Admit it! The Chinese women's basketball team is no longer what it was four years ago.

China's women's basketball team lost 65-80 to Belgium, marking their first defeat in the qualifying tournament.

In the first quarter, China trailed 11-21; in the second quarter, the deficit widened to 24 points at one point. Although they briefly cut the gap to 9 points in the third quarter, they ultimately suffered a home loss.

After the game ended, there were again many "experts" debating "advanced" versus "backward" approaches.

The suggestion is that Zhang Ziyu slowed down the tempo on the court... contrary to what is considered modern basketball.

If I hadn't watched the live broadcast, I might have believed it too...

Without Zhang Ziyu's 20+11 points, the team might have lost by over 30 points.

If you say Zhang Ziyu slowed the pace, then why did the team fall further behind when she wasn't on the court...

Remember, she only played 18 minutes and had a +9 on-court plus-minus rating. Can that really be blamed on Zhang Ziyu?

This defeat will not prevent the Chinese women's basketball team from advancing to the World Cup.

In this tournament, the team is grouped with Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Mali, and South Sudan. Belgium has already secured a World Cup berth, while the remaining five teams will compete for three World Cup spots.

It's normal for this Chinese women's basketball team to struggle against the 2025 European Championship champion.

Yes, you heard correctly: the Belgian women's basketball team is the European champion, even though they don't have "Lukaku," "Hazard," or "De Bruyne"...

But their women's basketball program has also entered a "golden era."

Watching their style of play reminds me of the 2014 San Antonio Spurs... constant movement, precise shooting.

China's women's team made only 3 out of 16 three-point attempts (18.8% accuracy), compared to Belgium's 15 out of 35 (42.9%). Just from outside scoring, they lost by a net 36 points.

Even with a top-tier center, it's hard to overcome such a deficit... Winning with that three-point performance would be surprising.

Li Yueru + Han Xu + Zhang Ziyu—China's women's basketball interior lineup is undoubtedly world-class.

But the other positions are at the WCBA level.

This imbalance between inside and outside players makes the offense awkward.

If the perimeter players provided sufficient support, would opponents dare to double-team Zhang Ziyu so freely?

Why did the team achieve success a few years ago, matching their historical best result? Relative balance between inside and outside!

Now, do they have WNBA player Li Meng? Do they have perimeter shooter Huang Sijing? Do they have Yang Liwei, who received WNBA invitations? None remain.

Among the perimeter players still on the team is 30-year-old Wang Siyu.

Objectively speaking, her form is also not as good as it was four years ago.

To some extent, despite the lively competition and depth in China's women's basketball interior line—even Liu Yutong, who scored the most in warm-up games, missed the roster—

Overall, the talent gap and decline in China's women's basketball is more severe than in the men's team.

Especially in the perimeter and forward positions.

The situation in women's basketball is unique: fewer people engage in this sport compared to men's basketball. Achieving success often requires gathering a group of players and having them compete and磨合 for several years.

Even a skilled cook can't prepare a meal without ingredients. Without adequate personnel, expectations for this current team in world tournaments—whether the World Cup or Olympics—should be tempered.

Who can consistently organize the offense and deliver passes to the interior?

Who can be like Li Meng, a breakthrough player and硬解点 in tough situations?

Currently, there is no answer...

The team is早已不是 what it was four years ago. If the situation were better, they certainly wouldn't have asked Coach Gong to return to lead the team.

Finally, one吐槽 point:

Here,平时关心 women's basketball and watching the women's league is rare (worldwide attention to women's basketball is also limited). Yet during major tournaments, if the team doesn't perform well, many people criticize them.

A parent who平时不闻不问 their own child hopes they can get into清华北大.

This...