After three group matches, the China Team has 2 wins and 1 loss, currently second in the group.
If they advance in second place, the China Team will meet the team ranked third in Group B in the quarterfinals.
Moreover, China will not be in the same half as Team USA, so they will not meet in the semifinals.
Maintaining the second place is a good option, which means the next two matches against Lithuania and Italy require the China Team to go all out for victory.
On September 22nd, the Chinese Men's Basketball Team had a rest day, but the other Olympic events continued as usual.
Zhan Xugang had a mishap in the snatch of the men's 77-kilogram weightlifting event, falling behind significantly in total weight, but chose to attempt a world record of 207.5 kilograms in his final lift.
This was a weight he had never lifted before, but against all odds, he executed the lift successfully, raising the barbell overhead and winning the gold medal.
Zhan Xugang's astonishing lift shocked Sydney, and the image of him raising his arms in triumph became one of the classic moments in China's Olympic history.
Gan Guoyang, due to the hassle from fans, decided not to go out on the rest day on the 22nd and stayed in the Olympic Village to watch TV, witnessing Zhan Xugang's victory live.
Feeling inspired, Gan Guoyang tried the 207.5-kilogram bench press himself during his evening strength training and found it relatively easy.
207.5 kilograms is about 457 pounds, whereas most NBA players bench press between 150 to 250 pounds.
Considering his arm span and current weight, Gan Guoyang's ability to bench press 457 pounds is already a rather impressive figure.
Observing the astonished teammates around him, Gan Guoyang wiped his sweat and said, "I used to be able to press over 600 pounds, but I can't do it now, too afraid of injuries."
He wasn't exaggerating; in the 1996 season when he just made a comeback and heightened his weight and strength to their peak, Gan Guoyang indeed reached a bench press peak of 600 pounds (272 kilograms), unparalleled in NBA history.
Keep in mind, Gan Guoyang accomplished this without utilizing certain bench press techniques, purely relying on strength. If he used techniques or aimed specifically to break bench press records, this number could surpass 1000 pounds.
That season, Gan Guoyang also secured an unprecedented four-time scoring champion, reaching the pinnacle of personal heroism.
Aside from Gan Guoyang, Liu Yudong is the China Team's strongest player in bench pressing. At 198 cm tall, Liu Shizhang, can press up to 160 kilograms (352 pounds), reaching the top level among domestic players.
For a player who doesn't have enough height for an inside position, strength is the best compensation for the lack of height.
Other Chinese players are not far behind in strength. Although not quite on par with European and American players, they hold their own.
This is thanks to the atmosphere Gan Guoyang brought, emphasizing strength training among players who maintain strong muscles to enhance competitiveness and reduce injuries.
On September 23rd, the China Team faced their fourth group opponent, Lithuania, marking the first significant clash since the 1992 Olympics between the two teams.
Lithuania had a poor start, losing to Italy by 2 points, then defeating France, but losing to America in the last game, currently standing at 1 win and 2 losses, desperately needing a win.
Though veterans like Sabonis have retired, this Lithuanian squad remains formidable, known for their teamwork and player cohesion.
Additionally, to specifically counter America, Lithuania invited Donnie Nelson—son of Old Nelson—as an assistant coach.
The head coach is Jonas Kazlauskas, known as European Caesar, a typical European-style basketball coach.
Focusing on tactics, teamwork, discipline, and extremely demanding, no player on the Lithuanian Team averages over 15 points, with key players' scores fluctuating between 7 and 14 points, indicating very balanced performance.
The players shoot well, with all starting players boasting free-throw percentages above 80%, and players like Jasikevicius, Matulis, and Šiškauskas have free-throw percentages above 90%, showing solid fundamentals.
For the China Team, playing against such a team is arguably more challenging than against Team USA. During the 1992 Olympics, it was basically Gan Guoyang alone who took down Lithuania, completely suppressing the Lithuanian core, Sabonis.
Nowadays, Lithuania has shifted their focus to the perimeter, with super Point Guard Jasikevicius as their tactical core, supported by strong inside players, and they employ numerous multi-layered screen and motion strategies.
But beyond these traditional European power traits, assistant coach Donnie Nelson has also infused a lot of American basketball elements into Lithuania.
There is greater emphasis on personal ability, quicker and stronger perception of opportunities, along with better physical conditioning.
Additionally, in defense, like the China Team, Lithuania no longer confines themselves to zone defense.
Instead, they combine zone and man-to-man defense, maximizing the strengths and minimizing the weaknesses of each.
On this front, Lithuania executes better than the China Team, showcasing high defensive coordination.
The transition from zone to man-to-man defense is quite seamless, and communication between players is smooth, resulting in few occasions of player loss or positional errors.
This made the match challenging for the China Team, as they were stunned by a 14:4 run by Lithuania at the beginning of the game.
Gan Guoyang's usual strategy of conserving energy in the first half and playing hard in the second didn't work as Lithuania seized this opportunity for an aggressive start to gain the upper hand.
Lithuania's interior players are not very tall, with their tallest center, Sangaila, standing only 6 feet 9 inches, or 2.05 meters, thus giving the China Team an absolute advantage in the paint.