HoopWatch

The Chinese National Basketball are exposing themselves to a lot of international competitions and the western style of play. No wonder they are the supreme basketball power in Asia. Houston Rockets star Yao Ming is so vocal about letting his teammates, especially the guards, play in Europe if they are unable to play in the NBA. European and American players are so fast and so quick. They have good ballhandling skills such that Chinese guards are being stipped-off their dribble, and being left behind.

With this in mind, the Chinese are inviting a lot of American and European teams. The more exposure they get, the better their players will be. Earlier this afternoon, I watched as the Chinese trashed the Alburquerque Thunderbirds. The Chinese have the height, but their guards lacked the quickness and ballhandling skills. I stopped watching when the score read 79-47 in the fourth, in favor of the Chinese. Ex-NBA player Wang Zhizhi was brilliant and superb throughout the game. They played minus Yao who is currently in the NBA. Wang played for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat. I lost track of how much he scored.

The Chinese have improved in their defense, they are long and they have some athletic guys, not to mention their flawless outside shooting. NBA prospect Yi Jian Lian, who is only 19, displayed his length and athleticism. The seven-footer scored on two alley-hoop passes and intimidated a lot of shots. Wingmen Wang Shipeng and Liu Weidong were superb from the outside. They pulled away in the third when they shot four successive triples.

They are set to face the same team on Saturday. We’ll see if the Thunderbirds have adjusted from their “jet-lag.” These games are tune-ups for the forthcoming Qatar Asian Games in November, where they are set to take back the crown, which the South Korean team snatched four years ago. And it will be no wonder if the Chinese regain Asian basketball supremacy once again. They just work so hard. Hopefully, the Philippines will do the same. (pic courtesy of webshots.com)