GOOD DEFENSE IS THE KEY

Yi Jianlian of Team China goes for a
slam in file photo.

For Team China, there is actually life after Yao Ming. Going into their eight finals or round-of-16 encounter with powerhouse Lithuania, Washington Wizards big man Yi Jianlian took time to reflect on the surprise run of the Chinese team in the group stages of the FIBA World Championships and his thoughts in the next round, according to FIBA.com.

“We have played some good games. We have played well from the beginning, but we are lucky to have made it to this round. I am very happy for the team and for my teammates. We have fought hard. We have shown in every game that we want to win. The coach tells us to keep our focus and believe in ourselves. He brings energy to this team.

“We have played well in our last four games and we have to keep doing that in our next game. We need to be focused on the court, play good defense and take care of rebounding. I think if we do that we can do well.”