Men's national basketball team cruise to East Asia semis in Nanjing
Tuesday, 14th June 2011 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Retired national team veteran Li Nan is on the bench for China at East Asian Championships
China romped over Hong Kong 104-43, allowing only 16 points in the first half. Then they rode their height advantage and South Korea's foul trouble to a 61-54 win Sunday. Three-point shooting was dismal for both teams — China shot 3 for 16, and South Korea 1 for 18.
The tournament, in Nanjing, is a qualifier for the FIBA Asia Championship September 15 to 25 in Wuhan. As host, China qualifies automatically. The team has an unfamiliar look right now, with several national team regulars resting and three players on the roster serving out a FIBA suspension. Zhu Fangyu (three games), Sun Yue and Zhang Bo (one game each) all were issued suspensions by FIBA for their parts in a bench-clearing brawl in a game against a Brazilian team last fall. Wang Zhizhi, Yi Jianlian, Liu Wei, Wang Shipeng, Ding Jinhui and Zhang Qingpeng are all being rested, leaving some younger players with the chance to get some more international playing experience.
As pointed out by Jon Pastuszek at Niubball.com, the chance for its starts to serve their suspensions with no real consequence for the team might be the best thing about this tournament for Team China.
Li Nan image: Osports.cn via Sohu.com
Tags: basketball, FIBA, Li Nan, Nanjing, Sun Yue, Zhang Bo, Zhu Fangyu
China-Brazil brawl raises questions about basketball program
Sunday, 17th October 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (1)
Zhu Fangyu (right) was one of two Chinese players fined 30,000 yuan
What is it with China's national men's basketball team? After its throwdown with the Brazilian national team last week, the team has now been involved in three of the worst fights in international basketball this decade. There was China-Lebanon in 2001, China-Puerto Rico in 2005 (video), and now China-Brazil in 2010.
The latest came in an exhibition game in Xuchang (Henan province) to prepare the China for November's Asian Games. Here's a YouTube video of the fight, and here is a Youku video. The YouTube one captures the tantrum that China's head coach throws before the fight, and the Youku one shows the foul that set him off.
The Chinese Basketball Association has levied 290,000 yuan ($43,660) in penalties to 15 people for the melee (Chinese report). It fined head coach Bob Donewald, an American who has coached a season in the CBA, 50,000 yuan ($7,530), and suspended him from practice. Three players—Zhu Fangyu, Ding Jinhui and Su Wei—were each fined 30,000 yuan, and six other players drew 20,000-yuan fines. Team official Zhang Xiong also was suspended, and fine 30,000 yuan.
The CBA should not just be investigating this incident, but also looking for answers as to why China is building up an ugly history of fights in international play. The fact that Donewald, a former Bobby Knight protégé, blew his top, contributed to the China-Brazil mess, but this isn't out of form for China. The throwdowns with Lebanon and Puerto Rico were already some of the worst in FIBA-sanctioned play. And the domestic league, the CBA, also sees its share of fights (witness: Charles Gaines-Du Feng, 2010) often with fans getting involved by throwing objects on the court. Do officials need to learn how to keep the players and crowd under control? Is the Chinese style of play actually not physical enough, leading to frustration and anger when players come up against a little more contact? Does China's tendency toward soccer-style faking and flopping raise the level of tension? Does alleged match-fixing rob players of an outlet for their competitive emotions? Or are these guys all too roided up?
Whatever the answer, the CBA needs to be searching for it, because these incidents make China look thuggish and amateur.
In case you haven't seen the brawl:
Numerous videos posted online indicate that emotions got hot when coach Bob Donewald lost his temper at officials for a missed moving screen call in the first minute of the game. Donewald cursed and screamed at referees, pounded his fist on the scorer's table, and was removed from the game with two technical fouls. The team claims that guard Zhang Qingpeng, who received the screen, suffered a concussion from it, although it certainly didn't look like Zhang's head hit anything. Media reports show Zhang in a neck brace.
After another 30 seconds of very physical play, Chinese veteran guard and one-time CBA MVP Zhu Fangyu blatantly hip-checked to the floor a Brazilian who was already bent over and getting his footing. What followed was a bench-clearing brawl that made the Malice at the Palace look mild—Brazilian players threw some punches, but for the most part, they were trying to get out of the way, while Chinese players were taking cheap shots and kicking their opponents while they were down.
As for the Chinese players with substantial playing experience in the United States, Wang Zhizhi (Dallas Mavericks, LA Clippers, Miami Heat) seems to have stayed out of the brawl; Sun Yue (LA Lakers) got some cheap kicks in; and Max Zhang (Cal-Berkeley) threw and received some punches.
Image: Chinasmack
Tags: basketball, Bob Donewald, CBA, Max Zhang, Sun Yue, Wang Zhizhi, Zhu Fangyu
Yao carries Chinese basketball team into quarterfinals
Sunday, 17th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Liu Wei drives the lane against Spain.
China's 59-55 win over Germany last night puts the team into the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament. With very little hope of medaling, securing a spot in the final eight was the goal the team had set for itself.
With wins over Germany and Angola and losses to Spain and the United States, China is tied for third with Greece, which lost to and beat the same teams as China. Even if Germany were to win its final game against the United States, and China lost to Greece, the two would still be in a tie, and China's victory in head-to-head competition would put them in the quarterfinals.
