Hangzhou heartbreak fuels China’s Gilas rout

China did not want to simply beat Gilas Pilipinas in their group stage encounter in the men’s basketball event of the 20th Asian Games last Monday in Nagoya.

They wanted to do it in an emphatic, embarrassing fashion.

Chinese forward Wang Junjie revealed that the wounds created by Gilas Pilipinas’ dramatic victory over them in their semifinal duel in the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou have yet to heal so they went all out to hammer a masterful 44-point conquest, 105-61, that did not only dethrone the Filipinos but also put the national team program, headed by coach Tim Cone, under fire.

Wang, who led China with 20 points and 14 rebounds, was candid when asked about the huge margin of victory.

“Considering the result of the previous Asian Games, when it came to the Philippines, we didn’t let them off at all,” Wang said in his postgame interview, adding that they took advantage of the fact that the Filipinos were missing several key players compared with the previous Asian Games.

He added that their dominance was not simply a product of hot shooting.

“My shooting touch was actually just average,” he said, explaining that his energy and aggressiveness on the court helped compensate while crediting their offensive rebounding and overall defense as the keys that paved the way for the rout.

Wang stressed that they had an extensive preparation to make sure that they will be able to knock the crown off Gilas head after they were humiliated in their home court in 2023.