Media Commentator: How Beijing Maintains the Mentality and Execution on the Court When Facing Weaker Opponents Needs Improvement

On the evening of October 20, the Beijing men’s basketball team won against the Guangzhou team at home with a score of 105-90. After the game, Beiqing Sports published a summary of the match, and journalist Song Xiang pointed out that Beijing did not play well in this game. He also mentioned that how to maintain a strong mentality and execution on the court when facing weaker opponents needs improvement. Below is the original text:

On the evening of October 20, the Beijing Automotive Group (BAC) men’s basketball team defeated the Guangzhou team, which ranks last, at home with a score of 105-90. Despite their obvious paper strength advantage, BAC struggled significantly, trailing by 7 points at halftime. Fortunately, BAC reclaimed the lead through a flurry of three-pointers in the third quarter. This was the turning point of the game. After the game, BAC head coach Xu Limin stated that the first three quarters were played poorly, with players acting on their own and lacking execution.

The Guangzhou team underwent a reconstruction over the summer, selling many of their core players. The current Guangzhou team consists mainly of young players, and although they acquired former Liaoning team guard Guo Ailun, he has been unable to play due to injury. Additionally, to save costs, the three foreign players they signed are of lower caliber, making them less competitive. In the previous two rounds, Guangzhou lost both games.

However, BAC failed to showcase their strength against such an opponent. Due to insufficient understanding of the opponent and possibly a sense of complacency, BAC performed poorly in the first two quarters. Their offense lacked structure and patience, and their defense lacked the usual resilience and quality. As a result, what was expected to be a one-sided game turned into a surprising 51-58 lead for Guangzhou after two quarters.

Fortunately, BAC’s perimeter shooting improved in the third quarter, with Lei Meng hitting two three-pointers and Omot and Solomon also contributing from beyond the arc. These successful shots quickly gave BAC the upper hand. In the following time, BAC gradually demonstrated their roster strength, giving little opportunity to the opponent. At this point, Guangzhou, who are not adept at playing from behind, easily crumbled under pressure.

Although BAC secured the victory, there are many aspects that need reflection. Especially when facing weaker opponents on paper, maintaining a strong mentality and good execution on the court are areas that need improvement. Objectively speaking, this game was not so much about the opponent playing well, but rather BAC playing poorly.

Notably, BAC, known for their rebounding, lost the rebound battle in this game, the first time this has happened since the start of the new season. Given that BAC has a significant height advantage in the paint, this failure to dominate the boards is unacceptable.