Sports/Olympics / Basketball
China runs into Great Wall ahead of Olympics
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-08-28 09:06
SAITAMA, Japan Aug 27 - China's high hopes for its basketball team ahead
of hosting the 2008 Olympics took a hit on Sunday, as the team was
humbled 95-64 by Greece in the world championship.
Asian champions China, the youngest team in the tournament's second
round, had hoped for success in Japan as a jump start to medalling at the
Beijing Games.
"The team needs experience, we need more games like today," said head
coach Jonas Kazlauskas. "It should be good for the team to go to Europe
and play against a European-style defense."
The Chinese squad finished with a 2-6 record and only made it to the best
16 when a last second three-point shot beat Slovenia.
On Sunday against Greece, a 12-point early Chinese turned into a 30-point
rout in the second half when they could not handle the Greek pressure.
Houston Rockets center Yao Ming came into the game with the best scoring
average among all world championship players, but finished with 10 points
and eight rebounds.
The 2.26-metre NBA All-Star showed no lingering impact from a broken foot
suffered in April, but the team had no answer for the undefeated Greek
side.
"For sure we will become more mature, especially by playing against the
pressure defense at the Greek team's level," said Zhu Fangyu, who
finished with 12 points.
"In the future if we can play more games like this, it will help us to
have more experience."
After finishing eighth at the Athens Olympics, China wants to medal at
home and head coach Kazlauskas said prospects remained bright.
"It's not like we have nothing, we have a lot of young talented players,"
he said. "This (result) is really important for the Olympic Games."
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