In a decisive Game 3 of the CBA playoffs, the Guangdong Southern Tigers fell 88-73 to the Beijing Ducks on the road, losing the best-of-three series 1-2 and ending their season. But while Guangdong’s exit was expected by some, it’s the Shanghai Sharks who might be feeling the most pressure now.
Many had hoped Guangdong would carry momentum from a dramatic Game 2 overtime win and steal the series on Beijing’s home court. Instead, Beijing advanced to the semifinals, setting up a showdown with Shanghai—a matchup that gives the Sharks far less comfort than facing Guangdong would have.
The series between Guangdong and Beijing was arguably the most exciting in the first round. Despite being underdogs, Guangdong pushed Beijing to the limit. Beijing won Game 1 by just eight points, then lost a heartbreaker in overtime in Game 2. In Game 3, Beijing fell behind by 10 points early before rallying, largely because Guangdong’s three-point shooting went cold and their short rotation ran out of gas in the fourth quarter.
As Guangdong coach Du Feng said after the loss, his team had no regrets—they fought hard against a championship favorite despite missing their top scorer Samnah due to injury. If Samnah had been healthy, the outcome might have been different.
Now, Shanghai must prepare for a Beijing team that presents major matchup problems. During the regular season, Shanghai swept Guangdong in three games, winning by as many as 40 points. The Sharks clearly had Guangdong’s number and were eager to avenge last season’s playoff elimination. But Beijing is a different beast, with superior interior depth and a starting five of Zhou Qi, Zeng Fanbo, Zhao Rui, Chen Yingjun, and Jemaine who can match up well against Shanghai in crunch time.
For Shanghai, the path to the finals just got much harder. While they surely hoped to face a weaker Guangdong team, they now have to deal with a fully loaded Beijing squad that could even pull off an upset in the semifinals.