Chapter 584: Unexpected Ranking of Group B

And in Group A, Greece, which has two wins and one loss and is temporarily ranked second with a small point advantage, and Serbia, which also has two wins and one loss.

The fourth place is Australia, which is temporarily ranked with a small point advantage after one win and two losses. Brazil also has one win and two losses, but lost to Australia before, so it can only be ranked fifth temporarily. However, judging from its next two opponents, Serbia and Longguo, it is unlikely that there will be any changes in this standings, and it is likely that it will not qualify.

Angola lost all three games, not to mention that its next two opponents are Longguo and Australia, which is destined to be eliminated early.

The qualifying form of Group A is currently quite clear, Longguo, Greece, Serbia and Australia.

The next two opponents of Longguo are Brazil and Angola, which are obviously weaker than first-line teams such as Serbia. Even if Lin Dong does not play, this Longguo team has the strength to defeat them, and it deserves the first place in the group.

But compared with the clear qualifying form of Group A, Group B looks much more confusing.

At present, except for the United States team, which has won all three games and is currently ranked first in the group, Japan and Spain are currently ranked second and third with 2 wins and 1 loss, while Lithuania and Argentina are also 1 win and 2 losses, but Lithuania beat Argentina and is currently ranked fourth in the group.

On the surface, it seems that it is only a competition between Lithuania and Argentina for the fourth place, but in fact, the four teams from second to fifth are of equal strength, and the last two games are both strong and weak, so the qualifying situation is still unclear.

Except for the United States, which is as stable as a rock, anyone else may be eliminated, and anyone may advance at any time, depending not only on their own performance, but also on the opponent and the results of other games.

For example, in the fourth round of the group stage, Argentina and Spain, as well as Japan vs. Lithuania, are probably the key battles that determine the final qualifying place of this group.

After all, Japan, Spain and Lithuania need not be said much. Even if Argentina lost one more game to Lithuania, don't think they are weak. In fact, this Argentina is already a big dark horse in this Olympics.

In the first match against Lithuania, the team almost pushed Lithuania into a desperate situation. In the end, Ginobili's three-pointer at the buzzer slipped out of the frame, and they lost to Lithuania by a slight disadvantage of 1 point. It seems that they were just a little bit lucky.

When the US team played against Argentina with the demon sword on the 14th, the whole world thought it would be an easy game for the US team, but they were caught off guard by the sudden outbreak of the demon sword.

Argentina can be regarded as a traditional powerhouse in the international arena, and it is also a frequent visitor and seed team in some basketball leagues in North America. Although its strength on paper looks average, its team basketball and strong confrontational defense are unique. It belongs to the type that you can't see any highlights on the court, but when you really play, you will find that it is very tough and difficult to deal with. If you add a demon sword whose skills have been perfected, there is also a sense of leading the whole. Once all kinds of fairy balls let him open his touch, Argentina will be emotional, and all kinds of inside and outside shots are really hard to defend.

Since the first two games were tough, and the Olympic format was back-to-back every other day, the American team's superstars were actually a little tired and relaxed, and were caught off guard at the start.

Ginobili relied on his understanding of Duncan to frequently attack the inside line, scoring 19 points and 5 assists in a single quarter, becoming the absolute leader of this Argentina team, and really made the Americans a little flustered.

Although the Americans quickly stabilized their position with the offense of Kobe and Durant, they fought against this explosive Argentina and maintained a weak tug-of-war advantage until the last moment.

But after the whole tug-of-war, the score was never pulled too far by the Americans. In the fourth quarter, the Argentines suddenly got a surprise attack from the outside line, and they were almost overtaken.

99:97, the US team only won by 2 points, especially Ginobili's last 3-pointer, which really scared the Americans. If Durant hadn't been tall and long, he would have interfered with the basketball line of the demon sword's backward shot, I'm afraid this game would have been a real regret.

The first two games were already a bit bumpy, and most American fans thought it was because the US team was not in good shape. Now after two consecutive adjustments and two tough games, they thought the US team's state would have been adjusted to a peak, and it should be no problem to play against Argentina, a team ranked sixth or seventh, but they didn't expect it to be more dangerous than the first two games...

