“One, two, three, four, I love Liao basket!” After the final decisive battle with Guangsha in Zhejiang, Liaoning Stadium became a sea of joy, and the fans on the stands could hardly hide their excitement, they shouted loud slogans over and over again. In the field, the faces of Liaoning men’s basketball team members showed a bright smile. They hugged and clapped each other to celebrate this hard-won victory.
After performing the reverse drama in the last match, Liao basketball team was high-spirited in the fifth round of the semi-final. After the whistle sounded, it entered the state very fast, but Guangsha team performed very tenaciously, in the second quarter, the score was surpassed. In the second half of the game, Liao basket played its own characteristics and controlled the rhythm of the game in its own hands. Finally, it defeated Guangxia in Zhejiang by 95 to 84, and eliminated the opponent by a total score of 3 to 2, entered the finals for four consecutive years. Liaoning men’s basketball will compete with Zhejiang men’s basketball for the championship this season, and the two sides will face the first contest of the finals at the home of Zhejiang men’s basketball on May 8.
Beat Zhejiang Guangxia Liao basket at home and entered the finals for four consecutive years
The semi-finals of Liaoning men’s basketball were not smooth sailing. Although it was win the first battle, the leg strain of Guo Allen who was injured in the battle did not improve. In the second game, he only played for 14 minutes and did not appear again, in the end, Liao basket lost to Guangsha, Zhejiang at home. With a total score of 1 to 1, Liao basket embarked on a difficult road trip. Although Guo Allen went with the team, his injury was not cured and he could not play, and the team also missed the most fierce point in the rim. In the triple battle between the two sides, Liao basket was very passive in the whole game, and finally the opponent got the match point first. However, in the most critical fourth round, Liao basket, which had already stood on the edge of the cliff, broke out amazing fighting capacity. The team brought this series of matches back to Shenyang.
The Liaoning Stadium last night was still full of seats. The fans came to the venue early and everyone shouted loudly to welcome the Liao basketball team. When the host Liang Jiaxiao introduced the admission list, the fans shouted loudly the names of each player, and the atmosphere of the scene reached the first climax. Returning to the home court to fight, Liao basket was obviously more fully prepared. Guo Allen, the star, still couldn’t play because of injury, but Liao basket was still tough on the defensive end after the opening, and the offensive end also blossomed more. Although Guangsha team lacked Hu Jinqiu, the main inside force, but the team also played very tenacious, and beat the score in the second quarter. In the second half of the game, with the active and tough defense of the whole team, Liao basketball firmly controlled the rhythm of the game in its own hands, and finally won this series of games, breaking into the finals for four consecutive years.
Outstanding Performance in two consecutive games Zhang Zhen Lin Zhan is young and energetic
In the fourth round of the competition between the two sides, Zhang Zhenlin became the key to the team’s victory. It was he who scored 11 points efficiently in the third quarter, reversed the momentum on the court and helped the team bring this series of matches back to Shenyang. In this game, Zhang Zhenlin continued to feel ignition heat after the opening, hitting two three-point goals in a row. But since then, Zhang Zhenlin focused on defense, using his height advantage to keep an eye on wells. Although the hit rate of wells in the first quarter was good, in the third quarter, Zhang Zhenlin’s close-fitting defense made wells very uncomfortable, which made it feel a lot lower in this section, and all three shots were lost, just get 2 points through the penalty basket. It restricted the key people of the other party, and Liao basket also played its own characteristics, surpassing the score.
Compared with the previous seasons, Zhang Zhenlin has improved a lot on the defensive side, and he has maintained a high concentration in such a key game. In a defense, Zhang Zhenlin followed the defenders closely, but at the moment when the opponent passed the ball, he reached out his hand and finished a snatch, and the dunk with both hands ignited the enthusiasm of the fans. Although the defensive end consumed a lot of physical energy, Zhang Zhenlin showed his young vitality in the game. After defending the opponent’s shooting, in the attack end of the next round, he can also hit three-pointer. In the whole game, Zhang Zhenlin scored 4 out of 7 3-point shots, scoring the highest 21 points in the team, and also letting him cut 20 + in two consecutive games in the semi-final.
Veteran play very stable
The difficulty of the finals will continue to be upgraded.
Liao basket can win this game without the stable play of the veteran. Although the physical fitness and state have decreased compared with the peak, however, Han Dejun can still bring more help to the team in the inner line-Han Dejun scored the first attack after the opening of Liao basketball team. The data of Han De Jun in each game is not bright, but his pivot role in the basket is very obvious. After attracting the defense of the other side, Han Dejun passed it to Zhang Zhenlin standing outside the line. The latter hit the three-point goal. Such tactics were also staged in the second half, this time Li Xiaoxu also hit a key three-pointer on the outside line.
When there was more than 1 minute left in the last quarter, Guangsha team chased the score to only 6 points left. At the critical moment, Li Xiaoxu’s experience played a role. After the layup of his teammates popped up, he cleverly completed the layup, and then Han Dejun scored in the fast break. The two veterans scored 6 points in a row at the critical moment to help the team finally win. In the game where Guo Allen was injured and could not play, Zhao Jiwei joined the team well. In this game, he sent 14 assists to his teammates, while Guangsha team only had 16 assists.
After the game is over, there is only two days left for Liao basket to adjust. The first game of the finals will be held on May 8th at the home court of Zhejiang men’s basketball. Although stepping into the finals again, Liao basket also revealed many shortcomings in the semi-finals. The degree of confrontation in the finals will be more intense, and Liao basket should also be fully prepared.
Shenyang Evening News and Shen Bao all-media reporter Li Qingshi
Photographer Wang Jiang