The confrontation between Yi Jianlian and Yao Ming in Washington seems to be still in front of the eyes, the eyes turn, Hu Jinqiu flashes in front of the UAE, and Zhou Qi and Liu Chuanxing continue to play the Chinese derby in Australia, 11 years seems to be only a moment.
On November 11, 2010, Verizon Center welcomed the "missed" winner Yao Ming, who washington had a 2001 draft pick, but Yao Ming, who had become a big draft at the Sydney Olympics, did not run. Nine years later, Washington has a new champion John Wall, and its own big Chinese man Yi Jianlian.
It was Yao Yi's 5th duel, but no one could have predicted that Yi Jianlian and Wizards would become the last opponents of Yao Ming's career. In the 6 minutes, Yao Ming fell to the ground after colliding with Javier McKee, leaving his professional battlefield for many years, while Yi Jianlian shot 6 of 12, 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Yi Jianlian won the Chinese derby with Yao Ming for the first time, but the tragic sound of the change of the times sounded next to his ears.
Fast forward 11 years, Yi Jianlian ushered in another confrontation with Hu Jinqiu, the inner line of the new generation of national teams. Before this season, the UAE League and Daqiu had played 10 times in the CBA, 9 wins and 1 loss, the only loss was the 17-18 season, that is, the year Guangsha reached the finals, Guangdong lost 88-115.
In Hu Jinqiu's career, he had played against Guangdong 14 times in the previous 6 seasons, winning only 2 games, but this season, they doubled Guangdong, which was also the first time in the history of Guangsha team to complete a double kill against Guangdong. Hu Jinqiu, 24, is at the peak of his career, looking back on his journey to fame, and although people are accustomed to calling the tall interior line in the youth competition "Little Yao Ming", more people think that his template is more like the UAE.
Since then, when the young UAE Made his first World Youth Championship, with seven double-doubles in eight games and averaging 18.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, he has caught the attention of NBA scouts ever since. Eleven years later, 17-year-old Hu Jinqiu scored 17.4 points and 12.3 rebounds per game at the U17 World Youth Championship, shooting 56.1 percent from the field.
Hu Jinqiu of the 211CM is close to the height of Yi Jianlian in his youth, and the characteristics of strong mobility are also very similar, of course, compared with the top athletic ability of the UAE Yellow Race, Daqiu is still slightly inferior. However, compared with the UAE League of the same age, he is more concentrated on the cultivation of small techniques under the basket, commonly known as "eating cake".
Hu Jinqiu's ability to eat cakes is superb, and many people think that with this hand, he can even play the NBA.
At the beginning of the rookie, Hu Jinqiu's shooting rate reached 62.1%, and from the second year onwards, he was guaranteed to average nearly 20+ per game, more than 3 offensive rebounds per season, and almost full attendance. However, Hu Jinqiu's premature entry into the field of top-level blue-collar play has made people doubt the height of his career, but just last season, he finally kicked the bottleneck of his career, averaging more than 20 points per game in the first season.
After unlocking the seal, he went one step further this season, raising his season shooting rate to more than 70% for the first time in his career. At present, he has a 72.3% league no. 1 shooting rate, 21.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, all the statistics in terms of shooting percentage are at the top of the league, and what is more frightening is that he only averages 1.2 turnovers per game.
After the major injury, Yi Jianlian has long lost the movement speed and bouncing ability of the peak era, and although he strives to balance the breakthrough of the outer line and the destruction of the internal line connection, he still cannot prevent the ball from reaching Hu Jinqiu's hands, let alone have a big impact on his attack near the frame. When the UAE League came off, the Guangdong guard frame would have to fall a few more stops.
Despite the UAE's hard work on the pitch, it was inevitable to suffer a double attack of major injuries and age. At present, he plays 20.9 minutes per game, averaging 15.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game, which is not bad, but 1.7 turnovers per game, the shooting rate has dropped to 47.9%, which is the lowest shooting rate of his CBA career season (only 3 games in the 11-12 season are not counted).
A major Achilles tendon injury took away his proud athletic ability, and as he grew older, he hung on his calf like a weight. What about the veteran who has been playing in the pro league for 20 years when sweat runs from the UAE League's cheeks to the floor? He should have played health ball like Xu Zhonghao, but now Guangdong is decadent and absurd, and he has to let him fight with Hu Jinqiu shirtless.
It is not a bad thing to be fearful in the afterlife, only to lament that time is always merciless.