Blame?

Not really, after all, they won, all three games, not to mention that the US team's schedule and this group originally belonged to the hell death group. They withstood three tough games, what else can you blame them for?

However, there are also worries. The visible tension and uneasiness make this US team urgently need a big win to wash away the tired heart.

Fortunately, in the fourth round on the 16th, the US team finally faced the only "soft persimmon" in the group stage.

The German team, which has the kings Nowitzki and Kaman, is actually not weak. If it were placed in Group A, it would most likely be ranked in the top three, at least there would be no problem in qualifying.

But in Group B, it has already suffered three consecutive defeats.

What's more terrible is that the remaining two games are against the strongest US team in this group and the top Lithuania in the first echelon.

The Germans probably really understood that there was no hope of qualifying. Even if Nowitzki was at full power, he could not stop the crushing of the American team's superstars, let alone the lost confidence and fighting spirit of his teammates.

101:62, the American team used a full-time rotation lineup, and each substitute played for at least 5 minutes, and defeated Germany wildly, completely killing the last chance of the Germans to qualify.

At the same time, it also gave the United States a rare breathing time after the start of the group stage.

This is not only because the strength of this year's Olympic opponents has improved, but more importantly, these guys are really fighting too hard... Whether it is Japan in the first game, Lithuania in the second game, or Argentina in the third game, every team actually came with the attitude of fighting the United States.

First, because of the group division, when everyone's strength is too close, the final qualification is likely to be won by a small score. If you don't fight and let go when facing the United States, the Americans don't know what it means to stop when you are ahead... They will cut 40 or 50 points on the head of the water-letting team like they taught the Germans today.

You let the other team win, but if they fight, even if they lose, they will only lose 20 or 30 points, and finally win you by a small score, for example, they all have two wins and three losses, or they all have three wins and two losses, and finally replace you to advance to the quarterfinals. Isn't it unfair?

Secondly, because the American team has its own "glorious aura after the challenge, even if it loses", no strong team dared to give up strategically when facing the United States in this group stage. They all fought to exhaustion, which really made the Americans tired.

This is a back-to-back match system every other day. Who can bear it if you fight like this in every game? No matter how strong you are or how many superstars you have, you can't withstand the rotation of others.

What's more, in addition to its own group stage, the American team, in fact, whether it is the coach or the players, has already focused most of their energy on the game against Dragon Country in Group A.

Watching videos, watching players, watching tactics, watching status, there are too many things to study, and Dragon Country people are always the biggest competitor of Americans.

So, it's really fortunate to have Germany... The morale boost and pressure relief brought by the easy game and the big win, for a time, the whole United States teased Nowitzki as a savior.

After the fourth round, Japan once again won Lithuania with a slight advantage, 77:71. Sakuragi Hanamichi's tough inside line caused huge trouble for Lithuania, a traditional inside team. At present, Japan defeated Lithuania 3 wins and 1 loss in the fourth round, and Spain, which also defeated Argentina in the fourth round and had 3 wins and 1 loss, occupied the second and third positions in the group respectively, and has advanced to the next round with the United States in advance.

And Lithuania and Argentina seem to have finally decided the winner.

Although both teams have 1 win and 3 losses, Lithuania’s last match is against Germany, which has Nowitzki but is regarded as a soft target by the other teams in Group B. It is almost certain to win. Argentina will face Japan, the biggest dark horse and a powerful team, and its chances of winning are 50-50 at most.

Secondly, Lithuania has already won the direct match against Argentina, so even if the two teams have the same points in the end, it will be Lithuania that will qualify.

Unless Lithuania loses to Germany, which has completely lost its fighting spirit, Argentina will have a chance to qualify.

Therefore, the group stage seems to have finally been decided.

In Group A, Dragon Country is the unshakable first, Greece and Serbia are tied for second, not only with the same number of wins, but also with the same net points. Australia is fourth, leaving Angola and Brazil, which are fifth and sixth, far behind. The only suspense is the battle between Greece and Serbia for the second and third place in the group in the last match.

In Group B, the United States ranked first, Japan ranked second, Spain ranked third, and Lithuania ranked fourth.

