The Guangdong Southern Tigers had themselves one hell of a season. The Dongguan-based team closed out the 2018-2019 CBA finals by beating the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 103-98 in Urumqi.
As the NBA playoffs heat up with exciting teams like the Portland Trailblazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets, among others, vying for a chance to dethrone the Golden State Warriors, the Guangdong Southern Tigers dominated the Chinese Basketball League in a way their American counterparts have yet to do.
After finishing the regular season with a league-best 42-4 record, the Southern Tigers annihilated their competition in the playoffs without losing a single game. First was a quarterfinals matchup against the Jiangsu Dragons, where the Southern Tigers swept the Nanjing-based squad in a five-game series with a point differential of over 30 points on average. In the semifinals, the team faced provincial rivals Shenzhen Leopards, who also proved to be no match for the Southern Tigers after getting swept 4-0 in a seven-game series.
After advancing to the CBA finals for their 14th appearance, the Southern Tigers were more than capable of handling the Xinjiang Flying Dragons, winning the first three games by 10 or more points. The team completed their third playoff sweep after winning game four by a five-point margin.
The team received significant contributions from guard MarShon Brooks and forward Sonny Weems, along with center Yi Jianlian who was named Finals MVP.
This is the Southern Tiger’s first CBA finals championship in six years, after beating the Shandong Gold Lions 4-0 in the 2012-2013 CBA championship.
Watch highlights from game four of the CBA finals below (VPN off):
[Cover image via Tecent Sports]
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