On July 2, 2024, Beijing time, it was an unbearable nightmare for the Chinese men's basketball team U17. In the U17 Men's Basketball World Cup, the Chinese team and the United States team lost with a jaw-dropping score of 62:146, with a huge score difference of 84 points, setting a new record for the largest point difference of the Chinese men's national basketball team.
Pre-match situation: There is a huge disparity in strength and an obvious gap
On the field of the U17 Men's Basketball World Cup, the boys of the Chinese team are facing a tough battle. In the official FIBA power rankings, the Chinese team ranks 14th, while the United States team is firmly at the top of the list, this gap makes people sweat. The strength of the U.S. team is obvious to all, they previously defeated Guinea by an overwhelming 73 points, showing their domineering. Although the Chinese team staged a shocking reversal in the last matchup with the French team, from falling behind by 15 points to finally winning 73-70, but in the face of the United States, this gap in strength does not seem to be so easy to cross.
The course of the game: all-round down, struggling
As soon as the whistle blew, the U.S. team seemed to be hanging, and their counter-attacking and free-throw skills were simply stunned, and they gave their opponents a 5:0 dismissal as soon as they came up. However, Feng Yubo, this young man is not simple, his counterattack layup is like injecting a shot of strength into the Chinese team, and when the 2 points are in hand, the fans' heartbeats have also accelerated. But the good times didn't last long, and the U.S. team immediately turned on their scoring mode, and a wave of 19:0 frenzy made the score instantly 24:2, which was so fast that people couldn't breathe. Just when everyone thought that the Chinese team was going to be overwhelmed, Xun Sinan stood up, and his two-handed slam not only added 2 points to the Chinese team, but also ignited the atmosphere of the scene. However, the U.S. team didn't seem to intend to give the Chinese team much respite, and they made another effort to stretch the score to 28:4. Faced with such a situation, the Chinese team can only ask for a timeout, trying to find a strategy to crack the opponent. After the timeout, Fu Wenhao's active performance on the court, not only made the opponent's foul through the layup, but also steadily sent one of the free throws into the basket, followed by a precise jump shot near the free throw line, adding valuable points to the Chinese team. Li Yuezhou even ignited the enthusiasm of the audience with a three-point shot at the end of the first quarter. However, the U.S. team was even more unstoppable, and their firepower was unstoppable, allowing China to fall behind by a disparity of 10 points to 38 points at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the U.S. team was full of fire at the beginning, and a beautiful 2+1 score directly ignited the passion of the game. Although the Chinese team's Liu Yang, Zhang Boyuan, He Wenwei and other players were not to be outdone and tried their best to catch up, the American team seemed to have found the rhythm of the game, and a wave of 11:0 scoring storms made the Chinese team's defense seem a little powerless. However, the Chinese team did not give up, Xun Sinan's frontcourt rebounds and rebounds 2+1 became a bright spot for the Chinese team in adversity, bringing a glimmer of hope to the fans. The halftime whistle blew and the U.S. team took a 73-30 lead.
In the third quarter of the game, the U.S. team came down like a tiger, and as soon as it came up, it blasted out a wave of 14-0 scoring storms, which made the score gap widen rapidly, as if putting a heavy shackle on the opponent Chinese team. 87 to 30, such a score undoubtedly made the Chinese team feel unprecedented pressure and challenge. But in the face of adversity, the Chinese team did not give up, Liu Li's accurate mid-range shot and Li Yuezhou's three-point long-range shot, like two sharp swords, brought a respite to the Chinese team. However, the overall strength of the U.S. team was too strong, and at the end of the third quarter, the Chinese team fell behind with a score of 53-108.
I thought that this matchup would end with the Chinese team falling behind by a large margin, but the Chinese team in the last quarter gave us a surprise. Instead of giving up, they showed the world their indomitable ability by scoring consecutive points. However, just as Wang Hongze's layup stretched the score to 62:113, the Chinese team seemed to suddenly lose its rhythm and was completely suppressed by the American team with a 33-point frenzy. In the last six minutes, the Chinese team's scoring board seemed to be frozen, and no points were scored. In the end, the game ended with a score of 62:146.
Player performance: Despite the defeat, there are still bright spots
In this game, although the Chinese team failed to win, the performance of the players is still remarkable. Li Yuezhou was the center of attention with an outstanding performance of 17 points and 4 assists, and his three-point shot and exquisite playmaking were eye-catching, fully demonstrating his individual talent and competitive level. Xun Sinan was also not to be outdone, contributing 11 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block, his amazing two-handed dunk and frontcourt rebound rebound, not only reflected his fighting spirit, but also let people see his unlimited potential. Basketball, after all, is a sport that requires teamwork. Despite the exhilarating brilliance of individual heroism, the gap in overall strength between the Chinese team and the near-perfect defense and fluid offensive system of the American team is obvious.
Post-race reflections: where the gaps are, the way forward
On the basketball court tonight, the boys of the Chinese men's basketball team U17 experienced an unforgettable defeat. In the face of the U.S. team's superb coordination and individual skills, our defense was a little weak, the attack was also lacking in discipline, and the scoring points were even more unsustainable. This is not only a loss of one game, but also a wake-up call for us to see the huge gap between Chinese and American basketball in youth training, talent cultivation and training concepts.
But don't forget, failure is the mother of success. This defeat is the catalyst for the growth of the Chinese men's basketball team U17. It made our boys see their shortcomings and inspired them to train harder and improve themselves. The future of Chinese basketball requires us to learn from this loss, increase investment in youth basketball, improve the youth training system, and cultivate more basketball stars.
Although this game ended in defeat, the future of the Chinese men's basketball U17 is still bright. Facing up to the gap and bravely catching up, we have reason to believe that in the near future, the Chinese men's basketball team will shine brightly on the world basketball stage. Let's wait and see, cheer for the boys, and cheer for the future of Chinese basketball!