■ South China Tigers player Xu Xin in the CBA game. Xinhua News Agency
This defeat made fans miss Zhou Qi very much
CBA Regular Season Xinjiang 110:88 Guangdong
On Friday night, the top team of the league Xinjiang team played the Guangdong team at home, which is the best matchup in the CBA at this stage. But because of the absence of Zhou Qi and Zhao Rui, the game has a lot less flavor.
What the outside world did not expect was that the Guangdong team lost the battle with a disadvantage of 22 points, and the nine-game winning streak came to an abrupt end. The team made 22 mistakes in this game, and the intensity of the game and the competitive level of the foreign players showed that the team was very far behind the opponent.
Before the game, the coach of the Guangdong team, Du Feng, said that he would go to eat barbecue with the whole team after the game, and I believe that the team was still a little depressed after eating this meal.
The number of foreign aid attacks exceeded that of the entire Guangdong team
Since entering the second stage, the momentum of the Guangdong team has been very good, after the team has won a wave of nine consecutive wins, and the ranking is also rising. For a relatively young team, this is the best time for them to build their confidence.
In this expedition to Xinjiang, the overall atmosphere of the team was still very relaxed, but it was a pity that Zhou Qi did not go with the team.
In the past few years, the conflict between Zhou Qi and the Xinjiang team has been full of turmoil. This contradiction is very related, which directly affects Zhou Qi's status in the national team and the results of the Chinese men's basketball team.
This year, with the joint efforts of all parties, Zhou Qi successfully signed a one-year contract with the Guangdong team, which temporarily put an end to the matter. As the leading point guard of the Guangdong team in the past, Zhao Rui also switched to the Xinjiang team before the start of the new season.
Last night's pinnacle showdown was originally when Zhou Qi and Zhao Rui played against their old clubs, but neither of them played, which made the game a lot less interesting.
After the opening, the Xinjiang team was in the lead, holding a six-point advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Guangdong team has never been able to find the feeling of the game, and the players continue to make mistakes. By halftime, Guangdong had trailed by 16 points.
In the second half, the Guangdong team still did not find a chance to turn the game around, watching the opponent continue to widen the difference, and finally lost the game. In this game, Jones, a foreign aid of the Xinjiang team, scored 20 points and 19 assists, and his number of assists was more than that of the entire Guangdong team (15 times).
Du Feng said after the game: "Everyone is tired, and they are not very suitable for the physical confrontation of the Xinjiang team, our technical movements are deformed after the confrontation, and the team's hitting rate is not our normal level, I hope everyone will adjust it as soon as possible." ”
The impact of Zhou Qi's absence is really too great
Zhou Qi was injured in this year's Men's Basketball World Cup. In the match against the Philippine team, he developed a problem with his lower back, which was later confirmed to be a herniated disc in his lumbar spine, which caused pain and numbness in his lower limbs.
Because of injury, Zhou Qi missed the Asian Games and embarked on a flight to the United States alone, starting a journey of recovery.
After a period of time, Zhou Qi returned to the Guangdong team before the start of the new season, but at that time he was not ready to play, and could only continue to recover as planned.
It is understood that Zhou Qi participated in confrontation training after the first stage of the league and made his Guangdong debut in the game against Sichuan on December 2. It was his first time in 958 days that he was on the CBA stage.
Since his comeback, Zhou Qi has played in five games, averaging 27.2 minutes per game, contributing 20.6 points and 12.4 rebounds. Among them, in the game against the North Control team, he got 27 points and 21 rebounds in the "double 20" data, and the plus/minus reached +15. In that battle, he repeatedly made fouls on the opponent Zou Yuchen and Sampson, and took what he wanted on the inside. After the retirement of the United Arab Emirates, fans have not seen the Guangdong team so strong at the interior level for a long time.
At present, Zhou Qi's body can only be said to have recovered about 70%. Even so, he showed great dominance. Especially on the defensive end, the protection of the basket is unique in the league. It can be said that whether Zhou Qi is present or not, the Guangdong team is completely like two teams.
As the league progresses, Zhou Qi's playing time is slowly increasing, and he is also testing his situation through high-intensity events.
"Injuries are getting better but I'm not thinking too far ahead at the moment, I'm more focused on recovering, playing the game in front of me and finding my form as soon as possible. Zhou Qi said.
Guangdong fans expect that Zhou Qi and Waters can make more internal and external connections, and they also hope that Zhou Qi's energy on the offensive end can be further released. Especially in the playoffs, Zhou Qi's presence can make the Guangdong team's offense more three-dimensional.
In the past two games, Zhou Qi did not travel with the team, but stayed in Dongguan to recover. The loss of the Guangdong team in this campaign made fans miss Zhou Qi very much.
I believe that with the passage of time, Zhou Qi's appearance time and number of appearances will slowly increase.
Weems adds depth to the roster
Since joining the Guangdong team in 2018, Weems has achieved "three consecutive championships" with the team. Then he left the team, first signed for the Shanxi men's basketball team, and this year he also played 3x3 basketball for Shanghai for a while.
However, many fans feel that Weems does not seem to have left the Guangdong team. He is often seen when the team plays at home. On the sidelines, he interacts with the fans from time to time.
No, not long after the end of the Super Three League, the Guangdong team signed Weems back. After his return, Weems changed his jersey from number 13 to number 24 because the number 24 was his sister's number.
"My sister was the first person in the family to play basketball, and she was wearing number 24. I was influenced by her to go into basketball and choose the same number. Being lucky enough to be back this time meant a fresh start, and I switched to No. 24 to encourage myself and hopefully continue the legend of No. 24. Weems said.
You know, Weems is a 37-year-old player who is entering the end of his career. Previously, when he played for the Guangdong team, he and Brooks formed a "Kombat Whirlwind" that swept the league. But as time goes on, it is now difficult for the two to regain their former dominance.
Judging from the existing personnel mix of the Guangdong team, signing a big foreign aid as a reserve seems to be a better choice, and the team's choice to sign Weems is more of a reflection of feelings. There are at least three foreign players in the team, which also increases the bargaining chips for the championship.
"The season is too intense, many players have injuries and colds of varying degrees, and secondly, Brooks is also in inconsistent form, and Weems can come back and integrate into the team faster. After all, Weems has played in the CBA for many years and helped our team win three championships, so he can integrate into the team in the shortest time. Du Feng said.
Yesterday's game was Weems' first game since his return, and he played just 8 minutes and 52 seconds, without two rebounds and two assists. And Brooks, who played nearly 13 minutes, also failed to score, which made Watson, who scored 28 points, a lonely palm.
It can be expected that the Guangdong team will not change much in the use of foreign aid in the future, and it will still be dominated by Brooks and Watson. As for Weems, the help he brings to the team at this stage is more of a spiritual guidance.
■New Express reporter Gao Jing