Southern Tigers roar to CBA record
Yi-inspired Guangdong grabs 27th straight victory, basketball league’s longest winning streak
Yi Jianlian on July 20 led the Guangdong Southern Tigers to a single-season record for the Chinese Basketball Association’s longest winning streak.
Team China captain Yi, the league’s all-time leading scorer, finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds as Guangdong bagged its 27th successive victory with a thrilling 107-98 triumph over the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in Qingdao, Shandong province.
Yi’s double-double featured a seven-point blitz in the final two minutes, with Zhou Peng adding 20 points for the top-ranked Southern Tigers, who were without the rested Sonny Weems. Wu Qian and Cheng Shuaipeng top-scored for Zhejiang with 18 points each.
Setting the tone for an engrossing seesaw battle, the lead changed hands several times in the opening exchanges before a Liu Zeyi jumper gave Zhejiang a 29-28 lead at the firstquarter buzzer.
Guangdong scored eight straight points early in the second to lead 36-29, before Zhejiang responded with an 8-0 run of its own and led 53-50 at halftime thanks to a late Lu Wenbo 3-pointer.
Zhejiang became even more aggressive on the offensive end as the game went on, using consecutive free throws to open an eight-point lead at the end of the third.
Guangdong, though, woke from its slumber and opened the final quarter with a 16-4 run before five straight points from Yi killed off Zhejiang’s challenge and sparked frenzied celebrations on the Southern Tigers’ bench.
“We have secured the regular-season title and the main target now is giving more opportunities to young players,” Guangdong coach Du Feng said.
“Sonny Weems was rested, our all-domestic lineup played well and reached my expectations.”
Despite his sixth-ranked team’s brave effort, Zhejiang coach Liu Weiwei was left to rue some loose play in the closing stages.
“We had too many turnovers in the final five minutes and handed the victory to them,” said Liu.
Guangdong was set to conclude its regular-season campaign on July 23 against the Nanjing Monkey Kings, with the Golden Bulls facing the Shandong Heroes on July 24.
On July 20, the Fujian Sturgeons booked their spot in the playoffs by claiming the 12th and final berth with a 106-101 win over the second-ranked Xinjiang Flying Tigers.
Two Zhou Qi dunks helped Xinjiang build a 13-point lead in the first quarter, however nine points from Chen Linjian dragged Fujian back into the game as the first quarter ended all square, at 26 apiece.
Launching a 9-0 run in the second quarter, the Flying Tigers briefly regained a double-digit lead which was reduced to a seven-point advantage by halftime.
Fujian took a 76-71 lead after scoring 10 points in a row at the beginning of the third quarter, and the period ended tied at 101.
Center Wang Zhelin drained a 3-pointer and grabbed a key rebound to seal Fujian’s victory, meaning Zhou’s 22 points and 26 rebounds were in vain.
Chen got a game-high 32 points for Fujian, Ty Lawson finished with 27 points, and Wang had 21 points and 16 rebounds.
Fan Ziming registered 21 points and 10 rebounds for Xinjiang, Tang Caiyu collected 15 points from five 3-pointers out of eight, and Liu Lipeng added 13 points.
With the regular season concluding on July 25, the final playoff lineup is: Guangdong, Xinjiang, Beijing Ducks, Beijing Royal Fighters, Liaoning, Zhejiang Lions, Zhejiang Golden Bulls, Qingdao, Jilin, Shanxi, Shandong and Fujian. The seedings and playoff matchups have yet to be finalized.