Yi Jianlian has turned some heads with some inspired, strong play at the 2010 FIBA World Championships. He's carried his club to much more competitive results than anyone expected, averaging over 20 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game.
↵Alas, the run is over. Yi's China club lost to Lithuania, 78-67, in the Round of 16 Tuesday, falling despite getting off to a fast start. Yi turned in his most uneven performance of the tournament, scoring just 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. It's hard to say Yi played poorly, but he certainly wasn't nearly as dominant as he had been in the preliminary rounds. He was bothered a bit by a sore achilles, but appeared to be moving okay throughout the game.
↵The question now, of course, is whether Yi can maintain this momentum going into the regular season on a team where he won't be the focal point like he was for Team China.