They may not be very good but to say that they don't have heart just because they are not a good team is dumb.
yuantian, why don't you find pryuen? the GARM has been infested with newbs and fans who don't respect the Rockets heroes. I'd rather have him post pictures of Yao taking out the garbage than then read some of the garbage by the scrubs.
i have no idea where he went. maybe during the off season, he has to work harder to make up all the time that he spent posting all those threads. i am going to China next week though. i will just ask around and see if anyone knows where Pryuen is.
The Ming destiny By Zhao Rui (China Daily/The Olympian) Updated: 2008-05-16 15:28 http://en.bcnq.com/olympics/2008-05/16/content_6690724.htm Led by NBA all-star center Yao Ming and rookie Yi Jianlian, China's men's basketball team is looking to rewrite history at the Olympics. Jonas Kazlauskas' side is hailed as the best Chinese national team ever, with two current NBA players and one former NBA regular in the form of Wang Zhizhi. Their Olympic goal is clear - to go beyond the quarterfinals and reach a new altitude at the Games. But they have a mountain to climb as China will face US and World Championships winner Spain in the group stage. "We have a very clear goal, which is we have to make the top eight," Yao said. "There are no weak teams at the Olympics because all of them consist of the best players from their continents, so I don't really care about whether we are in a 'group of death' or not. "I am a player, so I just want to play as hard as I can and try to lead my team to realize this goal for the Chinese people. "Certainly there are teams in our group that we are not on the same level with, but I believe there are opportunities and they are there for us to pursue." China was drawn with the two powerhouses in Group B, which also includes African title-holder Angola and two qualifiers that will emerge from the 12-team Olympic qualifier to be held in July in Greece. Basketball has recently become China's most popular sport, with massive support and exposure from an estimated 350 million fans. However, aside from an eighth-place finish four years ago, it has never sparkled on the world stage and is short of talented players besides Yi and Yao. The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), a nationwide hoop league, has been criticized by state media for the low grade of its players and performances. It has also come under fire for being poorly managed, despite having generated several elite athletes since the 1990s. The CBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) this year, Zhu Fangyu, only averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game at Athens 2004. His stats improved slightly to 7.2 and 3.6 at the World Championships two years later in Japan. But Yao, who is in rehab after undergoing ankle surgery in Houston recently, believes China has what it takes to reach its Olympic goal. "You cannot call it a goal if you can reach it easily," he said. "The improvements we have made over the past four years give us confidence that we will be able to play good basketball at the Games. "The team has played more international games than before and all the players are more experienced and they have a lot of knowledge about their overseas rivals. Hopefully, this time in our homeland, we can surprise fans and ourselves." The 21-year-old Yi, No 6 in last year's NBA draft, is expected to be Yao's right-hand man. He hopes to lay his nightmare in Athens to rest and rewrite the slate in Beijing this August. As China's youngest-ever player at the Olympics, the then 17-year-old struggled as China raced to its best-ever eighth-place finish. The skinny teenager averaged a miserable 2.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in the four games he started against international powerhouses. In response, Yao publicly slammed Yi and his teammates for their lack of "motivation and no winning desire at all". "It was not a pleasant memory for me," Yi said. "I was too young to handle the things on and off the court. I tried my best, but all I could do was just be pushed away by those European big men as I struggled to score a point. I was very disappointed. "I take the experience as a motivator for me. After spending a season in the NBA, I am a lot stronger now and have a better understanding of the game. "I am so happy to have a second chance to play at the Olympics. Right now I'm just steeling myself for it, I'm working hard in practice to get my skills up and ready for the Games. It definitely helps that I have this NBA experience." Interesting article I found. But I still think the CNT will get pasted by Team USA to be an afterthought on the pavement.
i just want yao to get 40, 20, and 5 with a facial on dwight howard. that will give him confidence to come back and dominate like he used to offensively.
They are not as good as USA team for sure. But they don't have heart. They dare not say 'I want the gold.' They dare not say 'i want a medal.' What their goal is 'Top 8.' It's the meaning of no heart in my dictionary no matter who you think is dumb. It's the behavior of a typical coward.
At least they are realistic. Top 8 maybe. Medaling maybe out of reach with Team USA, Argentina, Greece, Spain, and Russia. However, never underestimate the power of home court advantage.
Any difference from some of our fans whose goal is for the team to make it to the Conference Finals or just get past the first round? It's called being realistic and aware of your own limitations. The one who calls other people cowards anonymously on the internet are the real coward which is you.
Well, you have also said... Isn't it funny that Yao has been the one who keeps telling the media that their goal is "Top 8". But you said he is the only one who has heart...LOL It is obvious that you pulled the 'no heart' thing out of your ass. Then after someone called you out, you scrambled to find something to back yourself up. But you have come up with a very poor example which makes your whole argument become senseless. Macfu is a A-hole at times. But I have to agree with him here that you are not a very bright person.
Wait, why is China in the same group as the US? I mean, for all the money that gets thrown around for the Olympics, couldn't they make a deal to put China in a group of scrubs? It's really going to look stupid if China can't even get into the top 8.
Thanks to Wang ZhiZhi who drew the wrong ping pong ball not once but twice. First he put us into a group with USA and Spain then he failed to draw Australia (one of the weakest opponents) into our group. Can't blame Wang since he helped landing Olympics to Beijing though. You only need to win 2 games out of 5 to gain a spot in the final 8 knockout stage. Now in Group B, Angola is the only team we feel comfortable with. Think about the possible teams for the remaining 2 spots in Group B: Greece, Brazil, Germany, Slovenia and Puerto Rico. Very unlikely to defeat any one of them, isn't it? I guess you won't see Yao playing in full throttle against USA nor Spain. These will be his first 2 legitimate competitions after the long rest, better let Yao to recall the intensity and warm up for the upcoming 3 matches.
I doubt China can beat Australia now with all their Euro based players and Bogut available for selection.
china on home-court, with "help" from the ref and everything, never underestimate them, they might not win the game, but they will make a good game out of it.
Go USA! I hope the Chinese team loses most of it's games so Yao can play as little as possible. Perhaps that will also make him realize that he doesn't need to go back and play for the crappy CNT every freakin year.
Your logic is dumb. If you really wish Yao play less for the CNT in the future, you should hope that they have a good showing in the Olympics and achieve their goal. If they lose most of the games like what you pray for, it will only motivate Yao to keep going back to do more in order to accomplish something for his people. Yao is a warrior and he won't give up so easily like you. Use your brain.
