Sports Weekly All Media Reporter Ji Mengnian
After about a month of repairs, the third stage of the CBA regular season is about to kick off on March 1. Players from 20 teams will compete in Foshan and Shenyang.
Different from the second window period, this time the Chinese men’s basketball team has no task of competition, so the players of the national brand also have a rare respite. The third stage of the regular season means the start of the sprint mode for each team. However, the situation this season is different from the past. Compared to the playoff berth battle, the fourth battle seems to be more intense. The six teams of Liaoning, Shanghai, Guangsha, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Shenzhen will all be involved in this fight. The final result of the fourth battle is not only about the regular season ranking, but may even affect the playoffs and even the final result. Championship situation.
Limited turnover of alliance personnel during the window period
In the past few years, the CBA has set up a window period, not only to make way for the national team’s game. It also gives players a time to adjust and rest, and gives teams a chance to strengthen their lineups.
Last season, with the Bayi players entering the free market midway through, the window signings were crazy. This season, the signing of the CBA window period has returned to rationality again. At least in the past month, there has been no reinforcement enough to change the situation of the alliance.
In comparison, the signing of Guangdong and Tang Jie can already be called a “heavyweight”. But fans who are familiar with the Guangdong team know that they were interested in Tang Jie as early as last summer. The “net celebrity” defender has been training with the Guangdong team, and sometimes he will appear on the sidelines to watch the Guangdong team’s games. His addition is an improvement in the depth of the backcourt for Guangdong, but it is still difficult to bring too many changes to the defending champion.
The Shanxi team also completed a contract. They signed a contract with Zhang Chunjun, a player who previously played in Shanghai. Zhang Chunjun was Yang Xuezeng’s former team when he coached Sichuan, and he was also the hero of that team’s championship win in 2016. However, in recent years, Zhang Chunjun’s competitive state has declined significantly, and he once moved to the three-person basketball league. During this window period, Zhang Chunjun reunited with his mentor Yang Xuezeng, and will contribute his energy to the Shanxi team next.
Other signings have basically not caused too many waves, and foreign aid is actually not as people imagined before. Each team will form at least a double foreign aid lineup in the third stage. Henson was temporarily unable to come to China due to a flight interruption, and has now been confirmed to miss the third stage of the regular season. Deng Meng was unable to merge with Beijing Enterprises due to relevant procedures and eventually joined the Turkish League. Endo decided not to play for the Zhejiang team this season because he could not adapt to the CBA closed competition system.
However, there are still some foreign players who have merged with the team during this window period. Hamilton, an acquaintance of the Beijing team, returns and will continue to play for the team in the third stage. The Guangsha team’s foreign aid Okafor was also officially announced. The 2015 NBA’s third overall pick has now played several warm-up games with Guangsha. Although Okafor’s numbers are not particularly dazzling, he still showed his comprehensive offensive skills. Over time, if he can form a good chemical reaction with his teammates, he will become another powerful foreign aid in the league.
It is worth mentioning that although the vast majority of teams did not sign in the window period. However, the return of wounded soldiers can be seen as reinforcement on another level. The Liaoning team said that although Han Dejun and Zhang Zhenlin’s injuries have not recovered, their recovery is progressing in an orderly manner. Ding Yanyuhang missed all games in the second stage due to injury, and his condition has improved significantly compared to before.
Of course, the majority of fans are most concerned about Zhao Rui’s situation. He only played one game in the second stage and started to hang up the free card. After Zhao Rui’s absence, Guangdong’s offensive and defensive strengths have declined significantly. Whether he can return smoothly will determine the basic direction of this season. However, in an interview, Zhu Fangyu gave Guangdong fans a reassurance. “I believe that in the third stage, Zhao Rui will definitely appear on the field again.” Zhu Fangyu said.
The four battles are more exciting than in previous years
In the third stage of the regular season, each strong team will start the sprint mode. The competition for playoff qualification has been particularly intense this season, as is the competition for the top four in the regular season.
In terms of qualifying competition for the playoffs, the rankings of the nine teams of Liaoning, Shanghai, Guangsha, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanxi are basically relatively stable. Unless there are too many problems, they should not Dropped out of the top 12 in the regular season. But starting from tenth-place Shandong, qualification for the playoffs does not seem to be so solid. At present, they beat the two teams of Beijing Enterprises and Jilin with 15 wins and 13 losses, and Xinjiang, Tianjin and Sichuan are outside the playoff area.
Compared with Tianjin and Sichuan, perhaps only Xinjiang outside the playoff area still has the hope of hitting the top 12. However, their schedule in the third stage was relatively difficult. In addition to two confrontations with the defending champion Guangdong, they will also have to face Shenzhen twice and Beijing twice. If they want to complete the counterattack, they may need a miracle.
