The so-called Point Differential referred to the ratio of points scored to points allowed among the three teams.
Under the rules, the team with the higher Point Differential ranked higher.
In the three games, China lost to Australia 66–73, USA defeated Australia 98–88, and China defeated USA 87–80.
China Team: (66+87)/(73+80)=153/153=1;
Australia Team: (73+88)/(66+98)=161/164=0.982;
USA Team: (98+80)/(88+87)=178/175=1.017;
The Point Differentials of the three teams were USA Team > China Team > Australia Team.
The final Group A standings were thus set: USA Team, China Team, Australia Team, France Team, Serbia Team, and Brazil Team.
China Team ultimately failed to claim first place in the group as they had hoped, which left the fans somewhat disappointed, because it meant they had lost the easiest path to the Gold Medal.
However, this might not necessarily have been a bad thing for China Team.
A team that stumbled into the finals on luck would most likely end up as little more than a supporting act, while a team that fought through hardship to break out of the pack was the one that truly had the ability to contend.
Besides, finishing second meant they would not run into USA Team early in the Semifinals, and their chances of reaching the finals were not small either.
The Knockout Stage would begin two days later. China Team prepared during the day and rested at night, beginning to adjust their condition ahead of time.
Their training was also highly targeted, focusing on Three-pointers as before.
The Group Stage had been both training and exploration for China Team.
Now they had a basic understanding: if they wanted to win, Tang Tian not only had to perform well, but their perimeter shooters also had to maintain their Shooting Percentage.
Otherwise, if their opponents focused entirely on locking down Tang