Original title: The three-year competition system CBA has reached a fork in the road
As the Liaoning team defeated the Zhejiang Guangsha team 4-0 in the finals and won the second championship trophy in team history, the 2021-2022 CBA season officially came to an end. This is the third season in which the CBA adopts the tournament system. Looking at the process and situation of the entire season, it can be said that there are both joys and worries. The development of Chinese professional basketball has come to a fork in the road.
The competitive landscape has changed a lot
In the past few seasons, the Guangdong team and the Liaoning team were the rulers of the entire league. This season’s CBA, the situation of Liaoning and Guangdong’s hegemony has changed. The youth training of Guangsha and Zhejiang teams for many years has come to fruition, and they are indisputably among the first team. The Shanghai team with large-scale signings suddenly emerged and won the top three in the regular season. In the regular season, the record of the top few players has not been opened. It was not until the last three rounds that the Liaoning team locked the top spot, which had never happened in the previous seasons. The top-ranked Liaoning team has a record of 32 wins and 6 losses, and the Guangsha team behind them is only one game away. The Shanghai team and Zhejiang team, which ranked third and fourth, had the same record of 28 wins and 10 losses. Guangdong team and Shenzhen team ranked fifth and sixth also lost two games. The competition for the first-tier teams is heating up, and the competition for playoff tickets is equally fierce. Several teams compete fiercely for the 8th to 12th places.
Judging from the results, there were a lot of sweeps in the playoffs. But from the process analysis, the competition is not short of fierce confrontation. Both the Liaoning team and the Guangdong team have encountered great challenges and are no longer able to defeat their opponents as easily as before. If it weren’t for the fact that many of the main players of the Guangsha team suffered from injuries, the process of the finals would definitely be more intense. More and more teams are improving, and the gap between teams is narrowing. This is extremely beneficial to the development of the CBA league. Only when a hundred flowers bloom can make the league more enjoyable and attract more attention.
Young players take on the role
In the past, the CBA relied too much on foreign aid, and it was difficult for local players, especially young players, to emerge. This season, whether it is through the draft or the young players trained by the youth training of each team, they have become key figures on the field. Guangsha team has rich experience in youth training, and this season has ushered in a harvest moment. The “Guangsha Three Young Masters” are the backbone of the team. The team makes tactical arrangements around them, and foreign aid is more of an auxiliary role. Hu Jinqiu was elected MVP (Most Valuable Player) in the regular season, and Sun Minghui entered the first team of the best team. These are all affirmations for them.
Players such as Zhang Zhenlin and He Xining, who have emerged in previous seasons, continued to improve and became star players in the league. The performance of some newcomers has also been affirmed. Li Tianrong of Shanghai team, center Yu Jiahao of Zhejiang team, and Liao Sanning of Beijing Control team have all played well. Zhao Baiqing, Li Yiyang, Zhang Dianliang and others who entered the CBA through the draft also reflected their value in their respective teams. The CBA league can cultivate more talents and will provide valuable wealth for Chinese basketball.
Organizational management needs to be improved
The CBA league also has problems. The defensive action on the court is too large, and malicious fouls are repeated. Under such circumstances, players continue to suffer from injuries, and some people are even reimbursed in advance of the season, which weakens the appreciation of CBA. The health of the players is always the most important at all times. The reason why malicious fouls can never be eliminated is partly because the CBA’s penalties are somewhat loose, and the way of fines and suspensions for several games will not cause too much deterrence to individual players. For those players who behave maliciously and persist after repeated teachings, they must be severely punished.
In addition, this season’s CBA has also had many disputes caused by referee decisions. Although the CBA official will “review” the referee issue in each round, this does not change the result of the game. In a mature competition, the referee should not be the protagonist, nor should it become a hot topic and topic outside the field. Only when the overall ability of the referee team is improved can it better serve the game and make the process of the game smoother.
Under the epidemic, the competition system has caused CBA clubs to face huge operational difficulties. Due to the division of the game time, the attention and influence of the league will definitely be affected, which will inevitably lead to a decline in the commercial value of the league. Sponsors cut back on investment, further increasing the losses of various clubs, thus forming a vicious circle. This season of CBA has ended, but where will the future of CBA develop, there are too many issues to think about and too much work to be done. (Reporter Chen Jiakun)
