A Classic for LCW

[alfa-2]

this is the article, anyone mind to translate?
击败林丹并没有让鲍春来实现质的飞跃，法国超级赛决赛对阵李宗伟，小鲍脆弱的心理再次被利用利用，几乎是毫无还手之力地被对手击败，毫无疑问这场男单冠军战是中国羽毛球队在法国的最大败笔，谢杏芳和蔡赟/付海峰登顶显得微不足道。
　　
　　这是李宗伟6月份印尼超级赛后，再一次在该级别赛事决赛中击败鲍春来夺冠，而鲍春来则依旧无法摆脱去年韩国公开赛后无冠的尴尬历史。去年的中国公开赛，鲍春来半决赛淘汰林丹，决赛不敌赛前并不被看好的陈宏屈居亚军。半年前的印尼超级赛，鲍春来半决赛力斩陶菲克，结果在被寄予厚望的情况下输给李宗伟。法国超级赛鲍春来殊为不易地时隔一年再次拿下林丹，却在李宗伟面前乱了阵脚惨败而归。
　　
　　鲍春来的技术实 力已勿庸置疑，不过如何能够完美展现，却始终是个无法解决的问题。平稳的性格令鲍春来总给人以难堪大任的感觉，水平发挥总有很大起伏，往往关键时刻顶不住 压力。平心而论鲍春来在法国超级赛的表现已经超越上周丹麦超级赛，至少他击败了一周前刚刚大胜自己的林丹。以鲍春来的真实实力，绝不应该一年多来在国际比 赛中颗粒无收，在收获战胜林丹喜悦的同时，小鲍更应该反省下如何能够有取得突破，而不是虎头蛇尾最给人以悲情的感觉。
　　
　　法国站已经是李宗伟今年收获的第三个超级系列赛和第四个巡回赛冠军，状态如日中天的他已经取代了陶菲克成为中国男单在北京奥运会 上夺标的最大对手。本届法国赛李宗伟连胜乔纳森和西蒙，半决赛和决赛又力斩陈金和鲍春来，延续了2007年下半年的神勇状态。李宗伟的防守能力独步天下， 进攻手段也逐渐多样化，李矛离任后他重新选择回到启蒙恩师米斯本处，很好地调整了心态，在技战术能力上有了很大提高。半年以来李宗伟已经多次战胜包括林 丹、鲍春来和陈金在内的中国几大高手，毫无疑问他将成为2008年北京奥运会中国男单夺冠的最大障碍。

 

[Inky2000]

this is the article, anyone mind to translate?
击败林丹并没有让鲍春来实现质的飞跃，法国超级赛决赛对阵李宗伟，小鲍脆弱的心理再次被利用利用，几乎是毫无还手之力地被对手击败，毫无疑问这场男单冠军战是中国羽毛球队在法国的最大败笔，谢杏芳和蔡赟/付海峰登顶显得微不足道。
　　
　　这是李宗伟6月份印尼超级赛后，再一次在该级别赛事决赛中击败鲍春来夺冠，而鲍春来则依旧无法摆脱去年韩国公开赛后无冠的尴尬历史。去年的中国公开赛，鲍春来半决赛淘汰林丹，决赛不敌赛前并不被看好的陈宏屈居亚军。半年前的印尼超级赛，鲍春来半决赛力斩陶菲克，结果在被寄予厚望的情况下输给李宗伟。法国超级赛鲍春来殊为不易地时隔一年再次拿下林丹，却在李宗伟面前乱了阵脚惨败而归。
　　
　　鲍春来的技术实 力已勿庸置疑，不过如何能够完美展现，却始终是个无法解决的问题。平稳的性格令鲍春来总给人以难堪大任的感觉，水平发挥总有很大起伏，往往关键时刻顶不住 压力。平心而论鲍春来在法国超级赛的表现已经超越上周丹麦超级赛，至少他击败了一周前刚刚大胜自己的林丹。以鲍春来的真实实力，绝不应该一年多来在国际比 赛中颗粒无收，在收获战胜林丹喜悦的同时，小鲍更应该反省下如何能够有取得突破，而不是虎头蛇尾最给人以悲情的感觉。
　　
　　法国站已经是李宗伟今年收获的第三个超级系列赛和第四个巡回赛冠军，状态如日中天的他已经取代了陶菲克成为中国男单在北京奥运会 上夺标的最大对手。本届法国赛李宗伟连胜乔纳森和西蒙，半决赛和决赛又力斩陈金和鲍春来，延续了2007年下半年的神勇状态。李宗伟的防守能力独步天下， 进攻手段也逐渐多样化，李矛离任后他重新选择回到启蒙恩师米斯本处，很好地调整了心态，在技战术能力上有了很大提高。半年以来李宗伟已经多次战胜包括林 丹、鲍春来和陈金在内的中国几大高手，毫无疑问他将成为2008年北京奥运会中国男单夺冠的最大障碍。

