To be honest, I really don't want to see Japan basketball get stronger and stronger, but the reality is that it happens.

In the first group stage of the Olympic Games, Japan lost to Germany by a large score. But Germany is the favourite, and Japan has been absolutely praised for its spirit. Japan even won 3 rebounds from Germany in the end, and the lack of height to make up for it is the concept that Japan basketball has always implemented.

Japan lost to France in extra time last night, and if you watch the whole game, you will know how unfortunate Japan lost was. Trailing by 7 points in the first quarter, it was not that Japan did not play well, but that France was too accurate. But in terms of accuracy, Japan is not bad at all. France hit six three-pointers and Japan hit four.

By the time Japan tied the score in the second quarter, France still had six three-pointers, while Japan's three-pointers had come to 7-of-14. Japan won by 2 points in the second quarter, tied in the third quarter, and even won by 5 points in the final quarter against France. It can be said that apart from the disadvantage in the first quarter, Japan won over France in the last three quarters.

So much so that in the decisive moment of the final quarter, Japan once led France by four points, but a 3+1 with very slight physical contact changed everything. Judging from the replay, Yuki Kawamura just put his hand on the France player and took it away for a moment, but still gave the referee a chance to blow the penalty.

There is nothing to say, this is the home whistle, which is completely different from the 3+1 that the women's basketball team gave to the opponent two days ago. You can't give the referee a chance to blow the whistle, you have to admit it if you give it, and after the game, Kawamura Yuki didn't dwell on this too much, and he generously admitted it.

Last night's Kawamura was like a superman, if Hachimura's 24 points were the capital of Japan's stalemate with France in front, then Kawamura's performance of 29 points, 7 boards, 6 assists and 1 steal on 6-of-15 three-point shooting was the biggest reason why Japan almost beat France in the end.

It was Kawamura's resolute three-point shooting that disrupted all the defensive arrangements of France, and even forced France to remove the twin towers of Gobert and Wemban for a time, and the effect of naming the big one was excellent.

The 172cm Yuki Kawamura and the 167cm Yuki Tomiyatsu, when they defended Wembanyama, the visual impact was extremely strong, and it was simply a sense of déjà vu for college students beating elementary school students in the broadcast screen. The plot of the dwarf almost overturning the giant is enough to make people's blood boil, and the regret of the final chess mistake makes the whole plot more full.

In extra time, Japan's stamina finally started to dry up, and I thought they wouldn't be able to play in the second half, but they held out until the end of regular time, which was incredible. Wembanyama began to take over the competition, and Japan eventually lost to the hosts.

France has Wembanyama with 2.24m and Gobert with 2.16m, and Japan's tallest is Hawkinson with 2.08m. France had 47 rebounds as a team, Wembanyama 11 and Gobert 15. However, the entire Japan team also scored 39 rebounds through active scrambles, including 7 for Yuki Kawamura, who is 1.72 meters tall.

Growing up, we were taught the idea that height is more important than everything else, that the big man should stand under the basket and grab the board, and the small man should stand on the outside and wait. But Japan's basketball proves that height is far from everything, and the spirit of hard work is the ultimate survival on the court.

When the 172cm Yuki Kawamura and the 167cm Yuki Tomiyasu hit three-pointers against Wemban and Gobert, the two top big men in the NBA defense, does height still matter? All fearless, resolute hearts are greater than anything else.

After the game, Yuhiko Inoue, the author of "Slam Dunk", praised the Japan team for the first time: "It was a great game. I am proud of the performance of the representative of Japan. The whole world thinks we deserve victory. The challenge for the top eight continues. France is also great. Congratulations. ”

This is a plot that Yuhiko Inoue, who originally painted "Slam Dunk", could not have imagined, the Japan national team is infinitely close to defeating the host country powerful France at the Olympics, and the diminutive leader Yuki Kawamura amazes fans around the world. When the blood shines into reality, it is what Japan basketball looked like last night.

Ironically, at the World Preliminary Round earlier this year, the Japan men's basketball team defeated the Chinese men's basketball team, which was their first victory over us in a major international competition since the 1936 Olympic Games. The Japan men's basketball team, which can basically be called the second team, has been playing hard.

And the Japan men's basketball team with this all-main lineup of the Paris Olympics, at this stage, do we have a way to compete? Once the distance is widened, if you don't catch up, the gap will only get bigger.

Japan has similar, even inferior physical conditions to us, and their naturalized player Hawkins is certainly not as good as Lee Kaier, why can the Japan men's basketball team do what those three-point and rebounding scrambles, why can't we do it? Compared with these, the mentality of the Japan men's basketball team that is not afraid of strong opponents and upward challenges is more valuable.

Speaking after the game, Kawamura said, "If you don't have a strong belief in winning, you can't beat those strong teams. We fought until the very end, but I guess the reason I lost the game was because of that mistake on my point guard. ”

Last year's victory over Finland by Japan and the near-victory over France by Japan this year would not have happened without the belief that they would have won. As a fan, I only hope that the gap between Japan basketball and Chinese basketball will not be as far away as football in the future.