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Chapter 68: The Chinese Team Is Easily Defeated! Facing the Last Opponent in the Group Stage
Kyoto time, August 16th.
The Huaxia team faced its fourth opponent in the group stage - the Deguo team.
There are two NBA players on the Indian team, one is superstar Dirk Nowitzki and the other is All-Star level Chris Kaman.
Except for these two players, the rest of the players are local players of the national team and their strength is average.
This also means that even though the Chinese national team has two star-level NBA players, it is still not favored.
Before the start of the Olympic men's basketball event, many media outlets predicted that the Chinese team would be able to beat the Chinese team and Angola and advance to the quarterfinals as the fourth place in Group B.
But who would have thought that the Chinese team would burst out with such great strength in the group stage, which made the Chinese team's hopes of advancing become slim.
In a pre-match interview.
The atmosphere in the Huaxia team is very relaxed and lively.
After securing a spot in the quarterfinals in advance, this match was no longer stressful for the Chinese team.
Yao Ming confidently expressed that he would limit Chris Kaman's performance, and said frankly that although they have already advanced, they still have to work hard to win every game and prepare for the upcoming knockout rounds.
Yao Ming's current goal is not just to bring the Chinese team to the quarterfinals.
After all, people's ambitions will expand as their strength grows.
As the host, he led the team to achieve the best result in the history of Chinese men's basketball at home and even won a medal.
This is what Yao Ming has been working hard for so far.
He knew that this was not an unrealistic fantasy, but that it was really possible!
...
Compared with the Chinese team, the interview atmosphere of the Deguo team was a bit depressing and dull.
Before this game, the German team had lost to the United States, Greece and Spain in succession and was on the verge of elimination.
If they lose to the Huaxia team today, it means that the Deguo team will lose the qualification to advance to the quarterfinals.
So for them, this game is a life-and-death battle.
In the interview, Nowitzki said that he would do his best to lead the team to defeat the Chinese team and keep the hope of advancing to the quarterfinals.
Chris Kaman said arrogantly that he wanted to limit Yao Ming to prove that he was a better center than Yao Ming.
The game will start soon.
Kaman won the jump ball and the Indian team took the lead in attacking.
Nowitzki fired directly from outside the three-point line, and his one-legged stand made it impossible for Yi Jianlian to block his shot.
Swish!
The basketball went into the net.
The Chinese team attacks.
Jiang Chen was not willing to be outdone. After receiving the pass from Liu Wei, he shot a three-pointer without hesitation.
Swish.
Also hit.
This is also an ultra-long-range three-pointer.
The audience is no longer surprised by Jiang Chen's difficult three-point performances.
In their view, Jiang Chen's magical three-point performance is already a routine operation.
In the next few minutes, the game completely turned into a scoring duel between Nowitzki and Jiang Chen.
Both showed excellent shooting skills.
But Jiang Chen's three-point shooting ability was better and he quickly overshadowed Nowitzki's offensive momentum.
In the penalty area, Yao Ming and Kaman also engaged in a hand-to-hand confrontation.
Kaman tried very hard to defend and attack, but he was still vulnerable in front of Yao Ming.
Obviously, Carman's idea was a bit naive.
Even if Yao Ming's injury has not fully recovered, he can still be punished easily.
After all, a lean camel is bigger than a horse.
Yao Ming is a top center in the NBA, while Kaman is only a quasi-All-Star level center.
Whether in terms of defensive ability or offensive comprehensiveness, Kaman cannot compare with Yao Ming.
After a few rounds of competition, Yao Ming gained the upper hand and wreaked havoc on the basket in the interior.
After the first quarter, the Huaxia team took an 8-point lead and firmly controlled the situation of the game.
Entering the second quarter, Yao Ming and Jiang Chen continued to show their strength, firing from both inside and outside the court, scoring points one after another.
Fortunately, the Chinese team has Nowitzki, otherwise the score would have been widened long ago.
After holding on for another quarter, when the game entered the second half, Nowitzki became tired and his offensive efficiency began to decline.
The entire German team's offense relied on Nowitzki alone, but after a long time, he couldn't hold on.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Huaxia team widened the score in one fell swoop, making the game no longer suspenseful.
The game is over.
96:79.
The Huaxia team won the next group match with a 17-point advantage and achieved three consecutive victories.
The German team lost the qualification to advance to the quarterfinals.
Winners take it all!
Competitive sports are so cruel.
The players of the German team left the field sadly, leaving the stage that did not belong to them.
The Huaxia team was still celebrating their victory and enjoying the cheers from the audience.
Jiang Chen continued his strong performance, making 12 of 20 shots, 7 of 12 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 33 points and 2 rebounds.
Yao Ming made 15 of 23 shots and 5 of 5 free throws, scoring 35 points and 14 rebounds, showing his strength as a top NBA center and breaking his single-game scoring record for the national team.
Seeing the outstanding performance of China's dual cores, the on-site commentator Yang Yi couldn't stop sighing, saying that Yao Ming and Jiang Chen are the strongest combination in the history of China's men's basketball team.
Now, this strongest combination will join forces to lead the Chinese team to make history.
...
August 18th.
The Chinese team faced their last opponent in the group stage - the Greek team.
As a strong team in Europe, the Greek team has clever basketball skills and extremely high basketball literacy, and is excellent in both offense and defense.
It is a strong European team that has emerged in recent years.
In the semi-finals of the 2006 World Championships, the Greek team defeated the powerful United States team and advanced to the finals.
Unfortunately, in the final, the Greek team performed poorly, and ultimately the Spanish team, which was missing its ace Gasol, won the victory and won the World Championship.
Although this game is not important to the Chinese team, all Chinese players expressed a strong desire to win before the game.
In their view, this game is a battle of revenge!
Because during the 2006 World Championships, the Chinese team was badly beaten by the Greek team in the knockout round from the round of 16 to the quarterfinals.
That match was an absolute humiliation for the Huaxia team. They were beaten without any chance to fight back and lost by more than 30 points!
It can be said to be one of the darkest moments for the Chinese men's basketball team in the international arena.
How can we miss this opportunity for revenge at the Olympics?
The game begins.
The Chinese team put all their effort into launching a frantic attack on the Greek team's basket.
Everyone's eyes were wide open, and they shot decisively when they got the chance to shoot.
Even Yi Jianlian, who seldom shoots three-pointers, made a three-pointer from the outside.
After playing for less than 5 minutes, the Chinese team launched a 15:6 offensive and gained a 9-point lead.
The Greek team's head coach called a timeout in time and made tactical adjustments.
When you come back from the pause, the effect is immediate.
The Greek team played with exquisite coordination, got many shooting opportunities outside the three-point line, made three-pointers one after another, and soon tied the score.
The two sides went back and forth, taking turns leading, and neither side was able to widen the gap, it was quite intense.
This situation continued into the second half.
In the third quarter, the Greek team suddenly exerted their strength and launched a 14:3 attack wave, expanding their lead and maintaining it until the fourth quarter.
Seeing the score gap widening.
Before Dayao and others expressed any emotions, Jiang Chen was anxious.
What kind of international joke is this?
There is only one game left to complete the system task. If we lose, won't it mean that everything will be in vain?
No, we must not lose this game!