世界盃前瞻，預賽A組 by FIBA - 籃球

Group A: Hosts China have an opportunity for glory
A組：地主中國有機會創造榮耀


23/08/2019 PREVIEW 4 MIN TO READ

BEIJING (China) - The odds have never been greater for China to make a big
splash in the group stage that will be held in the capital city of Beijing
even as Venezuela, Poland, and Cote d'Ivoire all hope to advance to the next
stage of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.

雖然同組的對手委內瑞拉、波蘭及象牙海岸都希望能晉級到2019世界盃次輪的小組賽。
對中國來說，在首都北京進行的小組賽能掀起一波高潮的機率是前所未有的高。


The hosts are aiming for nothing short of glory as they bring a tall and
talented squad to Group A, though Venezuela and Poland - both ranked higher
than China in the FIBA World Ranking Presented by NIKE - also enjoy fair
chances of making it to the second round. African side Cote d'Ivoire, in the
meantime, are the group's underdogs, though it would be folly to immediately
count them out.

雖然FIBA世界排名皆高於地主的委內瑞拉及波蘭有同等機會爭取晉級次輪，中國帶著高度
和天賦陣容進入A組的極致目標就是爭取榮耀。同時，來自非洲的象牙海岸雖然排名較低，
但排除他們是不智的想法。



Team to beat: China
目標球隊：中國

The Chinese are returning to the World Cup after missing the 2014 edition in
Spain, and they are hoping to match or surpass their best-ever finish, having
made it all the way to the Quarter-Finals of the 1994 World Cup in Canada.
The home team spared no expense in their preparations for the tournament,
playing at the NBA Summer League before a series of tune-ups, with their last
one against Dominican Republic set for this weekend.

中國隊在錯過2014西班牙後重返世界盃，他們希望能超越1994年加拿大世界盃(按：時為
世錦賽，下同)八強的隊史最佳成績。中國隊不遺餘力的在為賽事進行準備，參加了包含NBA
夏季聯賽在內的一系列熱身賽，最後一場則是在週末對戰多明尼加(按：原文發文日期為
8/23，原作者應誤會參與8/25在蘇州進行熱身賽的中國隊為中國一隊)。


Bannering them will be their modern version of the "Walking Great Wall" - Yi
Jianlian, Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin. Yi will be their main pillar around the
basket, while Zhou should potentially be one of the field's best rim
protectors. Wang, for his part, has shown vast improvement in his level of
play and should make a significant impact. Perhaps the true barometer for
China, however, will be spitfire point guard Guo Ailun, who has turned a lot
of heads in their preparation games and is expected to continue performing
well when Group A action tips off on August 31.

中國隊的重點球員當然是現代版的移動長城-易建聯、周琦及王哲林，三人將是他們籃下的
主要支柱，周琦則將是最好的護框球員之一。王哲林展現了大幅的進步並將對比賽造成顯
著的影響。然而，對中國來說，真正的指標球員將是在熱身賽表現搶眼的控衛郭艾倫，且
預計將在31開打的A組預賽中持續高檔表現。



FIBA World Ranking, presented by NIKE

WORLD RANK COUNTRY ZONE RANK IOC CURRENT POINTS
20. Venezuela 7. VEN 410.1
25. Poland 16. POL 365.2
30. China 3. CHN 317.9
64. Cote d'Ivoire 8. CIV 140.2



Key matchup: Poland v Venezuela
關鍵賽事：波蘭 對 委內瑞拉

When the Poles meet Venezuela on the very first day of the World Cup, that
may well decide so much of the collective fates of the Group A teams. With
hosts China gaining more traction as each day passes, the onus will be on the
group's two highest ranked teams - Poland and Venezuela - to defy
expectations. Despite being ranked 20th in the world, the FIBA Americas squad
haven't made a lot of good noise in their build-up to the World Cup. This
matchup on August 31 between 25th-ranked Poland and the Venezuelan quintet
may be the crucial determining factor in terms of who moves on to the Second
Round and who falls by the wayside, especially if China keep playing at a
high level and continue gaining momentum.

波蘭和委內瑞拉在世界盃首日的對戰很可能將決定預賽A組各球隊的命運。隨著地主中國
隊對晉級日漸增加的期待，這個責任落到小組排名較高的兩隊波蘭和委內瑞拉身上。雖然
世界排名位於20名，委內瑞拉在世界盃賽場尚未累積很好的聲名。委內瑞拉將在31日與排
名25名的波蘭隊的對戰很可能是決定誰能晉級第二輪的關鍵因素，特別是假如中國隊能保
持高水準的狀態並持續獲得動力。


Venezuela have not had much luck in their last tune-up games, losing to
Russia, Senegal and Italy in succession, and they will likely have even more
problems dealing with Polish size and energy. The Poles have been one of the
pleasant surprises from Europe, and much will be expected from the likes of
Mateusz Ponitka, AJ Slaughter and team captain Adam Waczynski as coach Mike
Taylor aims for a historic finish for his squad. As for Venezuela, much of
the responsibility lays on the shoulders of Nestor Colmenares and Gregory
Vargas, who combined to average 22.0 points, 11.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists
per game in the Americas Qualifiers. Their prospective matchup with the
Ponitka-Slaugher pairing is surely going to be one to watch.

