For the first time in years, the hyperbole generated in the build-up to a CBA Finals is actually living up to the hype. Three games into the championship series, the Liaoning Leopards have a 2-1 lead over the defending champion Beijing Ducks. All three of the encounters have been compelling, but what has helped the CBA is that no one can confidently say what is going to happen next. Certain assumptions have turned out to be true. For example, Beijing’s Stephon
Following a recent game at Memphis, Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Jordan Clarkson left quite an impression on Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph. Clarkson scored a season-high 25 points on 12-of-18 shooting and added six assists. He kept the Lakers in the game until the fourth quarter, when the Grizzlies put their defense and talent to work and pulled out a 97-90 win. Afterward, Randolph was blown away. “That young fellow, he’s going to be good,” he said. “I didn’t even know who
With the CBA Finals about to begin on Wednesday, the championship series between the Beijing Ducks and the Liaoning Leopards has already attracted massive amounts of media attention and hyperbole. ‘War is imminent’ wrote one major Chinese website. [Read more…]
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
Have you ever wondered what became of Delonte West? How about Randolph Morris? Hamed Haddadi? Marcus Williams? They are all part of the growing contingent of former NBA players in the Chinese Basketball Association. The CBA is definitely a league of its own and well worth following for its American star power. Defense is not a priority in the CBA, an offensive-minded league which emphasizes transition and the 3-pointer. It is a great place for undersized guards, tweener forwards and big men not