frightfiction Chapter 577 China vs. Poland
Chapter 577 China vs. Poland
In Jia Fei's previous life, the game against Poland was a humiliating defeat for the Chinese men's basketball team. Not only was the "Big Devil" (Li Nan's nickname) condemned, but even head coach Li Nan was branded a disgrace in history. The pain of losing a victory that was within their grasp was something they never wanted to experience again.
Jia Fei certainly wouldn't let the "Big Demon King" become a Polish citizen; he wanted to help the Chinese men's basketball team secure a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics in his own way.
The sports channel will continue to broadcast this match live, with Yu Jia and Xu Jicheng providing commentary as usual.
"Mr. Xu, the Chinese men's basketball team won by 30 points in the last game. Poland should be our biggest opponent in the group stage. What aspects do you think we should pay attention to?" Yu Jia asked.
Xu Jicheng said, "The Polish team is a typical European team. The players are tall and strong. We need to pay attention to protecting the paint and try to minimize unnecessary fouls. We must seize any fast break opportunities. With Jia Fei, we should have an advantage in fast breaks. In half-court sets, we must take the shot whenever possible."
The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.
China Men's Basketball Team: Jia Fei, Yi Jianlian, Zhai Xiaochuan, Art Mayok, Zhao Jiwei
Polish Men's Basketball Team: Slaughter, Ponitka, Waczynski, Cher, Hrycanyuk
The Wukesong Arena was still packed to capacity. The Chinese men's basketball team's big win in their first game ignited the fans' enthusiasm for watching the game. Tickets for their games are now extremely hard to come by, and getting a chance to watch the game live is no easy feat.
Jia Fei's entrance still drew cheers from the crowd. In his first game, he clearly played conservatively, not showing a particularly strong offensive drive, yet he still scored the highest points of the game. Most importantly, he helped orchestrate the Chinese men's basketball team's offense; with him on the court, the team's offense flowed smoothly, especially their transition offense, which was very effective. Defensively, Jia Fei could guard all five positions, omnipresent in the half-court, forming a formidable defensive wall with two NBA-caliber centers, Yi Jianlian and Art Mayok, completely shutting down the offense of the strong African team, Ivory Coast.
Previously, there were concerns that Jia Fei wouldn't be able to integrate into the team and carry this group of weak players, but now everyone is relieved. Jia Fei's adaptability is clearly stronger than everyone imagined.
Art Mayork and Polish striker Hrycaniusk prepare for a jump ball near the center circle; the match is about to begin.
The jump ball began, and Art Mayork won the jump ball for the second consecutive game, giving the Chinese men's basketball team possession of the first ball.
Anshan Paul Zhao Jiwei dribbles the ball across half-court.
Paul from Anshan was in a good mood. Although he only scored 4 points in the last game, he was full of confidence because he didn't expect to be the one to control the backcourt when he partnered with Jia Fei, instead of just getting lucky to cross the half-court line.
Paul from Anshan held the ball at the top of the arc, directing traffic. Under the gaze of 18000 fans, he felt as if he were Zhuge Liang, strategizing and commanding with ease.
Space Yi came up for a pick-and-roll, Anshan Paul broke through, and passed to Space Yi!
Space Yi caught the ball and slammed it into the basket, drawing a foul from the opponent!
Yi Jianlian stepped up to the free-throw line and made one of two free throws, giving the Chinese men's basketball team the first point!
Poland attacked, and Wachowski forcefully drove into the paint, drawing a foul from the Chinese men's basketball team!
Wachinkowski made one of his two free throws, tying the game at 1-1!
Anshan Paul continued to handle the ball and run pick-and-rolls with Tian Kongyi, but this time the latter missed the shot!
Poland grabbed the defensive rebound and launched a fast break. Cherke drove the length of the court, and Ponitka, who followed up after the pass, scored a layup!
Poland leads 3-1!
Jia Fei felt that the Polish players were significantly stronger than the Ivorian team in the previous game, both in terms of fundamental skills and teamwork. Furthermore, European players are physically stronger; although their jumping speed may not be as good as African players, basketball is never just about who can jump the highest. Teamwork is a strength of European teams, a quality that even American teams often lack.
Paul from Anshan had the ball, almost made a mistake while breaking through, and passed the ball to Jia Fei.
Jia Fei received the ball and faced Ponitka. After a triple threat, he suddenly pulled up for a three-pointer!
It was very sudden, and it didn't seem to have any rhythm at all. It was just a pure pull-up jumper, and it was a three-pointer out of the blue!
Ponitka naturally couldn't block Jia Fei's shot. Jia Fei's jump shot is rarely blocked by opponents. His release point is high, and his release speed is fast. It is also difficult to judge the timing of his shot, making him very difficult to defend!
The ball hit the net!
3:4, China Men's Basketball Team immediately took the lead!
The fans in the stadium immediately cheered... The majority of those watching the game at the Wukesong Arena were Chinese fans, who were there to support their home team. Every time a home team player scored, they would be greeted with a round of applause. Jia Fei was naturally the most popular player on the home team, even more so than Yi Jianlian.
Chairman Yao was also present today. He sat on the sidelines, flashing his classic meme-worthy smile. Compared to that meme, he's definitely much more prosperous now. He's practically a full-figured woman. Some people gain weight just by drinking water; it's really a matter of constitution.
The Polish men's basketball team is very tough. After Ponitka missed a jump shot, Cher grabbed the offensive rebound and drew a foul from Zhai Xiaochuan!
Cher made both free throws, putting Cherng on the back foot.
Paul from Anshan dribbled over, but was pressed tightly by Slaughter, almost causing him to make a mistake and pass the ball to Jia Fei.
Art Mayork sets a screen, Jia Fei dribbles down the middle and passes to Space Yi near the baseline.
SpaceEd catches the ball and takes a jump shot—but misses!
Art Mayork grabs an offensive rebound but misses the putback!
A chaotic scramble for the ball under the basket!
Space Yi grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it to Paul from Anshan on the outside!
Anshan Paul splits the score with Jia Fei again!
Jia Fei received the ball, faked a shot at Ponitka, and then calmly made the mid-range shot!
The score was 5-6. The two teams traded baskets at the start, making for a lively game. This match was completely different from the previous one, with the opposing team frequently missing shots and struggling offensively.
"Mr. Xu, the Polish team's defense is very strong. What do you think of Jia Fei's current performance?" Yu Jia asked.
Xu Jicheng smiled and said, "Jia Fei played very well. He was calm and his passing and control were excellent. It's clear that he was trying to get his teammates involved in the game, rather than having the other four players just watching him have the ball. This helps improve the team's overall coordination."
Poland attacks, Ponitka's jump shot misses!
The space-saving retractable board was handed over to Jia Fei to push over.
Jia Fei dribbled the ball up the court, executed a crossover dribble followed by a behind-the-back dribble, drawing gasps from the crowd. Suddenly, he passed the ball to the open Anshan Paul!
Paul from Anshan attempted a three-pointer but missed!
Zhai Xiaochuan committed a foul while grabbing an offensive rebound!
Both teams had already accumulated quite a few fouls at the start of the game, but fortunately Jia Fei controlled his fouls very well, so fans didn't have to worry about foul issues.
As for Zhai Xiaochuan and the others, they can go off the court if they commit too many fouls; there are substitutes available.