The Southern Tigers are on a roll.
The No. 1 seed Guangdong Southern Tigers completed their second sweep of the CBA postseason after beating No. 4 seed Shenzhen Leopards 135-117 in game four of the CBA semifinals on April 15. The Southern Tigers’ center Yi Jianlian put up a game-high 37 points with 17 rebounds while guard Marshon Brooks added 23 points and 9 rebounds for the Guangdong squad to close out the series.
Shenzhen was unable to match the Dongguan-based Southern Tigers’ power and speed throughout the series, with the victors now awaiting their 14th trip to the CBA finals. The Southern Tigers have earned themselves some time to rest as No. 2 seed Xinjiang Flying Tigers and No. 3 seed Liaoning Flying Leopards continue to battle it out in the other remaining semifinal series, with Xinjiang currently holding a 3-1 series advantage over Liaoning.
As the reigning CBA champions, Liaoning will face off against Xinjiang tonight, April 18, in hopes of mounting a comeback and moving on to defend their title against Guangdong. If Xinjiang secures a victory tonight, it will mark their second finals appearance in the last three years. In 2017, the Flying Tigers swept the Southern Tigers in the CBA finals, winning their first-ever CBA championship.
Last year, as a No. 3 seed, Guangdong defeated Xinjiang in the quarterfinals before losing to Liaoning in the semifinals. But, this year the team looks to have some unfinished business, and has shown no signs of slowing down as they eye their first championship in six years.
READ MORE: A Guide to Your City's Professional Chinese Basketball Squad
[Cover image via @辽蓝只声/Weibo]
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