China’s top basketball league, the Chinese Basketball Association, has marked the start of the new season with a glitzy ceremony here in Beijing. The CBA is hoping to capitalize on the momentum of last year which many considered to be the league’s most successful.
The ceremony took place in the home of last season’s champions, the Beijing Ducks. The season tips off on November 24 and ends in April. Seventeen teams will battle it out in the regular season until the middle of Februrary.
As for the playoffs, the first two rounds will be best of five affairs, and the CBA finals will be the best of seven. Last season was the most successful in CBA history as the league set numerous attendance records and now, in it’s 18th year the league is hoping to do even better.
The highly-anticipated season opener will be between the defending champion Beijing Ducks and the Shanghai Sharks. Led by former NBA star Stephon Marbury, Beijing will try to get its campaign off on a winning note as they begin the defence of their first title.
Former 7-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady will make his season debut with the Qingdao Eagles when they face Fujian. Another highly anticipated game will be a rematch of the 2011 finals featuring the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and Guangdong Southern Tigers. The Bayi Rockets meet Tianjin while Guangsha face Zhejiang in a provincial battle.