Geneva, July 16 (Xinhua) -- On July 7, the men's basketball qualifying tournament for the Paris Olympics ended, and all the participating teams and schedules of the men's and women's basketball teams for the Olympic Games were determined. It can be said that there is no weak team in the men's basketball game; In women's basketball, the United States team is still the dominant team, and the other teams can only aim for a silver medal.
In the recently concluded men's basketball qualifying tournament, the final four teams were Greece, Spain, Brazil and Puerto Rico, and even these traditional powerhouses could only get an Olympic ticket through the qualifying round, which shows how fierce the men's basketball competition will be at this year's Paris Olympics.
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Image from the official website of the Paris Olympics
There is no doubt that the United States men's team is still the favourite, but they are not invincible. The United States team announced its Olympic roster as early as April this year, and stars such as James, Durant, and Curry were impressively listed. However, I have to admit that Durant and James have participated in many Olympic Games, and they are both past the peak of their careers. The relatively young Halliburton, Booker, Tatum and others, although also very good, have not yet reached the heights of their predecessors. The strength of the United States team is definitely in the top three, but whether it can win the championship is not completely certain.
Another team to watch is Germany. Having won the men's World Cup last year with a clean record, they have shown unprecedented fighting spirit under the leadership of the core figure Schröder, and can be said to be the strongest Germany team in history, and the Olympics will be their chance to show their strength again. Similarly, World Cup runners-up Serbia also have a chance to win. One of the main reasons for their World Cup final defeat to Germany was that Jokic, the heart of the team, did not play, and Jokic returned to the team at the Paris Olympics, and with his Serbia team, he has the confidence to beat any opponent.
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Bucks player Antetokounmpo (right) makes a layup during a game on April 7, 2024. On the same day, in the 2023-2024 NBA regular season, the New York Knicks defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 122-109 away. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Joel · Reiner)
In addition to these three strong teams, other teams should not be underestimated. After the Greece team welcomed back the "alphabet brother" Antetokounmpo, they immediately showed a completely different strength in the Olympic qualifying tournament than in the World Cup, winning all four games. Canada defeated United States in last year's World Cup to finish third, with a number of MLB stars in the squad, and Alexander was named to the World Cup Team of the Year. Although the Spain team is no longer strong, it has performed very strongly in the qualifying round and is still one of the best teams in the world. France, playing at home, has been a regular at the Olympics and the team is also full of stars. Africa's South Sudan is no big picture, having played Puerto Rico, a traditional world basketball powerhouse, in overtime at the World Cup and beating the Chinese men's basketball team by 20 points.
In women's basketball, the United States team has been unbroken so far. At the 2022 Women's Basketball World Cup, the United States team defeated China 83-61 in the final to win the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time. At the Paris Olympics, the United States team aims to win eight consecutive championships. Although "overage" players like Taurasi are still in the squad, the replacement of the old and new of the United States team has long been completed, and Wilson, Plumm, Stewart and others are the core of the team, and their strength is difficult for other teams to compete.
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On October 1, 2022, the Chinese team after the award ceremony. On the same day, in the final of the 2022 Women's Basketball World Cup in Sydney, Australia, the Chinese team lost to the United States team and won the runner-up. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Hu Jingchen)
The Chinese women's basketball team is also the favorite to win medals in this Olympic Games. The Chinese team composed of Li Meng, Han Xu, Li Yueru and others won the runner-up in the 2022 World Cup, winning this honor again after 28 years. With this residual power, it is worth looking forward to whether the women's basketball team can equal the best record in Olympic history of winning silver in the 1992 Olympic Games.
However, the Chinese team's opponents are also very strong, Australia, Japan, France, Spain, Belgium and other teams are extraordinary, and the victory or defeat is often between a few points.
As the runner-up in the last Olympic Games, the Japan women's basketball team is an old rival of the Chinese team, and the strength of the two teams is between Bozhong. In the past two years, the Chinese women's basketball team has defeated Japan twice in consecutive Asian Cup and Asian Games finals, but once 73:71 and once 74:72, both of which are only 2 points apart. Australia were beaten 61-59 by China in the World Cup semi-finals, also a difference of 2 points. Although the Australia team is no longer the world's No. 2 team, they still have a strong style of play.
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Champion United States women's basketball team at the award ceremony on August 8, 2021. On the same day, in the women's basketball final of the Tokyo Olympics, the United States team defeated Japan and won the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pan Yulong
France, who play at home, have always been a world powerhouse, and this time they occupy the right time and place, and will definitely show more confidence. Although the Spain team has not achieved outstanding results in recent years, they have always reserved their strength and are expected to field the strongest squad at the Olympic Games. Belgium, who had lost by only 2 points to United States in the Olympic qualifying tournament, lost 79-81, will also be a very difficult opponent.
The Olympic women's basketball competition is divided into three groups, with the top two teams and the two best third-placed finishers advancing to the quarterfinals. China are in Group A with Spain, Serbia and Puerto Rico.