委內瑞拉在上次參賽並未獲得好成績，接連輸給俄羅斯、塞內加爾及義大利，而此次面對
波蘭的體型和體能可能更為棘手。波蘭向來是歐洲的驚喜之一，這個期待將落在Mateusz
Ponitka、AJ Slaughter和隊長Adam Waczynski，因為總教練Mike Taylor目標希望能為
球隊帶來歷史性的結果。對委內瑞拉來說，Nestor Colmenares和Gregory Vargas將承擔
大部分責任，兩人在美洲區資格賽合計場均能貢獻22分、11.9籃板及7.1次助攻；這兩人與
Ponitka、Slaughter組合的對戰將是必看戲碼。


Click here for the full schedule of Group A.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/groups



Star: Yi Jianlian
球星：易建聯

https://youtu.be/ByhLJp3xT3Q

Yi has been China's top big man ever since Yao Ming hung up his kit, and the
31-year-old former NBA Draft lottery pick is projected to be among the top
performers in Group A. The 7ft (2.13m) forward-center will play in his third
World Cup after debuting in 2006 and helping China to a Top 16 finish in
2010, where he was among the best overall performers after averaging 20.2
points and leading the entire World Cup in rebounding with 10.2 boards per
contest. Needless to say, Yi's experience will be vital as he tries to guide
China's relatively young core to greater heights on their home soil.

易建聯是中國在姚明退休後最強大的內線，這位31歲的NBA樂透秀球員預計將是A組表現最
好的球員之一。這位7呎(2.13公尺)的中前鋒將迎來2006世界盃初登場以來的第三屆世界盃
，且在2010當時曾以場均排名第一的20.2分外帶10.2個籃板的成績幫助中國隊進入16強。
易建聯的經驗無庸置疑是在自家土地上帶領年輕核心球員登上更高層級的重要關鍵。



Top prospect: Zhou Qi
最佳新秀：周琦

The recipe for a standout performance is clear and present for one of China's
most tantalizing young slotmen, Zhou Qi, and the 23-year-old would do well to
seize this opportunity to make the world take notice. The former Houston
Rocket has been holding his own in China's tune-up matches, and his stock is
expected to rise if he maintains top form at the World Cup. He is literally
one of the biggest reasons the hosts haven't lost in their most recent
preparation games, and his combination of size, length and, yes, shooting
make him such a dangerous player in the international game. If Zhou plays up
to par, the group stage may very well be his coming out party.

對中國最有發展性的年輕長人之一周琦來說，有出色表現的訣竅是清楚而實在的，這位23
歲的球員要抓住這次機會引起世界關注。這名前休士頓火箭球員在中國隊的熱身賽中保持
狀況，而若能在世界盃維持好表現將能提高他的期待值。他是這支地主隊在近期的熱身賽
中持續連勝的主要因素之一，而他結合體型、高度以及投射的優勢使他成為在國際賽中有
威脅性的球員。如果周琦能打出水準，小組賽將是他嶄露頭角的好機會。



Familiar faces: Yi Jianlian, Guo Ailun, Souleyman Diabate, Charles Abouo, Guy
Edi, Mohamed Kone
熟悉的面孔：易建聯、郭艾倫、Souleyman Diabate、Charles Abouo、Guy Edi、
Mohamed Kone

The aforementioned Yi will be the most seasoned World Cup competitor here as
he will play in his third World Cup, while Guo, who debuted in 2010 at the
tender age of 16 years old, will be in his second World Cup campaign.
Interestingly enough, Cote d'Ivoire have the most returnees to the World
Cup, with Souleyman Diabate, Charles Abouo, Guy Edi and Mohamed Kone all
playing in Turkey nine years ago. That experience may be crucial for Les
Éléphants as they hope to blindside the other Group A teams and advance past
the group stage.

前述易建聯將參與第三屆世界盃成為A組最多屆數登場球員，而以16歲年齡在2010世界盃初
亮相的郭艾倫將第二次參賽。有趣的是，象牙海岸擁有最多位世界盃重複登場的球員，
Souleyman Diabate、Charles Abouo、Guy Edi和Mohamed Kone四人皆曾出戰九年前的土耳
其世界盃。這個經驗將是象牙海岸期望能逆襲A組其他隊伍晉級第二輪的關鍵。



FIBA https://tinyurl.com/FIBAWC-A

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