But Sun Jun remained calm and self-directed, and when most of the opponents were attracted, he dared to take a shot.
Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn’t blame Sun Jun; instead, he high-fived and encouraged him. Scoring such a goal at the beginning of the game was crucial.
However, China’s lead didn’t last long. Petrović single-handedly beat Adi Jiang, stopping for a three-point shot and scoring.
For Petrović, who was used to the NBA three-point line, the FIBA three-point line was too short.
In the following three consecutive possessions, Gan Guoyang didn’t find a good offensive opportunity, as Croatia adopted an extreme three-man double-team strategy against him.
Furthermore, while defending Gan Guoyang, Francovic could still spare some effort to help defend under the basket — this was the best defensive method the Dallas Mavericks used against Gan Guoyang.
Except for a three-pointer from Sun Jun, the other Chinese players didn’t seize scoring opportunities; undoubtedly, everyone was a bit nervous.
On the defensive end, China Team started with a zone defense.
There was no choice; knowing that Croatia’s outside shooting was very precise, if they defended one-on-one, the Chinese players’ weakness in single defense would be magnified.
Only with a zone defense, and Gan Guoyang standing firm in the three-second zone, making it difficult for Croatian players to score inside, could they avoid being broken down and prevent Croatia from thriving both inside and outside.
Of course, if Croatia’s outside shooting was on fire and they bombarded China Team with three-pointers, there would be nothing China Team could do. In such a situation, Gan Guoyang couldn’t turn the tide either.
It’s a gamble, only a gamble. Every game that China Team played at the Olympics actually had an element of gambling.
Unfortunately, Croatia’s three-point shooting in the first half was quite good; Petrović scored first.
Followed by assisting a teammate to score another, then Petrović dribbled outside continuously, suddenly stopped, and pulled up, scoring the team’s third three-pointer!
Croatia had an opening of 9:3, instantly widening the gap to 6 points.
Jiang Xingquan nearly called for a timeout, wanting to adjust the defensive strategy.
But Gan Guoyang stopped Jiang Xingquan, reminding his teammates, "Don’t change, keep at it, they won’t stay this accurate."
Immediately after, Gan Guoyang came out to receive the ball, accelerated suddenly from the top of the arc into the lane, knocked back Francovic, and made a hook shot!
In this situation, China Team continued with such a tough score to relieve the urgency.
Francovic felt the overwhelming power from the confrontation, more vigorous than David Robinson, Ewing, or Barkley.
However, the situation remained unfavorable for China Team. Croatia’s offense was like a light, sharp knife; when facing a zone defense, they always found an opportunity to make an easy shot.
In terms of individual ability and stature, Croatian players were a notch above China Team, especially Petrović, whom no one could match up against.
With 6 minutes into the game, the score was 18:9, China Team trailing by 9 points; of their 9 points, 3 came from Sun Jun, and the remaining 6 were all scored by Gan Guoyang.
Jiang Xingquan called a timeout. Adi Jiang started, performing well on the offensive end, but on defense, his short stature only left him at a disadvantage.
Jiang Xingquan made a substitution, bringing in Sun Fengwu to replace Adi Jiang, while putting Gong Xiaobin on the inside to temporarily substitute Ma Jian.
Ma Jian was very diligent in defense at the beginning, but the effect seemed average; now, China Team needed scoring more.
Gong Xiaobin was handsome and good-looking, only second to Ah Gan in appearance on China Team, and he was very talented offensively.
After coming on, China Team ran a tactical play in their set offense, with Gan Guoyang receiving the ball in the low post and making a back pass to Gong Xiaobin.
Gong Xiaobin faked a shot to shake off the defender and made a reverse layup, narrowing the gap to 7 points.
China Team’s goal was to keep the point difference to around 10 points in the first half, ideally not exceeding 15 points.
In the second half, it would be time for China Team to unleash their killer moves, when Gan Guoyang would stand up and give it his all.
But things didn’t go well, as Croatia hit another three-pointer from the outside, this time it was Toni Kukoc.
In the game against Team USA, Kukoc had a tough time dealing with Pippen, Jordan, and others.
China Team didn’t have anyone with the defensive level of Jordan or Pippen.
Gan Guoyang had the confidence to lock down Kukoc, but he couldn’t, because the three-second zone was more important.
At this point, Gan Guoyang only had one word in mind: endure.
He and his teammates had to endure, had to stick to their zone defense, and patiently wait.
After being hit by a three-pointer, Gan Guoyang took the initiative to dribble across half-court and then passed the ball to Sun Fengwu.
He signaled to slow down and play it well while he sank to the low post, and Croatia’s double-team came up again.
With the triple-team, Sun Fengwu suddenly passed the ball to Hu Weidong, who was cutting in the middle.
Upon receiving the ball, Hu Weidong attacked the basket from the top and, at this moment, Gan Guoyang opened his arms wide, blocking Francovic and other Croatian players trying to help, clearing the way for Hu Weidong.
Hu Weidong took a step inside the free-throw line, jumped off one foot, and flew directly to the basket for a powerful one-handed dunk!
The entire stadium was in an uproar, and the broadcast commentator cheered for Hu Weidong’s dunk, with the audience standing and applauding.
Yet Hu Weidong, who made the dunk, had no expression, even furrowing his brows slightly.
The dunk was too forceful, and his hand was a bit sore.
That dunk was just two points and did not change the trailing situation.
But it ignited the morale of China Team; they would certainly persevere, persevere.