The Death of the Chinese Men's Basketball Team: Defeat and Reflection
We Chinese fans have witnessed history again, but this time it is a very embarrassing history. On February 25, Beijing time, the second match day of the men's basketball Asian Cup qualifiers began, in which the Chinese men's basketball team against the Japanese men's basketball team attracted much attention from the whole country and even the whole of Asia. On the one hand, whether the Chinese men's basketball team, which is in a trough, can defeat the Japanese team has become a key battle for whether men's basketball coach Djordjevic can stay in China; On the other hand, before the game, the Japanese men's basketball coach clamored to defeat the Chinese team, which also made this game full of gunpowder before the game.
In the end, the Chinese men's basketball team lost to the Japanese men's basketball team 73-76 after defeating the Mongolian men's basketball team in the last game, and also created an embarrassing record, that is, after the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the Chinese men's basketball team lost to the Japanese team in the FIBA Asian and above competitions for the first time in 88 years! Let's dive into this chok-wrenching match.
Of all the Chinese men's basketball players, Hu Jinqiu is the best. With 23 points and 13 rebounds, he became the pillar of the team with his outstanding performance. However, this tall player could not support the whole team alone. Although he excelled on the inside, the team failed to work well and his efforts failed to translate into victories.
Another player who played more prominently was Hu Mingxuan. With 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, he showed good scoring ability. However, turnovers at key moments and a sluggish three-point shooting rate overshadowed his efforts somewhat. Against an opponent like Japan, every mistake can be the turning point of the game.
Zhao Jiwei and Xu Jie, as key figures in the back line, had a disappointing performance in this game. Zhao Jiwei, in particular, not only did he do nothing on the offensive end, but he also failed to play as well as he should in defense at critical moments. Such performances raise questions about their suitability for international competitions.
However, the biggest "sinner" in this game is none other than head coach Djordjevic. His tactical arrangements and choice of personnel were highly controversial. It is obviously a mistake to give up the inside advantage of the Chinese men's basketball team and choose to fight with the Japanese team for speed and fast attack. Although he tried to make a mistake in the final attack, it failed to hide his tactical failure.
This defeat is not only a defeat of one game, but also a continuation of the dismal record of the Chinese men's basketball team in recent years. Yao Ming may have had expectations when he chose Djordjevic, but the result was chilling. As the president of the Chinese Basketball Association, Yao Ming seems to have taken some detours in guiding the selection of the national team coach. Despite his attempts to defend Djordjec, the current situation is not encouraging.
The failure of the Chinese men's basketball team is embarrassing, but more importantly, we must learn from it. It's not just a problem for the team, it's a reflection on the entire basketball system. We need to re-examine the criteria for selecting and employing people, and re-examine the tactics and training methods. Only in this way can the Chinese men's basketball team regain its strength in the future and once again be invincible in the international arena.