Quarter Finals of the 2008 Olympics – China versus Lithuania
- Great roars from the Chinese crowd prior to this game
- The boos are lashing down on Lithuania as they take their first shot
- Sun Yue drives into the pant, draws the foul, makes both freebies
- Saras with a lovely no look pass inside to Javtokas for the layup. Turnover China, breakaway layup Kaukenas.
- Long jumper top of the key by Yi
- Yi being defended very aggressively on the high post, Lithuania trying to disrupt China’s passing game.
- Lazy transition defense again from China. Yi missed the sideline jumper, nobody got back, wide open fastbreak layup
- Yao passes over the top to Zhu Fangyu who’s defender was fronting him, lays it in easily.
- Lithuania look the better side over the past four minutes but China are riding one huge emotional wave
- Jasikevicus knocks down a three from the top of the key off the penetration from Lavrinovic on the break.
- Yao fighting hard for position, his teammates can’t get him the ball. Boy is Yao getting after it, he’s using his strength very well. Active and aggressive looking for the ball.
- Sun Yue in the passing lanes to steal possession back, he brings it up, gets it to the point guard and China set up their offense.
Very frustrating. Mains Fault, all my electricity just went out, it’s out in my whole neighbourhood. House alarms galore. Ah darn it …
Okay the electricity is back. I was worried I’d miss all the quarter finals, excellent, in time to tune in for the second half. Lithuania are leading 41-30 at the beginning of the third. Yao just bagged two FTs to being it to 41-32.
- Li Nan starts the third quarter, early post up, loses it out of bounds. Baseline out, Li Nan runs off a screen comes up top, shoots a quick jumper, misses.
- Yao gets a touch dow low, hacked in the post again. Hits two more at the line. He has 11 points now. Liu Wei is second with 7 points, Yi third with 6, three others have four points and nobody else has scored for China. Yi leads China with 8 rebounds, Yao and Lui Wei have 5 apiece.
- Both teams trading jumpers here. Lavrinovic with back-to-back jumpers for Lithuania. Wang Zhi Zhi with a niec move on the right wing, pump fake, one dribble, pull up J, hits it.
- Li Nan wide open in the corner, misses again.
- Timeout, Lithuania lead 48-36 and are on a 5-0 run after China pulled it to 7.
- Lithuania extend their defense in the halfcourt, pressure the Chinese guards and making that entry pass to Yao almost impossible. Excellent defense. Javtokas has played excellent defense on Yao Ming from what I’ve seen today
- Siskauskas (13) and Saras (15) have 28 of their team’s 50 points. Sarunas also has 5 assists. Lavrinovic (6), Kaukenas (6) and Javtokas (4) are the only others with more than 2 points.
- Yao fouled again, hits his FTs again
- China have outrebounded Lithuania 23-17. Those extra rebounds are split evenly on the offense and defensive ends. But they have given those possessions right back in turnovers, China have 11 turnovers, Lithuania only 6. China have taken 6 less field goal attempts as a result of their turnovers, but have 7 more FT attempts to partially make that up.
- Lithuania lead 55-40 as Kaukenas hits a dagger three off the dribble on the left wing. Under four minutes to play in the third. China have to start building some momentum because Lithuania have the Big Mo right now.
- Kleiza comes in and nails another three for Lithuania. China continue to lose ground.
- Yao in the post again, Yao fouled again, Yao hits his FTs again. Yao has 17. Good work big fella. China now have 13 more FTs, Yao accounts for all 13.
- Kleiza fouled, bags two at the line, he has 7. 2 minutes to play in the third
- Du Feng on the drive, hits the runner off the glass
- Lithuania respond right back with a good drive and dish out to Kleiza on the left wing, three pointer hit.
- Sun Yue shakes free, gets inside, tries to score over the top, misses but gets hit on his hand after the shot and they give him the foul.
- High screen and roll, nobody shows to stop the ball, Saras takes it right to the rim, hits the layup
- Yi called for a foul inside, he takes a breather now.
- Javtokas has really impressed me throughout this tournament. The Spurs should try and get him over to the NBA sometime.
- Saras knocks down the three. Lithuania up 70-53. That’s a killer blow just before the fourth quarter to stretch the lead from 14 to 17.
Fourth Quarter
- This game is almost over. Let’s see if China’s shooters can get hot behind the tremendous support their supporters have given them.
- Lithuania have looked very good, they’ll be able to beat Spain. I fancied Spain by a wide margin before this game, but now I think that matchup could be very close.
- First three point attempt rims in and out for China. They ran that whole possession looking for a perimeter jump shot, they didn’t even look to Yao. It’s quite early to play like that. That’s better, inside to Yao, great position, spins middle, doubled, kicks it out, three pointer on the way, it’s good. Sarunas answers right back with a three of his won. Inside to Yao, stripped, loose ball, China get it, they get a good look in the corner, miss. Fastbreak the other way, missed runner, offensive rebound Kleiza, fouled on the putback.
- Klieza now has 13 points. 8 minutes to play, Lithuania up 20 points. Lot of time.
- #15 dribbles it off his foot as he tries to drive baseline, he attempted to step back and take the jumper but smacked the ball off his left foot. China have been going to him over the last few possessions.
- Javtokas with a rolling hook in the lane, good
- Turnover China, Lithuania miss the fastbreak layup, China get it back. They almost turn it over again, keep possession, three pointer on the way, in and out. Not their night.
- 6:30 to play in the fourth, Lithuania up 22. Yao draws the charge on Kleiza, turnover. Lavrinovic back in for Linas Kleiza who looks knackered.
- Great defense in the post once again by Javtokas forcing Yao to go baseline towards the help, keeping him out of the middle, spins baseline, steal.
- Hand off on the right wing, Jasaitis rises up from behind the arc, hits it. His shot has looked very smooth.
- 4:30 to play, Lithuania up 23. They need to score on almost every possession right now and hope Lithuania don’t drain the clock well enough to kill them. Yao bows out for the night. Yi comes in.
This is over. Well done Lithuania. Commiserations China, you battled valiantly but you have too little talent on the perimeter.
