Defending champions the Guangdong Southern Tigers breezed into the
second round of the playoffs of the Chinese Basketball Association
league (CBA) after beating the Shanghai Sharks 3-0 on aggregate
Wednesday.
Center Yi Jianlian led Guangdong with 32 points and 17 rebounds
for a 95-82 victory over Shanghai on the road to become the first
team into the top four.
Jiangsu Dragons and Bayi Rockets were on the way to claim the
other spots in the semi-finals with both teams leading 2-1 in the
best-of-five matchup and the remaining two games to be played at
home.
After losing the second game to the Shandong Lions, Jiangsu
recovered for a 118-105 win, while Bayi edged off the Zhejiang
Cyclones 106-93 in a hard-fought game.
Liaoning Hunters, who finished fourth in the regular season, are
facing possible elimination at the hands of Fujian SBS, who have
the advantage after a 91-81 win on Wednesday.
Without top foreign player Ernest Brown, citing a prolonged
injury as the reason for his absence, the Hunters lost their power
under the basket to lose two games in row in the series.
Game 4 will be played on Friday with Guangdong being rested for
the winners.
(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2007)