Major points:

* BCL's fragile psyche has yet again been taken advantage of. This is the biggest failure of CHN team at French SS.

* Mr. Runnerup - didn't win any title since KO'06
- CO'06 lost to CH at final despite of beating LD at sf
- INA SS'07 lost LCW at final despite of beating TH at sf

* BCL has the techniques but his mild personality has given us an impression that he can't handle big missions
- inconsistent performances; can't handle pressure

* At French SS, BCL performed better than he was at DEN SS, at least beating LD who defeated him by a big margin last week

* LCW has replaced TH to become CHN's biggest threat at OG'08
- His defense is formidable, and he could vary his attacks

 

[OneToughBirdie]

Major points:

* BCL's fragile psyche has yet again been taken advantage of. This is the biggest failure of CHN team at French SS.

* Mr. Runnerup - didn't win any title since KO'06
- CO'06 lost to CH at final despite of beating LD at sf
- INA SS'07 lost LCW at final despite of beating TH at sf

* BCL has the techniques but his mild personality has given us an impression that he can't handle big missions
- inconsistent performances; can't handle pressure

* At French SS, BCL performed better than he was at DEN SS, at least beating LD who defeated him by a big margin last week

* LCW has replaced TH to become CHN's biggest threat at OG'08
- His defense is formidable, and he could vary his attacks

Now all we ask the God of Draw is to place Mr TH, if he makes it to OLY08, and one more CHN MS player (hopefully CJ or whoever) in Mr. LD half of the draw...thank you very much. Hehehe!!!

 

[OneToughBirdie]

* LCW has replaced TH to become CHN's biggest threat at OG'08
- His defense is formidable, and he could vary his attacks

We know LCW is a technical player, speed, defense, cross-court smashes, deception are his trademark but LCW's rally style (akin Morten, Yang Yang and Misbun) of late shows us another dimension of him, expanding his arsenal of weapons and to be able to abruptly change playing style at world level, playing against CJ and BCL was no simple matter. It appears that LCW is actually improving his game with 10 months to OLY08. I would like to see how TH and LD play against LCW's rally style. Papa TH need to finish off his opponent fast to conserve stamina, that would be interesting when playing against a fit, rally and world class opponent using stamina-demanding, sucking-for-air strategy.
The one remaining question mark, and I concur with Pemuda on this, is for LCW to harness and not succumb to pressure of being favorite to win as he does previously, and you can call it mental toughness or whatever, doing so he would be a complete player. The OLY08 arena in Beiging, with homecourt advantage, appears to favor LD but the ghost of OLY04 is a reminder and lurking around and LD's pressure, I can only imagine, is far more than LCW pressure in MAS WC07.
The rally defensive-offensive style of LCW is actually quite simple and effective to execute than LCW's usual speed and gun game plan which requires all the ducks-to-line-up-in-a-row, accurately placing the birdie exactly where he wants them and for LCW to be in top form in order to execute that game plan, failure to do so produced erratic and inconsistent results and losing. Checking on the past, Morten and Yang Yang had been consistent winners using the same simple rally style, boring and non-spectacular, to wear down opponents. Just my thoughts.

 

[ye333]

The injury forces LCW to discover his hidden ability and strength. He used to play fast, and seems to me too fast to allow him thinking. Now with the slower paced rally style, he seems to think more and play more intelligently. He is more aware of his opponents' status and of course that is a big-plus.

After watching TH-LD, I think Papa TH is improving despite the scoreline. He starts to play his usual game again, a more balanced game, not just netshots. Of course his fitness is still a big problem and that's why when LD push the "turbo" button, TH has no way to stop him and lose 7,8 pts in a row.

Now the question is, after recovery from injury, can LCW seamlessly combine his new rally style and his old style? If he succeeds, big, big trouble for LD. Here are the reasons.

