Guangdong (China) - The Guangdong Southern Tigers earned the second ticket to the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2019 after completing a sweep in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Finals over Xinjiang Flying Tigers.

This is the 9^th CBA title for Guangdong, making them the all-time league leaders in championships won by surpassing the Bayi Rockets. The victory comes on their first trip to the finals since 2013, also their latest title run.

The Southern Tigers’ championship win concludes one of the most dominant seasons in the history of the CBA. Coach Du Feng’s squad finished in first place of the regular season with a 42-4 record before going on an 11-game win streak in the playoffs to hoist the CBA trophy. Their domination is evident from their average margin of victory of 18.5 points per game.

National team star Yi Jian Lian of Guangdong adds more silverware to his crowded trophy case. After earlier winning the CBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Yi was also named the CBA Finals MVP for a 3^rd time in his 5^th CBA title run. Guangdong is definitely more than a one-man show with other studs in Zhou Peng, Ren Junfei, and Zhao Rui, but Yi has been the centerpiece to put it all together. In the finals, Yi averaged 27.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks while shooting a blistering 70.9 percent from the field.

Guangdong are now the second team to qualify for the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2019 following the qualification of Ulsan Phoebis Mobis from the KBL. They will have a chance to be the 5^th Chinese franchise to win the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, most recently being the Xinjiang Flying Tigers (playing under the name China Kashgar) in 2016.

FIBA