Kawamura Eiki's words seemed to have some effect.
The players lifted their heads, and eventually even raised their fists and chanted their slogan.
"Long live the Japan Team!"
The game between the two teams tipped off at 8 p.m. the next day.
The Japan Team showed its fighting spirit right from the start.
They hit two three-pointers in a row.
But those were the only two they made.
Once the China Team realized that the Japan Team's morale hadn't fallen too far, Wang Yi immediately suggested taking Cui Yongxi out and putting Zhang Yu in.
Zhang Yu's defense made things very difficult for the Japan Team's wings. With Wang Yi's defense added to the mix, the Japan Team's guards couldn't even dribble the ball past half court.
First, they committed an eight-second violation. Then came a shot-clock violation.
On another possession, with the shot clock about to expire, they had no choice but to pass the ball to Hachimura, who managed a desperate shot.
The China Team seized the chance to launch a fast break after each of those three possessions.
The score was tied at 6–6.
For the next full five minutes, every player on the China Team seemed to have every buff stacked.
They all threw themselves into defending.
The Japan Team was undersized, and its main offensive weapon was the three-pointer.
The China Team knew this, so they extended their defense all the way to the three-point line, stopping the Japan Team from getting off any threes.
Of course, that left the lane open for drives. But whenever the Japan Team drove inside, they found Pang Bo, the Titan Beast, waiting in the paint.
As a result, the Japan Team couldn't get much going inside.
For the entire five minutes, the China Team locked the Japan Team