Chapter 585 Semi-Finalists List!

The Americans' confusion is obviously just preconceptions and their minds have not turned around for a while.

Why is Spain working so hard?

For the Spaniards, this problem that puzzles Americans cannot be called a problem at all.

Spanish coach Aitor García Reinces is not only a top coach in La Liga, but also in the entire Champions League. Together with Jonas, he is regarded as a double pride among European coaches. .

What he is best at is statistical analysis. The so-called scientific management of the team is one of his characteristics.

And when the news came that Japan had defeated Argentina by a huge score in the afternoon, Aitor's brain immediately reflected all the key points.

With Japan and the United States also tied for first place with 4 wins and 1 loss, and the United States defeated Japan, Japan defeated Spain, and Spain defeated the United States, the ranking depends on the net performance of each of these three teams. Winning points.

Yes, even if Spain defeats the United States, it is impossible for Spain to win by a big score, and the previous few games it won were just as stumbling as the United States. Even the weakest Germany failed to get a big point difference, and the point difference is destined to be at the bottom, so no matter Whether it beats the United States or not, Spain will definitely be in unbeatable third place. This is why the Americans don't understand why they are fighting.

However, except for the victory over Germany, the United States struggled in several other games, and the points difference was actually not much.

But what about Japan... They didn't lose much when they lost to the United States, but they beat Argentina by a full 56 points. In terms of points difference, Japan was actually above the United States!

In other words, if Spain wins the United States, the ranking of Group B will be Japan first and the United States second...

Although Spain is still third and this has not changed, the result will very subtly determine the schedule of the subsequent knockout rounds.

Because according to the schedule, the 123 players in Group B from Japan, the United States, and Spain will face the 2, 3, and 4 players in Group A in the first round of the knockout round. Judging from everyone’s current state, they are almost certain to pass. Yes, after all, if Spain can't even pass Serbia, then everything will be in vain.

But what about the semi-finals in the second round?

The winner of the second place in Group B and the third place in Group A will face the winner of the first place in Group A and the fourth place in Group B. It will definitely be against the Dragon Kingdom. To say that Lithuania can now compete in the knockout rounds Defeating the Dragon Kingdom is a fantasy!

Therefore, whoever is second in Group B will definitely beat Dragon Kingdom in the semi-finals.

The winner of the third place in Group B and the second place in Group A will face the winner of the first place in Group B and the fourth place in Group A.

Therefore, whoever comes first in Group B will be able to play against the third-placed team in Group B again in the semi-finals.

If it wins the United States now, it can kidnap the United States to second place in Group B and meet the Dragon Kingdom in advance in the semi-finals. If it loses to the United States, Spain will meet the United States again in the semi-finals. This equally terrifying opponent...

If you win, you can have a smooth journey in the knockout rounds and go to the semi-finals to face Japan, which is of equal strength. Then Spain has a good chance of advancing to the finals. It is even possible that because the Dragon Kingdom and the United States will fight in the semi-finals, both sides will lose and pick one. Ready-made and cheap to win the championship!

Lose, that is, Japan, which is second in the group, will face Dragon Country in the semifinals, and Spain itself will face the United States again in the semifinals. By then, it will face successive relaxed games and its state will be fully released when entering the last two games, and The US team has a psychological advantage over Spain and has already won one victory. Spain will have no hope of victory.

If you win, you will have smooth sailing, but if you lose, you will be doomed to fall in the semi-finals.

Because the American team has won all the games so far, it has not yet thought of relying on the net points to determine the ranking. However, a data king like Aitol feels like a mirror. Isn't this enough?

So on one side was Spain, which had shown its strength after seeing hope, and on the other side was the United States team, which was still surprisingly confused in a relaxed state, and its attention was obviously not on the group stage anymore. The desire to win and preparation on both sides were completely absent. On a certain level, this outcome is actually not a surprise...

As for the US team, it wasn't until after the game that Old K analyzed the net score and discovered the big hole Spain had dug for itself.

Frankly speaking, Old K was also a little bit dumbfounded.

He really never thought that after winning four games in a row at the beginning of the group stage, he would encounter such an embarrassing situation and be tricked by Spain.

