Beijing News On July 3, the 2023 World Cup Asian qualifiers continued in Melbourne, Australia. The Chinese men’s basketball team once again faced the host Australian team. Coach Du Feng led his team to play well for 3 quarters, but collapsed in the final quarter and ultimately lo

Zhou Qi faced off against Australian veteran Dellavedova. Picture/IC photo

Beijing News (Reporter Xu Bangyin) On July 3, the 2023 World Cup Asian qualifiers continued in Melbourne, Australia. The Chinese men’s basketball team once again faced the host Australian team. Coach Du Feng led his team to play well for 3 quarters, but collapsed in the final quarter and ultimately lost 48-71.

On June 30, the Chinese men's basketball team played against the Australian team for the first time, allowing their opponents to score 15 three-pointers, and ultimately lost 69-76. When Du Feng summarized the game, he said, "The opponent is very strong, and the team made a lot of mistakes in the first half. If everyone can do better, there is still a chance (to win)."

After a short adjustment, China The men's basketball team first defeated Chinese Taipei team to advance to the next stage of the Asian qualifiers and developed a more detailed defensive strategy for the Australian team. Without the pressure of record, the boys of men's basketball team let go and used their tough defense and iron-blooded style to create enough trouble for their opponents.

For Dellavedova, the star of the Australian team, the coaching staff arranged for strikers such as Lu Wenbo to closely mark him. As for another former NBA player Thorne Make, Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin also did not Dare to relax even a little bit. At the same time, defenders such as Hu Mingxuan , Guo Ailun , Xu Jie , etc. try their best to limit the opponent's outside shooting.

's highly targeted tactics did work. The Australian team only made one three-pointer in the first half. The scores of both sides rose alternately. The Chinese men's basketball team even took the initiative most of the time. Whether it is Zhou Qi's inside deterrence or the tough breakthroughs of Guo Ailun and Zhao Rui, they all give opponents a headache.

The balance on the court was broken in the last quarter. Due to the high-intensity confrontation that lasted the entire game, the Chinese men's basketball players were extremely physically exhausted and their defensive concentration also declined. The Australian team, playing at home, scored from outside one after another and used a wave of attacks to quickly expand the point difference. After a 26-3 disparity in the final quarter, the victory was finally sealed. Although

failed to win against the Australian team, the Chinese men's basketball team with an uneven forward lineup was not without gains. After two high-intensity confrontations with the world's top teams, the players saw the possibility of competing with their opponents. This is undoubtedly a valuable experience. On July 4, the Chinese men's basketball team will usher in the last game of this window, and then travel to Jakarta, Indonesia, to participate in the 2022 Men's Basketball Asia Cup .

editor, Wang Chunqiu

proofreader, Lu Qian