1. LCW actually saw hope of beating LD before 2006 WC. Since then, whenever LCW plays LD, the game is very close even if LD finally wins. However in 06 and 07 WC LCW unfortunately fell before he got the chance to play LD at all! If LCW can integrate this new rally style into his play, given that he is not in bad form, I see no chance that lesser players like CJ, BCL, KJ, Sony, SS, PG (sorry to list PG here...) can stop him. Thus a final clash with LD (or TH if TH can be fit again) is almost guaranteed.

2. LCW has had solid defence against LD's attacks (again!) since mid 2006. In 06 HKO he retrieved almost every of LD's smashes when he is well-prepared for the attack. The problem is that LCW's attacking on LD is not effective, and LCW is usually not well-prepared when LD counter-attacks. Now with the new rally style, can LCW be prepared whenever LD attacks? That would be a disaster for LD.

* LCW has replaced TH to become CHN's biggest threat at OG'08
- His defense is formidable, and he could vary his attacks

We know LCW is a technical player, speed, defense, cross-court smashes, deception are his trademark but LCW's rally style (akin Morten, Yang Yang and Misbun) of late shows us another dimension of him, expanding his arsenal of weapons and to be able to abruptly change playing style at world level, playing against CJ and BCL was no simple matter. It appears that LCW is actually improving his game with 10 months to OLY08. I would like to see how TH and LD play against LCW's rally style. Papa TH need to finish off his opponent fast to conserve stamina, that would be interesting when playing against a fit, rally and world class opponent using stamina-demanding, sucking-for-air strategy.
The one remaining question mark, and I concur with Pemuda on this, is for LCW to harness and not succumb to pressure of being favorite to win as he does previously, and you can call it mental toughness or whatever, doing so he would be a complete player. The OLY08 arena in Beiging, with homecourt advantage, appears to favor LD but the ghost of OLY04 is a reminder and lurking around and LD's pressure, I can only imagine, is far more than LCW pressure in MAS WC07.
The rally defensive-offensive style of LCW is actually quite simple and effective to execute than LCW's usual speed and gun game plan which requires all the ducks-to-line-up-in-a-row, accurately placing the birdie exactly where he wants them and for LCW to be in top form in order to execute that game plan, failure to do so produced erratic and inconsistent results and losing. Checking on the past, Morten and Yang Yang had been consistent winners using the same simple rally style, boring and non-spectacular, to wear down opponents. Just my thoughts.

 

[ctjcad]

Hmm..i guess it's all relative how one looks at it..

I think what has made the last two matches of LCW in French SS potential classics (time will prove whether a match deserves such a status) is that LCW managed to turn his disadvantage of injury into his advantage with clever, highly adaptive game play - something that even LD and TH may not be able to achieve under similar circumstances. Everyone faces pressure at OG and a personal breakthrough in winning his first OG gold ever is not sufficient to make the match a classic. Maybe (I said "MAYBE") by the time LCW wins the OG gold (10 months from now), he has already become the undisputed No.1 MS player in the world and he is merely justifying this status by winning the gold - and such a match is not necessarily a classic.

..what is a "Classic" match??..does it have to involve a "physically less than 100%" player"??..for this i'm reflecting on one SS tourney, i can think of, which might be comparable (other members might have other examples)..
..in that case, under almost a similar circumstance, then perhaps Peter Gade's Malaysian Open's victory this yr could be considered "A Classic", as well?? Knowing well, he was playing "less than 100%", just like LCW was; Gade even spent a night in the hospital. And who knew, his opponent in the Final, at that time, was also Bao ChunLai, who entered the Finals after receiving a W/O from Chen Hong. The scoreline was a bit different though, as Peter had to win in 3 hard fought sets.
I guess my initial thought was, perhaps the opponents which LCW faced in this French Open SS weren't as "tough" as what could've been (not to say they are less formidable than say Gade, LD and/or TH).
And in regards to the Olympics, true, what you said is reasonable. But my view is that, "A Classic" is one which most people will remember as the "big" events or those matches which pit the top players or even nemesis against each other..Examples: ZJH vs. Joko matches?! LD vs. TH matches?! LCW vs. LD matches (in 2006 MO MS Final; now, that i would consider to be "A Classic", eventhough IIRC neither players were "less than 100%/injured")
Thus, is Gade's illness or opponents (in 2007 MO) less severe than LCW?? Or is LCW's injury or opponents (in 2007 FO) less severe than Gade??..