Compared with the playoff qualification competition, the competition for the top four in the regular season may be the most eye-catching focus of the third stage. Since the reform of the CBA playoff system, that is, only the top four in the regular season can go straight to the quarter-finals, the fourth round has become the highlight of the final stage of the regular season. Today, Liaoning ranks first, followed by Shanghai, Guangsha and Zhejiang. In fifth place is the defending champion Guangdong, and their goal is not even just to reach the top four.
Zhu Fangyu, general manager of the Guangdong team, said in an interview that the team hopes to end the regular season as the top two. Although Guangdong did not further strengthen their foreign aid lineup during the window period, Zhao Rui’s return from injury will undoubtedly greatly improve Guangdong’s overall competitiveness. In addition, Tang Jie also signed with the Guangdong team during the window period, and their backcourt depth has also improved to a certain extent compared to before.
The Guangdong team has a relatively easy schedule in the third stage and does not need to play against any of the current top four teams. On the other hand, Liaoning, Shanghai, Guangsha and Zhejiang will be fighting against each other in the third stage of the regular season. Especially the Zhejiang team, they not only have to face the leader Liaoning twice, but also have two battles with Guangsha, the opponent from the same province. During the window period, Guangsha signed the 2015 NBA third overall pick Okafor, and the overall strength has improved significantly. It seems that it is not easy for Zhejiang to achieve a good record in these four games.
Therefore, the intensity of the top four battles this season is probably far more intense than the battle for playoff qualification. The final four finalists of the regular season will also likely determine the direction of the playoffs in the future. It is worth mentioning that Shenzhen is now only one game behind Guangdong, and their schedule in the third stage is even easier than Guangdong. Perhaps the fourth battle is not only the story of the five teams of Liaoning, Shanghai, Guangsha, Zhejiang and Guangdong. The Shenzhen team, which is best at creating “miracles” in the CBA, is also eyeing it.
Where are the playoffs held?Macau may be a candidate
Originally, the second stage of the CBA regular season was arranged in Changchun and Zhuji. Affected by the epidemic, the Zhuji Division did not host the second stage of the regular season, and 20 teams finally gathered in Changchun. The third stage of the regular season has once again become a dual competition area, which will be played in Shenyang and Foshan.
It is a pity that due to the impact of the epidemic, there is no public ticket sales in the Foshan Division. When will the fans be allowed to enter the stadium in the future, we also need to observe the future development trend of the epidemic. It is worth mentioning that this season’s All-Star Weekend will also be held in Foshan. According to the information disclosed so far, the All-Star Weekend will also not sell tickets to the outside world. The situation in the Shenyang division is relatively much better, and ticket sales have now started. Fans generally said that it is not particularly difficult to grab tickets, so the teams playing in the Shenyang Division can still hear the shouts from the fans.
When the game was held in the Changchun Division before, many players complained about the poor accommodation in the hotel. This time, whether in the Shenyang competition area or the Foshan competition area, the organizers have made more efforts in this regard. The reporter tried to connect with several players, and they generally expressed that they were very satisfied with the accommodation conditions this time. The head coach of the Liaoning team, Yang Ming, who returned to the “home” game, also received a welcome fruit plate and cake from the hotel. Later, he said on social media: “Isolation at ‘home’ is different, and the rest will work hard. Bar.”
Compared with the third stage of the regular season, teams and fans are still more concerned about how the playoffs will be played. Earlier, it was reported that the new season of the Chinese Super League may resume the home and away game system, and the new season will start in April. The return of the Chinese Super League to the home and away era means that the CBA playoffs will also have the opportunity to return to the home and away format? It is understood that the CBA company is now discussing related issues, and there is a possibility of resuming home and away games in the CBA playoffs. However, everything still needs to follow the development of the epidemic situation, and communicate and coordinate with relevant departments. If the CBA playoffs still fail to return to the home and away game system, the game system will still be the choice of the CBA company. It is reported that Macau is likely to become the final host city for the playoffs. Previously, the 2021 National Three-person Basketball Super League was successfully held in Macau. The SAR government has always intended to introduce more professional sports competitions to promote exchanges between the mainland and Macau. Of course, the specific situation still needs to be further discussed by CBA and relevant departments.
In addition to the venue of the playoffs, how the playoffs will be played has also attracted the attention of many fans. In the past two seasons, the CBA playoffs have been greatly reduced, and the situation may return to the state before the epidemic this season. That is, 12 wins, 8 wins, 2 wins, 8 wins, 4 wins, and 3 wins. The semi-finals and finals that attract the most attention are the best-of-seven games to determine the final championship.
