The summer of 1992 came to a close with the end of the Olympics.
On August 9th, a grand closing ceremony took place at the stadium, and the Olympic flame that burned for two weeks slowly extinguished.
The once-every-four-years sports event came to a pause, and for many athletes, it was an unforgettable memory of a lifetime.
This Olympics was hailed as possibly the most successful ever, being the first after the end of the Cold War and the first since 1972 not affected by political boycotts.
A plethora of high-level, exciting competitions were offered to sports fans worldwide, with athletes representing their countries and all of humanity striving once again for higher, faster, and stronger goals.
Many new world records were set, with many sports stars either rising or shining brightly, their influence spreading globally with the advent of television broadcasts.
The Olympics also showcased the nation of Spain and the city of Barcelona, displaying the passionate vitality and fiery national culture of the matadors.
Gan Guoyang stood by the hotel window, watching the fireworks outside and the cheering parade of people, marveling at how lively the Spaniards were, capable of drinking, reveling, and having fun day and night.
This trip to Barcelona was like a dream for Gan Guoyang; the feeling of fighting for the country was completely different, especially when he saw the national flag rising on the field, at that moment he felt all the effort was worthwhile.
On the court and training grounds, Gan Guoyang was full of energy, while off the court, he often felt uninspired, with little interest in eating, drinking, and playing, especially as he got older, had a wife and children, and had even fewer thoughts of playing.
He was like a tiger in the jungle rather than a monkey, save for when hunting, he was mostly lazing around with his eyes half-closed, just thinking about finding a place to lie down and rest or sleep.
Basketball had already given him enough ups and downs, joy, and excitement. The rest of the time was for resting, preparing, and accompanying his family.
So Gan Guoyang did not attend the closing ceremony but stayed at the hotel with his family and those damn friends from the Dream Team.
"Honey, Barkley has called four times asking you to play cards, are you really not going?" Wang Fuxi asked Gan Guoyang.
"Not going! As if I don’t know what he’s up to?"
Earlier, Barkley and Jordan had come looking for him in the room, but Gan Guoyang was outside having dinner with journalist friends.
After returning to the room, Barkley wouldn’t stop calling him.
Wang Fuxi smiled and said, "Everyone’s leaving tomorrow, don’t fight with them. You’ve beaten them so many times, losing once doesn’t matter. Everyone knows you’ve already done your best."
Gan Guoyang sighed, the Olympic final was lost in the end.
There was no help for it, the gap in strength was too great, even if Gan Guoyang played perfectly, he was still powerless to change the outcome.
This is one of basketball’s charms; it is always a sport of close teamwork and individual prowess.
An individual can become a hero, but the team is equally decisive, the balance and contradictions between the two are one of the eternal attractions of basketball.
Even though the game was lost, the process was still thrilling and memorable.
At the top of Gan Guoyang’s luggage was this hard-earned silver medal.
The O’Brien Trophy at home his son Gan Wenshan was free to play with, but this silver medal was not something to be toyed with.
Next door at Stockton’s house, his son Michael played with the gold medal, spinning it around, until it flew into the cabinet, leaving a deep dent.
Although Stockton said, "This dent represents my fondest memory of the Olympics, and I’ll think of Barcelona every time I see it," afterward Stockton carefully wrapped and hid the gold medal, never letting the child touch it again.
Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn’t let Gan Wenshan damage this silver medal either; he had plenty of championships, from high school to college to the NBA, all gold cups and medals - this silver medal was truly too precious.
Thinking of this, Gan Guoyang discarded his last bit of obsession with the championship and decided to go to Barkley’s room to play cards. Everyone would be flying out of Spain back to America tomorrow to prepare for the 1992-1993 season.
So Gan Guoyang knocked and entered Barkley’s room, finding Jordan, Johnson, Ewing, and the others all there — each of them wearing a gold medal around their neck.
"Welcome to the House of Gold, Sonny," Barkley said to Gan Guoyang with a laugh.
"Fuck you, Charles."
For the Dream Team, although the final was not as easy as the previous games, being forced by the weak China Team to use their best lineup and form,
in the end, they won, won fair and square, defeating the pinnacle Ah Gan, obtaining the long-desired gold medals, or rather, the gold medals they had to win.
Before coming to Barcelona, Bobby Berman had said, "Spain has an island called Menorca, the place with the highest suicide rate in the world. If we don’t get the Olympic gold this time, find my body there."
Beelman ultimately held this superstar team together, and he was the coach who understood Gan Guoyang best in the world. He successfully defeated his most prized disciple, which would be the proudest achievement of his coaching career.
Beelman and the American team attended the closing ceremony, while most of the remaining stars preferred to stay at the hotel with Ah Gan, avoiding any trouble.