Anyways, as i mentioned, LCW's effort in this French Open SS is commendable and admirable, i'm not taking it away..And i'm sure most if not all of the followers would agree on that..

 

[OneToughBirdie]

..what is a "Classic" match??..does it have to involve a "physically less than 100%" player"??..for this i'm reflecting on one SS tourney, i can think of, which might be comparable (other members might have other examples)..
..in that case, under almost a similar circumstance, then perhaps Peter Gade's Malaysian Open's victory this yr could be considered "A Classic", as well?? Knowing well, he was playing "less than 100%", just like LCW was; Gade even spent a night in the hospital. And who knew, his opponent in the Final, at that time, was also Bao ChunLai, who entered the Finals after receiving a W/O from Chen Hong. The scoreline was a bit different though, as Peter had to win in 3 hard fought sets.
I guess my initial thought was, perhaps the opponents which LCW faced in this French Open SS weren't as "tough" as what could've been (not to say they are less formidable than say Gade, LD and/or TH).
And in regards to the Olympics, true, what you said is reasonable. But my view is that, "A Classic" is one which most people will remember as the "big" events or those matches which pit the top players or even nemesis against each other..Examples: ZJH vs. Joko matches?! LD vs. TH matches?! LCW vs. LD matches (in 2006 MO; now, that i would consider to be "A Classic", eventhough IIRC neither players were "less than 100%/injured")
Thus, is Gade's illness or opponents (in MO) less severe than LCW?? Or is LCW's injury or opponents (in FO) less severe than Gade??..

Anyways, as i mentioned, LCW's effort in this French Open SS is commendable and admirable, i'm not taking it away..And i'm sure most if not all of the followers would agree on that..

Even though the score showed an easy win for LCW but CJ and BCL are top 5 ranking and not many players want to go through these 2 players every tournament. On a night when LCW was simply formidable, it does not really matter which CJ/BCL showed up to play that night, the silver teapot tray (i.e. the trophy) belongs to LCW...hehehe!
I concur LD/TH would be tougher opponents and I really would like to see how TH/LD would play against a rally defensive style LCW who can also switch to high level speed-offensive style on the fly.
As for PG, I am not sure PG can even beat CJ and BCL who has been playing very well lately...I am even going to convince Cooler that pretty Bao no longer play like a girl anymore, capable of beating LD, LCW, CJ, PG and TH but unfortunately not all in the same tournament, otherwise Bao would not be Mr. Runner-Ups 14x
A 'Classic' match means what...'standard of excellence', 'memorable performance'?? Playing with a bandaged knee and abruptly reverting to a rally style to win tells us he is talented and gifted...if LCW win OLY08 by mixing up both rally and attacking styles, then FO07 would be a turning point in his career and FO07 would be a memorable event...like I say, see how TH/LD play LCW, that would be something to look forward to.

 

[ctjcad]

Reasonable...so..

A 'Classic' match means what...'standard of excellence', 'memorable performance'?? Playing with a bandaged knee and abruptly reverting to a rally style to win tells us he is talented and gifted...if LCW win OLY08 by mixing up both rally and attacking styles, then FO07 would be a turning point in his career and FO07 would be a memorable event...like I say, see how TH/LD play LCW, that would be something to look forward to.

..how about LCW vs. LD's 2006 MO MS Final?? Or other similar matches, which i can't think of off the top of my head? Is that a "Classic" match?? I personally would rate it so (as LCW was on the brink of losing it all in the Final); IIRC, neither LCW and/or LD were "physically less than 100%/injured"..Again, it goes back to my questions/post above as to define 'What is a "Classic" match'? And does it have to involve "physically less than 100% player/injured" player, as this seems to be the main point of discussion?..Knowing that, is LCW's French Open performance comparable also to Gade's performance in this yr's M'sian Open..If so, could Gade's performance be considered a "Classic"
Anyways, the definition of a "Classic" match, IMO, is relative and could depend on many factors..

 

[ctjcad]

Reasonable...so..

A 'Classic' match means what...'standard of excellence', 'memorable performance'?? Playing with a bandaged knee and abruptly reverting to a rally style to win tells us he is talented and gifted...if LCW win OLY08 by mixing up both rally and attacking styles, then FO07 would be a turning point in his career and FO07 would be a memorable event...like I say, see how TH/LD play LCW, that would be something to look forward to.

