Defending champion Guangdong Southern Tigers recovered from a game
down to thrash Bayi Rockets 97-57 on Tuesday to tie the CBA Finals
se
Yi Jianlian, under the eyes of NBA scouts, led Guangdong with 19
points and 14 rebounds while Dixon Jason added eight points and 16
rebounds.
The 2006-07 finals might be Yi’s last hurrah in China since,
after three championships with Guangdong, he may seek his fortune
in the NBA whose teams had many scouts sitting courtside.
After losing the opener 94-89 on Sunday, the first finals defeat
in four years for Guangdong, the home team improved their defense,
shutting out Bayi 48-28 from the key and scoring 7-out-of-32 on the
3-pointers.
Wang Zhizhi was benched for the second straight game for Bayi
but his usual dominance was nos felt when Bayi let him loose in the
second quarter, as they trailed by 10.?
Guangdong led 34-23 at the break, the lowest halftime score ever
for the arch-rivals. However, any fight Bayi had deserted them in
the fourth as they benched most of their starters, clearly seeking
to preserve them for Game 3 and 4 to be held in their hometown of
Ningbo.?
Forward Li Ke was the only Bayi player to make a real impact 18
points, with Wang limited to nine points and eight rebounds.
(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2007)
