Middle Kingdom Monday: Zhejiang Golden Bulls in driver's seat to win 2023 CBA title

 

With the MarShon Brooks-led Guangdong Southern Tigers eliminated from the playoffs, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls are now in the driver's seat to win the 2022-23 CBA title. The Southern Tigers got eliminated by the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions in the quarterfinals, losing their series 2-1. The Southern Tigers were the number two seed in the CBA behind the top seeded Golden Bulls, so them getting knocked out is huge for the Golden Bulls. The Golden Bulls now find themselves in the semifinals against the Shenzhen Leopards, who are the 4th seed in the CBA playoffs. On the other side of the draw are the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions and the Liaoning Flying Leopards. 

For those that are curious, the first two playoff rounds, the first being a wild card round of sorts, are best-of-three. The semifinals are best-of-five and the finals are best-of-seven. So things get taken up a notch with this upcoming semifinal round, which begins later on this week. 

The Golden Bulls dominated the regular season, going 35-7 and in the quarterfinals against the Guangzhou Long-Lions, they won the series 2-0, winning game one 114-91 and winning game two 113-100. So, they really haven't had much competition all season long. 

The Golden Bulls are led by shooting guard Jamar Gulley (17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, & 2.6 steals), combo guard Qian Wu (17.0 points, 6.0 assists, & 1.8 steals), and power forward Zeyi Liu (15.1 points & 7.6 rebounds). As a trio, they are really balanced, capable of scoring inside and out while also being able to facilitate and crash the glass. Their quality combination of guard play and post play is why they have had such a strong season and are in the position that they are in. 

During the playoffs, all three of them have stepped up their game: Gulley averaging 22.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, Wu averaging 22.0 points and 8.5 assists, and Liu averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds. If they can keep up that intensity and quality of play in the semifinals, one has to like their odds to reach the finals. And if they reach the finals, they of course are going to be the favorites. 

While anything can happen in playoff basketball, I would be surprised if the Golden Bulls do not win the CBA title this year. They've just been on such a roll all season long. They started the season 15-0 and really haven't looked back. It'll be fun to see if they can complete their championship quest and whether or not they get a serious push in the semifinals by the Shenzhen Leopards. 

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Middle Kingdom Monday: MarShon Brooks has Guangdong Southern Tigers chasing 12th CBA title

 

                                             (Credit: XINHUA/today.line.me) 

A new segment coming to this blog is "Middle Kingdom Monday", which will take a look at what's happening around the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). I've been studying Chinese for 5+ years now and figured I would use this blog as a chance for me to share my thoughts into the CBA as well as Chinese culture! The opening Middle Kingdom Monday piece looks at what former Brooklyn Nets guard MarShon Brooks is doing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers (广东宏远华南虎). 

The 30-8 Southern Tigers are currently tied for 2nd in the CBA along with the Liaoning Flying Leopards and only have four games left. They're going to get a top four seed in the playoffs (12 teams), which means they have punched their ticket to the quarterfinals of the CBA playoffs. They are once again a serious championship contender. 

A major reason for why the Southern Tigers are chasing a 12th CBA title is the stellar play of MarShon Brooks, who is averaging 24.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. Brooks is leading the Southern Tigers in points, rebounds, and assists, really doing it all for them. 

Brooks does have a solid supporting cast around him with five other players scoring in double figures on average with the leaders of that group (Yi Jianlian & Jie Xu) averaging 11.3 points per game. The combination of Brooks' great all-around play and the supporting cast that he does have, make this Southern Tigers team really dangerous. 

But make no mistake, this is Brooks' team. He's had 13 30+ point games this season and two 40+ point games. He's really balling out and has no trouble taking over games. In those 13 games, the Southern Tigers are 11-2. When he heats up, they're really tough to stop. 

As far as where things sit schedule-wise, the Southern Tigers have won three games in a row on the road at the Guangzhou Long Lions as well as at home against the Jiangsu Dragons and Ningbo Rockets. Of that group, only the Long Lions will be a playoff team as they are the 12th and final team to make the playoffs. 

The Southern Tigers' remaining games are at the Shanghai Sharks, at the Shenzhen Leopards, home against the Shandong High-Speed Kirin, and home against the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. The Sharks are currently 5th, the Leopards are 4th, the High-Speed Kirin are 8th, and the Flying Tigers are 18th. 

The good news for the Southern Tigers as was mentioned earlier is that they have a top four seed in the playoffs locked up. They know they're going to the quarterfinals and just have to wait and see who will be left standing among the teams seeded 5th through 12th. 

At the same time, they don't want to just sit idly by and let the Flying Leopards take the 2nd seed. If they can, it would be great if they could clinch the 2nd seed and give themselves as good of a position as possible come playoff time. Plus, they're finishing out the season against some pretty good teams, so that should help keep them sharp for the playoffs. 

In terms of what the Southern Tigers' CBA championship odds are, I like their chances if Brooks can be his 30+ point self come playoff time. The Zhejiang Golden Bulls, the top seed, have more balance at the top and don't rely as much on one guy, but they also don't appear to have anyone as good as Brooks. Their top player Jamar Gulley (18.1 points) is playing well, but I would take Brooks over him any day of the week. It'll be fun to see how Brooks does in the playoffs and whether not he'll be able to guide the Southern Tigers to their 12th title. If he does, he better get treated to some free Dim Sum (点心), which is a classic dish of the Guangdong province. 

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