Secondly, there should be a legal team that is well-versed in sports industry law to handle related legal matters.
Thirdly, it's necessary to find political figures locally to provide political backing and establish a good cooperative relationship; only then will many things flow smoothly.
In short, let's put basketball aside for now; it's crucial to solidify the three foundational pillars of politics, law, and finance.
"Which city are you planning to establish the team in?" After a long discussion, Yin Man asked this key question.
"Las Vegas." Gan Guoyang spoke the truth.
"What? My god, I might have wasted my breath earlier. Las Vegas? Wait until David Stern passes away, he would never allow an NBA team to be established in the gambling city."
"Really... Stu, do you know any reliable hitmen?" Gan Guoyang, being a man of action, already started inquiring about hitmen.
Yin Man told Gan Guoyang to stop joking, and after some more communication over the phone, Yin Man said, "No matter what, I still believe in your abilities. Sonny, choosing you is still the most important and remarkable decision of my life. Even today, I still reminisce about that moment, truly."
After hanging up the phone, Gan Guoyang realized that if he truly wants to build a team, there are still many things to do and many paths to walk.
After ending the conversation with Yin Man, Gan Guoyang turned his attention to the semi-final against the France Team.
Since they played against them in the group matches, Gan Guoyang did not underestimate this civilian France Team.
The day before the match, China Team conducted targeted training; Jiang Xingquan required the entire team to strengthen one-on-one man-to-man defense and not rely too much on zone defense.
Gan Guoyang agreed, as the France Team's three-point shots are very sharp and their three-point shooting points are widespread; using zone defense can easily be punished by their surprise attacks.
One-on-one man-to-man can inspire players' intense fighting spirit and desire to win in crucial matches; a championship-level team must have the courage for man-to-man defense.
On September 30th, the semi-final officially began.
In the morning, America faced Lithuania, and the process of the game was incredibly surprising.
Although Team USA consistently maintained the lead, they never widened the score gap; Lithuania continuously pursued them without giving up.
Judging from the scene of the match, Lithuania was not at a disadvantage at all; Team USA did not play like the Dream Team at all.
In the final moments of the match, Lithuania further closed the score gap, even catching up to within just 1 point!
On defense, Alonzo Mourning was fouled out for five fouls, and Jasikevicius stood at the free throw line, made both free throws, and Lithuania overtook!
80:79, Lithuania overtook Team USA, and the Americans already smelled the scent of failure.
Subsequently, Carter broke through and successfully drew a foul, sending Lithuania's inside player out too.
Carter made one out of two free throws, and the score tied at 80:80; Team USA failed to grab the rebound, resulting in a jump ball.
The ball possession finally went to Lithuania, and Lithuanian shooter Lamunas Hishikoskas attempted a three-pointer, causing Team USA's foul, leading to three free throws!
Now the situation was bad; the Dream Team already sensed the bloody scent on the Grim Reaper's scythe.
But luckily, Hishikoskas faltered at this critical moment, only making one of the three free throws.
At that time, it was still Carter who stood out, breaking through on the left side and made a floater, scoring two points and leading Team USA to regain the lead.
The ball was given to Carter twice on offense because, apart from Carter, Team USA surprisingly had no other player with sufficiently comprehensive and outstanding abilities to handle the ball, break through, and shoot in crucial moments.
Let's be honest, in terms of these two abilities, Carter is only slightly above average among NBA stars. Yet, at this moment, he shouldered the scoring burden for America.
There was simply no one else; handing the ball to Payton or Kidd, Lithuania played zone defense, and they were completely blind, unable to score at all.
Team USA regained a 1-point lead, then Jasikevicius made the same mistake he did against China Team.
Kevin Garnett successfully intercepted his pass mid-air, and during the scramble, Jasikevicius pushed from behind and was called for a foul by the referee.
Garnett, excitedly sitting on the ground, roared and pounded the floor with his fist, a crucial defense, and most importantly, he was going to shoot free throws.
Result: Two misses...
Rick Carlisle at the sidelines almost had a heart attack watching; how could he miss both?
Fortunately, McDyess grabbed an offensive rebound and scored.
But during the scramble for the rebound, McDyess almost wrestled and tossed the opponent, and the referee turned a blind eye.
Yet a moment ago, Jasikevicius merely touched Garnett lightly and granted Garnett two free throws; obviously, the referees tonight did not want the Dream Team to lose.
Then Team USA made consecutive mistakes again, allowing Jasikevicius to easily break into the basket for a layup; the defensive communication was utterly confused, and Payton inexplicably appeared under the Three Second Zone, blocking McDyess's help defense route.
On the other side, Kevin Garnett couldn't make it back in time to help, allowing Jasikevicius at the crucial moment to enter the basket, facing a three-on-one situation and still scoring successfully.
Carlisle shook his head, thinking that in crucial moments, these kinds of detail errors facing Ah Gan, what would they be beaten into?
During the subsequent jump ball, Team USA made a foul again, leading Lithuania by two points at 85:83, with 5 seconds left, giving Lithuania a chance to make a game-winning shot.
Unfortunately, Jasikevicius's final turn-around three-point attempt was tightly defended by Jason Kidd, not even touching the rim.
Although Jasikevicius complained to the referee claiming a foul, the referee shook his head, and the match ended; Team USA won.
Lithuania missed the chance to achieve a game-winning shot against Team USA and shatter the Dream Team's unbeaten myth; they were truly close to this goal.
Team USA celebrated joyfully, but Rick Carlisle's smile contained a trace of worry; he looked towards the stands and found China Team had already left, as they were about to proceed to the next semi-final match.
China vs France, truly hoping France can win.
On the other side, China Team left the stands and headed to the locker room to prepare for the next semi-final.
A reporter followed Gan Guoyang, asking his views on Team USA almost losing to Lithuania.
Gan Guoyang subtly said, "A very intense game, Lithuania is a strong team, and the Dream Team was evidently better; they won."
"But they only won by two points."
"A win is still a win."
However, in his heart, Gan Guoyang thought, this Dream Team is nothing but a paper tiger.