Eleven years later, at the Nissan Centre in Brisbane, Australia, the first Chinese derby in NBL history was staged, with 225cm giant Liu Chuanxing sitting at home, like Yao Ming, who was the first in the league. His opponent Zhou Qi, like Yi Jianlian at that time, is also considered to be the leader of the new generation who will carry the banner of the Chinese men's basketball team, and is also his hometown in Henan.
Since Yao Yi's decision, the Chinese men's basketball team has not set off such a derby showdown overseas for a long time. Last time, Zhou Qi joined the Houston Rockets in 2017, then Ding Yanyu went to the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, and Abdul Salam played in the Summer League for the Warriors, at that time, we all thought that the younger generation was finally coming to the forefront, and the NBA's China derby would not be far away.
But after that, Ding Yanyuhang finally drifted away from his NBA debut due to injury, and Zhou Qi was unable to realize his potential in injury, and was finally abandoned by the Rockets, and by the 19-20 season, Abdul Shalamu suffered a major ACL injury. These three young people, who were once very close to the NBA, did not bloom on the other side of the ocean.
The days passed quickly, the defeat in the World Cup, the arrival of the epidemic, and then Zhou Qi and Xinjiang were not happy and dispersed, looking back was all accidents, but also sent Zhou Qi to Australia by mistake. Before meeting With Liu Chuanxing, Zhou Qi averaged 13.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1 steal and 4.2 blocks per game, becoming the NBL block king. It was his outstanding performance that made Australia pay more attention to the height of China, and the NBL official even warmed up for the Chinese derby before the game.
Zhou Qi played as a starter for the South East Melbourne Phoenix, but at the Brisbane Bullets, Liu Chuanxing was only the third center. Before him, the Effective Bullets' main interior lineman Tyler Harrison for many years, and Jack Sauter, a member of the New Zealand national team. Liu Chuanxing averaged only 3.9 minutes per game in the first 5 games, and only scored 2 points and 7 rebounds.
As 11 years ago, the battle was unexpected.
The Phoenix were lost in the away rumble, 28 days have passed since their last official game, while the Bullets also played a 5-point game with the New Zealand Saboteurs six days ago. As a result, the Phoenix team was confused at the beginning, and Zhou Qi even suffered a foul.
When the Phoenix team withdrew Zhou Qi and decided to play a relatively small lineup, the bullet team that had been prepared for the first time took the first height Liu Chuanxing. Such an active adjustment has also become the main theme of the two-person battle, Liu Chuanxing won 11 minutes of time, 6 points, 5 boards and 1 block on 3 of 5 shooting, and Zhou Qi had 2 points and 5 rebounds in 1 of 3 out of 17 minutes.
In the third quarter, the two finally met on the field, Zhou Qi blocked and scored in front of Liu Chuanxing, and Liu Chuanxing turned back to complete the score on Zhou Qi's head. The bullet team with a smooth attack is in a really good state, and Liu Chuanxing, who has been wandering outside the offensive system before, finally has cover, blocking, cutting, making up baskets, etc., and all kinds of actions seem to be the same as before.
Just like Yi Jianlian won the only Yao Yi decision 11 years ago, this battle was also won by the younger side, and the record between the two became 3-4, Zhou Qi temporarily led, but Liu Chuanxing won two consecutive victories. The two people who chased their dreams in a foreign country met to eat together after the game, encouraged each other, and they met and knew each other in their hometowns, fortunately, and the Henan compatriots fought together.
Time rolls forward, Yi Jianlian, who was going to take over Yao Ming's class, has now played in the professional league for 20 years, no one will always be young, but there are always young people on the stage. After Zhou Qi left this season, Hu Jinqiu has secured the throne of the first center of the CBA, and he and the Guangsha team are soaring, jumping to the second place in the league with eight consecutive wins, and for him, the next challenge is the regular season MVP and the vast sea of the playoffs.
Yao Yizhi hurriedly disappeared in the long river of time, once we did not know to cherish, now I want to come to that is the most beautiful story. Whether it is the NBA in the United States, or the NBL in Australia, and no matter how many mocking voices Chinese players have in China, when he represents the image of Chinese basketball, fans are always willing to give them applause.
There are a lot of coincidences in the world, and these two games that are not so closely linked, with a score of 62-90 at the same moment, may be in the dark to tie them together. 4 big men sang a play, 1 veteran and 3 young people, maybe as in the past, someone should take over.
Time doesn't slow down for anyone, veterans' stories will come to an end, and young people have no time to waste.