Xinhua News Agency reporter Cao Yibo, Wu Bowen, Pan Xiaolong
At the final whistle, Li Xiaoxu threw up the basketball high. Liaoning swept the Zhejiang team at 4:0 on men’s basketball and won the third champion of the Chinese men’s basketball professional league (CBA) in young pioneer team history, in the Liaoning Stadium, the “one, two, three, four, I love Liao basket” echoed one after another “.
During the carnival, Yang Ming, the coach of Liaoning team, took a sip of water and sat quietly by the court. After a long season, Liao basket finally stood up to the pressure and defended successfully. The 37-year-old young handsome finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Difficulties and maturity
“This year is a very difficult year. This season is full of many uncertain factors, but with their tenacious fighting style, everyone has pulled back from unfavorable situations several times, it is really not easy to win this championship.” Yang Ming said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency, “this season has been experienced and sublimated for everyone.”
As the defending champion, the Liaoning team is undoubtedly the team that has been studied most thoroughly by opponents. There were the siege of the old rivals Guangdong team and Guangsha team before, and the catch-up of the newly rising Zhejiang team and Shenzhen team after that, in addition to many unfavorable factors such as the transformation of the competition system, the injuries of the main players Han De Jun and Guo Allen, the late return of foreign aid Morland and the downturn in the third stage of the regular season, Liaoning team is very difficult to defend.
Despite many difficulties and challenges, Yang Ming said that Liaoning team is a “mature team” and knows “when to do things”. “Our main players have rich experience and strong adjustment ability. We will make a comprehensive summary from the aspects of skills and tactics, attitude and enthusiasm through video analysis of the competition.”
In the fierce competition in the playoffs, the maturity of Liaoning team began to highlight. In the most difficult semi-final, the Liaoning team, which was 1:2 behind the big score, had already stood on the edge of the cliff. In the fourth game against Guangsha team, Liaoning team was still 8 points behind at the end of half time. When they came back from the dressing room, the team’s spirit was different, and finally the climax reversed to win.
“When I was in midfield, I told everyone that I would play this game as the last 24 minutes of this season and make all the energy on the court.” Yang Ming recalled, “the young players in the first half also gave the old players sufficient adjustment space, so in the third quarter, burst made such a state.”
Stress and passion
At the press conference after winning the championship, when asked about the pressure of being a coach, Yang Ming joked: “from the changes in my image in the past three years, I knew how much pressure I had.” Yang Ming, who had a handsome appearance during the player’s period, gained a slight fortune in the third season of coaching, and his eyes were full of fatigue.
Liaoning team is one of the most watched and expected teams in the league. Almost all away games have enthusiastic Liao basketball fans to cheer up, this gave Yang Ming a lot of “sweet” pressure. Yang Ming said that he had spent a long time adjusting himself and finally made up his mind to hold the spirit of Liao basket first.
“The reason why Liaoning team is loved by everyone is not only the victory or defeat, but also (because) never give up on the court. Every goal is a must, and the attitude towards the victory and defeat is very strong.” He said, “as a coach, one is to think through the details and strategies before the game, and at the same time encourage athletes to carry the pressure on the coach, the players will let go and fight hard.”
But once on the court, Yang Ming, who was passionate about teaching style, seemed to forget the pressure. He would shout to celebrate the goal and also use exaggerated body movements to vent his dissatisfaction.
“Basketball is a passionate sport. There are some games and some time periods, which need to infect athletes with emotions to let them know the importance of the game and let them fully exert their vitality on the court. Sometimes, passion is enough to make up for the lack of ability.” Yang Ming said.
Persistence and inheritance
In the finals, when Guo Allen, the main general, was absent due to injury, Zhao Jiwei, the “strongest brain” of Liaoning team, not only revitalized the team in organization, but also brought his offensive characteristics to the extreme. Yang Ming, who was also a guard during the player’s period, could hardly hide his appreciation for the fans: “To reach the final (finals), the guard is very critical, because he controls a lot of ball rights, sorting out attacks, organization, he controls the low tide and high tide on the court. When Jiwei was on the court, the coaching team was very assured that the most valuable player in the finals was well deserved.”
In addition, Yang Ming also mentioned that Li Xiaoxu and Han Dejun, the veterans of Liao basket for 18 and 16 years, played a “decisive role”. “They all completed this season with the hidden danger of injury. One is to overcome it with their feelings for the team, and the other is to guarantee their physical health with the training of self-discipline at ordinary times. Their ability, experience and desire to fight for victory are very strong. At every critical moment, the barrier formed by these two people inside the line brings the team a sense of sureness.”
The top-level back-court combination, well-formed internal veteran, top professional look foreign aid, and Zhang Zhenlin, whose wings are gradually becoming, Liaoning team has a clear age structure and a deep lineup. If the existing players are retained, let people inevitably have the reverie of “Dynasty. In this regard, Yang Ming said that he did not care about the concept of “Dynasty”, and the focus of his work was still on playing well and defending his title.
Looking forward to the future, besides extending the sports life of the old players through strict systematic training and injury control, Yang Ming also hopes that the young players can grow rapidly and take over the banner.
Yang Ming revealed that in order to ensure the depth of the rotation lineup, the medieval era and young players were the key points of the team’s excavation this summer. “We are a competition mechanism, and there may be young players on the team in summer to compete in a healthy position. (We) will screen according to the status and team needs.”
Although the young players have not met their expectations, what makes Yang Ming happy is that their momentum is quite consistent with the spirit of Liao basket that he has been sticking.
“Some people say that the ‘untouchable fourth quarter ‘strong reverse’ is actually the spirit of fighting every ball and never giving up. It is an instant to give up, but it is not easy to reverse strongly. People often think that when the ball is gone, Liao basket will burst out with fighting spirit, which will make people see light and energy. This is a special attribute of this team. I hope it will never be lost, everyone has always maintained high morale.” Yang Ming said.
(Participating reporters: Li Zheng, Zhang Yifei, Wu Zhuang, Yu Sihui)