker room had no other sound, only the game sounds from the tape and Gan Guoyang's commentary—a somewhat suffocating atmosphere.
The pressure was immense for everyone, as each player who stepped onto the court would be evaluated by Gan Guoyang, thinking about how to play in the next game, what to do.
This tense atmosphere and positive unity were exactly what the tournament required; just biting down for a dozen days or so, pushing hard for the best results in single-elimination matches.
This is different from the league. The league is long, requiring relaxation, steady pace, rhythm; the tournament demands more on-the-scene explosive power—this is Gan Guoyang's strength.
The film watched for nearly an hour, reporters outside had grown impatient, and only when the door opened did they rush in to interview Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang was very clever, greatly praising Team USA during the interview, complimenting their great potential and resilience, taking away a victory from China in the final moments.
"These kids have progressed significantly, while I've regressed; time truly is merciless," Gan Guoyang sighed longingly, his acting was as good as real.
With his background, some players he could indeed call kids, because none of Team USA had more experience than him.
The most experienced Gary Payton was picked in the 1990 draft; he was originally Gan Guoyang's junior.
No player from the 80s draft era was present.
In the evening at Team USA's hotel, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen shared a room.
They saw Gan Guoyang's "hypocritical" performance on TV.
"Shit, Ah Gan is talking nonsense! This guy's form has regressed? Fuck, defending him nearly killed me!" Garnett complained.
"But he isn't as strong as he was at his peak, right?" Ray Allen said beside him.
"I wouldn't want to face him at his peak, truly terrifying... Luckily, he retired from the NBA."
"You've said this sentence at least twenty times; stop calling him back again."
"If he returns, I'll retire!" Garnett was anxious, talking nonsense.
But Gan Guoyang indeed left quite a shadow on Garnett.
A player like Garnett, with passionate play and talent, rarely gets put down in his career.
Yet Ah Gan, leading the Trail Blazers, eliminated Garnett's team three times in the playoffs with no suspense.
In Garnett's mind, defeating Ah Gan seems impossible; confronting him on the court feels truly powerless.
Today's win was indeed joyous, but after all, this was China Team.
Moreover, it felt like Ah Gan held back.
He only scored 30 points, with 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
An ordinary triple-double, not fitting Ah Gan's usual style.
In the final moments, he didn't intensify his breakthroughs nor cause fouls to score.
These are things Garnett encountered facing Ah Gan in the playoffs.
Once intensified, it's hard to stop.
Tonight there wasn't, is it as Ah Gan himself said, is he truly old?
Thinking this way, Garnett himself got confused, starting to doubt.
In the end, never mind, think about the next game first, and there's still tomorrow to explore Sydney, have some fun.
Besides, I'm not the boss, don't think too much.
Dream Team has another big problem, which is scattered responsibility, the sense of honor clearly not like the previous two times.
'92 was the first, '96 was at home, and this year, everyone's disinterested.
Thus, in the past, everyone was vying for spots, but this year, everyone is passing them around.
The first day of the men's basketball competition is over, in another group's match, Yugoslavia, Spain, and Canada all achieved victories.
Elsewhere, in the earliest shooting competition, Chinese athlete Tao Luna won the first gold medal for China's team, completing the tradition of the shooting team winning the first gold.
Basketball starts the earliest, but results won't emerge until the Olympics are nearly over.
This also means basketball players can go see other events, witnessing the whole Olympic atmosphere.
However, for Gan Guoyang, it's not an easy task; he is swarmed wherever he goes for autographs and photos.
On the 18th, he went to the Pong hall to watch the preliminaries; upon arrival, the number of Pong spectators noticeably decreased.
After all, in Australia, basketball is very popular, even non-fans know of Gan Guoyang's name.
It was another day of signing until his hand was weak; afterward, Gan Guoyang decided it was better to go out at night, as daytime was too conspicuous and troublesome.
A brief rest, on the 19th, China Team's A group welcomed their second-round match, China Team's opponent was New Zealand Team.
This is the weakest team in Group A, even weaker than China Team, a match that China Team must win.
Actually, even without Gan Guoyang, China facing New Zealand remains advantageous, let alone with Ah Gan.
Before the match started, New Zealand players customarily started with the Maori war dance, and after the dance, they lined up to shake hands with Gan Guoyang.
"I'll give you an autograph later."
"Can we take a picture? My son likes you."
"My father is your fan."
"My wife likes you!"
Playing warm-up matches in New Zealand, Gan Guoyang already felt the New Zealanders' enthusiasm.
At the Olympic venue, their enthusiasm didn't wane; after all, competing at the Olympics feels different.
A photo, an autograph, becomes an eternal memory and keepsake—and if they're short on money in the future, it might bring some value.
Gan Guoyang nodded, agreeing to New Zealand Team's requests, then entered the game.
During the match, both sides were relentless, fighting hard for national honor.
Yet, New Zealand's strength gap compared to China Team was significant, especially in terms of height.
By halftime, China Team led New Zealand by 15 points, with Gan Guoyang controlling the game, there was no suspense.
In the end, China Team won 85:62, a 23-point margin easily beating New Zealand, achieving their first group match victory.
Securing victory early remains important to China Team, providing more strategic leeway.
Following that, on the 21st, China Team narrowly defeated France Team 84:82, with a 2-point margin—Gan Guoyang scored 11 consecutive points in the final moments, helping the team overtake and sealing the victory, marking two wins in hand.
With two wins, advancing from the group became much easier for China Team, allowing them to consider choosing opponents.
