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Leopards take down Sharks to reach semis
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THE Shanghai Sharks failed to advance to the semifinals of the 2016-17 Chinese Basketball Association playoffs after falling to an agonizing 95-102 defeat in overtime to the Shenzhen Leopards in the Game 5 decider of their quarterfinal at Pudong’s Yuanshen Stadium last night.
The two teams were tied 2-2 in the best-of-5 playoffs clash after winning their two home matches respectively. The decider held in Shanghai proved to be a tit-for-tat match from the tip-off before Shenzhen managed an eight-point advantage at 53-45 going into the half-time break.
Led by the prolific Jimmer Fredette, the CBA regular season’s foreign MVP, the Sharks found some pace though they were still seven points behind after the third quarter.
Shenzhen’s attacking efficiency dropped in the fourth quarter, allowing the Sharks to take an 86-82 advantage with 3 minutes left on the clock.
It was tied 89-89 with 19 seconds left, when Jeremy Pargo had a chance to win it for the visitors but he missed the last shot, taking the match into overtime.
The exhausted Sharks and their star Fredette, an American who earlier plied his trade in the National Basketball Association, could not come up with the magic in the extra period as Shenzhen sealed a spot in the playoffs last-four.
Despite the setback, the Sharks’ had their best season in the past six years with a third-place regular-season finish.
“We worked hard this season. I am happy with the overall result,” said Sharks head coach Liu Peng, who was in tears at the final whistle.
Shenzhen will take on provincial rivals Guangdong Southern Tigers in the best-of-7 semifinals.
Guangdong overcame defending champions Sichuan Blue Whales 3-0 in the quarterfinals. The other semifinal will be between the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and the Liaoning Flying Leopards.
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