..how about LCW vs. LD's 2006 MO MS Final?? Or other matches, which i can't think of off the top of my head? Is that a "Classic" match?? I personally would rate it so (as LCW was on the brink of losing it all in the Final); IIRC, neither LCW and/or LD were "physically less than 100%/injured"..Again, it goes back to my questions/post above as to define 'What is a "Classic" match'? And does it have to involve "physically less than 100% player/injured" player, as this seems to be the main point of discussion?..Comparing also w/Gade's performance in this yr's M'sian Open..
Anyways, the definition of a "Classic" match, IMO, is relative and could depend on many factors..

 

[ye333]

See my definition man. A classic match of a player is one match that his fans could proudly show other ppl and convert some of them.

LCW - LD MO is a classic match in a different sense. But I bet LCW fans would not show the whole match to other ppl. What could they say? "Hey, look, although my hero is beaten the crap out most of the time throughout the whole match, he managed to save 8 match points and finally win!"

PG - BCL MO is simply not a classic match in any sense. PG made so many errors that even a non-PG fan like me won't advertise it.

LCW - CJ is a classic match for LCW. Suppose I am a LCW fan, you are someone who hasn't seen LCW play and is not convinced of LCW's superiority. I can just give you a DVD of LCW - CJ, and say, "for your information, CJ is a consistent top 5 player." Wouldn't you be awed by how LCW toys CJ around? Then I'll tell you, "for you information, LCW was playing injured." Now I can welcome you as a newly converted LCW fan...

Of course, after a while you may feel cheated...

..how about LCW vs. LD's 2006 MO MS Final?? Or other similar matches, which i can't think of off the top of my head? Is that a "Classic" match?? I personally would rate it so (as LCW was on the brink of losing it all in the Final); IIRC, neither LCW and/or LD were "physically less than 100%/injured"..Again, it goes back to my questions/post above as to define 'What is a "Classic" match'? And does it have to involve "physically less than 100% player/injured" player, as this seems to be the main point of discussion?..Knowing that, is LCW's French Open performance comparable also to Gade's performance in this yr's M'sian Open..If so, could Gade's performance be considered a "Classic"
Anyways, the definition of a "Classic" match, IMO, is relative and could depend on many factors..

 

[ctjcad]

So...

See my definition man. A classic match of a player is one match that his fans could proudly show other ppl and convert some of them.

..would anyone be "converted", say, after watching Sato defeat Taufik in last yr's Thomas Cup?? Or Nguyen Tien Minh's victory over Taufik recently?? or even Simon Santoso's victory over LCW recently??..

LCW - LD MO is a classic match in a different sense. But I bet LCW fans would not show the whole match to other ppl. What could they say? "Hey, look, although my hero is beaten the crap out most of the time throughout the whole match, he managed to save 8 match points and finally win!"

..saving 8 match pts in a row and finally won it, IMO, that is a miracle and a true "Classic" match..

PG - BCL MO is simply not a classic match in any sense. PG made so many errors that even a non-PG fan like me won't advertise it.

..i thought PG was "not 100% physically fit" during that MO tourney?; i'm not looking at just the Final..Just like LCW was "not 100% physically fit" in this French Open..

LCW - CJ is a classic match for LCW. Suppose I am a LCW fan, you are someone who hasn't seen LCW play and is not convinced of LCW's superiority. I can just give you a DVD of LCW - CJ, and say, "for your information, CJ is a consistent top 5 player." Wouldn't you be awed by how LCW toys CJ around? Then I'll tell you, "for you information, LCW was playing injured." Now I can welcome you as a newly converted LCW fan...

Of course, after a while you may feel cheated...

..i thought CJ was injured (back) during his Semi Finals vs. LCW??..Not to take away LCW's win..

 

[OneToughBirdie]

..how about LCW vs. LD's 2006 MO MS Final?? Or other matches, which i can't think of off the top of my head? Is that a "Classic" match?? I personally would rate it so (as LCW was on the brink of losing it all in the Final); IIRC, neither LCW and/or LD were "physically less than 100%/injured"..Again, it goes back to my questions/post above as to define 'What is a "Classic" match'? And does it have to involve "physically less than 100% player/injured" player, as this seems to be the main point of discussion?..Comparing also w/Gade's performance in this yr's M'sian Open..
Anyways, the definition of a "Classic" match, IMO, is relative and could depend on many factors..

