Excitement rises for the finals push

As the 2024-25 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) regular season drew to a close on Monday, playoffs-bound teams seek to progress further, while those already eliminated can set their sights on their preparations for next season.

The race for the top four, and the automatic qualification berths for the quarterfinals, epitomized the huge suspense that marked the regular season.

Four teams finished level on points in their fight for the last two direct qualification spots, with the Beijing Ducks and the Liaoning Flying Leopards securing their respective places, while the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and the Shandong Heroes, placed fifth and sixth respectively, have to play one more series.

Beijing earned wide attention during the offseason after signing big man Zhou Qi and guard Chen Ying-chun. Zhou continued to dominate the paint, with an average of 14.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 27 minutes of action per game, while playmaker Chen averaged 12.7 points and 5.6 assists, and Beijing's lackluster performances during his injury absence showed how vital he is.

But, Zhou's eye injury, sustained against the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in the penultimate round of games, has cast a shadow over Beijing's playoff prospects.

As the three-time defending champion, Liaoning remains a force to be reckoned with. Despite the departure of star guard Guo Ailun, Liaoning still displayed resilience through its roster cornerstones Zhao Jiwei and Han Dejun, and the overseas duo of Kyle Fogg and Dezmine Wells have positioned themselves as attacking threats against any opponent.

As local hopefuls Elfurat Muhtar and Xirzat Samat continued to develop, Xinjiang showcased the depth of its bench as the competition progressed. Already boasting established figures like Zhao Rui, Qi Lin and Abdusalam Abdurexit, Xinjiang can once again dream big after being swept aside by Liaoning in the finals last season.

Since falling short of a playoff berth last season, Shandong has looked to rebuild. Apart from the arrival of new head coach Qiu Biao — last year's Coach of the Year winner for his work at Xinjiang — Shandong extensively revamped its roster, signing 12 new players during the offseason, and only retaining a few key players like Tao Hanlin, Gao Shiyan and Chen Peidong.

The huge investment paid off, with the team being acclaimed for its tough defense, conceding, on average, the fourth-lowest points per game at 99.0, thanks, in part, to its suffocating fourth-quarter defense, which conceded the fewest average points in the league.

Gao managed a third-best average of 2.2 steals, while the arrival of defense-oriented Yu Dehao made Shandong even tougher to beat.

With a second-place finish, the Shanxi Loongs emerged as the biggest surprise, with their success attributed to a scintillating offense — posting a league-leading 114.8 points per game. Playing his fifth season, small forward Zhang Ning has cemented his place in the team, and Yuan Shuai continued to showcase his 3-point shooting prowess by going 44.2 percent behind the arc. Standing 2.25-meters tall, center Liu Chuanxing proved to be an excellent rim protector for Shanxi.

As regular season winners, the Zhejiang Lions appear to be the most consistent team, with Sun Minghui and Hu Jinqiu leading the way, while Barry Brown proved a lethal weapon with an average of 28.0 points.

In a fiercely contested season, new records have been set and breakthroughs made, leaving indelible marks in the history of Chinese basketball.

Lin Wei and Guo Haowen both played career-best seasons, as the Nanjing Monkey Kings made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Third-year Beijing small forward Zeng Fanbo stood out among the league's rising stars, with an average of 14.7 points, including a career-high 33 against Shandong and a first CBA Player of the Week award. The 22-year-old is expected to inject much-needed vitality into China's beleaguered national team.

With 11 assists against the Shanghai Sharks on March 23, Liaoning guard Zhao saw his total assists reach 2,647, surpassing his former teammate Guo (2,640) to move second in the CBA all-time standings.

Shanghai might have gone through the most unpredictable campaign. Struggling with a 1-10 record in the season's opening stages, Shanghai bounced back strongly with a 16-game winning streak, and its 22-point turnaround victory over Beijing served as another example of how much energy the team can muster, while exposing its inconsistency.

Shanghai center Wang Zhelin reached his own milestone, surpassing legend Wang Zhizhi into sixth place in the all-time scoring list.

As the dust settles on the regular season, the high-stakes playoffs, set to tip off on Friday, promise to deliver more thrilling competition as the nation's top teams battle for the ultimate crown.

Xinhua