On June 28, at the Memorial Coliseum, the USA Men’s National Basketball Team was about to face their first official game.
Their opponent was the Cuba Men’s Basketball Team.
No one believed the Cuba Team could win, not even themselves.
The Cuban players approached this game with a learning experience, even worshipful, mentality.
Inside the Glass Palace, a massive crowd of fans awaited the start of the game.
A stir erupted from a corner of the stands.
An even more dazzling figure than the Dream Team’s players appeared: Gan Guoyang had arrived with the China National Team players to watch the game from the front row seats.
In Portland, getting a few tickets was no trouble for Gan Guoyang.
The surrounding Portland fans greeted Gan Guoyang warmly.
Among them, two young fans reached out, and Gan Guoyang high-fived them.
He didn’t refuse to sign autographs either; whoever handed over autograph books, basketballs, or T-shirts received his signature.
A little girl approached Gan Guoyang for a signature and asked: "Sonny, will you lead China to defeat the USA?"
Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "I’ll do my best, though it’s very difficult."
The little girl said, "Could you go easy and not defeat the USA?"
"Why? Don’t you want me to win?"
"You’ve won enough already; you should share some with them."
The "them" she referred to was the assembly of American stars warming up on the court.
Bird, Johnson, Jordan, Pippen, Malone, Robinson... The 12-man roster of the Dream Team, the only one Gan Guoyang hadn’t defeated, was Reiner—because that guy hadn’t entered the NBA yet.
Once he enters the NBA, getting beaten up by Ah Gan is just a matter of time, depending entirely on how the schedule is arranged.
Moreover, Reiner happened to be from Duke, and Gan Guoyang never had a good impression of Duke players.
Back when advancing in the NCAA tournament, Gonzaga and Duke had quite a verbal battle, and Duke’s reputation had only worsened over the last couple of years.
Yet Duke had been dominating the NCAA recently, winning the 1991 and 1992 NCAA championships consecutively under Coach K’s leadership, commanding attention.
Otherwise, what else could a college student like Reiner rely on to join the star-studded Dream Team if not Duke University’s outstanding performance?
During the assembly of the Dream Team, Coach K was among the popular candidates for coaching, but ultimately, considering various aspects like fame and achievements, Bobby Beelman was chosen.
One important reason for choosing Beelman was his understanding of Ah Gan; everyone was eager to know just how this guy trained and played basketball.
And if they encountered the China Team at the Olympics, with Beelman present, they could certainly devise a strategy to handle Ah Gan.
The American players, of course, also noticed Ah Gan and the China Team in the stands.
Charles Barkley was right; what everyone wanted most was to face the China Team.
Cuba was completely beneath the notice of Team USA.
Tonight, Team USA’s starters were David Robinson, Bird, Johnson, Jordan, and Barkley.
When David Robinson stood at the center circle preparing for the tip-off, he was amazed himself.
This damn team is my teammates, with such a lineup, how is it possible to lose a game?
The Cuban players opposite them looked like they were malnourished in comparison to the American players.
Robinson easily won the tip-off, and Johnson passed the ball to Bird.
Bird initiated the Dream Team’s first offensive.
Bird had been retired for a year, and no one knew how much of his form remained.
As a result, Bird first made a crossover to break past the charging defender, didn’t rush towards the hoop but waited for the defender to recover and stick to him again, then protected the ball with his body, nudged the defender aside, and took a fadeaway jumper off one foot.
The ball traced a beautiful arc toward the hoop, and before it even went in, Bird was already running back to the backcourt.
"Swish!"
Two points scored, Bird secured the Dream Team’s first score.
A flawlessly smooth offense that brought cheers from the audience.
Everyone knew Bird had more to offer; the Big Bird was back.
Fans lifted signboards that read, "We miss you, Larry."
People did indeed miss Larry Bird, even though after 1986, he gradually faded from championship contention with injuries and alongside the Celtics.
But to the fans, it’s not only the championship-contending teams that are worth their admiration and nostalgia; there’s only one champion each year, but there’s only one Bird in history.
His elegant, intelligent, and unique playing style, coupled with his exceptional charisma on and off the court, captivated a vast number of fans and constituted cherished memories for many.
Without Bird, the NBA stage was missing a stunning white presence, along with the departure of Magic Johnson, a heavy loss to the fans.
Cuba Team’s offensive and shooting appeared fearful in the presence of the Dream Team; eventually, their inside player received the ball, turned against Barkley, and hurriedly took a mid-range shot that missed.
Under the hoop, Robinson and Barkley together secured the rebound, making it seem like the Cubans had no chance of competing for an offensive rebound; the two strong men boxed out too tightly.
In FIBA games, as the trapezoidal three-second area is larger than the rectangular one, fighting for offensive rebounds becomes more difficult — of course, this is for other teams.
Later, Jordan took a mid-range shot that was short, while Charles Barkley, like a small truck, pushed away the Cuban player and secured the offensive rebound, converting it into a score.
Barkley, strong as a wild boar, made the Cuban player, who was about the same height or even taller, look a circle smaller.