Liaoning triumphs in season of adversity

Shifting powers

This season saw some of the league's perennial powerhouses crashing out of title contention earlier than expected.

Even with former NBA forward Yi Jianlian returning from injury, the Guangdong Southern Tigers were outclassed by Liaoning in their best-of-five semifinals series to miss a shot at a record-extending 12th league title.

The Beijing Ducks, who won three championships from 2012-2015 led by former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury, suffered the biggest upset of the season after being eliminated by the 10th-ranked Jilin Northeast Tigers in the opening round of the postseason, even with four import players, including former NBA star Jeremy Lin, on their roster.

"With our own young players growing up fast during several bubble seasons and less influence from foreign players, I think the landscape of the league is changing toward an open field with more teams having the guts and ability to challenge the old guard," said Zhejiang's young head coach Wang Bo.

Under Wang's guidance, the young combo of Hu and Sun Minghui have matured both technically and mentally to develop into leaders of the ambitious franchise for years to come.

Hu, who averaged a team-high 21 points and 7.6 rebounds per game to win the regular-season MVP, has drawn comparisons to Guangdong veteran Yi as the future backbone of China's national team. He was unlucky to miss playing in the finals after rupturing his spleen while vying for a rebound against Shanghai Sharks guard Jamaal Franklin in the semifinals.

Sun deserves huge credit for his game-high 45 points in Game 3 of the semifinals to lead the Lions past the Sharks in Hu's absence.

"To me, it's quite impressive to see such a group of young domestic players prove their combativeness in the league and show they are ready to make further contributions on the international stage," said Liaoning head coach Yang.