GB focused on Canada
GB kept their celebrations short after reaching the semi-finals of the Paralympic wheelchair basketball.
Last Updated: 06/09/12 11:05am
Great Britain kept their celebrations short and sweet after reaching the semi-finals of the Paralympic wheelchair basketball tournament as they began to plot a way to beat Patrick Anderson and Canada.
Britain hung on to beat Turkey 75-70 in their quarter-final - despite seeing an 11-point lead cut to one in the final five minutes - but then saw Canada cruise past Spain 77-51 to set up a semi-final showdown.
Once again it was Anderson who led Canada there, scoring 16 points and collecting 14 rebounds.
It was another excellent display, and yet one that pales in comparison to the 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists he collected when Canada beat Britain 70-54 in the group stages.
That performance had Britain's Gaz Choudhry comparing the 33-year-old Anderson - who retired after the Beijing Games only to return last year - to the likes of LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
Now they must find a way to stop him doing it to them all over again.
Superstar
Terry Bywater, who has been Britain's own star as the leading point-scorer and the man whose ice-cold free-throw shooting saw them home against Turkey, said: "The guy's a superstar, isn't he?
"It seems like every game he's scoring 25-30 points.
"I think we'll put Ade (Orogbemi) on him - one of the quickest players in the world - and I think if we can contain him we've got a genuine chance because some of the basketball we've been playing in the past few days, we're world beaters and there's not a lot of people who can stick with us."
Jon Pollock, who lifted Britain with big three-pointers when the game against Turkey was still tight before half-time, had a novel suggestion for dealing with the danger of Anderson.
Block
"Me, personally, I'd just leave him to it and see if Patrick Anderson can score 60," the Liverpudlian said.
"Just block everyone else out. He's never done it in the past, and nobody's tried it against a team with Patrick Anderson on.
"Maybe that would be the thing to do."
A tongue-in-cheek suggestion no doubt, but one that speaks to Anderson's talent.
However, there is also no question that Britain have improved massively since losing their opening two games, with the performance against Canada the low point from which they recovered.
Challenge
Coach Murray Treseder said: "We had a really poor game and we know we're better than that.
"That won't need to be highlighted to the players. They know they were poor.
"Anderson was dominant, but Anderson has the occasional poor game and when he does, they struggle. We've got to contain him and make sure their other players don't get away from us. It's a big challenge."
Treseder believes the improvement in his team has come from quality time together on the court - something they have rarely enjoyed during their preparations due to injuries.
"I think, counting the six games here, we've played a total of eight games with our full squad together in the last two years," Treseder said.
They have now put themselves exactly where they want to be, one game from the final and with two shots at a medal.
"We've got two cracks at it, but I want that gold," Bywater said. "I don't want to settle for bronze. We've got to get to the final."