Making Progress! Chinese National Team Narrowly Loses to Cavaliers in Internal Scrimmage; Smallest Margin of Defeat in US Training Camp

On July 16, the Chinese National Basketball Team, currently undergoing training in the United States, played an internal scrimmage against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After four intense quarters, the Chinese team narrowly lost 68-71, marking the smallest margin of defeat during their US training camp.

Prior to this, the Chinese National Team had participated in three summer league games and subsequently engaged in two internal scrimmages with the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, respectively, losing all matches. According to Zhou Peng, a media personality, this game against the Cavaliers was divided into four quarters, each shortened from 10 minutes to 8 minutes.

In the first half, the Chinese team kept pace with their opponents, tying the score at 13-all in the first quarter and trailing by only four points (28-32) at halftime. In the second half, both teams continued to battle closely, with China trailing 46-52 at the end of the third quarter. In the final quarter, the Chinese team remained competitive, and with just 10 seconds left in the game, they were down by only two points. However, they ultimately lost 68-71.

Although it was another loss, the three-point margin was the smallest during their US training camp. Throughout the six games played during the US training period, the Chinese National Team’s margins of defeat have decreased with each match, indicating ongoing improvement through competition.