China News Service, Hangzhou, April 2 (Guo Tianqi) On the evening of the 2nd, a strong dialogue in the 51st round of the 2023-2024 Chinese Men's Professional Basketball League (CBA) regular season will be staged in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. The "Zhejiang Two Heroes" Guangsha team and Zhejiang team are facing a derby match. Four national men’s basketball players, Hu Jinqiu, Zhu Junlong, Yu Jiahao and Cheng Shuipeng, will compete on the same field. At present, both teams have successfully advanced. In this battle, both sides are more "training" for the upcoming playoffs.
The regular season is about to end, and the fierce battle for the top 12 has also been settled. Liaoning, Xinjiang, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangsha, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Beijing Enterprises, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanxi have obtained playoff tickets.
The picture shows Guangsha team player Weatherspoon (left). Photo by Guo Tianqi
According to the current points situation, the Zhejiang team is firmly in the top 3 of the league and directly won a seat in the top 8 of the playoffs; while the Guangsha team is currently locked in fifth place and lost the opportunity to have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. According to the 12-round 8 matchup rules, they will face the 12th-ranked team on April 10. According to the current situation, there is a high probability that the "Zhejiang Two Heroes" will not be in the same half of the district. This also means that if the two teams can attack the strong enemies in their respective halves, they will likely meet in the finals.
This season, the two teams only met once. Guangsha team defeated Zhejiang team 96:90 at home. Guangsha core Sun Minghui scored 37 points. In this rematch, Sun Minghui is likely to miss due to injury. The only foreign aid Weatherspoon who has the main level in Guangsha on the outside is left.
In recent games, the Guangsha team suffered two losses, and even lost by a large score in the game against the Guangdong team. It can be seen that the weakening of the outside line has a great impact on the team. Therefore, Weatherspoon was absent in Sun Minghui's absence. Under certain circumstances, he needs to assume more offensive and defensive responsibilities and better connect the game. On the other hand, the Zhejiang team is full of talents on the back line. Wu Qian, Cheng Shuipeng, Carrick Jones, and Wang Yibo all have good scoring and organizational skills.
On the front line, the Guangsha team currently has three national-level players, Zhao Jiaren, Zhu Junlong and Hu Jinqiu. Zhao Jiaren quickly found match form after returning from injury. Zhu Junlong has been playing an important role in the team's offense and defense. Hu Jinqiu is one of the most powerful forwards in the league. He has excellent mid-range and rebounding skills and does not suffer from speed. The Zhejiang team welcomed the return of the injured Liu Zeyi in the third stage. He has also contributed efficient performance in recent games. In addition, the Zhejiang team also has the main force Lu Wenbo and the foreign aid Gaily who has repeatedly become a "surprise substitute" on the front line.
The picture shows Guangsha team player Okafor (right). Photo by Guo Tianqi
In addition to the strikers, one of the highlights of this game is the matchup between the two sides. Yu Jiahao, as the Zhejiang team’s new insider, is favored by many people in the industry. He has also faced off against Qingdao team’s core Yang Hansen, who is also a new inside player. Gain the upper hand. Facing the Guangsha team in this campaign, Yu Jiahao will directly face off with former NBA No. 1 pick Okafor. It will be a big challenge for Yu Jiahao to restrict Okafor, who has strong physical fitness and low-post singles ability.
It is worth mentioning that the performance of the "Zhejiang duo" has attracted much attention this season. They have combat effectiveness that cannot be underestimated. The league's "leader" Liaoning team has fallen to these two Zhejiang teams five times. The Guangdong team also suffered a defeat in Zhejiang. In the playoffs last season, the "Zhejiang Double Heroes" Guangsha team and Zhejiang team reached the semi-finals together, but lost to the championship Liaoning team one after another. Now the battle for the new season's playoffs is about to ignite, and the "Zhejiang Double Heroes" Whether "Xiong" can break last year's record will be worth looking forward to. (over)