Liaoning wins maiden CBA title
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E-mail Xinhua, April 23, 2018
As a founding member of the league, Liaoning finally got the CBA champion they want after 22 years waiting.
The CBA powerhouse beat Zhejiang Guangsha 100-88 on Sunday, sweeping the regular season champion 4-0 to take home the CBA title after six second-place finishes in previous seasons.
Lester Hudson and Brandon Bass totaled 52 points and Liaoning dominated the second half towards the end.
Former NBA guard Hudson was elected Finals MVP by averaging 30.5 points in the Finals. It was the fourth season in Liaoning for the 34-year-old veteran.
"I just want to say thank you to the team," said Hudson. "In the regular season I wasn't playing well, but my teammates and coaches believed in me."
"The whole team did an excellent job," said Liaoning center Han Dejun who had 10 points in Game 4.
"There is no easy way to become a champion."
Liaoning guard Guo Ailun burst into tear after the final whistle. He lost two previous Finals series and the champion meant a lot to the Chinese national team starting point guard.
"It's the most glorious day in my life," said Guo.
Lin Chih Chieh opened scoring for Guangsha while Liaoning missed their first four attempts beyond the arc. The visitors kept making fast breaks to take a 17-6 lead before Brandon Bass hitting four straight points for Liaoning. The away team led 23-21 by the end of the first period.
Hudson made a lay-up in the second quarter to surpass in scoring. The host team maintained the lead until the half-time whistle. Guangsha turned out to be the more physical team in the second quarter, creating as many as 12 free-throw chances, and made 11 of them. Liaoning forward Bass collected 10 points in the second period to close the first half 50-48 for the host team.
Guangsha shooters felt difficult in making baskets in the third quarter, and Liaoning All-Star guard Hudson scored eight points in a row to extend the lead. The host team entered the final quarter with an eight-point advantage.
The away team simply couldn't stop Liaoning on the defensive side, allowing their opponents to widen the gap to double digits. Liaoning led by 15 points with less than five minutes left, and Guangsha failed to cut the deficit under eight points in the remaining minutes.
Hu Jinqiu had team-high 26 points for Guangsha. Lin finished with 20 points.
It was Guangsha's first CBA Finals series.
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