Marbury leads Beijing into CBA last four
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E-mail Xinhua, February 27, 2012
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Stephon Marbury of Beijing Ducks goes up for a basket in a CBA playoff game between Beijing and Zhejiang on Feb.26, 2012. |
Former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury collected 24 points, four rebounds and five assists to lead Beijing Ducks, the eighth-ranked team last season, into top four of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league on Sunday.
Beijing defeated Zhejiang 3-0 with Sunday's 105-91 victory, making into the semifinal of the league for the first time in six years.
Beijing had set a team record by delivering a 13-0 winning streak at the beginning of the season under the leadership of Marbury. The traditional CBA power house got the second place after the regular season.
The capital team would next face the winner between Shanxi Zhongyu and Shanghai Sharks. Owning the home advantage, Beijing was highly expected to get into the CBA finals for the first time in the 17-year history of the league.
Beijing center Randolph Morris became the team's another hero. The 26 year-old center bagged game high 31 points and 11 rebounds. Zhai Xiaochuan and Beijing captain Chen Lei made 16 and 13 points respectively.
The host team got a hotter start in the first quarter, delivering a 20-7 spurt to light the enthusiasm of the spectators. Guangsha made a fight back in the second quarter. Big man Peter Ramos and Chinese Taipei forward Lin Chih-Chien both pulled their trigger, leading Guangsha to catch up. After an easy basket from Zhao Dapeng, Guangsha took a 46-44 lead by the end of the first half.
Beijing got rejuvenated after the half time break. Marbury and Morris started to take back the lead. Beijing managed to establish an 80-66 advantage after three quarters.
Guangsha struggled to come back in the final quarter. Rodney White, who totaled 30 points all through the game, had once trimmed the gap to 11 points with five minutes left. However, too many turnovers ended Guangsha's dream. Beijing finally took home the victory and the semi final berth.
Guangsha's White got 30 points and four rebounds. Lin Chih-Chien added 15 points.
Defending champion Guangdong Hongyuan got another easy win by beating eight-placed Fujiang SBS 137-106. Aaron Brooks scored 31 points for Guangdong. James Singleton brought home 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Guangdong move one step closer to the fifth straight CBA title after beating Fujian 3-0 to book a place in the semi final. Guangdong would meet either last year's runner-up Xinjiang Guanghui or Dongguan Marco Polo.
In Sunday's other two games, Shanghai Sharks edged Shanxi Zhongyu 101-99, Xinjiang Guanghui beat Dongguan Marco Polo 121-115.
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