Coach: China can't afford any mistakes
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China cannot afford any mistakes in its must-win game against Puerto Rico on Tuesday, according to head coach Bob Donewald Jr.
"We took on Puerto Rico in New York and we know how good they are," he said after China's 83-73 defeat of Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday. "They have a number of players with NBA backgrounds. We know how talented they are."
China, which is 1-1 at the FIBA World Championships in Turkey, lost 92-76 to Group C foe Puerto Rico in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden on Aug 15.
In order to take a measure of revenge and earn a crucial second victory, Donewald said China must learn from the past.
"We know how a tough match it's going to be. We are a young team and we have to get focused quickly," he said. "We made some mistakes in New York and we cannot afford to make the same mistakes again. If we can do that, it's gonna be a good game."
Defeating Puerto Rico (0-2) is likely China's best chance at securing a place in the knockout stage, with Russia (1-1) and Turkey (2-0) posing difficult tests.
Yi Jianlian, who led the team with 52 points and 23 rebounds in its first two games, was confident about China's chances on Tuesday.
"Yes, Puerto Rico plays very good basketball. But you will get the chance (to beat them) when you have all minds on the game and still fighting," the Washington Wizards forward said. "As long as we keep playing like we did in the first two games, we will have a very good chance."
Yi struggled mightily in the New York exhibition, scoring 11 points on 3-of-15 shooting in 31 minutes.
Nevertheless, he said the hard work during a difficult string of losses in the run-up to the Worlds is now paying dividends.
"Now our team is in its prime after we discovered problems in the warm-up matches. We've been working hard to improve and fix our problems," he said.
Wang Shipeng, who scored 25 points against Cote d'Ivoire, said the team needed a breather after playing two high-intensity games in two days. China took a rest day on Monday, going swimming and relaxing in lieu of training.
When it comes time to tip off against Puerto Rico, though, Wang said China would be ready.
"We are fighting hard and have had two very good matches. When the chance (to defeat Puerto Rico) comes, we will not let it go. If we beat them, we have a good chance to get into the next round."
China is third in Group C, holding a narrow edge in points over Russia. The top four teams in each group advance to the knockout round.
A youthful China arrived in Turkey without Houston Rockets star Yao Ming and a fresh-faced squad, seven of whom are making their Worlds debut. Still, the team's fighting spirit and leadership from Yi give Donewald hope.
"We are the youngest team in the tournament. We are fighting hard and we show good chemistry," the coach said. "I'm proud of them.
"I'm also lucky in coaching. You know, coaches in all different levels, they are lucky if they have a great player. I'm now lucking into a great player. I'm very fortunate to have Yi. He is a great player and a great leader."
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