Imagine guangsha and Guangdong launching a strong duel, and then Sun Minghui can't fight, who do you think will win? Close your eyes and guess, probably 99% of fans will choose Guangdong. There is no offense to Guangsha, but the importance of Sun Minghui to the team is self-evident. As the team's only backcourt engine, it has averaged 16.8 points, 8.9 assists and 2.21 steals per game this season, and the latter two statistics are the first in the team. The absence of such a player has a huge impact on Guangsha.
But just last night, the Guangsha team really encountered such an unfavorable situation. Sun Minghui played 8 minutes in the first quarter and was expelled for two inexplicable and wonderful fouls. However, they "put it to death and live later" and won the powerful Guangdong team. It is true that the poor state of Guangdong is a factor on the one hand, several core players in the team played for the country, and after returning, they were quarantined, and there was almost no preparation time for the toss, which also affected the run-in of the whole team. But the opportunity given by the opponent is secondary, and it is more important to be able to seize the opportunity. Guangsha seized this opportunity, so how did they seize it? There is only one answer, and that is Zhao Yanhao.
In last night's game, Zhao Yanhao played 39 minutes, 7 of 16, 15 of 18 free throws, a game-high 32 points, plus 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, the performance can be described as quite comprehensive. We look at several key nodes where he stood out, from the first quarter after Sun Minghui came off, Zhao Yanhao scored 11 points, 10 points and 11 points in the next three quarters of the game, and played in each quarter to help the team maintain its leading edge over Guangdong.
In the second half in particular, the defending champions' counter-attack momentum was quite fierce. At one point in the third quarter, they forced the point difference to 8 points, but at this time, Zhao Yanhao stepped forward. He started with a Curry-level dribble for three-pointers and hit a steady shot. Then immediately snatched Zhao Rui's hand, and it was another quick attack, scoring 5 points in a row to stabilize the situation and pull the point difference back to the safety line.
In the fourth quarter, Guangdong took out a tight posture of the whole field and was turning the tables. The oppressive defense also allowed them to make 5 mistakes early, and the clever Zhao Yanhao saw such an opportunity and repeatedly broke through to the inside line to fight free throws and impact the Guangdong defense. Such a choice proved to be the right one, and he got 10 free throw chances, hit 9 of them, and saved the hope of a Comeback again and again.
Of course, the game was not won by one person, in addition to Zhao Yanhao's excellent performance, Hu Jinqiu's stability is also crucial. Facing the three generations of the UAE League, Su Wei and Xu Xin, Hu Jinqiu had no fear, and efficiently cut a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds on 8 of 9. Hu Jinqiu has always been so stable, there will be no particularly abnormal performance, and he has always maintained the strength of the national team. If Hu Jinqiu's stability plays a foundational role, then Zhao Yanhao's play determines the upper limit of the team.
It can be said that Zhao Yanhao has really transformed after this battle. From that genius teenager to an all-round defender who can stand alone, the offensive end is three points accurate, the breakthrough is sharp, and the defensive end has excellent judgment and smell. It can also be seen from the game that Zhao Yanhao's core strength is very good, but his body is still slightly thin and needs to be strengthened. In the domestic arena, he has proved himself. Hopefully, he will continue to improve and shine on a bigger stage in the future.