Part three of the CBA preview is a go! Today, we’ll evaluate the Jiangsu Tongxi Monkey Kings, Liaoning Leopards, Shanxi Dragons, Shandong Bulls and Shanghai Sharks and see whether improvement is in their path or if there will be some disappointment once the season is over. Part One and Part Two can still be read here. Continue reading “Breaking Down the CBA 2015/16 Season: Part Three”
Liaoning Leopards vs. Beijing Ducks
Is Liaoning, the team that always flatters to deceive, about to finally fulfill its destiny and win a CBA title? This will be the fifth time the Leopards have made the championship series but not since the mid 1990’s (when the team made three consecutive Finals) have Liaoning looked this good. They have a proven scorer and ball handler in Lester Hudson, a very useful big man that gets it down down low and shooters that space the floor and knock down their shots at a high clip. Continue reading “Shark Fin Hoops CBA Play-Off Preview: Finals”
Guangdong Tigers (1) vs Beijing Ducks (3)
Shit, as they say, is about to get very real. It only took three games for Beijing to walk straight through Jilin (and its also worth stressing that the starters were rested for the second half of the final game) whilst Guangdong needed four attempts to put a plucky but outmatched Dongguan to the sword. Ultimately though, things went as expected and the holders of the last combined eight CBA titles will now face off for the third time in the last four years. Continue reading “Shark Fin Hoops CBA Play-Off Preview: Semi Finals”
Another year, another CBA All-Star weekend that was okay but still probably wasn’t going to make anyone sit up and take notice. Indeed, with Chinese audiences more interested in the country’s soccer team making it three wins in a row in the Asian Cup, the CBA was in the shadows despite basketball being the traditional winter sport of the Middle Kingdom. This though was probably for the best given that for the neutrals and casual fans, the same flaws were still present and correct; naff dunk contest, crappy uniforms and more than a few empty seats in chilly Beijing.
Anyway, the most important takeaway from the whole weekend is that MICHAEL BEASLEY SCORED 59 POINTS AND WAS THE GAME’S MVP. That news again; Michael Beasley broke the CBA All-Star scoring record and in some style; step back treys, coast-to-coast dunks, alley-oops. Lovely stuff. Highlights below (obviously) but I’m still not sure if this sort of Beas related activity is good or bad for the reputation of the largest basketball league in South-East Asia. Actually, who am I kidding; its fucking great.
Continue reading “CBA All-Star Review (Now Featuring Michael Beasley And A Lot Of Bad Dunks)”
With another round of games in the books, the first month of the 2014/15 Chinese Basketball Association is almost at an end. Liaoning remain top of the standings but much of the rest of the league have changed places in just seven days. All of that means another look at the key stories of the week are in order. This time around, it’s a player who could have been an NBA star, two American cult heroes in China and the trouble with CBA teams (not) doing their paperwork.
Another round of games, another week of story lines. This time around its the struggles of a CBA legend, one of China’s oldest teams in turmoil, another mishandling a young star and China’s next great big man™ is emerging on the horizon in Xinjiang.
With the CBA set to start on Sunday, November 1st, CBA teams are gearing up for another season of wall-to-wall basketball. Having dealt with the bottom half of the league last week, now its time to look at the teams who will be expected to compete for play-off sports and ultimately vie for the title itself.
Continue reading “SHARK FIN HOOPS CBA PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: 1 – 10”
Few teams have suffered such a violently reversal of fortunes in the last twelves months than the Shanghai Sharks. This time last year, the team had made the postseason despite being widely regarded as a bottom five team. Moreover, the Sharks did this on the back of the best defense in the CBA (have been ranked the worst in 2010/11) and a canny utilization of the triangle offense that helped bring many of Shanghai’s unheralded Chinese players into games. Continue reading “A Painful Five Months In Shanghai: Reviewing The Sharks 2012/13 CBA Season”
With the CBA All-Star weekend now confirmed for February 21st and 22nd, four Sharks have been named on the ballot for the big game in Guangzhou. Continue reading “CBA All-Star Weekend: Four Sharks Make Voting List”
Another huge effort from DJ White was still not enough to keep the Sharks even remotely close to their hosts on Tuesday evening. Without Gilbert Arenas or Liu Wei, Shanghai didn’t have any real support for White as a ruthless Liaoning side eased into triple figures without too much trouble. Continue reading “Liaoning Jaguars 110 – Shanghai Sharks 82: Li Xiaoxu Pulls No Punches As Sharks Routed On The Road”
