Olympic Storm

China Men's National Basketball Team stopped in the quarterfinals, but their performance left a deep impression on everyone who watched the games.

In their opening game, China faced Angola.

It seemed that China Men's National Basketball Team had found its rhythm after the game against the Lakers, giving Liu Yudong and Wang Zhizhi ample chances to shine and concentrating possession in their hands.

Both were outstanding on offense. Liu Yudong ran pick-and-rolls with Hu Weidong, repeatedly overpowering opposing guards from mid-range. Once the defenders' attention was drawn to Liu Yudong, Hu Weidong was freed up. Hu Weidong hit shot after shot, and China firmly controlled the course of the game.

Wang Zhizhi, coming off the bench, also performed brilliantly. He bullied Angola's reserve big men in the post, and after they brought in their starting big men to focus on him, he moved out beyond the three-point line and began knocking down threes.

China ultimately defeated Angola 78:67. Liu Yudong had 18 points and 7 rebounds, Hu Weidong recorded 17 points and 4 assists, while Wang Zhizhi contributed 15 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. China's three guns brought fierce firepower, leading the team to victory in its first game. Back home, viewers gathered around their televisions erupted in cheers.

In the second game, China faced Croatia. Croatia won bronze at the 1994 FIBA World Championship. At the 1992 Olympics, the newly independent Croatia claimed silver in basketball. They also won bronze at the European Basketball Championships in 1993 and 1995.

Croatia could be called a powerhouse, and China's 89:109 loss to Croatia was an ugly scoreline. Croatia pushed the tempo extremely fast, shredding China's perimeter defense.

In the third game, China faced South American powerhouse Argentina. In 2004, Argentina defeated the United States to win Olympic gold, ending American basketball's dominance over the world.

But Argentina at this point was still somewhat weak. Gong Luming gritted his teeth and deployed a twin-towers lineup of Wang Zhizhi and Liu Yudong. Chinese sports placed great importance on seniority, so Gong Luming took considerable pressure upon himself by making an on-the-spot tactical adjustment and trusting young players.

After losing the previous game, China stood at the edge of a cliff. Another loss would very likely mean elimination in the group stage.

The two big men, both excellent shooters, gave the team tremendous offensive spacing. Wang Zhizhi and Liu Yudong repeatedly knocked down mid- and long-range shots, and once Argentina extended its defense, Li Xiaoyong and Hu Weidong cut into the paint for easy scores.

Argentina was completely thrown off by the twin towers stepping out and the guards cutting inside. With their shooting ice-cold, Argentina was suppressed by China Men's National Basketball Team throughout the game. China ultimately claimed a 94:77 rout! A thoroughly satisfying rout!

Wang Zhizhi lived up to Gong Luming's expectations and delivered a dazzling performance. He went 3-for-7 from three and scored an impressive 21 points with 4 rebounds, while the space he created for the team's offense was something statistics could never capture.

The fourth game was a massacre. Dream Team III overwhelmed China at every position, leaving China with no ability to fight back. The 66-point margin was despairing. Under the intense physical confrontation, the entire Chinese team played far below par.

In the fifth game, China faced Lithuania.

Lithuania was a traditional basketball powerhouse. They had just won bronze at the 1992 Spain Olympics and silver at the 1995 European Basketball Championships.

Their pride, Arvydas Sabonis—who would later become Yao Ming's idol—was one of the finest centers in the world. Standing 2.21 meters tall, he had won the 1988 Olympic championship with the Soviet Union.

In 1992, the Dream Team, built from NBA stars, replaced the United States national team composed of college students and amateur players and descended upon Barcelona. Before that, American professional basketball players had never appeared at the Olympics.

The reason these superstars came to the Olympics was a painful defeat—or, to put it more dramatically, one man: Arvydas Sabonis. In the men's basketball semifinal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, this Lithuanian led the Soviet Union men's basketball team to decisively crush the supposedly unbeatable United States team.

