This season in the CBA has been incredibly competitive due to the absence of a dominant super team, giving multiple teams a chance at the championship. In the first stage, one team stood out with an impressive record of 9 wins and 1 loss, ranking them first in the CBA. As a traditional powerhouse, many fans believed they had a good shot at winning the title this year. However, as the second stage commenced, they began to reveal more and more issues. In their last four games, they suffered three losses and only one win, causing them to drop out of the top six in the rankings. If these players are not replaced, it seems unlikely that the team will be able to secure the championship.
In the CBA regular season match between Xinjiang and Beijing, both traditional strong teams, the game was fiercely contested. Beijing led in the first half, but in the second half, their offense stalled, ultimately resulting in a 108:97 reversal by Xinjiang. After this loss, their record stands at 16 wins and 7 losses, dropping them to seventh place in the standings, outside the top six. Over the past four games, they have won only one (a narrow 110:109 victory over Tongxi, almost suffering a buzzer-beater), and if we look at the entire second stage, they have only managed 7 wins against 6 losses, with victories mostly coming against weaker opponents. Below is a list of the teams Beijing has faced during the second stage:
Teams they've beaten include: Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beikong, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Liaoning (with a score of 106:105), and Tongxi. Teams they've lost to include: Shanxi (twice), Guangdong, Tianjin, Shandong, and this latest defeat against Xinjiang. It's clear from these results that they mostly win against weaker teams but struggle against stronger opponents, leading many fans to say that Beijing can't handle tough competition, and there are reasons for this.
To be honest, on paper, Beijing's strength this season is quite strong. During the offseason, they bolstered their roster with the additions of Zhou Qi and Chen Yingjun, effectively addressing their weaknesses inside and out. However, Zhou Qi is frequently injured, even missing games due to a cold, and his on-court fighting spirit is average, which hasn't significantly improved the team's strength. Additionally, Beijing faces two major problems: firstly, their foreign player issue. This season, the CBA has opened up the foreign player system, increasing from last season's 4 quarters with 4 foreign player slots to 4 quarters with 7 slots, greatly increasing the time foreign players spend on the court and their impact on the game. As a result, teams are actively recruiting quality foreign players, but Beijing's three main foreign players can only be considered mid-to-lower tier in the league.
The small forward, Jieman, averages only 17.3 points per game with a shooting percentage of 45.5% and a three-point percentage of 30.4%; the 206cm power forward, Omore, averages 13.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game with a shooting percentage of 47.3%; and the center, Solomon, averages only 9.9 points in 23.8 minutes per game. None of these players possess strong attacking capabilities or the ability to perform in clutch moments. Honestly, such a foreign player configuration does not resemble that of a championship-winning team.
Furthermore, the coaching abilities of Xu Limin, the team's head coach, are extremely limited. His ability to adapt to changing situations on the court is poor, and the team lacks a cohesive offensive and defensive system. Their style of play is overly rigid, lacking creativity, which all contribute to Beijing's inability to compete against strong teams. Without replacing these individuals, it seems virtually impossible for the team to win the championship this season.
