On January 14th, Beijing time, a major controversy arose during the match between Liaoning and Shanghai. The referees made questionable calls, including two offensive fouls in the fourth quarter, which led to the ejection of Bradley. Is it that they don't want Liaoning to lose?
After Liaoning's crushing defeat in the previous game, their ranking dropped to fifth in the league, on the verge of being overtaken by Guangdong and just one step away from falling out of the top eight. In this home game against Shanghai, who were missing Lofton, Liaoning had to win; otherwise, another loss would be too embarrassing.
Despite this, Liaoning managed to lead Shanghai by as much as 17 points at one point, achieving a 53:36 lead in the first half. However, they suffered a humiliating comeback, with Shanghai overtaking the score in just half a quarter. It's unclear what Liaoning was thinking, as such a significant lead seemed to evaporate.
Playing at home against an opponent lacking a core superstar, Liaoning, with a complete lineup, still managed to squander a big lead and get overturned. This is quite embarrassing, isn't it? In the third quarter, the referees began making controversial calls, giving Shanghai two unreasonable fouls in this quarter alone. Especially when Li Tianrong was called for a rebounding foul, it was truly exaggerated. He did nothing but was called for a foul in the crowd. Can you understand this call? Who would believe that a normal jump for a rebound could result in a foul?
Additionally, Shanghai was also called for an offensive foul, with the whistle blown as soon as they gained momentum. It's clear that the referees were here to ensure Liaoning's victory. Despite these two major controversial calls, Liaoning still didn't gain much advantage. Then came the most exaggerated moment in the last quarter: Bradley was directly ejected, and this call was truly incomprehensible.
With six and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter, Liaoning led 103:98. At this point, Bradley had a confrontation with Liaoning's players and fell to the ground while jostling for position. There was indeed suspicion of diving, but the referee immediately called it as such.
To be honest, even if it was really diving, a warning should have been given first. By directly giving a T, it seems like the intention was to eject Bradley, knowing full well that he already had a technical foul. Another technical foul in the fourth quarter means three consecutive calls against Bradley, resulting in his ejection. This whistle is truly incomprehensible.
When Liaoning's players fall, it's called an offensive foul. Bradley thought about it and tried the same action, only to be penalized for diving. Frankly speaking, this home-court advantage is too exaggerated, and the referees are also too excessive. If Liaoning can't even overcome a weakened Shanghai team in this state, then there's really no excuse.