But the world is so wonderful, and the changes in this world often appear in this "seemingly determined situation".

August 18th, the last round of the group stage.

Group A was as usual calm and peaceful.

Dayao and Lin Dong only played half the game, following the principle of Dragon Country never letting the game look bad in international competitions, and easily defeated Angola by only 25 points, winning five games and accumulating 10 points, winning the Group A group stage championship.

Serbia defeated Greece and ranked second in the group with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss. Greece ranked third, and Australia easily defeated Brazil to get fourth, which was exactly the same as the predicted result.

But the ranking of Group B changed dramatically after this round of games...

First, Lithuania played against Germany at 2:30 pm.

Germany, which was already a show match, put down all its mental burdens and fought with Lithuania. Nowitzki's one-legged stand was brilliant in this game. He turned into a superman under the basket. He made 24 of 29 shots, 7 2+1s and a total of 19 free throws, and scored 67 points alone. He carried the entire Germany on his own, 98:97, a slight advantage of one point over Lithuania, retaining the last dignity for the German tank and Nowitzki himself.

The sudden upset broke the calm of Group B first, making Lithuania, which had already appeared steadily, dangerous. As long as Argentina defeated Japan, Lithuania would be eliminated.

Fortunately, in the second game that followed, Japan played against Argentina...

After all, the demon sword is just a demon sword. If you want it to come out of the sheath, there must be special conditions, and it can't explode in every game.

Facing Japan, which is in its prime and quite restrained, Argentina is no longer magical.

Argentina is Ginobili's single-core team, and now Japan is too easy to play against such a single-core team, after all, they have the world's number one all-around defender!

Sakuragi Hanamichi defended Ginobili alone, making him shoot 6 out of 21 shots. Ginobili's iron shots could be heard throughout the game. Without the firepower of the spiritual leader, Argentina's overall level was immediately discounted. The game was no suspense from the first quarter, and Argentina was even more confused in the second half.

118:62, Argentina actually lost a full 56 points and was forced out. The mood of the Lithuanians was like a roller coaster. It was ups and downs, which helped them keep the final qualifying spot.

But just when everyone thought that the ranking distribution of Group B finally ended without any danger, the last game between Spain and the United States, there was another accident, which completely messed up the ranking of Group B.

98:86, Spain beat the United States!

Frankly speaking, this game is an incredible miracle in the eyes of most fans, and it is also a miracle that they cannot understand.

On the surface, the victory or defeat of this game is only because the Spanish inside line Gasol played a balancing effect on the inside line of the US team, and the outside line was fully fired up, and the collective touch was accurate. In the first quarter, 11 consecutive 3 points opened the game. After that, the pressure from Gasol and Gasol on the Americans in the inside line dragged the game and finally became the winner of the game.

But in fact, the game of this game is all concentrated in the inner game of both sides that the fans cannot see.

For the US team, because they have locked the qualification of the first place in the group, after all, even if the Americans lose a game, they can still rely on winning over Japan, ranking ahead of Japan, which is currently in second place, and still be the first in the group, so they are somewhat relaxed in their mentality.

Besides, the last game against Germany went smoothly, and after securing the quota, the attention of the entire American team, from coaches to players, has actually shifted to the Dragon Country in the knockout stage, which further fostered the laxity within the American team, and was caught off guard by the outbreak of Spain in the first quarter.

Then, Spain's unique double Gasol inside line relied on willpower to hold the inside line balance, and all kinds of desperate strong confrontations on the outside line...

The Americans could not have imagined that Spain, which was destined to be the third place, would fight with them in the group stage.

What are you fighting for? Even if you beat me, you lost to Japan in the group stage, and the net score was almost zero, so even if you dragged the United States and Japan together with four wins and one loss, wouldn't you still be ranked third? Then what are you fighting for? Isn't it better to save your little energy for the knockout stage?

Surprise, surprise, confusion, all kinds of complex emotions mixed together, so that even a cautious coach like Old K failed to discover and resolve the crisis in time, let alone the players, so the US team never caught up.

MD, Old K couldn't help but get angry, didn't take you seriously, and you really climbed up the pole, what kind of thinking mode do all the people in Group B have? They really regard Americans as experience bags! !