Yeah, I would concur with you MO06 is a classic, actually I posted before that MO06 is one of my favorite videos besides ZJH/Joko AE1990.

 

[OneToughBirdie]

Yeah, I would concur with you MO06 is a classic, actually I posted before that MO06 is one of my favorite videos besides ZJH/Joko AE1990.

Classic as in a memorable event, then MO06 is one then.

 

[ye333]

Well I don't know what to say. I never mentioned these matches as "classic". For example, Sato defeating TH is not impressive at all. Although Sato won, it is still TH toying Sato around.

You can call LCW - LD MO has a "classic ending for LCW", or "LCW's classic fight-back". But the whole match? How did LCW fall into the situation of having to save 8 match points, may I ask? (Same goes to LD - LCW 06 AE, how the hell did LD fall into the situation of having to catch up from 6:13?) The whole match can be viewed as a classic match, but it's not a classic match for LCW. (Note the difference!! )

It has actually little to do with whether LCW is injured or not (which is just a bonus). It's the immense technical superiority shown in the match.

I don't know what we are arguing anymore... I think I already have made my point very clearly.

..would anyone be "converted", say, after watching Sato defeat Taufik in last yr's Thomas Cup?? Or Nguyen Tien Minh's victory over Taufik recently?? or even Simon Santoso's victory over LCW recently??..

..saving 8 match pts in a row and finally won it, IMO, that is a miracle and a true "Classic" match..

..i thought PG was "not 100% physically fit" during that MO tourney?; i'm not looking at just the Final..Just like LCW was "not 100% physically fit" in this French Open..

..i thought CJ was injured (back) during his Semi Finals vs. LCW??..Not to take away LCW's win..

 

[ctjcad]

Well..

You can call LCW - LD MO has a "classic ending for LCW", or "LCW's classic fight-back". But the whole match? How did LCW fall into the situation of having to save 8 match points, may I ask? (Same goes to LD - LCW 06 AE, how the hell did LD fall into the situation of having to catch up from 6:13?) The whole match can be viewed as a classic match, but it's not a classic match for LCW. (Note the difference!! )

..it is for our OTB and myself and probably others..

It has actually little to do with whether LCW is injured or not (which is just a bonus). It's the immense technical superiority shown in the match.

I don't know what we are arguing anymore... I think I already have made my point very clearly.

..the notion i was pointing to was to Inky2000's post (#88) which he explained it's a "Classic" match because "LCW managed to turn his disadvantage of injury into his advantage with clever, highly adaptive game play">>focused on his physical state (or lack of being 100%), which seems to be the main reason for calling it a "Classic" match. I then brought up a question, 'does a classic match have to involve a "physically less than 100% player"'? As a comparison, i then gave examples of Gade's 2007 MO scenario, and LCW vs. LD 2006 MO Final match, in which neither was "physically less than 100%"..

About whether LCW was able to show his "immense technical superiority in the match", i would believe his injury most likely has forced to change his style and approach to his game. Is it for the good of him? That we shall see in the upcoming tourneys..

 

[OneToughBirdie]

About whether LCW was able to show his "immense technical superiority in the match", i would believe his injury most likely has forced to change his style and approach to his game. Is it for the good of him? That we shall see in the upcoming tourneys..

Look forward to LCW playing LD and TH...see if LCW would continue with rally style or gun-attack or combine both...that would be interesting.

 

[Inky2000]

I think this debate is going nowhere as everybody has his/her own definition of "classic game". Even for the same person who tries to identify his/her own set of "classic games" in the history of badminton, the list might involve matches with being classic in many different ways. For example,

..the notion i was pointing to was to Inky2000's post (#88) which he explained it's a "Classic" match because "LCW managed to turn his disadvantage of injury into his advantage with clever, highly adaptive game play">>focused on his physical state (or lack of being 100%), which seems to be the main reason for calling it a "Classic" match. I then brought up a question, 'does a classic match have to involve a "physically less than 100% player"'?

I didn't argue that "a classic match HAVE TO involve a 'physically less than 100% player'". My argument was merely that "it is a (potential) classic because it involves a player who has successfully turned his physical disadvantage in a match to his advantage by discovering and quickly mastering a playing style that could make him a solid world beater, and perhaps become the turning point of his career." See the difference between the logic? There are many other types of classic games in my mind but this is one very unique type of classic.

