At 6 o'clock tonight, the stadium in Longhua, Shenzhen, will be the focus of basketball fans across Asia, as the final of the U18 Women's Asian Cup is about to be staged. This is not only a match, but also a battle of honor, as the host Chinese team will face a strong opponent, Australia. What kind of sparks can be sparked in this game, you say?
The Chinese team was able to reach the final this time, thanks to their core player Zhang Ziyu, whose outstanding performance helped the team pass all the way. Zhang Ziyu is 2.23 meters tall and almost unbeatable under the basket, and her presence makes the Chinese team's interior offensive and defensive extremely strong. But tonight's opponents are unusual, with Australia known for their physicality, with no shortage of players over 1.9 metres tall in their squad, making them a threat to any opponent.
Australia's tactics are likely to revolve around how to limit Zhang's play. They may use a strategy of flanking and multi-person containment to try to wear down Zhang Ziyu mentally and physically, which is indeed a big challenge for the coach of the Chinese team, Wang Guizhi. How to effectively use Zhang Ziyu's time on the field and how to mobilize the enthusiasm of other players will be a problem that Wang Guizhi needs to solve.
Moreover, judging from the previous games, although the Chinese team performed well, it also exposed several problems. The first is that the opponent's full-court pressing defense puts the Chinese team under pressure, and the second is that the team relies too much on Zhang Ziyu, and once she is restricted, the team's offensive efficiency drops significantly. Finally, China's perimeter attack also looked a little lackluster, which could be an Achilles' heel against a physically strong Australia.
But basketball is never a game of solitude, but a team effort. If the Chinese team can play well under the leadership of Zhang Ziyu and the rest of the team can also play well, then they have every chance to win tonight's game. After all, the situation on the basketball court changes rapidly, and no one can guarantee who will win until the last minute of the game.