On January 6th, the CBA league will feature six major battles. From the perspective of competing for the top four spots in the league, aside from the matches between Beikong and Jilin, Shenzhen versus Guangdong (both teams from the same province), and Tianjin hosting Shanghai, which are expected to have minimal impact on the current top four standings, the other three games could significantly influence the upcoming rankings in the CBA league. These include Beijing BAW facing Ningbo away, Liaoning hosting Zhejiang Guangsha, and Shandong High-Speed hosting Tongxi at home. Judging by the overall strength of their opponents, the Shandong team led by coach Qiubiao is the most likely candidate to replace Xinjiang and re-enter the top three of the league.
For Beikong, they suffered a one-point defeat in their first encounter with Jilin. Coupled with their current luxurious lineup and consecutive losses, the team is under considerable pressure, especially their head coach Min Lulei, who has faced much criticism. After losing to an undermanned Zhejiang Chouzhou team, Beikong, once hailed as the team with the greatest hope for the top four in the new season, has turned out to be the most disappointing team for fans. Despite having a well-rounded roster with an enviable frontcourt, Beikong struggles to play fluidly against any opponent and finds it hard to decisively win games. The use of players by coach Min has also been questioned, along with the psychological impact of the one-point loss to Jilin in their first match. Whether they can defeat Jilin during the injury period of Liao Sanning is a significant point of interest. However, the current Jilin team is also facing difficulties, with their core players Jones and Jiang Yuxing absent due to injuries. Therefore, Beikong is expected to show no mercy at home to regain their dignity.
The match between Shenzhen and Guangdong at Shenzhen's home court can be seen as a revenge game. Shenzhen lost to Guangdong by a huge margin of 35 points in an away game, scoring 88 to Guangdong's 123. Although Guangdong is currently in hot form, Shenzhen's overall combat effectiveness is also on the rise. Especially the two veterans Zhou Peng and Weems, facing their former team, will surely demonstrate their skills as they did when they played for Guangdong, proving that they are still sharp. But Guangdong will not give up without a fight, and whether they can achieve a double kill depends on the performance of their core players Xu Jie and Jilunwalt. This game, although it does not affect the overall ranking, is undoubtedly one of the most exciting games not to be missed. Tianjin's home game against Shanghai seems to have certain advantages, but Shanghai has recently shown excellent chemistry, especially with a 12-game winning streak, the longest in the league at present, and the team is currently at the edge of the playoffs in twelfth place. Therefore, even if Tianjin goes all out and maximizes their three-point shooting, it may still be difficult to stop Shanghai from achieving a 13-game winning streak.
In the match between Beijing BAW and Ningbo, Beijing BAW's coach Xu Limin revealed before the game that the team has been severely affected by injuries recently. Besides Chen Yingjun continuing his recovery, Zeng Fanbo did not travel with the team to Ningbo. This is a significant impact for Beijing BAW, as Chen and Zeng are not only core starters but also key rotation players. Their absence seriously affects the team's overall offense and defense. Moreover, Beijing BAW's foreign big man Solomon and domestic inside player Qiu Tian have both been feverish. This further reduces Beijing BAW's immediate combat capability. Although Ningbo is relatively weak, no team dares to underestimate them in the new season. After all, Beijing BAW has the potential to replace Xinjiang and re-enter the top three if they win, but this is contingent upon Shandong losing to Tongxi and Liaoning not defeating Zhejiang Guangsha; otherwise, even if Beijing BAW wins, they can only maintain their position within the top six.
Liaoning's challenge against Zhejiang Guangsha is a game of great significance, as they were defeated three times by Guangsha last season, and in each game, Liaoning played passively. Additionally, Liaoning's recent performance has been unstable due to injuries and issues with their foreign big man. Although Zhao Jiwei and foreign big man Patton are confirmed to play in this game, the main concern is the foreign big man's condition and ability to integrate better into the team. It should be noted that the new season's Guangsha team is currently ranked first in the league, having only lost four games, and recently, the addition of their foreign big man Boban has made their frontline rotation more flexible. Boban's height is unmatched by Liaoning. Winning this game would directly promote Liaoning to third place in the league, complete their revenge, and most importantly, prove once again that Liaoning still has the capability to successfully defend their title in the new season. However, Guangsha not only maintains an undefeated record at home but also wins more than they lose away, so the outcome of this game is really uncertain and will depend on the on-site performance.
Currently, Shandong has 18 victories, the same as Liaoning, Zhejiang Chouzhou, Beijing BAW, and Qingdao, but they have one less point than Zhejiang Chouzhou and Qingdao, and the same 44 points as Liaoning, one point more than Beijing BAW. Therefore, if Shandong can easily defeat Tongxi in this game and Liaoning loses to Zhejiang Guangsha, Shandong will successfully advance to third place, replacing Xinjiang. Looking at Shandong's combat effectiveness, team lineup, and overall strength in the new season, they should have no problem winning at home against Tongxi. Because coach Qiubiao revealed that Liu Yi on the wing has returned to full health, and Guo Kai, who was affected by injuries in the last game, will also participate. A fully healthy Shandong team is inherently stronger than Tongxi, and with Tongxi's core player Lin Wei injured and set to miss this game, Tongxi's combat effectiveness is further weakened, making it very difficult for them to defeat Shandong away from home. Therefore, Shandong is more likely to win compared to Liaoning beating Guangsha at home.
In conclusion, among the three crucial games tonight that affect the rankings - Beijing BAW, Liaoning, and Shandong - it seems that Shandong has the best chance to replace Xinjiang and become the third-ranked team in the league again.