87-80! Chinese Men's Basketball Team Stages Comeback Against Japan! Zhao Jiwei Erupts with Super Performance

"Watching you play is truly painful."

Since finishing as runners-up in last year's Asian Cup, it seems they've forgotten how to play basketball.

In the second window of the World Cup qualifiers away against Japan, they trailed 33-47 at halftime, down by 14 points.

The situation was almost identical to the two losses against South Korea in the first qualifying window: the offense was stagnant with poor team chemistry, often relying on individual efforts, while the defense was limited, allowing opponents to execute effective plays for easy scores.

Additionally, the Chinese team's outside shooting was abysmal, going 2 for 11 from three-point range in the first half, a dismal 18% accuracy, with He Xining and Li Hongquan each making one three-pointer.

Of course, Japan also shot poorly from deep, also 2 for 11 on threes, but as mentioned, their team play was efficient, dishing out 13 assists with only 3 turnovers in the first half, compared to China's 8 assists and 7 turnovers...

It's said the Chinese team trained throughout the Spring Festival holiday, but the results seem minimal.

In the second half, the Chinese team likely woke up after some harsh words, transforming completely with an explosive performance. They fired on all cylinders with fluid coordination and stifled Japan's offense with their defense, unleashing a 25-9 super run in the third quarter to erase the deficit and take a 58-56 lead into the final period.

That's right, the Chinese team held the home team, Japan, to just 9 points in a single quarter.

The Chinese team carried their third-quarter momentum into the fourth, continuing their dominant play. Led by Zhao Jiwei, the perimeter players rained down shots, shattering Japan's defense, and withstanding officiating pressure to complete a stunning comeback, winning 87-80.

It's particularly worth noting that Zhang Zhenlin was DNP'd for the entire second half. In 8 first-half minutes, he recorded no stats and was repeatedly scored on by Yuta Watanabe in isolation.

The next game is on March 1st, where the Chinese Men's Basketball Team will face Chinese Taipei in Manila, Philippines.