As the Olympic Games gradually approached their conclusion, the team events throughout the Olympics were also coming to their final battles.
On August 7th, the women’s basketball bronze medal match took place first, with Team USA defeating Cuba 88:74 to claim a lackluster bronze medal.
This time, Team USA was clearly lacking strength, as they even ended the first half in a tie with the Cuba Team, and only pushed to win in the second half.
Just like the men’s basketball team of the 1988 Olympics, the Team USA women’s basketball also faced a setback, and for the next Olympics, they should field a stronger lineup.
On the night of the 7th, the Chinese Women’s Basketball Team competed against the CIS for the gold medal in the finals, with the entire Chinese Men’s Basketball Team coming to the site to cheer for the women’s team.
Both men’s and women’s basketball teams making it to the Olympic Finals was unprecedented in the history of Chinese ball sports, and the China Team received unprecedented attention.
Unlike the absolute core of the men’s basketball team, the Chinese Women’s Basketball Team represented the highest level in history, with each player contributing the maximum effort.
Center Zheng Hai Xia, tall and sturdy, yet possessing extremely delicate touch, alongside Gan Guoyang, became the pillar of China basketball’s interior line.
On the perimeter of the women’s team was Cong Xuedi, standing only 166 cm tall, yet having excellent organization and offensive skills. In the match against Cuba, Cong Xuedi made 5 out of 8 three-point attempts, scoring 20 points, grabbing 2 assists, and making 3 steals, becoming the key player for China Team advancing to the finals.
Apart from the one inside and one outside, the tall and short duo of core players, China Team also had the exceptionally fast-breaking Li Xin, as well as Liu Qing, Li Dongmei, Zhan Shuping, Wang Fang, and many other strong players. The team displayed a tough style and tenacious play, and could be considered the golden generation of the Chinese Women’s Basketball Team.
However, compared to the opponent CIS, formerly the Soviet Women’s Basketball Team, there was still a gap in strength between China Team and them.
The finals were scheduled for six o’clock in the evening. Around four o’clock, before the match, Gan Guoyang specially went to the locker room to cheer for the Chinese Women’s Basketball Team.
He held Zheng Hai Xia’s large hand and said: "I am passing my touch and energy on to you. During the game, don’t be afraid; just play! Whatever happens, don’t back down. You know, the chance at the Olympics, missing one might mean a lifetime, so you must seize it."
There was a gap in strength against CIS, but not as insurmountable as the gap between men’s basketball and the Dream Team.
The women’s team also received considerable help from Gan Guoyang; in training and injury recovery, Gan Guoyang used Trail Blazers resources to support the women’s team.
For Zheng Hai Xia, her physique was both an advantage and a disadvantage, as her massive body was a heavy burden for her.
She also had to participate in high-intensity competitive games. She was not like Gan Guoyang with a strong body, so her knees were already bound with thick bandages.
Her legs were also deformed, making it almost impossible for her to jump during games; she was completely reliant on touch and technique to play.
Gan Guoyang’s words inspired Zheng Hai Xia, but also caused some trouble for China Women’s Basketball Team’s coach Li Yaguang.
Li Yaguang was only 34 years old this year, a very young coach, but his military-style management was very, very strict, even more so than Jiang Xingquan.
Moreover, his attitude toward the core center in the team was entirely different from Jiang Xingquan’s. When he first took over the women’s team, Li Yaguang specifically targeted the team’s absolute core, Zheng Hai Xia.
He told Zheng Hai Xia, we must play team basketball, not make you the absolute core; you must become part of the tactics instead of every ball going to your hand.
Zheng Hai Xia was certainly not convinced. She joined the national team as early as 1983 and helped the Chinese Women’s Basketball Team win the bronze medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. One could say her achievements were outstanding, and her strength was extraordinary.
Li Yaguang, a young coach, came in wanting to strip her of the team leader halo, which Zheng Hai Xia certainly would not tolerate. The two had conflicts, and Li Yaguang directly removed Zheng Hai Xia from the women’s national team.
Later, with the mediation of Zheng Hai Xia’s mentor, former national team coach Yang Boyong, Zheng Hai Xia returned to the women’s national team, followed Li Yaguang’s instructions, and integrated into the team to become part of team basketball.
Facts proved that Li Yaguang’s reforms were effective. In the Barcelona Olympics matches, Zheng Hai Xia’s personal statistics significantly dropped, averaging only ten points or so per game, but the women’s team fought all the way into the finals.
Especially in the battle against Cuba, China Team prepared well, avoiding solely relying on the inside and instead using the flexibility and speed of the outside, allowing Cong Xuedi and Li Xin, these two quick knives, to dismantle the Cuba Team, leaving everyone surprised.
Now advancing to the finals, the match would start in just two hours, and suddenly someone appeared, telling Zheng Hai Xia to play more?
If this person was ordinary, Li Yaguang might smile and ignore it, or simply kick them out—what would you do here shaking the troops’ morale?
But this person was Gan Guoyang, the supreme idol of China basketball, who had scored 51 points in the previous game, leading the team into the men’s basketball finals, watched by the women’s team, making everyone overwhelmingly excited.
Li Yaguang understood what it meant for the men’s team to reach the finals, something the women’s team could not compare with.
Li Yaguang was not much older than Gan Guoyang. When he was still competing in the national team, Gan Guoyang had already won an NBA championship, becoming an immortal legend.
This Olympic tournament had already seen the basketball court referred to as "Ah Gan and the Dream Team’s Olympics," with his astonishing strength unmatched by anyone.
Now, this idol-level person came out encouraging Zheng Hai Xia to become the hero of the finals, which conflicted with Li Yaguang’s pre-match preparation.