CHN – Guangdong book place in finals; Liaoning destroy Jiangsu

BEIJING (CBA) - Guangdong no longer have Yi Jianlian, but they’re still CBA Finals-bound after sweeping Dongguan in their best-of-five play-off semi-final series.

Zhu Fangyu had 25 points, Du Feng 22 and Jason Dixon a team-high 28 as Guangdong romped to a 117-101 win.

The perennial finalists – they won three straight titles before losing last year to Bayi – led 28-24 at the end of the first quarter but then took command over the next 10 minutes, outscoring Dongguan 30-16.

Yi Jianlian, a China national team star, left Guangdong after last season for the NBA where he was a first-round pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.

There is a very good chance Guangdong will meet Liaoning in the finals after their 118-92 drubbing of Jiangsu in Game Four of the other semi.

The pre-game talk had been about the showdown between Liaoning’s Nigerian center Olumide Oyedeji and Jiangsu big man Tang Zhengdong, with the former complaining of dirty tactics employeed by Tang in Jiangsu’s Game Two win.

For Liaoning in Game Four, it was Liu Xiangtao (18pts) and Li Xiaoxu (20pts, 10rbs) who inflicted most of the damage.

After leading by six at the end of the first quarter, Liaoning erupted for 40 points over the next 10 minutes and they stormed to victory.

Oyedji had 10 points and nine rebounds while his verbal sparring partner, Tang, scored just four in 15 minutes.

FIBA