Reports indicate that Fan Ziming has been added to the 12-man roster for the upcoming game. In the first match of the Beijing-Guangdong series, Beijing secured a 102-94 home victory over Guangdong. In the second clash, Guangdong fought back to win 102-99 at home, with Zhang Haojia hitting a buzzer-beater in overtime to seal the win. Both games were fiercely contested, and the third matchup promises to be even more thrilling. Despite being the stronger team with a deeper roster and more available players, Beijing has yet to showcase its full potential, even with home-court advantage.
Beijing’s biggest strength lies in its interior, but it has failed to capitalize on this advantage, with Guangdong’s guards targeting Zhou Qi and Speilman. Over the first two games, Zhou Qi averaged just 9 points and 9.5 rebounds in 28 minutes per game, shooting a mere 35.7% from the field. JaVale McGee, averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, has been lackadaisical, playing without discipline. Speilman, meanwhile, relies primarily on three-point shooting. In this series, Du Feng has consistently made better adjustments than Xu Limin, with Hu Mingxuan and Quinn specifically targeting Beijing’s big men by forcing them to extend beyond the arc for three-pointers. In contrast, Guangdong has only Wang Shaojie as a capable interior defender.
According to sources, Xu Limin plans to activate Fan Ziming. Fan Ziming has not made the 12-man roster for the first two games, with Xu Limin opting for Qiu Tian instead. Benching the team’s max contract player shows Xu Limin’s decisiveness. Xu Limin’s decision to sideline Fan Ziming was primarily based on defensive concerns. Fan Ziming’s offense is solid, with reliable mid-range shooting and passing ability from the free-throw line. However, during the regular season, he averaged only 10 minutes, 3 points, and 2.3 rebounds per game. Holding a max contract but playing a marginal role has drawn controversy. If he gets an opportunity in the third game, Fan Ziming will need to prove himself, as this could be his last chance to redeem himself. A poor performance may result in him being excluded from future games entirely.
Beijing Should Win if They Play Normally
Guangdong’s victory in the previous game was somewhat of an overperformance, with Quinn scoring 39 points. Beijing will not allow Quinn to score as easily this time. Hu Mingxuan and Du Runwang’s three-point shooting consistency also remains uncertain. With home-court advantage, Beijing should be able to win by leveraging its strengths, applying defensive pressure, and advancing past Guangdong.