CFP
Millions of Chinese basketball fans were heartbroken as China lost a crucial World Cup game against Nigeria on Sept 8. With the loss, China was eliminated from the 2019 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup. It also lost a chance for an automatic berth at next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.
9月8日，中国队在篮球世界杯的一场生死之战中不敌尼日利亚队，数百万中国球迷都为此感到心碎。这场失利令中国队结束了本届世界杯之旅，无缘拿到直通明年东京奥运会的门票。
The loss was all the more tragic for fans of 31-year-old veteran Yi Jianlian. This was very likely the last World Cup appearance for the four-time Olympian and former NBA player. Sina Weibo started a hashtag that translates, “Feel sorry for Yi Jianlian.”
而31岁老将易建联的球迷们对这场失利感到更加难过。对于这位参加了四届奥运会的前NBA球星而言，这或许是他最后一次亮相世界杯的赛场。新浪微博上还出现了#心疼易建联#的话题。
As captain of the Chinese men’s national basketball team, Yi aimed high before the international basketball competition kicked off. “Eleven years ago we hosted the Beijing Olympics, and now we are hosting the FIBA World Cup,” he told China Daily. “It’s a rare opportunity for all of us. You can feel the special duty when you see the national flag on your chest. It’s very meaningful for the national team and for me to play in the World Cup in front of a home crowd.”
作为中国男篮队长，易建联在世界杯开赛前就定下了高目标。“十一年前我们举办了北京奥运会，现在又举办了篮球世界杯，”他在接受《中国日报》采访时如此表示。“这对我们所有人而言都是一次难得的机会。每当你看到胸前的国旗，就会想起自己的特殊使命。在家门口参加世界杯对于国家队和我而言都意义重大。”
With this patriotism in mind, Yi battled ankle pain and carried the team on his shoulders. He did everything he could against Nigeria, leading all scorers with 27 points.
怀着这样一颗爱国之心，易建联克服了脚踝的伤病，挑起了整支队伍的重担。在对阵尼日利亚队的比赛中，他拼尽全力，拿下了全场最高的27分。
“Yi exhausted all his energy again and again to pull his team back from the edge of the crash. Even though the team failed regrettably in the end, Yi’s struggle undoubtedly touched all the fans,” JQKNews.com commented.
“易建联一次又一次地拼尽全力，将球队从失利的悬崖边上拉了回来，尽管队伍最终遗憾落败，易建联的努力无疑感动了所有球迷，”JQKNews网站评论道。
Minutes before the game ended, Yi’s ball was intercepted and the team’s failure was sealed. He punched the ground and roared with frustration. Afterward, the veteran admitted that it was hard to accept the result. “[But] we cannot give up because of the loss tonight. We still need to work hard and hold our heads up high in future competitions,” Yi said.
比赛结束前的最后几分钟，易建联手中的球被对手抢断，中国队败局已定。他沮丧地大吼，双手重重砸向地面。赛后，这位老将承认这样的结果令人难以接受。“我们不要因为今晚的失利而放弃未来，我们要对未来充满信心与期待，要加倍努力，”易建联说道。
It’s still up in the air whether Yi could play in a fifth Olympic tournament next year. Either way, he’ll surely be considered one of Chinese basketball’s all-time greats.
易建联明年能否五战奥运依然是个未知数，但不论如何，他无疑是中国篮球史上最优秀的球员之一。
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