On February 25, Beijing time, the Chinese men's basketball team suffered an unexpected defeat in the Asian Cup qualifiers, losing 73-76 to the rising Japanese men's basketball team. This game is not about qualifying, however, after the Chinese men's basketball team ushered in the defeat of the World Cup and the Asian Games, this game is particularly important. The Japanese team has become the dark horse of the Paris World Cup, directly threatening China's basketball status in Asia, but behind this seemingly ordinary game is the alternation of the rise and loss of the Chinese men's basketball team.
In the selection of the starting lineup, the Chinese men's basketball team sent Cheng Shuaipeng, Zhao Jiwei, Zhu Junlong, Du Runwang, and Hu Jinqiu to try to break the deadlock in the first quarter. In the first quarter of the game, the Chinese men's basketball team quickly entered the state, Hu Jinqiu performed well, scoring 9 points in the opening 4 of 4, plus Du Runwang's three points and Zhao Jiwei's layup, the Chinese men's basketball team started with a 14-3 dream. However, Zhao Jiwei and Cheng Shuaipeng received two fouls early, allowing the Japanese team to seize the opportunity to equalize the score 11-0 in a wave. Hu Mingxuan's appearance helped the Chinese men's basketball team stabilize the situation, leading 20-19 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Hu Mingxuan and Cheng Shuaipeng's three-point shots hit twice, and the Chinese men's basketball team took the lead again and established an 8-point advantage. However, the Japanese team showed a strong counterattack ability, and a wave of 16-4 overtook the score. The Chinese men's basketball team was troubled by fouls and the referee's double standard, and it was tied at 38 at halftime. Hu Mingxuan's performance was particularly crucial in this quarter, and he stepped up many times, but the Chinese men's basketball team still fell into decline.
Entering the third quarter, the offensive efficiency of the Chinese men's basketball team declined, and the Japanese team once widened the gap to 9 points with the performance of naturalized interior Hawkinson. The Chinese men's basketball team was completely inaccurate in terms of three-point shots, 0 of 8 in a single quarter, and Hu Mingxuan's last attack carried the explosives package to 2+1, chasing the difference to 51-55. In the final quarter, the two sides fell into a tug-of-war, and the Chinese men's basketball team repeatedly missed the three-point shot in the critical stage of chasing points, and the more time left, the less time left. Although Cheng Shuaipeng scored a difficult three-pointer in the last minute, the Chinese men's basketball team was too late to foul and finally lost to Japan 73-76.
In terms of statistics, Hu Jinqiu is the best player in the Chinese men's basketball team, he recorded a double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Hu Mingxuan also contributed 20 points and 4 rebounds. However, the overall performance of the Chinese men's basketball team is still not satisfactory. Abudu Salamu, Du Runwang, Cheng Shuaipeng and other players have performances, but lack the overall tacit understanding. Comparatively speaking, the Japanese team performed better, with Yudai Baba scoring 24 points and Hawkinson's double-double performance of 14+13, which made them stand out in this game.
The defeat came after FIBA released a shocking statistic that the Chinese men's basketball team had not lost to Japan in an Asian tournament at FIBA level since the 1936 Olympics. This defeat is not only a failure in the Asian Cup qualifiers, but also an embarrassing record for the Chinese men's basketball team in the past 88 years. Although the Chinese men's basketball team defeated Japan in the 2021 World Preliminary Tournament with a net score of 49 points, time has passed, and the Chinese men's basketball team has reached the lowest point in history.
This defeat is not only a defeat of a game, but also an opportunity for the Chinese men's basketball team to reflect deeply. Past glory and victory cannot overshadow the problems in the current predicament, and the team needs more tacit understanding and cooperation. From the defeat, we saw the efforts of Hu Jinqiu and Hu Mingxuan, but basketball is a team sport that requires an overall performance. The coaching staff needs to carefully analyze the game, find out what the problem is, and develop effective solutions.
Although the Chinese men's basketball team is currently in a trough, this is also an opportunity to rise. Re-examining the existing team, introducing new blood, and improving the overall quality may be able to usher in a more dazzling performance in the future arena. Defeat on the basketball court is only short-lived, and how to learn from it and sum up the experience is what really matters. The future of the Chinese men's basketball team requires more dedication and efforts, and I believe that a new way out can be found in the predicament.