August 8th, the Barcelona Olympics has reached its final day of competition.
With today’s competitions ending, the closing ceremony will take place on August 9th, marking the conclusion of this grand sports feast.
All good things must come to an end; for all the participating athletes, regardless of the outcome, these memories are worth cherishing.
As for the players of the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team, their beautiful memories and their Dream of Barcelona haven’t truly ended yet.
The Chinese Women’s Basketball Team’s gold medal victory has greatly inspired the male basketball players, and their morale has been different since advancing from the group stage.
On the night of the 7th, Gan Guoyang stayed in the Olympic Village for the first time, and everyone gathered to chat late into the night, asking him many questions.
"Is playing basketball in America always about flying here and there?"
"What does it feel like to win the NBA championship?"
"How is Jordan so fast? What did he eat growing up?"
"Barkley is so short, how can he grab so many rebounds..."
"If we win the gold medal, will the team give us a raise?"
"If I play in the NBA, can I make a year’s salary that’s enough for a lifetime? I see Old Song has bought a car..."
Everyone was enthusiastically discussing, with lively chatter back and forth.
Jiang Xingquan uncharacteristically did not impose any restrictions, letting this group of youngsters indulge their imagination and curiosity.
In America, although the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team trained alongside Gan Guoyang for nearly a month, their interactions off the court were not frequent.
There was no helping it, as Gan Guoyang had too much going on, surrounded by people, reporters, and fans, he wasn’t in the same world as other Chinese players.
After daily training, the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team stayed in dormitories provided by the university, while Gan Guoyang returned to his mansion.
In Barcelona, the young players stayed in the Olympic Village, while Gan Guoyang stayed in a hotel with NBA stars.
They were only teammates on the court; off the court, Gan Guoyang’s radiance was too overwhelming for the basketball players to easily meet his gaze.
But tonight was different, as everyone gathered like friends, spending the last night before the big game together.
Gan Guoyang showed a side of himself rarely seen, being down-to-earth, fun, and enjoying chatting about anything and everything.
He spoke about the little-known aspects of playing in the NBA while encouraging young players to seize the opportunity to explore while they’re still young.
No matter if it’s going to America or Europe, as the country’s top basketball talents, they must dare to step out, learn, and gain international experiences, drawing from a wealth of knowledge.
Just like China’s Pong, which fell into a slump in the late ’80s and early ’90s, it was Cai Zhenhua who stepped up at this time and helped China Pong out of its predicament after studying in Italy for three years.
"No advanced thing can exist without exchange. An individual’s wisdom and strength are limited, as is a nation’s creativity and system. Only through constant exchange and learning can inspiration and wisdom burst forth. Of course, pursuing a stable and simple life is not wrong, as many people strive for a secure environment. It’s all about your life’s pursuits. In the future, as long as you want and have the ability to play in America or Europe, I will provide help."
Gan Guoyang made a promise, hoping this Olympics could be a catalyst for this batch of Chinese basketball talents to embark on a new path and transform.
After talking about some principles, Gan Guoyang started gossiping with everyone, sharing stories about American stars and Chinese athletes alike.
Who was dating whom, who had conflicts, whose family had issues, who had a screw loose—a chat no different from college students having dorm room night talks.
Everyone chatted and laughed until late into the night, slowly falling asleep amidst the snoring, occasionally hearing thundering sounds from next door.
As the Olympics neared its end, those athletes who had already finished their events seized the last opportunities.
Early the next morning, Gan Guoyang and the teammates got up together, went for a run, and had breakfast before shooting training at the basketball court.
After training, Gan Guoyang had the final tactical meeting with the coaching staff, where Jiang Xingquan completely handed over command to him for the final arrangements.
Gan Guoyang devised a comprehensive plan to face the Dream Team based on intel gathered from Leight. Though calling it the best, it was really about minimizing losses as much as possible.
Once the plan was set, Gan Guoyang told everyone to relax and said, "Don’t feel pressured. To have come this far is the biggest victory. The real pressure is on the Dream Team. I know they all want to beat me up badly because I have beaten them up too fiercely in the past. But at the same time, they are afraid of losing, afraid of losing to us. That’s their biggest psychological weakness. In short, enjoy tonight’s game. Take a good rest at noon, and we’ll head out at 3:30 in the afternoon!"
The final battle between Team USA and China Team was scheduled for 6 PM. At 10 AM, a bronze medal contest took place between Lithuania and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
For Lithuanian players, the match meant a lot as they carried the hope of winning a medal for Lithuania, especially because their opponent was the CIS.
Which was the former Soviet Union, of which Lithuania was once a part, but has now separated.
Therefore, this match was imbued with deeper meaning, adding enormous pressure on the players.
In the morning, at the entrance of the warm-up stadium, Gan Guoyang encountered Sabonis, who was preparing to leave.