Smush Parker in the CBA finals
Tuesday, 21st April 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (3)
If you're ever going to watch CBA basketball, now is the time to do it.
The Chinese Basketball Association finals start this Friday, featuring the matchup that's been expected all season. Xinjiang (44-6, regular season) will make its first finals appearance ever, facing Guangdong (45-5, regular season), the former team of New Jersey Nets forward Yi Jianlian and the winner of four out of the last five championships.
The two teams are unusual in that they are both led by non-Chinese point guards, unlike most CBA teams that use their two-foreigner allowance to pick up a big man and a shooting guard or swingman. Former Los Angeles Laker Smush Parker, the biggest name left in the league since Bonzi Wells' exit, runs the point for Guangdong, and Myron Allen steers Xinjiang. Also on Xinjiang's team is Mongolian center Mengke Bateer, the first Chinese player to start for an NBA team and the first to win an NBA championship (San Antonio Spurs, 2003).
Smush Parker image: Shanghai Daily
Tags: basketball, CBA, Guangdong Tigers, Mengke Bateer, Smush Parker, Xinjiang