Shanghai's 16-game winning streak has finally come to an end with a 114-117 loss to the reigning champions Liaoning. In fact, Shanghai may have mentally prepared for defeat by resting Lofton (rotational rest). Moreover, for the current Shanghai men's basketball team, losing or winning a game does not have much of an impact, as qualifying for the playoffs is already a certainty.
However, the course of the game was unacceptable to many. Liaoning played well in the first three quarters, while Shanghai fought back bravely despite being at a disadvantage. In particular, foreign player Bradso showed great vigor against Liaoning, with a high shooting accuracy. However, in the fourth quarter, the referee's multiple calls sparked controversy. For example, Bradso was called for a foul on Yan Shouqi, and then during their entanglement, Bradso was judged to have dived. Due to his previous record of unsportsmanlike fouls, Bradso was directly ejected from the game.
Before leaving the court, Bradso had made 10 out of 13 shots, scoring 28 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, making 13 assists, with 2 steals and 1 block, and carrying 5 fouls, including multiple offensive fouls. In fact, even if Bradso had not been judged to have dived, he would have been quickly benched based on the frequency of the referee's foul calls. After Bradso's departure, Shanghai still showed great tenacity, even forcing the defending champions into a difficult position for a period of time. It was only after Foger scored four consecutive points that the crisis was resolved, and Shanghai's last attempt at a tying three-pointer missed, resulting in a regrettable loss.
Shanghai's media, "Five Star Sports," published an article clearly pointing out that there were significant problems with the referee's calls in the fourth quarter. "Five Star Sports" is affiliated with Shanghai Television, and as an official media outlet, such sharp criticism of the referees suggests that they have reached the limit of their tolerance.
The media pointed out that Bradso was called for a foul without much contact and was judged to have fouled defensively without significant physical contact. At that time, Bradso was in excellent form, and if the referee's call standards had been consistent and followed the basic principle of "letting the players decide the game," Bradso would likely not have been sent off.
Taking the case of Bradso pushing Yan Shouqi and being called for an offensive foul, it is true that he did push. However, on the basketball court, this situation is quite common and can be either called a foul or overlooked, but the referee called it a foul.
Yet, Bradso attempted to create an offensive foul like Yan Shouqi. Yan Shouqi had an obvious forceful action with his hands, and there was direct physical contact between them, but the referee judged Bradso to have dived. How to determine whether Yan Shouqi really pushed hard? And how to determine whether Bradso really fell intentionally? This situation is within the range where the referee can either call a foul or not, but this time it was called a dive. Moreover, the referee has consistently targeted a specific player, not just once or twice. After Bradso was sent off, his mentality completely collapsed.
The match has concluded, and regardless of whether the calls were correct or not, they cannot change the final result of the game. Moreover, the CBA does not issue referee reports, so there is no way to know if the calls were correct. The end of Shanghai's 16-game winning streak is somewhat regrettable, as they originally had a chance to continue winning. If they had overcome Liaoning, they might have welcomed another winning streak.
Admirably, Shanghai's head coach, Lu Wei, spoke with great vision and would not dwell on immediate wins or losses. Although he must be dissatisfied with the loss, his emotional intelligence is very high. He said, "Congratulations to Liaoning for their victory. As someone from Shenyang, I am very excited to return for the first time as a head coach. It is an honor to shake hands with the head coach of my hometown team. Both teams performed brilliantly, and our resilience is also commendable. Even when we were significantly behind, we did not give up. We should learn from Liaoning and conduct a thorough review after returning."
Lu Wei's demeanor is something that Liu Wei of Xinjiang men's basketball needs to learn from, and it is enough for Liu Wei to study for a lifetime. If it were Liu Wei, he would probably have exploded in anger. Previously, after Xinjiang lost to Shandong, ending their 14-game home winning streak, Liu Wei criticized the Shandong players, saying they pretended to be fouled by covering their faces, and felt that Zhao Rui should not have been sent off because he is a star, and fans want to see stars play on the court. This logic is difficult to understand. At that time, not only was Zhao Rui suspended and fined, but Liu Wei, as head coach, made improper remarks and was also warned by the CBA.
Xinjiang men's basketball has strong strength, but it is quite challenging to achieve higher goals in the playoffs. It could even be said that Shanghai men's basketball has a more promising future and even the hope of becoming a championship contender. The team possesses all the conditions for success, such as strength, resilience, and maturity.