Chinese media and online chatter treated the Asian Games men’s basketball semi-final in Nagoya as more than sport: a “strike back,” a date that “isn’t just a basketball game,” and a chance to win on Japanese soil.
Japan sent a B-side (no Rui Hachimura, Yuki Kawamura, Yuta Watanabe, or Josh Hawkinson). China still lost 77–97 — largest official margin vs Japan, trailed by as much as 35 in the third quarter.