Liaoning Flying Leopards' ambition for the rest of the season remains winning the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) championship, said Guo Shiqiang, head coach the CBA league's leading side.
Guo made those comments on Tuesday in Liaoning's last open training session before departing for Qingdao in east China's Shandong province, which is one of the two cities to host the remaining matches of the season after CBA's resumption.
"In the last few months, our team has been training hard to keep fit and been waiting for the season to be restarted. The coaching staff is satisfied with the players' performance," said Guo.
The CBA season is set to restart on June 20 after nearly a five-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Each team will play seven or eight matches in the first stage after the resumption. After three days of transportation and rest, teams will take part in the second phase of the regular season.
"Every team we are to play against in the first phase has made lots of changes, and we have to adjust through games," Guo acknowledged.
According to the latest rosters released by the league, Liaoning is to play with all-domestic players. Guo, however, revealed that O.J. Mayo would set out for Qingdao along with the squad.
"Whether to play with or without a foreign player hasn't been decided yet, because our team and the whole competition system are facing multiple changes. We have to make decisions based on the games," said Guo.
The former NBA player Mayo was confirmed signing with Liaoning in March this year. Guo spoke highly of his integration, anticipating to see him on the court.
Liaoning is scheduled to play seven games in 13 days after June 20, including four back-to-back games.
"Playing under a championship-style format, the coaching staff have to distribute the players' energy on the court wisely," Guo said, adding that it also will be a chance for young players, Liu Yanyu for example, to get more playing time.
"Speaking of our goal, we are definitely hoping for another title," said Guo.
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