Tall Blacks Beet China

3 minutes to go and we are winning after being soo far behind at the end of the first. LEGENDS!!

Go the Tall Blacks! Down to the last eight now is it?

That means we have automatic entry to the next Olympics ! We get to watch Aussie try and qualify !

Big fuken ups to the boys!

OMG, what an excellent game.
That Lao Ming guy stormed off like a crybaby after the game!

I was in the bank and watched the last 4 minutes while I waited. I have never actually been pleased to be stuck in a queue before.

What a great game, I can't wait to see how we do in the next round.

Big ups all right Zenith

great effort after been down & out at one stage.
go the kiwi's!!

fuck what a beauty, they are playing well at the mo, keep it up

Tall Blacks through to quarter-finals

05.09.2002
12.40pm
UPDATE - New Zealand's place in the quarterfinals of the world basketball championships was confirmed this afternoon after Germany's 103-85 win against Russia in Indianapolis.

The Tall Blacks were left on tenterhooks after their must-win 94-88 result over China earlier in the day which set up the opportunity of advancing to the last eight.

With the win tucked away New Zealand were also reliant on the Germany-Russia match going in Germany's favour.

The Tall Blacks won two of the first round matches to progress to the second phase play. Today's match against China was their third and final in the second stage after two earlier losses against Germany and tournament favourites US.

New Zealand produced a 30-point turnaround to beat world number four China.

Having done the hard work to peg back a 22-point first quarter deficit when trailing 52-43 at halftime, the Tall Blacks continued their climb from a long way down to reduce the deficit and then take the lead in the last quarter.

The Tall Blacks stalled momentarily in the third quarter when Rob Hickey, Pero Cameron and Phill Jones ran into foul trouble, each sitting on three and having to spend time on the bench.

The Tall Blacks slipped back as China regained control to stretch their lead back out to nine before New Zealand's trademark late charge took the game to the wire.

China's National Basketball Association (NBA) star Yao Ming and sharp-shooter Li Nan kept the score ticking over to give the Chinese an eight-point buffer going into the last quarter.

The increasing physical nature of the match played into New Zealand's hands, Ming showing increasing frustration with four fouls.

Intense defensive pressure and hustling by the smaller men backed up by outstanding shooting from Phill Jones, in particular, and Kirk Penney inched the Tall Blacks closer.

A spectacular 16-0 unanswered run by the Tall Blacks midway through the last period put New Zealand into the lead for the first time. A rattled China had no answers and the Tall Blacks controlled the countdown to the final hooter.

Without their only NBA player Sean Marks -- who had rumoured to play in the crucial match today -- the Tall Blacks stepped up with up a courageous effort today.

The Tall Blacks built on strong offensive rebounding, particularly in the final quarter, top shooting from the three-point range from Jones and Kirk Penney and a big defensive effort to cement today's historic win.

One of New Zealand's star performers Jones said he was riding a rainbow and ready to play another game as the Tall Blacks celebrated the upset victory. "I feel like I could do it again -- it was just great. Everyone was so hyped up," he said.

Jones, who threw a cluster of three-pointers said: "I guess they had to start dropping at some point.

"All of a sudden I just started to light up. I am a bit of a streaky shooter -- it is enjoyable when it does happen.

"I just sort of ride the rainbow when it comes along.

"It was a lot of fun out there today.

"We are lacking a little bit of height -- and we have to make it up in hustle plays -- just get out there, get a few steals and get on a roll."

Jones said steals create easy baskets and New Zealand snatched quite a few in the fourth quarter.

"Once we got ahead we just kept playing with confidence," he said.

Jones said the Chinese team did not enjoy pressure -- something the New Zealand team had found out on their recent tour of China.

"It's tough when teams start making runs at you -- you have to stay together and that is one good thing about our team," Jones said.

"When we get down we can fight back and that is something everyone loves to do."

- NZPA

What an awesome result. Hopefully sean marks will be able to come back soon and give us a boost in the rest of the tournament. Good to see Phil Jones come through in such a big way.

exodus - I heard we need a top 6 finish to get another oceania team into the next olympics (2 places rather than 1) which would all but gaurantee NZ a place. Where does your info come from?

Yeah I also heard it has 2B top 6, not top 8 which is what they are now.

that was a cool game.....team of the year for sure.

Bring on Puerto Rico tomorrow!

After the first quarter I had given up!! what a comeback and they didnt choke!!

you must be gutted! It was a dope game.

Fully worth the 9a.m wake up too.

it wasnt on till 10 live

so how does the last 8 work? is it suddendeath from now? or do they still play a few teams?

We play Puerto Rico - sudden death.

We're gonna whip their ass........

What a fantastic come from behind victory!!! Go the Tall Blacks Hopefully Shaun Marks will be back for the Q/F

Tab Baldwin was saying last night that Sean Marks would definately not be back. He has a serious eye injury, and if he aggravated it further he could lose his vision ...or is that all a clever ploy to lure the opposition into a false sense of security?

NZ will be lucky if they can hang on to Tad Baldwin now.

The media are saying NZ is the best coached team there.

He said in an interview last night that NZ is the country he wants to live in and he loves it here ...but we'll have to wait and see if the money is good enough to lure him away.

everyone has thier price

Hes only contracted to coach another year I think.

tab baldwin is a legend. but what i hate is half of NZ didn't even know who he, or the Tall Blacks were over a week ago. Now everyone's just jumpin on the bandwagon. Typical. we support a team AFTER they start playing well.

They were playing well last year ...didn't he win coach of the year at the last Halberg awards? I do think there has been some acknowlegement for him ...but yeah, I guess there are those that just jump on the badwagon.

Agree the-juice, but better that way than not getting behind them at all.