Asian Basketball Journal - February 16, 2015

Here in the Philippines there really is no site (or person) really dedicated to the Asian hoops scene, which is why this series exists. Through this series of Asian Basketball Journals, I hope to address just that void. I believe that Asian basketball is such a vibrant source of stories, and I think this should be shared with hoop nuts here in the Philippines and beyond.

Like in previous posts, I won’t be going into a lot of detail. I’ll use mostly images and then just add captions to each one that will, hopefully, capture the essence of the latest developments in Asian hoops.

Here are the highlights of this past week in Asian basketball:
- The 2015 CBA Playoffs saw the semifinal cast completed after GuangDong beat Dongguan a couple of days ago. Also, we have a BRAWL!
- In the KBL, NT coach Yoo Jae-Hak notched his 500th career pro win, while another coach blew his top against a referee. 
- The NBL saw Tochigi, Aisin, and Hitachi remain at the top of the league table, while Toshiba Brave Thunders got a big win over the Hiroshima Dragonflies.
- In the SBL, Bank of Taiwan upset the mighty Fubon Braves, while Yulon Luxgen pulled the rug from under Pure Youth.
- The Lebanese Basketball League continued to heat up as Sagesse scraped by bottom-feeding Hoops.
- Meanwhile, in the Jordanian Premier League, Sam Daghlas helped Orthodox get a 2-0 lead over Ittihad Schools in the Finals.


2014-2015 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA):
- Images from OSports.cn.

Dong Hanlin slams one home as GuangDong eliminated Dongguan to complete the semis cast in the 2015 CBA Playoffs. GuangDong won, 102-89.

He Tianju celebrates after he and the rest of the Liaoning Flying Leopards survived in overtime against the Guangsha Lions, 120-112. He had 19 points for the winners.

Beijing guard Li Gen goes up strong as the defending champion Ducks blow out the Jilin Northeast Tigers, 137-95. Li scored 23 points off the bench in the lopsided match.

Reserve guard Luo Xudong dropped 20 points as the Qingdao Eagles eliminated the Shanxi Brave Dragons, 108-96. Qingdao faces Liaoning next, while GuangDong tangles with Beijing in the semifinals.

WATCH THIS BRAWL BETWEEN QINGDAO AND SHANXI! LOOK OUT FOR VON WAFER'S KNEE!!!



2014-2015 Korean Basketball League (KBL):
- Images from Jumpball.co.kr.

Doo Kyung-Min helped the Wonju Dongbu Promy make quick work of the Jeonju KCC Egis, 73-60, for their 33rd win of the season. Wonju is in solo second behind Ulsan Mobis Phoebus.

Rookie sensation Lee Seung-Hyun tallied 18 points as the Goyang Orions snapped the winning run of the Changwon LG Sakers, 104-81. This win puts Goyang a game ahead of Changwon in the league standings.

Veteran playmaker Yang Dong-Geun helped push Ulsan Mobs Phoebus past the Jeonju KCC Egis and Seoul SK Knights this past week. The 33-year old point guard is in the twilight of his career and might hang up the sneaks soon.

Korean NT coach Yoo Jae-Hak pocketed his 500th career KBL win this past week. He is hoping to defend the league title and then lead Korea in the 2015 FIBA Asia Men’s Championships.

WATCH HOW BUSAN KT SONIC BOOM COACH JEON CHANG-JIN LOSES IT AFTER A NON-CALL BY THE REF!


2014-2015 Japan National Basketball League (NBL):

Hiroyuki Kinoshita and the Hitachi Sunrockers dropped the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins, 91-68. The Sunrockers moved up to 27-6 on top of the Eastern Division.

Masaharu Kataoka of Levanga Hokkaido scored 11 markers as they beat the Wakayama Trians, 90-69, for only their 11th win of the season. They remain dead last in the East.

Shuhei Kitagawa (#8) hit three triples as the Aisin Seahorses scraped by the Toyota Alvark, 89-84. Aisin still has the league’s best record, 27-3.

The Link Tochigi Brex blasted the Kumamoto Volters, 106-80, with Tommy Brenton registering 10 points in 26 minutes. Tochigi is running second in the East right behind the Sunrockers.

2014-2015 Taiwan Super Basketball League (SBL):
- Images from TSNA.

Chen Shun-Hsiang scored 20 points as Bank of Taiwan upset the Fubon Braves, 83-74. Bank of Taiwan remains in fourth place, while the Braves absorbed their 10th loss in 29 games.

Veteran shooter Lin Kuan-Lun takes it strong as the Dacin Tigers beat Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, 80-74, for their 10th win of the season. Dacin finally gets ahead of KKL in the league table.

Lui Kai-Min had 16 points off the pine as Taiwan Beer defeated Dacin earlier in the week. Taiwan Beer, now at third spot, is hoping to still catch the Fubon Braves, who are in second place.

2014-2015 Lebanese Basketball League (LBL):
- Images from Arabasket.com.

Not even Charron Fisher’s 33 points could prevent Hoops from losing to Sagesse, 73-75. Hoops remains mired in the cellar with a 1-10 slate.

Elie Roustom had a bad game for Sagesse, but they still came out with their ninth win of the season. Sagesse is still in solo second behind Al Riyadi, which has a 10-1 record.

2014-2015 Jordanian Premier League:
- Images from Jordan Basketball.

A tight game between Orthodox and Ittihad Schools in the Jordanian Premier League Finals saw the former come out on top, 71-69, to claim a 2-0 series lead.

Jordanian living legend Sam Daghlas tries to post up against Ittihad Schools. Jordanian hoop nuts are hoping Daghlas will return to the national team for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships.

Tweet