Here in the Philippines, at least, there really is no site (or person) really dedicated to the Asian hoops scene, which is why I have decided to continue this new series addressing 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.
Unlike the first two entries in this series, I won’t be going into a lot of detail anymore. I’m going to experiment with a new structure for the presentation of this series. I’ll use mostly images and videos and then just add captions to each one that will, hopefully, capture the essence of the latest developments in Asian hoops.
The past couple of weeks saw many developments, of course. The CBA Playoffs already started, and we’re now down to the last three teams (one finalist is in, while the other slot is still being contested). The 2014 West Asian Basketball Association (WABA) Champions Cup already started, too, with the Iranian clubs expectedly doing well. The final seedings in the KBL have also been set, with defending champs Ulsan Mobis Phoebus finishing at the top of the heap. The same goes for the SBL, where the Dacin Tigers had a huge win to barge into the top four. Over in the Japan-NBL, meanwhile, things continue to heat up as the league enters the last few elimination rounds.
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| The past few weeks saw many great developments in Asian hoops! (composite image by Enzo Flojo/Hoop Nut) |
2014 WABA Champions Cup: Iranian clubs Mahram Tehran and Petrochimi Bandar Imam are early leaders!
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| Mohammad Hadrab goes up for the shot, but ASU Jordan still fell short against Al Kahraba of Iraq. (image from FIBAAsia.net) |
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| Hamed Haddadi uses a Jabbar-esque hook shot as Mahram beat Al Wahda of Syria. (image from FIBAAsia.net) |
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| 2013 NBA draftee Arsalan Kazemi powers through for Petrochimi in their win over Al Jeish. (image from FIBAAsia.net) |
2014 Kazakh Cup: BC Astana defeats BK Kapshagay for an unbeaten run to the title!
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| Latvian three-point specialist Janis Blums is named the Best Shooting Guard of the 2014 Kazakh Cup! (image from BCAstana.kz) |
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| Kazakhstan naturalized player Jerry Johnson receives the trophy for Best Point Guard as his Astana squad defended their Kazakh Cup title! (image from BCAstana.kz) |
2014 National Basketball Championship (India): Tamil Nadu pocket the crown after beating Punjab!
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| Indian national player Rikin Pethani is named the Most Valuable Player as the Tamil Nadu club wins the 2014 National Basketball Championship. With him is NT coach Scott Flemming. (image from Hoopistani.blogspot.com) |
2014 CBA Playoffs: Xinjiang punches Finals ticket, while Beijing takes 2-1 series lead over Guangdong!
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| Stephon Marbury gets bloodied after he's hit on the back of the head in Game 3 of their semifinal series against the Guangdong Southern Tigers. (image from Osports.cn) |
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| Stephon Marbury dropped FORTY THREE big points as the Beijing Ducks won on the road to take a 2-1 series lead over the defending CBA champions. (image from Osports.cn) |
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| Sun Tonglin of Dongguan engages a Xinjian fan in some trash-talking after their loss in the CBA semis. (image from Osports.cn) |
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| Lester Hudson had 29 points and 7 rebounds as the Flying Tigers booted out the Dongguan Leopards in three games. (image from Osports.cn) |
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| Tang Zhengdong erupted for 27 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Flying Tigers in their sweep of the Dongguan Leopards. (image from Osports.cn) |
2014 KBL: Top six are set! Ulsan Mobis Phoebus and the LG Sakers are seeded in the semifinals!
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| Rod Benson (L), Yang Dong-Geun (M), and Ham Ji-Hoon (R) earned some rest as the Ulsan Mobis Phoebus retain the top spot after the elimination round. (image from Jumpball.co,kr) |
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| Davon Jefferson of LG is named Best Import in the KBL. (image from JumpBall.co.kr) |
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| National Team big man Kim Jong-Kyu is named Rookie of the Year in the KBL. (image from JumpBall.co.kr) |
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| Moon Tae-Jong of LG is named the MVP of all local players in the KBL. (image from JumpBall.co.kr) |
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| Ulsan coach and Korean NT mentor Yoo Jae-Hak is not happy as his team lost to the second-running LG Sakers. The loss endangered their chance to claim the top seed in the Playoffs outright. (image from Jumpball.co,kr) |
Here we have the Changwon LG Sakers winning over Busan KT Sonic Boom to clinch
the regular season title and the top spot in the Playoffs.
2014 Japan-NBL: Aisin and Toshiba tighten their hold at the top!
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| The Wakayama Trians' Takuya Kawamura is celebrated for reaching 5,000 points in the JBL/NBL. (image from the Wakayama Trians) |
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| Makoto Hiejima, JR Sakuragi, Shinsuke Kashiwagi, Gavin Edwards, and Kosuke Kanamaru form an imposing starting unit for the Aisin Seahorses, who lead the Western Conference with a 32-8 slate. (image from Aisin Seiki) |
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| Yuta Tabuse pulls up as the his Link Tochigi Brex succumb to the Aisin Seahorses. (image from Link Sports Entertainment) |
2014 SBL: Dacin’s hot shooting pushes them to the Playoffs! They eliminate Yulon Luxgen!
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| Lin Kuan-Lun, the "Taiwanese Gary David," rejoices after hitting a huge three that pushed the Dacin Tigers into the postseason. (image from Yahoo! Sports) |
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| Retired Taiwanese ace Chen Hsin-An looks on as Pure Youth Construction loses to Taiwan Beer. (image from Yahoo! Sports) |
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| Despite the loss, Quincy Davis and the Pure Youth quintet are assured of the top spot heading into the SBL Playoffs. (image from Yahoo! Sports) |
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