Beijing suffers first defeat in 14 CBA games
Updated: 2011-12-24 13:00
(Xinhua)
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Steven Marbury of Beijing Ducks jumps for a shot during their first defeat Chinese Basketball Association league game against Foshan LongLions in Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, Dec 23, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua] |
FOSHAN, South China - Beijing Ducks suffered a bitter 105-101 defeat to Foshan LongLions on Friday to conclude their 13-game winning streak in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league.
"Our boys believed each other at the court, that's the way they won by," said Foshan's coach Jay Humpheries, who believed it was the home team's most beautiful ever victory in CBA this season.
However, Beijing, who are enjoying the team's best ever start in CBA, could hardly believe their eyes when they were trailing by 23 points in the third quarter against the home team who only got 4 victories in their 13 games.
It was yet not too late for the Capital Five to struggle on the slenderest of odds when Steven Marbury made a crucial 3-pointer to cut to a 3 points game with 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter, only to see Foshan's Marcus Haislip answer one from downtown to regain the 6-point lead with only 45 seconds to go.
Marbury, who had become the leader and soul of the team, never gave up his leadership in the whole game with the team-high 31 points, but had to accept the bitter result after losing their foul strategy.
"We hope the defeat could release our pressure, the pressure of continuing our winning streak was huge, you could not image," Beijing's coach Min Lulei said at the press conference after the game.
"There is not a single vulnerable team in this league, you should spare all of your efforts to confront them," Min said.