basketball game fans might all be looking forward to an exciting match on the evening of August 17th. The bronze medal match of the Men's Basketball Asian Cup is about to start, with Iran and New Zealand competing for the third place is actually full of看点.
New Zealand's Semi-Final Collapse
New Zealand's performance in the semi-finals was really disappointing for their fans they must have felt. They were leading for most of the game, but in the last quarter, they suddenly couldn't keep up, and lost 12 points in that single quarter, which directly causedthem to lose to the Chinese team 84-98 and miss the final. Although布里特 tried his best, scoring 21 points and getting 6 assists, and 金 also contributed 19 points,米尔纳 and 卡梅隆 each had 11 points, but the effort of a few people couldn't make up for the team's overall decline in the final quarter.
After the game, many people were talking about New Zealand's three-point shooting, which has always been their strong point but completely failed this time. They shot 33 three-pointers and only made 9, with a命中率 of only 27%, which is really低 compared to their usual level. And the 22 fouls they committed throughout the game kept sending the Chinese team to the free-throw line, allowing the opponent to score easily, which is also an important reason for their loss.
Iran's Tearful Farewell to the Final
Comparing to New Zealand, Iran's semi-final experience was even more miserable they really had a hard time. They were completely suppressed by the Australian team from the beginning, and finally lost 48-92,a huge 44-point difference, which is like a crushing defeat. Looking at the score sheet, it's really hard to believe, the second and third quarters they scored less than 10 points each, which shows how bad their offense was at that time.
Iran's shooting performance in this game was also terrible, the whole team's shooting percentage was only 27%, and the three-point shooting percentage was even lower at 15%, which basically means they couldn't throw the ball into the basket successfully. Such a low offensive efficiency made it impossible for them to compete with the strong Australian team, and they could only watch the opponent advance to the final helplessly.
Iran's Group Stage Dominance
Although Iran lost badly in the semi-finals, their performance in the group stage was still very eye-catching. They won all three group matches, defeating their opponents with relatively large scores each time, and finally secured the top spot in the group and directly entered the quarter-finals, which at that time made many people think they had a chance to冲击 the championship.
In the quarter-finals, Iran also showed their tenacity, facing the Chinese Taipei team, they were behind in the first half, but they adjusted in time in the second half and successfully reversed the game to enter the semi-finals. At that time, everyone thought伊朗 could continue to create miracles, but they didn't expect to encounter a strong Australian team in the semi-finals and suffer such a big defeat.
New Zealand's Key Players' Form
For New Zealand, the form of their key players is crucial for this bronze medal match. 布里特, as the core of the team's offense, needs to maintain the scoring output from the semi-finals and also pay attention to reducing turnovers to avoid putting the team in a passive position. 金, who performed well in the last game, also needs to continue his good state and help the team scoring.
In addition to the scoring players, the role players of New Zealand also need to stand up. The three-point shooters must find their touch, improve the three-point命中率, so that the team's offense can be more diverse. And the inside players need to strengthen their defense, reduce the number of fouls, and not give the Iranian team too many free throw opportunities like they did against China.
Iran's historical advantage against New Zealand
When it comes to the match between Iran and New Zealand, looking back at the past, Iran has a slight advantage. They have played three times before, and Iran won two and lost one, which gave them a little心里上 advantage. The last time they played was in a friendly match in June 2016, where Iran beat New Zealand 75-72 by 3 points。
This historical record may make Iran's players feel more confident before the game, but after all, that was a long time ago, and the current team lineups of both sides have changed a lot. New Zealand will definitely not be satisfied with the "historical disadvantage" and will try their best to reverse the situation in this game. So the historical record can only be a reference, and the actual result still depends on the performance on the court that day.
The Bronze Medal is Not to Be Missed
For both Iran and New Zealand, this bronze medal is still very important they both want it badly. After missing the final, winning the third place can at least comfort the players and the fans, and also save some face for the country's basketball. So there's no doubt that both teams will go all out in this game, and it's going to be a fierce battle.
Now, the bronze medal match is just around the corner, and everyone is guessing which team can win. Will New Zealand adjust after the semi-final loss and show a strong rebound? Or will Iran recover from the heavy defeat and use the third place to end this Asian Cup journey? Let's wait and see for the wonderful game.
Do you think Iran can rely on their historical advantage to beat New Zealand and win the bronze medal, or will New Zealand avenge the past defeat and take the third place? You are welcome to leave a comment to discuss and don't forget to like and share this article if you like it.
