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Journalism of Courage
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This is an archive article published on August 21, 2008
Ming146;s boys dumped in quarters
China8217;s dream of an Olympic men8217;s basketball medal was ruthlessly extinguished by Lithuania...
China8217;s dream of an Olympic men8217;s basketball medal was ruthlessly extinguished by Lithuania in a clinical 94-68 quarter-final win on Wednesday. An exhausted Yao Ming left the game with 4:17 left after being shoved and banged for 33 minutes, hurling his towel to the floor in frustration before burying his head in his hands.
8220;We said the big guy is not going to hurt anybody,8221; Lithuanian centre Robertas Javtokas said. 8220;We pushed him a lot and didn8217;t let him get inside.
8220;In Lithuania basketball is like a religion. I don8217;t think it8217;s like that in any other country.8221;
Lithuania, three-time Olympic bronze medallists, will face Spain in the semi-finals after Pau Gasol led the world champions to a 72-59 victory over Croatia. Double and tripled-teamed, Yao scored 19 points but spent much of the game bent over tugging at his shorts and gasping for breath after taking a hammering under the basket. China8217;s Lithuanian coach Jonas Kazlauskas criticised the winners for negative tactics.
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