If we can't reach a consesus in a common definition of "classic game", then ... to each his/her own. This is something like in movie watching - whenever I hear anyone says, "GONE WITH THE WIND is a classic!" I could immediately conclude that we are not having compatible frequencies in film appreciation and therefore I would rather not to speak to him/her on film, although I do respect his/her preferences.

 

[Inky2000]

Excerpt from The Star, 6 Nov 2007

http://www.thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2007/11/6/sports/19387036&sec=sports

Chong Wei puts on his thinking cap

PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Lee Chong Wei has made it clear to his rivals that he is serious in wanting to strive for consistently good performance on the international arena by winning the French Open in commanding fashion in Paris on Sunday.

... (omitted) ...


“My knee problem affected my physical condition. But I won this week on skill and tactical play. I was quicker in attacks and I was able to read my opponents' game well,” said Chong Wei in a telephone interview from Paris before leaving for home yesterday.

“Personally, this was one of my best weeks this year. I applied different strategies and it worked well for me. I have to thank the NSC (National Sports Council) medical team for their help, too. I had contemplated withdrawing from the French Open but I was well taken care of.”
Chong Wei, however, may opt to compete in only one of the last two rounds of the Super Series in China (Nov 20-25) and Hong Kong (Nov 27-Dec 2).

...


Coach Misbun Sidek said that Chong Wei had taken his game to a different level.
“Despite his condition, he believes in his ability. This time he showed that he was a thinking player. I was impressed with the way he won his matches. Their opponents did not know how to react to his different style of play,” said Misbun.

...

 

[hcyong]

When ye333 originated this thread, he defined his usage of the word "classic". Mostly I agree with his definition. A lot may not agree that it is classic badminton, but what ye333 meant was that it is a classic for LCW fans. Putting it simply, classic means memorable. You can also say it is a "definitive" match for LCW.

 

[sonnymak]

onetoughbirdie wrote
"We know LCW is a technical player, speed, defense, cross-court smashes, deception are his trademark but LCW's rally style (akin Morten, Yang Yang and Misbun) of late shows us another dimension of him, expanding his arsenal of weapons and to be able to abruptly change playing style at world level, playing against CJ and BCL was no simple matter. It appears that LCW is actually improving his game with 10 months to OLY08. I would like to see how TH and LD play against LCW's rally style. Papa TH need to finish off his opponent fast to conserve stamina, that would be interesting when playing against a fit, rally and world class opponent using stamina-demanding, sucking-for-air strategy.
The one remaining question mark, and I concur with Pemuda on this, is for LCW to harness and not succumb to pressure of being favorite to win as he does previously, and you can call it mental toughness or whatever, doing so he would be a complete player. The OLY08 arena in Beiging, with homecourt advantage, appears to favor LD but the ghost of OLY04 is a reminder and lurking around and LD's pressure, I can only imagine, is far more than LCW pressure in MAS WC07.
The rally defensive-offensive style of LCW is actually quite simple and effective to execute than LCW's usual speed and gun game plan which requires all the ducks-to-line-up-in-a-row, accurately placing the birdie exactly where he wants them and for LCW to be in top form in order to execute that game plan, failure to do so produced erratic and inconsistent results and losing. Checking on the past, Morten and Yang Yang had been consistent winners using the same simple rally style, boring and non-spectacular, to wear down opponents. Just my thoughts."

Actually after looking back at LCW play in JO this year against LD and Papa TH, you can actually see his progression from his usual fast attack and fast lob to a delayed slow lob and lots of punch clears.

This has rattled LD in the JO SF, previouly when LCW leaps LD know where the smash will go and he prepares his defence , now LCW leaps let the shuttle hang in the air for a while and he punch clear to the base line, LD thinikng of defence was returning to the centre position only to push himself back to the baseline, the timing is everyting, LD could not put himself in the position to smash and have to return a lob. This tactic have lessen the rate of LD smashes in a match.

By leaving of the shuttle to hang in the air, LCW can chose to lob, punch clear, drop, chop, or smash. He let the opponent guess which play he would execute and then do the opposite of what the opponents guessed.

Actually LD is also slowly swithching to a stroke base play if you look at his recent matches.

This have left opponents bewildered like in the match against CJ and Bao.