Xinjiang and Shandong teams have historically been on good terms, with many young talents from Xinjiang coming from training camps within Shandong province. For instance, Tang Caiyu, the former deputy captain of Xinjiang, as well as Qu Xiaoyu and Ge Haoran, are all products of Shandong training camps. Similarly, Hou Peizuo from Shandong is a product of Xinjiang's youth training.
This season, however, tensions arose when Xinjiang's head coach Qiu Biao left for Shandong, taking with him Yu Dehao, Mi Aili, trainer Zati, video analyst Li Tianshu, and signing Wijntun. It is reported that Qiu Biao had signed a two-year contract with Xinjiang before last season, but with one year remaining, he abruptly sought to terminate the contract citing his child's schooling as the reason.
The management of Xinjiang, adhering to the principle of parting amicably, respected Qiu Biao's wishes. Subsequently, Qiu Biao signed with Shandong, a rare occurrence for the best coach of the previous season to change teams during the off-season. Whether or not Qiu Biao's child eventually enrolled in school in Shandong remains unknown.
Yu Dehao, Xinjiang's defensive anchor from last season, also had an unusual off-season. After returning early to Urumqi and staying in the player dormitory, he would train at the team gymnasium on his own. However, throughout Xinjiang's warm-up matches, summer league, and preseason games, Yu Dehao never appeared with the team, nor did he join them. As expected, before the registration deadline, Yu Dehao was transferred to Shandong.
In their first two encounters this season, both sides played relatively normally. However, in the second game, Shandong hit 22 three-pointers but still failed to secure victory, seemingly leaving Qiu Biao and his Shandong team feeling frustrated. In the third match, Shandong started with intense defense, with the center almost always double-teaming or significantly delaying, causing frequent turnovers for Xinjiang's Xi Erzati.
Liu Wei had no choice but to bring Zhao Rui into the game to break the deadlock. During one of Zhao Rui's layups, Yu Dehao committed a clear foul that the referee missed. What followed is well-known: Zhao Rui clashed with the referee and received a five-game suspension. However, the story was just beginning. Throughout the rest of the game, incidents such as Yu Dehao's diving to create a foul against Xi Erzati, the friction between Chris and Ai Zimaiti, Chris spitting at Ai Zimaiti, Liu Wei allegedly telling Yu Dehao "let xx shoot," and Yu Dehao fouling Ai Zimaiti occurred, with the match lasting from 8 pm until 10:30 pm.
It is interesting to note that Qiu Biao, who led Xinjiang to the finals last season, did not receive a welcoming ceremony from his former team before the game. For comparison, Xinjiang held welcome ceremonies for players like Jones, Treles, and Lutubula who returned home this season. Yu Dehao's pre and post-game social media VLOGs received no comments from his former Xinjiang teammates. Trainer Zati from Shandong directly posted in support of Yu Dehao, stating: "He devoted his best four years wholeheartedly, yet was insulted by some people with ulterior motives."
Another focal point of the game for Xinjiang was Ai Zimaiti, who changed his personal social media background image to a picture of Yu Dehao and Qiu Biao celebrating after Shandong's victory. Last season, due to poor defense, Ai Zimaiti was once benched by Qiu Biao, only regaining opportunities under Liu Wei's coaching this season.
This is professional league basketball, where the stories on and off the court can be just as captivating as the game itself. However, it is hoped that the players will focus more on the game and deliver more exciting matches for the fans.