After 10 years, the Chinese men s basketball team has exceeded the task

On the evening of August 16, the 2025 Men's Basketball Team Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia again reported good news: the Chinese Men's Basketball Team beat the New Zealand Men's Basketball Team 98-84 in the semi-finals. This is the Chinese men's basketball team's second trip to the Asian Cup final after 10 years after winning the 2015 Asian Championships. At 0:00 on August 18, the Chinese men's basketball team will compete with the winner between Australia and Iran for the Asian Cup.

Due to the lack of Zhou Qi, Yang Hansen, Zeng Fanbo and other main players, the prospects of the Chinese men's basketball team this Asian Cup are not favored by the outside world. The team's goal is to strive to stand on the podium. Unexpectedly, this civilian team came to Saudi Arabia, won three games in the group stage, defeated his old rival South Korea in the quarterfinals, and brought down the powerful New Zealand team in the semi-finals. It can be said that the task has exceeded the limit. Some media commented that the team led by Guo Shiqiang can be said to be the best Chinese men's basketball team in the past 10 years.

On the strength list of this men's basketball team in the Asian Cup, the New Zealand men's basketball team and the Chinese men's basketball team ranked third and fourth respectively. Data shows that under the FIBA event system, the two teams have played 7 times in total, and the Chinese men's basketball team is slightly inferior to 3 wins and 4 losses, but the two teams have not yet met in the history of the Asian Cup. In this semi-final, the Chinese men's basketball team scored a 13:0 climax in the second half of the first quarter, unexpectedly leading the New Zealand team by 9 points in the first quarter. New Zealand performed well in the second and third quarters, chasing the score to 66:68 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter of the decisive battle, Liao Sanning and Zhao Rui performed well. The Chinese men's basketball team won 12 points in this quarter and finally won the New Zealand team with a 14-point advantage.

After defeating South Korea in the last quarter-finals, Zhao Rui, as the captain of the Chinese men's basketball team, shed tears for the post-match press conference. He said emotionally that he didn't know how many games he could play in the national team. "Chinese basketball needs young people, and I don't know how many games I can play in the national team. Thanks to my teammates for letting me play another game. I still have a dream that I haven't fulfilled in my heart, and I will continue to work hard for my dream." In the semi-finals against New Zealand, Zhao Rui can be said to have played his best game, playing 24 minutes and 29 seconds in the whole game, contributing 24 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal, including 5 of 8 three-pointers. At the last moment of the game, Zhao Rui burst into tears again when he was replaced and hugged Guo Shiqiang tightly. After the game, Zhao Rui modestly stated that the Chinese men's basketball team won in this game. "We are a team, and I hope our team can be recognized by the fans! We must be ourselves well. In every game (the most important thing) is not to defeat our opponents, but to be ourselves!"

The Chinese men's basketball team "below" defeated the New Zealand team in the semi-finals. The head coach Guo Shiqiang's arrangement and on-site command are remarkable. In this game, all 12 Chinese men's basketball players were given the opportunity to play, and 10 players scored, of which 5 of them scored in double digits. Hu Mingxuan, who had been starting before, performed poorly against the South Korean team and came on as a substitute in the semi-finals. As a result, he put down the pressure and scored a high level, making 3 of 5 three-pointers and scored 13 points in the game. The 20-year-old young player Wang Junjie, who started, still performed stably, scoring 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in the game. Liao Sanning, who had been fighting before, also let go of his hands and feet with Guo Shiqiang's encouragement, especially the several breakthroughs in the fourth quarter were very threatening.

The victory of the Chinese men's basketball team is exciting. Ma Jian, a famous Chinese men's basketball player, commented: "Congratulations to the Chinese men's basketball team for entering the Asian Cup final again ten years later. While congratulations, what I want to say is: This is the position and achievements that the Chinese men's basketball team should have. Looking at the entire Asian basketball, no Asian country has the strength to compete for gold and silver in Asia than us. Chinese basketball needs a big picture, and it has only reached the final stage. As a former national player, what I hope is not only to stand on the podium, but to play the national anthem, come on, Chinese basketball." In fact, no matter whether the Chinese men's basketball can stand on the highest podium in this Asian Cup, Guo Shiqiang and the civilian team he led have been successful.

Reporter: Li Fujie Editor: Li Fujie Photography: Xinhua News Agency Proofreading: Gaoxin