Chapter 1281 The Opening of the 2019 Men's Basketball World Cup
Guards: Curry, Harden, Lillard, Thompson, DeRozan
Forwards: Durant, Leonard, George, Harrison Barnes
Inside: Drummond, Glynn Draymond, Myles Turner
The 12-man lineup is star-studded, and what's more worth mentioning is that this is the second time George has played for the US team since his last serious injury to the national team.
"It was an accident and it won't happen again. I look forward to bringing back the world championship for Team USA."
George said this in an interview before the expedition.
This passage boosted the morale of the US team and made the American fans excited.
George's play is not only a demonstration of the strength of the US team, but also a manifestation of the patriotic education they have been promoting.
It is no exaggeration to say that this US team may not be the strongest in history, but the national attention and expectations for them are the highest in history.
More than ever, they look forward to the national team regaining the world championship and recreating the glory of the dream team.
But the expectations are far more than American fans. Judging from the squads of the World Cup, every country is like this.
Although this is only the World Cup, its star power is not inferior to the Olympic Games.
Part of the reason for this is that the US team lost the 2016 Olympic Games, part of the reason is Tang Tian's retirement, and part of the reason is that FIBA moved the World Cup to August.
Under the influence of many factors, the popularity of this World Cup far exceeds that of Spain's first one.
On August 15, BJ time, the Men's Basketball World Cup officially opened at the Water Cube Stadium.
Kung Fu superstar Jackie Chan, world-class pianist Lang Lang, and other stars presented gifts for the opening ceremony.
Fiba officials and representatives from various countries also attended the opening ceremony.
The chairman also presided over the opening ceremony, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. This Basketball World Cup is of great significance.
To put it bluntly, if the Chinese team can reproduce the glory of the Rio Olympics and win the Men's Basketball World Cup as the host, it will definitely be the best gift for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
At the end of the opening ceremony, Yao Ming, chairman of the Basketball Association, came out holding the World Cup championship trophy.
His face was beaming.
In the past few years, the Chinese men's basketball team has gone from the draft to the basketball school, liberalized the foreign aid system, and Tang Tian's existence has inspired more people to devote themselves to basketball.
China's basketball population is showing a blowout development.
It is no exaggeration to say that if the Men's Basketball World Cup can win the championship at home, then the influence of basketball in China will reach an unprecedented level.
A piece of prosperity.
After the opening ceremony, the game will start the next day.
The Chinese men's basketball team will also usher in Argentina's first opponent in the World Cup on this day.
The situation of the Argentine team and the Brazilian team is very similar. The former golden generation has retired one after another, and Ginobili has become the chairman of the Argentine Basketball Association.
The old and the new alternate, and the young and old are not connected. In the eyes of most fans, the Argentine and Brazilian teams are training for this World Cup.
Fans are also full of expectations for the Chinese team to win the World Cup for the first time.
The Chinese team's match was scheduled for the evening, and earlier, five matches were played in the other groups.
This also includes Poland and Nigeria who are in Group A with the Chinese team. The match between the two teams will be held in the afternoon.
Poland returned to the World Cup after 52 years. Although the starlight is relatively weak, it ranks 18th in the ranking given by FIBA.
Nigeria sits in 11th place with multiple NBA players.
Coupled with the 8th-ranked Argentina team, the group that the Chinese team is in is not the top lottery group that many fans think.
In the afternoon game, the coaching staff and players of the Chinese men's basketball team came to the sidelines to watch the game.
After the game started, the two teams soon fell into a fierce battle.
Nigeria's players are obviously stronger, but the coordination between them is very poor.
This is also a characteristic of African basketball. Although their skills have improved, it will take time for the overall basketball level to improve.
On the other hand, for the Polish team, the basketball style of the European team is fully displayed, and the tacit understanding on both ends of the offense and defense is very good.
The performance of the team's number one star Ponitka is also very eye-catching.
This shooting guard who was selected to the Nike World Basketball Summit with Guo Ailun in 2011 and led the Polish youth team to the U17 finals, although not playing in the NBA, is one of the best guards outside the NBA.
After halftime, with the overall tactical quality, the Polish team unexpectedly led the Nigerian team with a score of 43 to 32.
Bonitka scored 15 points and his shooting percentage was as high as 70%.
There are no underdogs in the World Cup, and there are no underdogs in Europe.
The Chinese team finished playing Argentina tonight, and the next game will be against Poland two days later.
Watching this game, it is necessary to take this vaccination in advance.
"The next game will be better."
At this time, Li Chunjiang turned to Tang Tian and said.
What he said about playing well is not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of qualifying situation.
If Poland wins tonight and gets a win, then as long as they win one of the Chinese team and the Argentine team, there is a high probability of qualifying.
Judging from the strength ranking, it is obviously a more suitable choice to fight against Argentina.
"Poland may not win."
Tang Tian shook his head.
Nigeria underestimated the enemy in the first half. The head coach used 11 rotations, and the status of the players on the field was a problem.
However, this rotation is also good, that is, the physical fitness will be very sufficient in the second half.
The physical fitness of the blacks is the strongest among all people. As long as they use their physical strength to increase their defensive strength, it will be terrifying.
On the other hand, for the Polish team, although Ponitka performed well, he basically didn't rest much in the first half.
One ebb and flow, as he said, Poland may not win.
Li Chunjiang smiled and said nothing.
Although Tang Tian is the number one player in NBA history, he didn't come from a coach after all, and he still doesn't understand the situation on the court.
Back from the intermission, the two teams continued to play in the second half.
The expressions of the Nigerian team members in the second half were obviously more serious, and after returning to the field, they also significantly strengthened their defensive strength.
I have to say that race is also a huge talent in basketball, Aminu's catch, Metu's dunks, and Okogie's dunks 2+1.
Nigeria's performance was very different from that of the first half.
The Polish team is obviously at a disadvantage in terms of talent, and some are overwhelmed.
In the surprised eyes of Li Chunjiang, Nigeria caught up with the score and finally overtook, and maintained the advantage until the end.
In the end, Nigeria lost first and then won. After playing an excellent second half, they defeated Poland 72-65 and won their first World Cup victory.
After the game, Li Chunjiang couldn't help giving Tang Tian a thumbs up. Sure enough, the gap between the CBA and the NBA can be seen in the coach.
Tang Tian just smiled, but his cell phone rang.
After he picked it up, his face changed drastically, and before he had time to say hello, he hurriedly left the arena, leaving Li Chunjiang in a daze.
What's wrong?