Half a world away from all the Phil Jackson madness, Stephon Marbury is competing for a championship … again. Game 1 of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Finals is Wednesday night. The two best teams in the league — the Beijing Ducks and the Xinjiang Flying Tigers — will play a best-of-seven series for the CBA championship. Beijing comes into the series having just upset the top dog of the league, the Guangdong Southern Tigers. Xinjiang, on the other hand, is the undisputed
“Ma-bu-li! Ma-bu-li! Ma-bu-li!” The chants fill the Chinese basketball stadium. It’s sweet music to the ears of the Beijing Ducks fans, many of whom are wearing Stephon Marbury’s No. 3 replica jersey. It’s March 30, 2012, and Marbury and the Ducks have just defeated the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the deciding game of the Chinese Basketball Association Finals. The stadium erupts in celebration, and a healthy dose of disbelief. For a few minutes, Marbury is overcome with emotion, unable to speak as
BEIJING — The championship that eluded Stephon Marbury in the United States did not elude him in China. After scoring 41 points with seven assists, Marbury was in tears yet again Friday night with the outcome of the game still in doubt. How many times did he cry this season? How many tears had been shed? Even Marbury couldn’t give an accurate count. When he cried for first time Friday night, Game 5 of the CBA Finals was still going on, but Marbury