The CBA regular season is in full swing, and according to the schedule, on December 30th, the league will welcome the Spring Festival showdown, with Liaoning Men's Basketball Team facing off against Guangdong Men's Basketball Team at home. This match is destined to be a clash of titans, with high levels of interest and attention from fans who will be watching the players' performances and defensive actions on the court.
Before the game, three pieces of news have emerged. Firstly, in another recently concluded focus match, Shanxi Men's Basketball Team defeated Guangsha Men's Basketball Team, which was ranked first in the league. As a result, Shanxi Men's Basketball Team has risen to second place in the entire league and has become one of the favorites to win the championship this season. Compared to the outcome of the game, fans are more concerned about Zhang Ning's foul actions on the court. It turns out that towards the end of the game, Zhang Ning was called for a flagrant foul during an offensive play under the basket, and he was also expelled from the game due to accumulating 1T1 flagrant fouls.
In slow-motion replay, it can be seen that during his shot attempt, Zhang Ning's left arm had pressing and clamping movements, which caused Hu Jinqiu to fall heavily to the ground. The referee believed that this action was intended to injure, so they quickly issued a flagrant foul to Zhang Ning. In this game, Zhang Ning also raised his elbow against Sun Minghui during a fast break, and the referee quickly blew the whistle. In a previous game, Zhang Ning injured Bai Haotian's cervical spine during a defensive play. This season, Zhang Ning has accumulated a total of 7 flagrant fouls, ranking him at the top of the list. Therefore, judging by the number of fierce fouls, Zhang Ning seems to have become the "biggest villain" in the CBA league.
Of course, I believe that Zhang Ning did not intentionally commit these fierce fouls. As Zhang Ning stated in a post-game interview: "Recently, I have had more flagrant fouls, but subjectively, I definitely did not do it on purpose. I also want to apologize to the four players, including Hu Jinqiu." Zhang Ning expressed that he will reflect and learn from experience, striving to avoid actions that could harm others in future games.
The second piece of news is that Guangdong Men's Basketball Team won against Jilin Men's Basketball Team in the 23rd round of the regular season. In this game, Du Feng included Zhang Hao in the 12-man roster, and his performance on the court was quite competitive. This "little villain" once used his elbow to clear a path and directly hit the opponent's face during an offensive play at the end of the game, leading to the referee quickly blowing for an offensive foul. Zhang Hao then spread his hands in confusion, questioning why he was called for an offensive foul?
Both of these foul actions were avoidable, but the players were too focused on the game, eager to help their team score, and sometimes overeager actions can lead to harm to opponents. It is hoped that all players in the league can take this as a warning. The match between Liaoning Men's Basketball Team and Guangdong Men's Basketball Team will undoubtedly be more intense in terms of defense and offensive intensity. There will always be some friction, conflicts, or injuries whenever the two teams face each other.
The third piece of news is that, as Coach Yang Ming said before the game: "Every game for Liaoning Men's Basketball Team right now is at a playoff-level intensity. To win the game, we need to demonstrate execution and the desire to win. Playing at home comes with greater pressure, but Guangdong Men's Basketball Team, despite missing Hu Mingxuan, will not change in terms of overall style and fighting spirit, so we need to pay attention to these factors. Liaoning Men's Basketball Team is currently facing more serious injuries. With the current game intensity, everyone is still figuring things out, and each team's situation is complex. Therefore, what we need to do is to grasp the details, prepare seriously, and play well in every game."
I personally predict that Coach Du will proactively change formations for this game. Since Liaoning Men's Basketball Team has mostly arranged a starting lineup of three guards plus the "Xuanming Two Elders" in the second stage, therefore, taking advantage of the rotation lineup, Coach Du can boldly change formations. I suggest that Du Feng try arranging Xu Jie + Huang Rongqi + Bazley + Du Runwang + Morand as the starting five tigers.
Firstly, Bazley's strong defensive capabilities can cover the shooting points of Liaoning's two small foreign players. He is young and has more impact, which can also increase the counterattack speed of Guangdong Men's Basketball Team. Secondly, Jilunwate entering the bench can conserve energy for the decisive moments at the end of the game. Once energy consumption becomes excessive, Jiggy King will become old and weak in the legs, and scoring efficiency will drop significantly. Therefore, I think the key to this game, aside from seeing who has a strong defense, lies in Du Feng's scheduling and Bazley's performance.