CBA Round 29 featured several intense matchups, with some games being particularly competitive. In the clash between league leaders Guangsha Men's Basketball and second-ranked Shanxi Men's Basketball, Guangsha emerged victorious with a 33-point advantage over their opponents. Other notable matches saw Guangdong Men's Basketball defeat Qingdao, Liaoning Men's Basketball narrowly win against Beikong, and Zhejiang Men's Basketball secure a significant victory over Beijing. Additionally, there were two major upsets in this round, with Xinjiang Men's Basketball losing at home to Fujian, who were ranked last, and Shandong Men's Basketball falling to Shenzhen, a team lower in the standings. Let's take a look at the specific matchups and results of this round.
Following these matches, the CBA rankings have seen significant changes. Guangsha Men's Basketball remains at the top, while Shanxi Men's Basketball, despite their loss, still holds the second position, with no change in the rankings for these two teams. However, Liaoning Men's Basketball, despite an average performance in this round, managed to defeat Beikong Men's Basketball and climbed three places to secure the third spot. With new foreign player Weber now joining the team, and Patton already performing well after representing the team, Liaoning Men's Basketball is expected to make a strong comeback. Shandong Men's Basketball suffered an upset loss to Shenzhen Men's Basketball in this round, dropping one place in the rankings but still maintaining a position within the top four.
Zhejiang Men's Basketball claimed victory over Beijing Men's Basketball in this round, with Zhou Qi's absence having a considerable impact on Beijing. This win propelled Zhejiang Men's Basketball to fifth place. Xinjiang Men's Basketball's unexpected loss to Fujian Men's Basketball raised questions about head coach Liu Wei's coaching abilities, especially considering the team's home court disadvantage and the absence of several key players. Looking at the records, both Zhejiang Men's Basketball and Xinjiang Men's Basketball have performances not far off from the top four teams, Liaoning and Shandong, making the upcoming battle for the top four spots highly competitive.
The final two teams in the top eight are currently seventh-placed Qingdao Men's Basketball and eighth-placed Guangdong Men's Basketball. Qingdao Men's Basketball is primarily facing issues with their foreign players, as they have yet to find a suitable small forward replacement since Powell's departure. Guangdong Men's Basketball, on the other hand, has been on a remarkable run, achieving five consecutive victories. Although their ranking hasn't improved significantly, their record has caught up, leaving them only two wins behind the top four. Overall, Guangdong Men's Basketball still has a good chance of breaking into the top four this season, and that possibility is not insignificant.
The four teams ranked ninth to twelfth are Beijing's twin teams, Tongxi Men's Basketball, and Shanghai Men's Basketball. Beijing Men's Basketball has recently suffered two consecutive losses, resulting in a sharp drop in their ranking. Judging from the matches, Beijing Men's Basketball's foreign players are relatively average in ability, coupled with head coach Xu Limin's coaching issues. The team's lineup strength is quite ordinary without Chen Yingjun and Zhou Qi, making defeats somewhat inevitable.
Shanghai Men's Basketball has been the best-performing team in the second stage, securing an impressive 15 consecutive victories. Based on their performance, it's not an exaggeration to say that Shanghai Men's Basketball is a championship-level strong team. They may bring a pleasant surprise to fans this season. As for the teams ranked below 12th, their overall strength is relatively average, and it will be very challenging for them to qualify for the playoffs!