Of course, the American mentality is different after all.

Facing the Dragon Kingdom was their ultimate goal for this Olympics, although not facing them in the finals made this seem somewhat imperfect.

But what does that matter?

"I've been waiting for that day for two whole years..."

In the players' locker room, Kobe Bryant laughed when he heard the ranking analysis and knockout analysis that Old K had just brought. There was no trace of displeasure or depression on his face. Instead, his eyes were bright and exuding waves of excitement. Guang Guang: "Now this day has arrived two days early, which really makes me feel a little itchy."

"I still can't see where that guy's limit is." Wade also said with a smile: "But this is the most interesting part."

"Is it still interesting if you can't understand?" Kevin Durant's eyes widened. He has full potential, but his vision and realm are far from being compared with Kobe and Wade who have experienced the Lin Dong era. He said completely Can't understand.

But Kobe laughed and extended his fist to bump with Wade, because only he understood the real meaning of Wade's words.

In the past two years, by following the pace of that person two years ago and learning from the height of that person at that time, Kobe and Wade have evolved to the current level, making them feel that they have finally appreciated some of the scenery that person has seen.

So, if that person has been standing still for the past two years, both of them will feel that this will be the best opportunity to defeat each other, which is naturally a happy thing in life.

But what if that person has improved again?

Judging from the current group stage Dragon Country video, although that person's skills are the same as two years ago, they always make Wade and Kobe feel that there is something inexplicable spreading and growing in him, making the two more and more afraid to easily give that person a conclusion of "whether there is no progress".

And if that person really has a breakthrough again... Wade thinks that it will be something that makes him more excited.

Because he and Kobe have never been the kind of players who only pursue results and honors, but have always been eager to be stronger.

But the two knew very well that if they had not seen the height of that person, they would not have been able to reach the realm they are today by following his footsteps, let alone stepping into a higher realm, which was something they could not even imagine.

Unless... that person could show them a clear path to pursue with a stronger performance!

So, this is the most interesting part.

"What did Longguo say?" Old K also laughed, looking at his two favorite players: "The brave win when they meet on a narrow road. The encounter with Longguo in the semi-finals can be called a narrow road encounter, but seeing that you have this mentality and fighting spirit, I feel relieved."

"The Spaniards did a good thing. This will be a wonderful semi-final." Kobe Bryant said with a smile: "I have been looking forward to it, and this day is finally coming!"

…………

Aitor Garcia-Rences, the famous Spanish coach, was one step ahead of everyone's calculations. After the group stage ended and the final ranking was announced, he finally became widely known to the world in the analysis of various experts.

This undoubtedly attracted unanimous abuse from the fans of Longguo and the United States. After all, both sides were actually afraid of each other and felt that their teams were not sure to win when they met their opponents.

But it also ushered in the cheers of the whole of Europe and Japan.

The hard power is there. Longguo and the United States are the only teams in the world. It is a great fortune for the Spaniards and the Japanese to avoid encountering them in the semi-finals and let the two sides fight a life-and-death battle first.

Coach Anzai, Sakuragi Hanamichi, Rukawa Kaede, and even the entire team and all the fans in Japan are already excited.

This is the final... the final of the Olympics!

For the Japanese team, which used to be a luxury to participate in the Olympics, this is simply something that the entire Japanese men's basketball team and fans dare not even dream of, but now it is already within reach!

It is true that it will be a tough battle for Japan whether it faces Spain or Serbia in the semi-finals, but Japan has already beaten Spain in the group stage, so it has a psychological advantage and is familiar with the opponent's style of play. The chance of winning is at least 50-50, which is much better than facing Longguo and the United States!

So steady as Coach Anzai, he wanted to jump up and hug Aitor Garcia-Rences and give him a big bite.

Of course, excitement is excitement, but it will only last for a while. The knockout round has not started yet, and we should calm down quickly.

After all, it is an Olympic knockout match. Even if the opponent is Australia, the second-tier team recognized as the weakest among the four semi-finalists in Group A, there is a possibility of capsizing if we are not careful.

Everyone has to hold their breath and sprint towards the limit of fate.

