Chapter 1218 Zhou Qi Missed the World Cup Due to Injury

In the previous game against the Spurs and Rockets, Zhou Qi sprained his knee in the last game.

It didn't seem serious at the time, but news just came out yesterday that he had a serious knee sprain and was expected to be sidelined for half a year.

He will not be able to return until at least October, the preseason of the new season.

In other words, he will definitely not be able to play in this year's Men's Basketball World Cup.

This news is bad news for both himself and the Chinese team.

There are only three inside players that the Chinese team can play in the World Series, Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhelin and Zhou Qi. Now if one of them is injured, it will be a big problem.

Zou Yuchen was originally a star of hope, but he was seriously injured during a warm-up match a few years ago.

"Shen Zijie is not bad, and Abdul can also play the fourth position. I think the world of basketball is now using small and fast players and focusing on shooting. This is not fatal."

It is a fact that Zhou Qi cannot fight. Tang Tian said this to give Yao Ming confidence.

And what he can't say is that Zhou Qi's performance in this World Cup in history was very bad, and there were even scandals like Yao Tou Tan Qi and Nan Ci Qi Jiu.

Although with him here, these may not appear again, but from an open perspective, Zhou Qi cannot fight, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Tang Tian's persuasion was still effective.

In addition to Zhou Qi's matter, there is another thing related to the Men's Basketball World Cup.

Prior to this, Yao Ming also had private exchanges with Tang Tian on the selection of the national team head coach.

Because it was a reform, there was a lot of pressure from the outside world. When the red and blue teams were originally led, only Du Feng and Li Nan participated in the election.

However, under Tang Tian's strong recommendation, Yao Ming made a special trip to Zhejiang and invited Li Chunjiang to come out.

Later, Li Chunjiang also successfully led his team to win the Asian Games championship, proving his strength.

However, because of his coaching style, some players in the team now have conflicts with him, and some players even protest and cannot stand it.

Yao Ming also came here for this. Changing coaches temporarily is definitely a taboo, but when problems arise, they must find ways to solve them.

"I think you have to stand up and speak out for Li Chunjiang and support him. Although he has a fiery personality, this will be very useful in the World Series."

Tang Tian also gave Yao Ming advice.

Most domestic players play in the CBA. The foreign aid mechanism set up to protect the players can ensure the interests of domestic players, but the players are too comfortable.

Practicing casually is too much, and many of them forget that they are fighting for their country.

Just like when Gong Luming dared not to use Sun Yue, now anyone who has any objections can just don't want to use him.

Anyway, Tang Tian is here, and the Chinese team is now an Olympic champion team anyway, so there is no need for the confidence of role players.

And the fiery coach has been proven in the national team, not only Li Chunjiang now, but also Deng Huade before, and even Fan Bin of the youth team.

If you don't scold these players, they may remain floating in the sky and never come down.

Yao Ming accepted Tang Tian's suggestion.

After seeing Yao Ming off, Tang Tian greeted others one after another.

After finishing his work, he stayed with Olson and his children and did not go to team training.

When the team was about to leave the next day, he said goodbye to Olson and his children and headed to San Antonio with the team.

The familiar place has not changed much from when he came here last year, or even from when he first came here.

This is also a characteristic of American cities. Compared with the changes in domestic cities in a few years, most cities in the United States have changed very little.

Upon arriving in San Antonio, the Pelicans arranged training that afternoon.

Stevens really takes this series seriously.

However, high-intensity training can also cause accidents, and Gasol accidentally sprained his foot.

Although it's not serious and he can play tomorrow's game, it still sounded a wake-up call to Stevens.

He ended the training session early.

The next day, the first game of the Pelicans-Spurs series began in San Antonio.

The ATT Arena was packed.

The Spurs performed exceptionally well this year, and unlike during the GDP period, wings like Leonard and George obviously have a better style of play.

This has also made San Antonio's football market unprecedentedly hot.

Just like the joy on the face of the team owner ccx who came to the scene, the fans are confident that the team will win this year.

Moreover, when the on-site camera showed the scene to the sidelines, Duncan and Ginobili were also photographed in suits and ties.

Two Spurs legends came to watch the game.

During the pre-game warm-up, in addition to greeting Leonard, they also went to the Pelicans to greet Tang Tian, ​​Parker and Green.

The current series looks a bit like a Spurs civil war.

After the players warmed up, the scene entered the opening ceremony, and the starters of the two teams were announced one after another.

The Pelicans have a regular lineup, with Brogdon and Tang Tian on the outside, Green and Davis on the striker, and Gasol at center.

The Spurs have changed their lineup, with White and George on the outside, Leonard and Aldridge on the striker, and Baynes at center.

On this past trade deadline, the Spurs found a way to bring back Baynes, an old player.

And Baynes has changed from the last time he played for the Spurs, that is, he can shoot three-pointers.

The season's 34% three-point shooting rate is relatively good among big men.

This is also an important reason why Popovich went to great lengths to trade him back.

Now using Baynes and Gasol to face off, Popovich is prepared for a rainy day.

The game started quickly amid the cheers of the fans.

Gasol made a successful jump ball, giving the Pelicans an opportunity to attack first.

Tang Tian was locked up by George and Leonard at the beginning, and Popovich was really cruel to Tang Tian.

The Pelicans' first offense ended with the ball reaching Gasol at the top of the arc.

Gasol's three-point shot was interfered by Baynes' return defense, and it missed a little too much.

I don't know if it was affected by the sprained foot in previous training, but his touch didn't look very good.

Looking back, the Spurs' first wave of offense failed to score.

The Pelicans showed a very high defensive quality at the beginning.

Moreover, Popovich changed his formation temporarily, and the team's cooperation was not as smooth as before.

The two sides set the tone for the game from the beginning, and a defensive battle broke out on the field.

The referee's penalty scale was relatively loose, and the confrontation on the field was also fierce.

There are not many points scored in this kind of game, but it is very enjoyable for the fans to watch.

A duel between masters is not necessarily a back-and-forth confrontation.

The two teams played half a quarter, and the score on the field was 11 to 10, with the Pelicans leading.

Perhaps because he didn't train well in the past two days, Tang Tian felt average tonight and missed two consecutive long-range shots. Coupled with the restrictions of George and Leonard, he only scored 4 points.

The fierce confrontation on the field continued, and at this moment, an accident occurred on the field.

Gasol fought against Aldridge on the defensive end and sprained his foot while exerting force.

The sprained foot is a habit, which is obviously related to the sprained foot during training, but the sprained foot is more severe, and he is directly carried off the field by his teammates.

Stevens then called a timeout.

The score is tight and Gasol's injury is bad news for the Pelicans.