People s Sports: What did the Chinese men s basketball team do the right thing?

Reposted from: People's Daily-View Channel

Wang Caoqun

3.9 seconds? Hu Mingxuan completed a shot under the opponent's strict defense. Although it has not entered, the seeds of hope have been planted in people's hearts. Valuable failures often drive progress more than lucky victory.

In the early morning of August 18, in Jeddah, the Chinese men's basketball team defeated Australia by one point and won the runner-up of the Asian Cup. This team, which lacks players such as Zhou Qi, Zeng Fanbo, and Yang Hansen, has achieved the best performance of the Chinese men's basketball team in the Asian arena in the past decade. "Although defeated, he is still honored." From this praise, we can see the transformation of the Chinese men's basketball team.

Looking back at this event, the Chinese team won all three groups in the group stage, with a net victory of 19.3 points per game; and defeated New Zealand, which had not won for many years in the quarter-finals; facing the strong Australia in the final, he still had a chance to win at the last moment. Such performance is in sharp contrast to the general expectations before the battle. The answer is hidden in the field.

The changes in tactical concepts are the most significant. During the entire Asian Cup, the Chinese team showed a new offensive and defensive system with multiplayer rotation, pursuing speed and space in offense, greatly improving offensive efficiency. Most offenses no longer focus on one point, and the internal and external lines are linked, and all five people can share the firepower. On the defense, players such as Liao Sanning, Gao Shiyan, and Raymond performed a fighting style defense without any effort. Gao Shiyan was even nicknamed "China Beverly" by fans. Data shows that the Chinese team ranked third in the game with 91.5 points per game, ranked fourth in points averaging, ranked first in three-point shooting percentage, shooting percentage and free throw shooting percentage. Behind these numbers is the change in tactical concepts that has brought about a complete transformation of the Chinese men's basketball team.

Another highlight of this game is that the head coach boldly activates young players. Young players have done their best and have performed well, especially the 21-year-old Wang Junjie, who averaged 13 points per game and was selected into the Asian Cup All-American Team with Hu Jinqiu. This young forward who came out of campus basketball showed maturity and talent beyond age. His success also provides a new sample for the cultivation of Chinese basketball talents, proving that "sports and education integration + international path" can also create outstanding players. As more and more world-leading scouts and training camps enter China, this diversified talent training model is injecting new vitality into Chinese basketball. The revival of Chinese basketball requires an open and inclusive training system and a tactical concept of keeping pace with the times.

Young players dare to fight and never give up without the trust and teaching of the head coach. Just like head coach Guo Shiqiang's statement in the interview: "Now is a relatively low period for the men's basketball team. All of us want to prove whether the Chinese men's basketball team is OK?" It expresses the full trust in young players and the firm determination to seek change. Unity and the desire to win permeate from the players' hearts to every detail of the technical and tactical level of the stadium. At the last moment of the final, facing Australia's high-pressure defense, the Chinese team was still able to organize the offense calmly. This kind of temperament that is calm in the face of danger is in stark contrast to the "panic" defeat in the 2017 Asian Cup. Five people compete, but in a state like one person. No one complains or complains on the court; if someone loses his position, someone will make up for it. This is the spirit that the Chinese men's basketball team should have.

Of course, a point difference also reminds us of the real gap with the world's strong teams. Australia also lacks a number of stars such as Dyson Daniels and Josh Gidey. The final score gap reflects the gap in experience and execution at critical moments. He was once led by 15 points in the second quarter, but failed to effectively control the rhythm, giving the opponent a chance to breathe, and paid the price for it. This reveals the team's lack of control over the game. These gaps require more and more players to go out and be tempered on the international stage.

Embrace the development experience of world basketball with an inclusive heart and popularize the diversified talent training model, Chinese basketball will surely become wider and wider.