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,…