China's game against Lithuania also became completely one-sided, with Sabonis dominating the paint. The still-immature Wang Zhizhi and Bater had no answer for him.

The final score was 82:116. With that, China's group stage came to an end. In the knockout round, they met runners-up Yugoslavia. Still unable to recover from their string of losses, China suffered another crushing defeat, posting a 77:128 result. Thus, China stopped in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Dream Team III of the United States, full of confidence on its title run, also encountered considerable turbulence in the final against Yugoslavia.

By the end of the first quarter, Malone already had 2 fouls, Pippen had 3, Yugoslavia had taken 8 free throws, and the United States had taken none.

Yugoslavia held the advantage in both offensive efficiency and patience. The pace was very slow, and Dream Team III could not unleash its trademark fast-paced scoring runs.

Yugoslavia gave up nothing in height, so the United States struggled to break through its defense in a half-court battle. Yugoslavia led 21:14, and Dream Team III's scoring was frighteningly low. Its star-studded lineup had been completely ineffective.

Relying on a second unit of David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Anfernee Hardaway, John Stockton, and Richmond, the United States began a fierce rally in the final five minutes of the first half. They closed to within one at 34:35, and Wilkens then brought on his heavyweight weapon, O'Neal, who took back the lead with a powerful spinning attack.

Wilkens deployed a twin-towers lineup of Robinson and O'Neal, hoping to control the airspace in the paint in a slow-paced game. After being on the back foot for most of the first half, Dream Team III used the advantage of its deep bench, with its second and third units erasing the deficit and taking a five-point lead by halftime, 43:38.

A clash broke out as soon as the second half began. Malone collided with Divac while battling for an offensive rebound. The two hulking men locked arms and looked ready to fight, and seeing their leader in trouble, Yugoslavia's players immediately swarmed in and surrounded Malone.

Outside the circle, Reggie Miller saw that he could not squeeze in to help, so he had a flash of inspiration and pulled a move to besiege Wei and rescue Zhao, charging straight at the opposing head coach. Yugoslavia was instantly thrown into disarray and hurriedly withdrew to protect its coach, allowing Malone to escape unscathed.

Wilkens wisely benched the hot-headed Malone and sent in Barkley to continue attacking the paint. Before long, the equally hot-headed Divac picked up two more fouls and honorably fouled out. Yugoslavia suddenly lost a towering tree in the middle. Admiral David Robinson began to assert himself. His outstanding athleticism, combined with his height and long wingspan, made life extremely difficult for Rebraca, who replaced Divac. His quick footwork allowed the United States to quickly establish a strategy of driving and then dishing to Robinson. From catching the ball to laying it in, Robinson moved so fast that the lumbering Yugoslavs looked like spectators. By the middle of the second half, the United States led 67:55 by 12 points, and the balance of victory gradually tilted toward Dream Team III.

Barkley also left the game with five fouls in the ninth minute of the second half, showing just how fierce the battle in the paint had been. With a little over six minutes remaining, Dream Team III led by 15, but Yugoslavia refused to give up and still fought desperately to execute every possession.

Wilkens adjusted again, fielding a fast lineup with Robinson at center and four guards—Hardaway, Miller, Stockton, and Richmond. Abandoning the half-court offense, they pushed the pace with everything they had and looked to counterattack off steals. The move worked, leaving Yugoslavia exhausted in the rapid back-and-forth action.

With three and a half minutes remaining, it was 83:63, and the outcome had been decided. On the bench, Dream Team III's players began to show relaxed expressions. In truth, Yugoslavia's performance had already exceeded most people's expectations: they had led through the first 15 minutes and had gone toe-to-toe with Dream Team III for the first 30.

In the final minute, Wilkens took out Robinson, the top contributor with 28 points and 7 rebounds, and sent in the hand-itching O'Neal to get some action. O'Neal immediately came up with a steal, giving Dream Team III its 95th point. At last, with Stockton dribbling, the clock ran out on the final 24 seconds, and Dream Team III won the gold medal without too much danger.