Gan Guoyang clearly conserved his energy in the final stages.
It's not that he didn't want to win, but after much thought, he believed it's best not to awaken Team USA.
Let them continue in the Olympics under the current trend.
Chaotic starters, deformed lineup, weak shooting—this Dream Team has many issues.
If the China Team went all out in the final moments and toppled Team USA, public opinion would surely be in an uproar.
At that time, Team USA would undoubtedly reflect on their first defeat, draw lessons, and reorganize their starters and rotation.
Carlisle is just inexperienced and lacking authority; he's not incapable. In fact, his ability to develop tactics and strategies is strong.
If Carlisle takes advantage of failure to gain control of the team, and the Dream Team unites, their strength would certainly increase.
Moreover, the Olympics have just begun, they have sufficient time to adjust, and by the knockout stage, an evolved Team USA would be disastrous.
Gan Guoyang has a solid understanding of his own abilities and those of the Chinese players. Although Team USA's lineup is rather deformed, if they unleash their full energy, it's still very difficult for the China Team to win.
Gan Guoyang's goal is not to enjoy a brief moment in the group stage; he aims to look long-term, controlling the Dream Team's intensity and growth.
Looking at the NBA and various major ball championships, it's not uncommon for championship favorites to lose their first match and then unite and grow stronger.
Gan Guoyang is cunning and strategic; he doesn't want to be a short-lived background figure but the ultimate winner.
Obviously, this road is long, and the Olympics isn't only about America as an opponent; Europe and South America teams are strong too.
The China Team shouldn't just focus their eyes on America, such a special opponent, but should also study and learn about the strong teams in Europe and America.
They have accumulated the most within FIBA's system, with the longest training time and best chemistry, increasingly strong since the 90s.
In the end, Team USA launched a defensive-counterattack wave in the final stages, widening the gap to secure victory at 106:96, a 10-point lead.
Meanwhile, the China Team's successive outside three-pointers missed, and although Gan Guoyang scored, he didn't adopt a desperate stance but instead created more opportunities for his teammates.
Even though the China Team lost by 10 points, this was indeed quite an achievement; the Dream Team used to win by 50, 60 points easily, making the game lack suspense from the start.
In this match, the China Team maintained the advantage for most of the time, though they were counterattacked in the middle, Gan Guoyang controlled the situation well, only for Team USA to successfully reverse in the final closing stage.
"Ah Gan clearly conserved his energy in this game; this guy is really cunning," Dick Hart told Rick Carlisle.
"I know, I know, Dick."
Despite winning the game, Rick Carlisle's expression remained tense, feeling anything but relaxed; the mid-game tension was overwhelming.
Especially towards the final stage, fearing a full-scale burst from Ah Gan that could sweep Team USA off the court.
One could imagine, a first match defeat would be the Dream Team's first loss in the Olympics since its establishment.
Moreover, losing to China, losing to Ah Gan, would certainly stir up a storm in American public opinion.
Luckily, they won this match, but Carlisle couldn't fully relax; Hart was right, Ah Gan conserved his energy.
Moreover, it's just the group stage, meaning the public opinion bomb wasn't defused, but delayed, potentially becoming an even bigger, scarier bomb.
Carlisle even pondered whether avoiding the finals might prevent being defeated by Ah Gan and the China Team?
Of course, if the China Team is eliminated early, that would be even better.
Carlisle shook his head, casting away these bizarre thoughts from his mind.
Unbeknownst to Carlisle, not only did he have such thoughts, but some American players also harbored self-defeating thoughts.
No way around it, Ah Gan's shadow over the entire League was indeed too great; meeting in the finals would really be dangerous.
A psychological and ideological imprint forged over more than ten years is no small thing; returning to the locker room, Carlisle's complexion remained pale.
"We played terribly today." Carlisle threw down his tactical board, quite dissatisfied with the team's performance.
He wanted to say something to motivate the players, not to consider this match a victory but a lesson from failure.
However, the players appeared emotionally stable; no one wanted to hear Carlisle's speech; they won, didn't they?
At this point, Larry-Brown, as a veteran coach, should stand up and say a few words, reprimanding the overly laid-back players.
Yet, Brown came over and said, "Let the players shower and rest first; considering we won, we can hold a review meeting tonight instead."
With Brown's words, the momentum Carlisle had pent up just dissipated; without support from the assistant coach, what could he do?
Dick Hart nearby was somewhat annoyed, telling Brown, "Larry, you should stand by Rick!"
Brown chuckled, saying, "I stand by Team USA. We won, let's rest a bit; we're fine. It's only the first match, and we have a lot of potential, don't we? We only utilized fifty percent of our energy this match, so don't worry too much."
Larry-Brown's casual remark rendered Hart's anger ineffective.
Hart didn't want to create opposition within the team that would worsen the locker room atmosphere, so he had to bear it.
The Dream Team is unlike typical teams; if the head coach's assistant coaching staff isn't effective, it's impossible to replace them.