Recently, during a match between Guangdong Hongyuan and Shandong High-Speed teams, an astonishing scene unfolded. It is common knowledge that in the final moments of the fourth quarter, every team would strive to secure victory. However, both Guangdong's head coach Du Feng and Shandong's head coach Qiu Biao seemed uninterested in winning.
Specifically, with just over two minutes left in the game, most believed that Guangdong, leading by 9 points, would easily win. But Guangdong suddenly lost their rhythm, as if they had become a different team. Xu Jie was intercepted by Yu Dehao, reducing the lead to 5 points. Mordand also made a passing error, followed by Zhang Haojia, who could have secured a stable three-pointer but instead stepped on the line and shot a long two-pointer.
Shandong's response was equally interesting. Qiu Biao replaced the best-performing Gali with Chris, who missed an easy layup after Mordand's mistake, which could have narrowed the gap and potentially won the game for Shandong.
This strange scenario where neither team wanted to score or win suggests something amiss with both Guangdong and Shandong. However, I suspect that behind this lies Du Feng and Qiu Biao's grand strategy for their teams' future.
Considering the players' usual stability, their performance in this game suggests more than simple mistakes. This reminds me of a classic line from the 1979 Soviet film "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears," where the beautiful Liu Jia asks her colleague why generals' wives are old and ugly, to which the colleague replies that one must marry a lieutenant and endure a life of hardship to become a general's wife.
Similarly, Du Feng and Qiu Biao may be enduring hardships now to uncover their teams' full potential and achieve ultimate glory. With Shandong and Guangdong ranked fifth and ninth in the league, they might also be considering avoiding strong opponents in the playoffs. However, this consideration might be premature, and if they fail like Li Chunjiang and Li Nan, it could be costly.
Regardless, teams that do not care about winning or losing a single game can be formidable, as they desire the ultimate prize. This shows the severity of the situation and challenges Liaoning faces if they wish to retain their title. After all, what Yang Ming of Liaoning wants, Du Feng of Guangdong and Qiu Biao of Shandong want too, along with teams like Shanxi, Beijing, Xinjiang, and Zhejiang Guangsha.
