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Ducks down Tigers to capture CBA crown
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THE Beijing Ducks captured their second China Basketball Association title yesterday, beating the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 98-88 in Game 6 to win the 2013-14 post-season finals 4-2.
Beijing’s American duo Stephon Marbury and Randolph Morris together combined for 58 points at Urumqi’s Hongshan Arena.
Turned over by Xinjiang in the latter half of Game 5 in Beijing two days ago, the Ducks held their nerve from the start of the game, racing to 54-40 lead going into second half.
The Flying Tigers managed to cut the gap to one point at 65-66 after the third quarter, thanks to a determined fightback by their foreign recruits.
The fourth quarter was even fierce with the teams level at 73-73 with eight minutes to go.
Beijing kept its cool with the two Americans stealing the points with a high accuracy rate and building an 8-point advantage at 93-85 with 1.5 minutes left. They eventually secured the game — and the championship — at 98-88.
Morris, who scored 30 points and managed 11 rebounds yesterday, was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2013-14 CBA finals.
Marbury, last year’s MVP in the regular season, struggled with his injured knee throughout the series. He gave his all yesterday, scoring 28 points and grabbing 6 rebounds, and then buried his head in a towel at the end of the final whistle.
“No words can express my gratitude towards Marbury,” the Beijing Ducks coach Min Lulei said as he himself tried to hold back his tears. “The kids are just amazing! I feel lucky to be their coach.”
Morris gave a big hug to an emotional Min in the team’s locker room after the match. “You deserve it, it’s for you!”
Xinjiang’s head coach Cui Wanjun was contented with the performance of his players.
“The team managed to advance to the finals four times and semifinals two times in past few seasons, which proves Xinjiang’s ability. Someday, we will be standing on the highest podium.”
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