The members of this Dream Team, except for Magic Johnson and Bird, are all stars of the same era as Gan Guoyang, and they all know Ah Gan well.
But if you ask who knows him best, it’s not his strongest rival Jordan, nor his good friends Charles Barkley or Ewing, but rather Stockton.
The only one who knows Gan Guoyang better than Stockton is Coach Beelman.
Beelman called a time-out in the middle of the first half and sent Stockton onto the court, intending for him to help the Dream Team reestablish their advantage and create trouble for Gan Guoyang on both offensive and defensive ends.
In terms of strength and fame, Stockton ranks second to last on this Dream Team, only slightly better than Reiner.
In previous games, Stockton’s playing time was limited due to a leg injury, almost on par with Reiner.
His chances to perform were few and far between, even though Beelman was Stockton’s college coach and the two have a close relationship. But in this star-studded Dream Team, Beelman must maintain balance.
This is not the 1984 University Olympic Team, where Bob Knight had absolute authority and could insert his students as he pleased.
Beelman can’t do that, he must balance well, players like Johnson, Bird, and Jordan should play more, while hot-tempered ones like Barkley should also get more playtime.
So, players who are low-profile, have a good temper, and also have leg injuries like Stockton are better off warming the bench, guarding the water cooler, handing out towels, and cheering.
But tonight is different, Magic Johnson’s leg injury clearly affected his performance and the Dream Team showed signs of being caught up by the China Team during defensive breaks.
At this moment, Stockton came onto the court with an important task, following Beelman’s instructions to restructure the Dream Team’s offense and unleash their talents.
Before stepping on the court, Beelman put an arm around Stockton saying, "John, I know you understand Ah Gan, but at this moment, you must forget him, don’t let him draw all your attention. Organize our offense, execute our plays well, and we can win this game."
Stockton nodded firmly, understanding what Beelman meant.
The Dream Team should focus on themselves, dispelling thoughts of revenge against Ah Gan, and concentrate on their own game.
The game resumed, both teams made lineup changes, and the first ten minutes were more intense than anyone imagined.
This also exceeded the expectations of the Chinese players, those who sat on the bench were panting heavily.
Team USA’s intensity in offense and defense was quite high, even the well-conditioned Chinese players felt they couldn’t keep up.
Of course, tension was also a factor, everyone’s bodies were tensed up, increasing their energy consumption.
Team USA was slightly better off, but they were equally tense, leading by only two points after a quarter of the game.
If it were Croatia, Lithuania, or the Unified Team, Team USA would take a deep breath, then exert their strength and speed, quickly widening the score gap.
But against Ah Gan, the man who cast so many shadows on them on the NBA court, they all knew how strong he was in their hearts.
As Beelman said, do they really want to let him score eighty points to break them and lose the gold medal match?
That’s why they played somewhat chaotically in the first ten minutes, with more individual plays in offense and unfocused defense.
Now, with Stockton on the court, although he has the weakest individual skills, he has the best mentality, seeing the court most clearly.
He quickly organized the team’s half-court offense, first setting a pick-and-roll with Karl Malone, then cutting to the basket, drawing defensive attention and passing to the weak side, where Barkley caught the ball and made a mid-range jump shot.
Then, Stockton directly stole the ball from Adi Jiang with tough defense!
He’s not concerned about where Ah Gan is, his focus wasn’t on Gan Guoyang.
In the fast break, Stockton didn’t rush, instead making a quick observation before dribbling to the outside and taking a mid-range jumper, hitting it!
Stockton knew that China Team played zone defense and must counter with shooting pressure.
18:12, the point difference returned to a relatively safe 6 points.
Next, Stockton focused on guarding China’s guards on defense.
He did not double-team Gan Guoyang, trusting in his teammates’ joint defense.
Unlike Magic Johnson’s flair, Stockton’s organization was simple and steady.
This is exactly what the current Dream Team needed most — stable half-court offense and a composed mindset against opponents.
Gan Guoyang grabbed another offensive rebound under the basket and scored with a hook shot.
While Stockton calmly dribbled and organized the offense.
A neither fast-nor-slow crossover dribble penetrated into the three-second zone from a 45-degree angle.
Stockton observed carefully, wanting to put Gan Guoyang into a defensive dilemma.
If Gan Guoyang came over to help, Stockton would pass.
If they collapsed inside, Stockton would take a mid-range shot.
Eventually, Gan Guoyang chose to collapse inside, which was China Team’s strategy for tonight.
Stockton took a jump shot and hit it again!
"Damn," Gan Guoyang cursed quietly.
Stockton’s mid-range shooting was more accurate than Magic Johnson with a leg injury.
Johnson, after all, wasted a season, his leg power affected too, backing off him worked.
But Stockton is a typical accurate shooting guard, and leaving him alone can really result in constant scores.
Under FIBA rules, Stockton undoubtedly thrived, stabilizing the Dream Team’s situation.
Next, it was a back-and-forth offensive and defensive battle, and the Dream Team didn’t deliberately swarm Gan Guoyang, leaving others open.