This Canada Team had serious chemistry issues. Otherwise, they would not have struggled so much against the Brazil Team yesterday.
Chemistry was an extremely crucial part of basketball.
Unless a team was truly leagues above the rest in strength, like Tang Tian or the Dream Team, it was very difficult to win simply by relying on paper strength.
The 2019 Men's Basketball World Cup was the best example of this. Popovich led a group of NBA starters and rotation players, yet they ultimately finished only seventh.
Thompson clearly had a flawed understanding of basketball.
That night, the China Team and Canada Team faced off at Wuhan Sports Center.
The arena was packed once again. This was a battle for the championship, and the fans looked even more excited than they had yesterday.
During the Entrance Ceremony, Tang Tian's head-patting ritual pushed the atmosphere to a new peak.
Chinese fans had an astonishing ability to latch onto trends.
Moreover, the China Team players reacted completely differently from yesterday.
Yesterday, they had been half-willing. Today, they were fully enjoying it.
After having his head patted, Abudushalamu even high-fived Ding Yanyuhang and roared with him, delighting the on-site fans.
The starting lineups for both teams were announced one after another.
The China Team had the same starting lineup as yesterday: Tang Tian and Ding Yanyuhang in the backcourt, Abudushalamu and Zhai Xiaochuan on the wings, and Yi Jianlian at center.
It was clear that after yesterday's game, Li Chunjiang was very satisfied with this starting lineup.
For the Canada Team, Nas adjusted the starting lineup, with Murray no longer starting.
Cory Joseph and Alexander formed the backcourt, an arrangement clearly aimed at Tang Tian.
Wiggins and Dwight Powell remained the forwards, while Tristan Thompson started at center.
The game was about to begin,