Guangdong Hongyuan has encountered unprecedented challenges this season, experiencing three consecutive defeats. It was also the first time since the 2015-16 season that the team suffered three straight regular season losses, nine years ago. In this game, Guangdong Hongyuan's player Xu Jie performed well on the offensive end, scoring 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. However, Xu Jie's several fouls on the defensive end caused controversy again.
Recently, Xu Jie's tight defense has sparked a lot of discussions, and some players bluntly said that his defense is like a "bath defense", which is described very close to life. In this game, Xu Jie chose to use the defensive style of pinching the arm. With about 5 minutes left in the first quarter of the game, Xu Jie defended Jones tightly and suddenly grabbed Jones's arm after Jones crossed the halfway line. Although Jones accidentally hit Xu Jie in the face in order to break free of his arm, the referee determined that Xu Jie had committed a foul. Slow-motion replays show that Xu Jie did carry out a covert action of pinching his arm. Although the fans at the scene expressed dissatisfaction with the referee's decision, and there were also people on the bench of Guangdong Hongyuan, the No. 102 referee made an accurate decision through careful observation.
Soon after the start of the second quarter, Xu Jie continued to fight against Jones. As petite players, both possess nimble movements. After a reverse run, Jones was wrapped around his waist by Xu Jie with his hands from behind, and then the referee whistled Xu Jie for a foul. This time, Xu Jie's hugging action was very obvious, although the fans at the scene were still dissatisfied with the referee's decision, Xu Jie did not make any defense.
In the third quarter of the game, Xu Jie once again used unfriendly defensive moves when defending Lu Wenbo's shot. When Lu Wenbo jumped, Xu Jie drilled his body into the space where Lu Wenbo fell, causing Lu Wenbo to fall to the ground and almost stepped on Xu Jie's feet. The referee immediately blew for Xu Jie's defensive foul. In the face of this penalty, Du Feng angrily expressed his dissatisfaction with the referee, and the fans at the scene shouted black whistles. However, through the slow-motion replay, it can be seen that Xu Jie's action foul blowing penalty has no problem. Xu Jie didn't leave room for his opponent to land, and his twisted body further squeezed Lu Wenbo's landing space. This foul can even be considered a physical foul.
In recent years, more and more CBA foreign players have said that CBA players have too many small actions in games. When the national team participates in international events such as the World Cup, the Chinese men's basketball team also has a lot of hand action fouls. Taking Xu Jie as an example, in the past, when the referee did not strictly blow the hand movements, the players were more free to move in the game. However, this season, the CBA's official blowing requirements for hand moves have been stricter, and many of Xu Jie's defensive moves are indeed problematic. This is also a problem that the Chinese national team players need to correct as much as possible.
Through this game, we can see that Xu Jie's controversial behavior on the defensive end has triggered a strong reaction from fans and coaches. For Xu Jie, he needs to re-examine his defensive style and try to avoid controversial behavior so as not to adversely affect the team. At the same time, it also reminds the entire CBA league that strict enforcement of hand movements should be strengthened. Only in this way can we promote the improvement of the CBA league in all aspects, better development and progress. As fans, we should also look at the game rationally, support the players and cheer for the team we love. Only with the strength of unity and support can our basketball cause continue to move forward.