On January 20th, Beijing time, the CBA regular season is still in full swing. A clear battle between the strong and the weak sees two championship teams face off, with Sichuan hosting Shanghai. Before the game, Sichuan had only won 8 games and ranked fourth from the bottom, making it just a matter of time before they were out of playoff contention. They had even lost to the bottom-placed Fujian, seemingly adopting a passive stance. On the other hand, Shanghai had secured their playoff spot with an impressive 16-game winning streak but had recently hit a snag with consecutive losses to Liaoning and Shanxi. This match was undoubtedly crucial for Shanghai as they aimed to continue their northern campaign. After four quarters of play, Shanghai emerged victorious with a resounding 129-87 win over Sichuan.
In terms of personnel, Sichuan's core player Samna was absent, leaving only Maric and Hunter as their foreign players, which essentially signaled a strategic withdrawal. However, in the first quarter, Sichuan played tenaciously, with Liu Guanshan scoring a three-pointer at the start, followed by Li Jinxiao adding more firepower. The local players contributed across the board, making it a tough fight against Shanghai. With Hunter's final shot going in, Sichuan trailed by only one point at 26-27.
Shanghai began to exert themselves, with Li Hongquan and Wilson hitting back-to-back three-pointers to initially widen the gap. Despite Liu Guanshan's response, Li Tianrong's three-pointer extended the lead to double digits, forcing Sichuan to call a timeout. The two sides then engaged in a tug-of-war around a ten-point margin, with Sichuan trailing Shanghai 47-59 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Shanghai gradually increased their efforts and began to take control of the game. With two minutes left in the third quarter, Li Hongquan's dunk extended the lead to over 20 points. By the end of the third quarter, Shanghai led 89-65, effectively removing any suspense about the outcome of the game.
In the final quarter, Sichuan seemed to have all but given up, yet Shanghai showed no signs of relenting. It was almost an all-out effort from the bench players, who played with even more vigor, resulting in an ever-widening gap. Inevitably, a massacre ensued. Ultimately, Shanghai scored an astonishing 40 points in the last quarter, defeating Sichuan 129-87 in a 42-point rout.
In this game, seven players from Shanghai scored in double figures, with Li Hongquan leading the way with only 26 points, indicating that Shanghai played true team basketball. Even in garbage time during the last quarter, Shanghai did not let up, seemingly venting their anger from previous losses to Liaoning and Shanxi on Sichuan. However, due to their poor start with only one win and ten losses, it may be challenging for Shanghai to secure a top-four finish in the regular season. Nonetheless, they are undoubtedly a formidable opponent that no team would want to face in the playoffs.
Player stats:
Li Hongquan: 26 points, 4 rebounds
Hawkins: 15 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks
Wang Zhelin: 12 points, 3 assists, 9 rebounds
Li Tianrong: 12 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds
Ma Diancheng: 12 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds
Lovett: 11 points, 6 assists, 15 rebounds
Wilson: 11 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds
Yuan Tangwen: 9 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Bledsoe: 8 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds
Xie Liyongwei: 7 points, 1 rebound
Liu Zheng: 4 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 2 steals
Yan Pengfei: 2 points, 2 rebounds
Hunter: 34 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds
Maric: 17 points, 4 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 steals
Li Jinxiao: 12 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds
Liu Guanshan: 9 points, 1 rebound
Yu Xiang: 6 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds
Yang Wenxue: 4 points, 5 rebounds
Wang Yunzhang: 3 points, 5 rebounds
Li Weihao: 2 points, 2 rebounds
Zhao Rui: 1 point, 4 assists
Fang Jiachen: 2 assists
Wang Xincai: 2 rebounds
Zuo Zhenian: 1 rebound