On January 22nd, Beijing time, a shocking event took place! The 32-year-old Guo Ailun once again broke records, scoring an astonishing 40 points against a championship contender, leaving Yang Ming and Liaoning in a more awkward position than Beikong.
A peak battle in the CBA has concluded, with Guangzhou Long Lions losing at home to Beijing Beikong. Despite a significant deficit, they staged a remarkable comeback, with Guo Ailun delivering an incredible performance that was both the most exciting and uplifting of the season. Although the team lost, he did not.
The loss was due to the fact that his teammates were simply not up to par, with the team's overall strength falling short of their opponents. However, this does not mean that Guo Ailun was incapable of performing. He scored an impressive 40 points, achieving his highest score of the season, and fully demonstrated his dominance, proving that he deserved to be the All-Star starter.
After being selected as the All-Star starter, many people questioned whether he was worthy of the honor. But is he really deserving? In this game against the formidable Beikong, where the team's overall strength was far inferior to the opposition, it was him alone who led a group of inexperienced teammates in a fierce battle. By halftime, he had already scored 20 points with an astonishing shooting percentage of 6 out of 14, repeatedly driving to the basket and scoring time after time.
It was as if he was silently shouting, "I'm just injured, not useless!" In just half a game, Guo Ailun proved that his skills were still there; it was just that his teammates were truly lacking, even the foreign players couldn't perform well, unable to even handle basic plays. Seeing that the foreign players were not performing well, Guo Ailun gritted his teeth and decided to take matters into his own hands. In the third quarter, he continued to exert his power, making 5 out of 7 shots and drawing 4 fouls, adding another 14 points. By the end of the third quarter, he had accumulated 34 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist, helping the team close the gap to just 3 points behind Beikong.
In the fourth quarter, he even led Guangzhou to a stunning comeback, turning the game around. With three and a half minutes left in the game, following Guo Ailun's assist for a teammate's 2+1 play, he led Guangzhou to a 111:104 lead, a margin of 7 points. However, due to their weak overall strength and lack of consistent scoring options, they were hit by a 10:0 run from Beikong, resulting in a reversal. With only 7.8 seconds remaining, it was Guo Ailun who drew a foul and made two free throws, bringing his score to 40 points!
This is a domestic guard in the CBA, a domestic player capable of scoring 40 points. I really don't know what words to use to describe the invincible state of Guo Ailun. This is the third domestic player to score over 40 points in a single game this season! The previous two were Hu Mingxuan and Gao Shiyan, but he is the one who suffered the most severe injuries among them.
With 13 out of 25 shots, 3 out of 9 three-pointers, and 11 out of 13 free throws, playing a full 41 minutes and accumulating 40 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, watching his performance in this game, regardless of the outcome, is enough to bring tears to one's eyes. Compared to Beikong, the most embarrassing and disgraceful situation now may be Yang Ming and Liaoning, because they only used such a talented Guo Ailun to obtain the usage rights of Wang Lanchen for three years.