Yi Jianlian: China must learn from home defeat

DONGGUAN (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) -In front of his adoring fans, Yi Jianlian appeared to be single-handedly keeping China’s unbeaten record in the Asian Qualifiers intact.

Against a gritty New Zealand in the second window on Friday, a herculean Yi scored 19 second quarter points in a one-man show much to the capacity crowd’s delight in Dongguan. The Chinese superstar and former NBA player could not be stopped as his sweet-stroke drained threes complemented by a slew of pretty moves to the rim through jaw-dropping athleticism.

Despite Yi’s incredible 24-point first-half explosion, China only led by one-point at the long break in a clear sign the gritty Tall Blacks – who suffered a surprise home defeat to Korea in the first window – would not go away.

As the game wore on, Yi tired slightly and lacked support as a turnover-prone China crumbled under the sustained defensive pressure from the Tall Backs. China were outscored 27-12 in the final period to fall 82-73 and suffer their first loss of the Asian Qualifiers after winning both games in the first window. New Zealand have now leapfrogged China into top place of Group A.

Even though he was clearly tired towards the end, Yi still finished with a game-high 37 points and 6 rebounds. After a hot start from deep, Yi faded from long-range and only made 3-of-9 from three but shot 13-of-24 from the field overall.

It was clear Yi lacked support with only Zhou Peng (17 points) scoring more than 6 points in a jarring difference to a well-balanced New Zealand outfit superbly led in the backcourt by Corey and Tai Webster.

After suffering a setback, Yi said it would be an opportunity for China to evaluate the defeat and learn from their mistakes. Most notably, China had 15 turnovers including repeatedly coughing up the ball down the stretch. They also made just 6-of-22 from deep and struggled to take advantage of New Zealand’s bold strategy of leaving them open from beyond the arc.

“We need to go back and review some of our errors tonight, especially at the critical moments,” Yi said after the game.

The 30-year-old said the team had limited preparation coming into the game and had to adapt on the fly. “This is the first time that we had a short-term training,” he said. “In the past, our national team used long-term training to prepare for matches. Now we only have five-to-six days to be ready. We need to get used to it as soon as possible

“To keep us all together in a short time and understand what happens on the court (is a challenge).”

China may have suffered a painful loss and let a golden opportunity to maintain their winning record slip, but they will be confident of bouncing back against winless Hong Kong on Monday, who have suffered three hefty losses including a 21-point hammering by Korea on Friday.

Even though they will enter the game as hot favorites, China will be determined to keep improving during this precious time together. With a determined Yi Jianlian leading the way, you feel China will be in safe hands.

FIBA