After the Shanghai team lost to Liaoning with a score of 114 to 117 in an away game, people directly pointed their fingers at Liaoning's home court advantage. They believed that although the Shanghai team was missing its core player Lofton, Liaoning's aging frontline lineup and state of confusion made them prone to more defensive mistakes and three-point line leakages, giving the Shanghai team many opportunities to win the game.
However, the main reason why the Shanghai team did not win and ended their 16-game winning streak was due to some favorable calls for Liaoning during the game. For example, Wang Zhelin was at least twice fouled by Liaoning players on his cylinder while attempting a layup, but the referee did not call it. Even if they did blow the whistle, it was for an early foul, causing Wang Zhelin to lose two points that were almost in his hands.
They also cited the physical contact applied by Liaoning players when defending against Bradley, many of which were foul actions. Yet, the referees not only failed to call fouls on Liaoning players but instead called a technical foul for diving on Bradley, leading to his ejection. Liaoning players like Ferguson, Wells, and Han Dejun all received multiple free throw opportunities, especially with Han and Wells having as many as ten free throws each. These favorable calls greatly influenced the game's flow and the mentality of the Shanghai team players.
However, the truth is that Liaoning players had already chosen to commit an early foul before Wang Zhelin even started moving, aiming to limit his scoring through fouls. Bradley's ejection was also because he had previously committed a flagrant foul by blocking Liaoning's fast break. As for the technical foul, it occurred when he mentally collapsed under the close defense of Li Huwei and Yan Shouqi. When Li Huwei committed a foul, Bradley tried to replicate the situation against Yan Shouqi to draw another foul, only to end up getting himself into trouble. Ferguson, Wells, and Han's numerous free throws were also because they seized the opportunities under the basket, constantly attacking the rim.
But these are not what I want to elaborate on in this article. What I want to talk about is the tactical aspects behind Liaoning's ability to end Shanghai's 16-game winning streak. After all, these are the most important reasons for Liaoning's sudden overall strength improvement amidst their inconsistent performance recently.
It is the new lineup that played a huge role on the court. Players like Li Huwei, Wang Lanqin, and Yu Zechen, who usually don't get much playing time, received more opportunities in this game. Of course, the significant advantage of the quick-moving big delays by Liaoning's new foreign players Patton and Weber allowed head coach Yang Ming more choices in tactical arrangements and personnel deployment.
These changes will also help Liaoning gain more physical and momentum advantages in subsequent games, bringing more hope for the team's championship defense and putting pressure on title-contending teams like Guangdong and Zhejiang Guangsha.
Because they have smelled more danger from Liaoning's key victory that ended Shanghai's 16-game winning streak. After all, Liaoning has returned to the top three in the league standings with this victory, remaining one of the strongest contenders for the championship this season!
Fight on, Liaoning team!