China's men's basketball team was swept by their archrival South Korea! Let's discuss the issues from three aspects!

The national football team has already missed out on the USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup.

If the men's basketball team cannot make it to the 2027 World Cup, don't be too shocked.

This is definitely not an exaggeration.

According to the schedule, the first stage features home-and-away round-robin matches within groups across three windows (November 2025, February 2026, and July 2026).

The top three teams in each group advance to the second stage.

In the second stage, the 12 qualified teams are divided into two new groups and play home-and-away matches against teams they haven't faced before, carrying over their first stage results.

These games take place during the windows in August 2026, November 2026, and February 2027.

Ultimately, the top three teams from each of the two second-stage groups, plus the best fourth-placed team, a total of seven teams, qualify for the World Cup proper, joining host Qatar for a total of eight teams from the Asia-Pacific region.

Next February, China will face Japan and the provincial team away, and the pressure on the men's basketball team is enormous, no need to elaborate.

Let's not talk about the future for now; let's reflect on the past.

Runner-up in the Asia Cup, where did the problems lie?

If it had to be summed up in four words, it would be: all are problems.

Couldn't score, nor defend effectively.

Have you noticed that whenever we lose, the media always comes up with many excuses:

But the usual "formulas" often boil down to two:

1. Too many games, players are exhausted and out of form.

2. Too few games, lack of match practice, poor condition..

This excuse can be used for all our matches; whether it's a village game or a class match, it applies.

Even when we don't do well in studies, these lame excuses could be used.

But if competitive sports keep relying on such excuses, the situation will only worsen.

China's men's basketball is fortunate; the national football team doesn't even get this kind of treatment...

Such words are very hollow.

If Di Ge talks again about how the National Games affect men's basketball, then writing this post would be pointless.

Another point: did coach Guo Shiqiang even watch the National Games matches?

If he was unaware of the players' extreme fatigue, wouldn't that be a failure in preparation?

But I don't think it's a matter of fitness or form.

That is no excuse for trailing South Korea by over 30 points; it shouldn't come to that.

Let me explain my personal understanding in simpler terms.

1. Mental state

Your attitude when chasing after your crush is different from after you've won her over.

Before you have her, you can be as devoted as you want, doing anything the mother-in-law asks happily and tirelessly.

These life scenarios can be applied to basketball as well.

After winning runner-up in the Asia Cup, the players' mental state changed; it was both an honor and a burden.

Could there be some underestimation of the opponent? Certainly.

Before the match, many fans and media assumed victory was certain... that's not confidence, but arrogance.

Overconfidence leads to defeat.

If you look back at China's classic strong performances, they often came amid widespread doubt and criticism.

Even in 2008, it was the "group of death," and going further back, 1994 was similar.

2. Personnel changes

With Zhou Qi, Zeng Fanbo, and Zhang Zhenlin joining, on paper, the team looks stronger than at the Asia Cup.

But if the roster alone determined strength, the Clippers would have won the championship already and wouldn’t be mocked as the offseason kings every year.

What changes with personnel?

The united fighting spirit.

At the Asia Cup, everyone was "poor brothers," able to endure hardship together; when you have nothing, people can play freely.

But now it's different.

Hu Jinqiu’s post-match remarks confirmed what I said:

“We have lost the fighting spirit and determination we once had!”

3. The new CBA season is approaching

A foreign coach of the national football team was once puzzled.

Why do our players look energetic in the league but seem different when playing for the national team...

Players might think: "What if I get injured?"

“The national team is where you give your all to help fans nationwide realize their dreams.”

Yi Jianlian’s advice is something not all players can live up to.

When Li Xianzhong went wild, I thought if we had a Zhai Xiaochuan, a Zhou Peng, or a Xi Relijiang...

Those veterans would definitely say: "You can damn well bench me, but I’ll get you back."

We’re definitely not encouraging players to act tough, but you have to admit, this is a man's game.

Did Korean players reduce their small fouls? They still use all kinds of hip checks and moving screens.

So, commentator Zhai Xiaochuan said:Our players are still too honest.

Our team has many problems.

Today, we won’t talk about Chinese players' slow pace and rigid style, those old issues won’t change anytime soon.

No need to repeatedly emphasize fundamentals either, since that’s often mentioned.

Missing wide-open shots badly isn’t just a fundamentals issue.

So, let me just mention three points; we are outsiders, so we might not be fully accurate or comprehensive.

But if you understand what Di Ge means, you’ll roughly see why we lost so badly.

Times have changed, and so have the players of this era.