February 23, 2017
The exciting series between the two military teams was finally decided on Thursday. Shenyang had the homecourt advantage and took the lead early. Bayi raced into the lead after halftime before hanging on in the final frame for the 83-79 win. Sun Mengran led the way for the visitors while Jin Jiabao’s golden season for the hosts ended without a chance to play for the title.
Shenyang vs. Bayi 79-83 SY Jin 20 Liu 19 Li 15/6a Zhao 11/7r 81 Sun 28/8r Chen 17/10r Wang 17
Bayi wins series 3-2
Bayi has no time to celebrate the win over their rivals as the Finals against Beijing start on Saturday. Beijing is fully rested and will have had a relatively long time to develop their gameplan knowing that their tactics would be similar against either opponent. The top team in the league will look to feed Sylvia Fowles early and often, knowing that league rules will force her to sit after three quarters. When the final frame rolls around, their domestic core of Shao Ting and Gao Song will look to close out games strong. Bayi has relied heavily on the duo of Sun Mengran and Sun Mengxin, but the late season addition of the veteran presence of Chen Nan could prove to be the difference as they look to compete in the paint. The team is well practiced in the art of winning games as a military team, often keeping games close enough after three quarters to take advantage of the other team’s weakness with no foreign player.