On August 20, the quarter-finals officially started.

At 2:30 pm, the match between B2 USA and A3 Greece officially started.

After losing to Spain, the US team was questioned a lot in China. It was thought that this would affect the US's state to a certain extent, but surprisingly, the loss made the US team relax the nerves that had been tense in the group stage due to the tight schedule, and all the players entered a peaceful state.

From the first ball of the whole game, the US team showed absolute dominance and super competitive state. The rhythm of entering the game was quite fast, and all the super giants were in full firepower. The single explosion at each point forced Greece, which was originally a complete team basketball, to be cut into individuals. It only took one quarter to beat the Greece led by Jonas.

112:63, the US team defeated Greece and advanced to the semi-finals first.

And then at 4:45 pm, the second game of the quarter-finals was played between A1 Dragon Country and B4 Lithuania.

Just as everyone had estimated before the game, the Dragons, with Lin Dong, defeated Lithuania without any suspense, but Lithuania's resilience also penetrated the Dragons' defense to a certain extent.

Thanks to their understanding of the Dragons and their targeting of the Dragons.

This Dragons team has a very obvious and easy-to-grasp point, which is the change in rhythm when Yao Ming is on the court and when he is not.

The completely different styles between positional warfare and space small ball tactics make Longguo always have some flaws and gaps and discomfort in rhythm when it just changes its lineup. Although Longguo often relies on Lin Dong to open the situation and make a smooth transition at this time, it also makes this time point a loophole that can be captured.

At the same time, when Yao Ming is on the court, the opponent will play fast break with you, and when Yao Ming is not on the court, the opponent will play positional warfare with you. This seems to have become the consensus of all teams when playing against Longguo. In short, it makes you uncomfortable.

Lithuania can be seen to be well prepared. Even if it loses in the end, it doesn’t want to be too embarrassed. In addition, it was too smooth in the previous group stage, which made Longguo unable to end the game early.

108:97, although Longguo won a small victory over Lithuania, because of the score, because of the process, and because of several loopholes that were obviously exploited by Lithuania, Longguo’s overall evaluation and the winning rate against the United States in the semi-finals also dropped slightly.

——See, Longguo is actually not as strong as you think, but they are too easy to be divided into groups.

Less than an hour after the game, when the third quarter-final match was still in progress, such remarks were already flying all over the sky.

The third quarter-final match, A2 Serbia vs. B3 Spain, started at 8 pm.

After defeating the United States, Spain, which seemed to have suddenly opened up its Ren and Du meridians, was obviously in high spirits and all the players were in good shape, so they did not leave too many opportunities for Serbia.

After all, Serbia had lost a lot of vitality in the bloody battle with Greece two days ago, and it has not yet fully recovered. The increase and decrease in strength made the result of this game actually predetermined.

99:85, Spain suppressed Serbia from the first quarter to the end of the game, and the whole process was safe.

And this result further verified people's previous inference: Group A is too weak! In this way, Longguo seems to be slightly weaker than the United States. They did not have as much ease as the Americans when playing against Greece in the group stage.

As for the fourth game, which started after 10 pm, B1 Japan vs. A4 Australia, it seemed even easier.

The fierce analysis before the game was just based on creating topics and the historical results of the two teams, but ignored the truth that you should look at people with new eyes every three days.

This Japanese team is a completely different team from the previous Japanese national team...

With a promising future, the Japanese team was in a state of chicken blood, and the difference in hard power between the two teams made Japan lock the victory in the first quarter.

According to the tradition of the Japanese team that if they can win 100 points, they will never win more than 99 points, which is destined to be a game with a big score.

114:73, Japan beat Australia by 41 points.

So the semi-final list of the semi-finals has been completely finalized.

At 8 pm on August 22, the Dragon Country team, the winner of A1, will play against the United States team, the winner of B2.

At 10:15, the B1 winner Japan will play against the B3 winner Spain!

The result is already determined. The early encounter between Dragon Country and the United States has already attracted the attention of all basketball fans in the world.

All fans know very well that this semi-final is almost equivalent to the final! Whoever wins will most likely be the Olympic champion!

Finally... this day has come!