When trailing by 12 points, Team USA was inbounding the ball from the baseline, and everyone was dumbfounded, not knowing how to execute the play; they were genuinely flustered.
Kevin Garnett unexpectedly threw the ball directly to Gan Guoyang!
Gan Guoyang got the ball and didn't rush to attack but instead dribbled out to run down the clock!
Kevin Garnett had no idea that his inexplicable mistake created a historic statistic.
Gan Guoyang already secured a five-double with 32 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 blocks, and 10 steals!
This was the first time a player accomplished this feat since basketball statistics have been formally recorded in global matches.
However, Gan Guoyang didn't care about this achievement; he was controlling the ball on the perimeter, watching the time pass, holding a 12-point lead.
Team USA was bewildered and disorganized; actually, from the last game against Lithuania, it was evident that this Team USA couldn't deliver in critical moments.
If there had been someone who could step up and respond, they wouldn't have been left without any means to fight back.
...6 seconds, 5 seconds, 4 seconds, and when there were just three seconds left, the double-team from Team USA still hadn't arrived.
Gan Guoyang dribbled, broke through, and took a Kiki-step, launching a three-pointer from the perimeter.
This shot was like a sharp sword, piercing directly into Team USA's heart.
Scored!
The entire land of China was in an uproar, truly in an uproar.
Because when this shot went in, everyone knew the game was over.
China Team had already won; there would be no miracles because this was a miracle!
Carl could only use a dead ball opportunity to call a timeout, while Team USA was shrouded in silence.
In just over six minutes, the world turned upside down, as Team USA was penetrated all at once.
With no defense, yet so familiar, a classic Ah Gan-style explosion, unstoppable.
Everyone knew Ah Gan would explode; the crucial issue was that Team USA could hardly make any response.
A sense of despair permeated the air; now, who could possibly turn the tide, and in what way? Apparently, no one.
Then, as a fan from Team USA shouted from behind: "Ah Gan got a five-double, a five-double, guys! You losers, how did you manage to get so many!"
Dream Team's players were broken; Ah Gan really got a five-double. Could anyone compete with such comprehensive capabilities and determination?
Team USA made a final stand, but it was too late; a 15-point lead was too large.
Moreover, Gan Guoyang remained on the court, standing in the Three Second Zone, like a god subduing everything.
Team USA's morale and fighting spirit were shattered, not by this single game but by decades of accumulation.
All of this accumulation came into play at this moment; the opponent's collapse was the result of the seed planted by Gan Guoyang sprouting.
Last two minutes. 75:65.
Last minute. 77:68.
Final 20 seconds. 79:71.
Ray Allen threw a desperate three-pointer but missed.
Gan Guoyang secured the rebound, marking his 17th rebound of the game. He knew it was over! Victory!
He hugged the basketball tightly, unwilling to let go, then lifted the ball high, like a god raising the sun.
With the final whistle of the game, China Team's players rushed toward Gan Guoyang, while the entire arena was covered in red.
"We won! We won! We are champions!"
"We are gold medalists, we're the champions!"
"We really f*ckin' won!"
"Really won, ah ah! Ah Gan, you are a god!"
"Calm down, there's footage, watch your image!"
The entire China Team was overwhelmed with passion; this team, which formerly expressed emotions rather subtly and just slightly smiled upon winning the Asia championship, couldn't control their feelings at this moment.
Meanwhile, back in China, cheers echoed across the 9.6 million square kilometers of land, reaching the highest, farthest, coldest, and hottest places; the news of Gan Guoyang leading China Team to an Olympic gold medal spread everywhere.
The TV channel cut back to a close-up of Gan Guoyang, once again in a long take. This time, he was smiling joyously, radiantly.
He was draped in the Five-star Red Flag, lifted by his teammates and paraded around the arena.
Chinese fans at the venue treated him like Mazu.
His family came onto the court, and Gan Guoyang embraced his wife, child, and father.
Gan Youwei was in tears with excitement, holding Gan Guoyang and saying, "Son, I will remember this day forever, forever."
The celebration had just begun; one could only imagine how grand the festivities would be that night and when they returned to China.
In the crowd, Gan Guoyang accepted an interview from CCTV and loudly declared into the camera: "Happy birthday to my motherland!"
This moment was eternally frozen in Gan Guoyang's career, becoming the most important championship in his basketball life and his most precious gold medal.
Of course, the silver medal from 1992 became even more valuable as a result.
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Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, nearly a year has passed.
The aftershock of the 2000 Sydney Olympics men's basketball championship resonated for many years.
This Olympics was called Gan Guoyang's Olympics, as he contributed the most classic moments on television.
He carried the flag at the opening ceremony, captured gold in the final, was venerated at the closing ceremony, appeared on the news broadcast, and received the highest reception upon his return to China.
It can be said that in 2000, at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, Gan Guoyang had the most tumultuous year.
However, time waits for no one, not even for so-called great figures or great achievements, pausing not even for a second.
The Olympics concluded, Gan Guoyang retired, yet the stories in the world of basketball continued.