Shandong Beats Foshan 93-79 In CBA Opener

Gerald Green scored 18 points on 6-15 shooting in the CBA’s season opener, but his team, Foshan, lost big to Shandong.  Green’s 18 points matched former Charlotte Bobcat Alan Anderson of Shandong for game-high honors, but he didn’t shoot particularly well and he turned the ball over four times.  Turnovers and failure to rebound the ball appears to be what killed Foshan… they coughed it up 21 times while giving up 22 offensive boards; certainly a losing combination.  Shandong’s second former NBA player, Othello Hunter, was the main man responsible for the work on the offensive glass… 10 of his 21 rebounds came on the offensive side of the floor.  Hunter also had 11 points to make it a double-double, although he only shot 4-12. 

I actually tracked down some highlights from this game, but the goddamn website won’t let me stream them in my region.  China, do you want your basketball league to recieve attention or not?  Anyway, based on the recap that I put through the online translator, it appears that Shandong got the early lead, but every time it started to grow towards double digits Foshan made a run.  However, it doesn’t seem that Foshan was ever able to get over the hump, and playing from behind all night eventually took it’s toll on them as they fell way behind late and took the double-digit loss.

I find this game to be an odd selection for the season’s opener.  Sports leagues typically put marquee teams and players in the spotlight on opening night, but this game featured two teams that failed to make the playoffs last year or make one of the big-time NBA signings in the offseason.  I’m sure there are reasons for the choice that I’m simply not aware of, but I don’t think it has anything to do with the outlook of these teams.  Last season, Shandong went 14-18.  They didn’t make the playoffs in the previous season either, and that was with the league’s leading scorer, Andre Emmett, and a second All-Star, Stromile Swift.  Alan Anderson and Othello Hunter will put in work against CBA competition, but I doubt that they’ll be as productive as Emmett and Swift were.  Unless there are some new Chinese players that have made the team significantly better then I don’t expect much from them.  As for Foshan, they were even worse than Shandong last season, finishing up at 11-21.  Gerald Green is a solid addition, but I don’t think they’ll be a very competitive team either.  The real opening day is tomorrow; 14 teams will be in action, including a matchup of Guangdong (Singleton, Brooks, Yi) and Zhejiang (JR Smith). 

This post will be updated with videos if I can ever figure out a way to beat the system, or find another site that will show them to me.

UPDATE: I don’t quit until I find what the f@ck I’m looking for.  You can try to stop me, China, but I’m relentless…

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