Yao Ming has been setting the pace, as expected, averaging just under 20 points per game. The team's next leading scorers are Liu Wei (刘炜), with 10.3, and Zhu Fangyu (朱芳雨), with 9.5 (CST would like to point out that we told you how important these two players—little known to fans outside of China—are to the team, in this post last week). Both players have gotten most of their points from long distance: Liu has knocked down 8 threes and Zhu, 10.
Yao's NBA colleague, Yi Jianlian, is averaging just 8 points a game but has been a strong defensive presence for China. Sun Yue (孙悦), who will join the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers for the 2008-2009 season, has also had a quiet performance offensively, averaging 6.5 points, but has come up with key steals and blocked shots.
China will play its last preliminary game Monday against Greece. The quarterfinals begin on Wednesday.
Related: Yes, China can beat the Dream Team
Image: Sports.nen.com
Tags: basketball, Beijing Olympics, Liu Wei, Olympics, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu
China's men lose badly to USA, women to play tonight
Monday, 11th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The USA men's basketball team easily handled China last night, winning 101-70. The star-studded American team put on a dunking clinic, stealing the ball 14 times for easy fast break points. Yao Ming had a double-double--13 points and 10 rebounds. Zhu Fangyu was the second leading scorer for China with 11 points and 8 rebounds.Expect a better game tonight when the two countries' women's teams meet. Last time they played, China won 84-81, behind 26 points from point guard Miao Lijie. China played strong defense as well, forcing 18 turnovers and holding Lisa Leslie to just 10 points. In the teams' first meeting of that tournament, the USA won, 86-61.
The USA has made some personnel changes since then, most notably adding Candace Parker, the most exciting player in women's basketball right now.
Related:
China upsets USA in women's basketball
USA dishes China its first loss in basketball test tournament
Tags: basketball, Beijing Olympics, Miao Lijie, Olympics, Yao Ming, Zhu Fangyu
Yes, China can beat the Dream Team
Sunday, 10th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
China Sports Today editor Maggie Rauch writes a biweekly column in Chinese for the 21st Century Business Herald. Below is a translation of her column from yesterday on today's men's basketball game between China and the USA.China plays the United States in men's basketball tonight at Wukesong Arena, in what is for Chinese fans one of the most anticipated events of this Olympics. Members of the USA's "Dream Team," or "Redeem Team," have been received like rock stars since they arrived in China two weeks ago.
I have been quoted (accurately) as saying that the home team has no chance tonight, but I regret saying that. Of course China has a chance. That's why we actually play the game. To atone for my sin against the beautiful unpredictability of sports, I am going to break down a few possibilities that could help tip the scales a little in China's favor.
The Yao that we know finally returns.
Yao has given China a boost since his post-injury debut, but not the heroic performances the team requires from him if it is to pull off any upsets. He will suit up to play the USA after a week of rest and he'll also be playing for bragging rights among his NBA buddies. There is every reason to believe that Yao's strongest Olympic performance will come against the USA.
Team USA assumes Wang Zhizhi and Sun Yue (孙悦) are China's third and fourth most important players.
Among American fans, the only known names besides Yao and Yi are Wang Zhizhi, who played five seasons in the NBA, and Sun Yue, who created a bit of a stir when he was drafted by the Lakers in 2007. Wang's minutes and production have declined as Yao's have gone up, and Sun has averaged just over 4 points over the last 8 games. Either of these guys could have some good games in the Olympics, but containing veteran point guard Liu Wei (刘炜) and shooting/slashing small forward Zhu Fangyu (朱芳雨), if they are both healthy, should be higher on the U.S.'s list of priorities. How dangerous is Zhu? Watch the below video of him (wearing number 8) scoring 13 points in 3:30 to bring the Guangdong Tigers back from a 15-point deficit in the 2005 CBA Finals (Yi Jianlian is also in the video).
Lebron, Kobe and Carmelo just don't care enough.
The guys have all been saying the right things about how much it means to them to win Olympic gold. But in America, boys who swim or do gymnastics grow up dreaming of winning a gold medal. Boys who play basketball grow up dreaming of an NBA championship. And should the American team lose a few games it is expected to win, its players all have multi-million dollar contracts to comfort them.
Coach K keeps Prince on the bench.
In recent FIBA competition, both Angola and Australia disrupted China's offense with strong perimeter defense. Angola's smart and quick players kept popping up in China's passing lanes, and Australia's big guards made it hard for China to get easy shots or advance the ball toward the basket. Long-armed and defensive-minded Team USA forward Tayshaun Prince, not likely to be a starter, could really help slow down shooters and keep the ball out of the key.
China's fans give the home team an even bigger lift than they gave the women's team in April.
The USA women were heavy favorites in the finals of the Good Luck Beijing women's basketball test event in April. But when the game tipped off, the American women looked like they were ready to board the plane, while China's women, in front of a packed house at home, played like it was the most important game of their lives. Ultimately, they avenged their 20-point rout by the U.S. two days before. The men will need a really strong crowd to get a similar boost at the Olympics.
China shoots the lights out.
Okay, it's obvious. If you make a lot of baskets, you win. That's why the game is called basketball. But China has some great shooters in Zhang Qingpeng, Li Nan (李楠) and Zhu Fangyu (朱芳雨). If two of them get really hot, the whole floor opens up for China.
Maybe none of these things will happen—although I expect a strong performance from Yao Ming—but if a few of them do, we've got ourselves a game on August 10. Whether you like Adidas ("Impossible is Nothing,") or Li-Ning ("Anything is Possible,") basketball is a great sport for upsets.
Image: Tuhuan.com
Tags: basketball, Beijing Olympics, Dream Team, Olympics, Sun Yue, Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu