2017 3x3 World Tour Chengdu Masters Report
Spectators, fans and residents of the Chinese city of Chengdu were treated to a weekend of 3x3 basketball that was by turns unpredictable, exciting and great to watch, and was never short on top quality skills being on display.
The host nation was well-represented at the Chengdu Masters, with four teams in the field. The first Chinese team to take to the court was Qingdao, who suffered heavy losses to ranking leaders Novi Sad AlWadha and then to Tokyo in Pool A.
In the final Pool A game, Novi Sad looked to take advantage early in this final game, largely down to some great, high-energy play from Duan Bulut. Tokyo, however, held their nerve and a string of two-point shots brought them back into the game and from then on they started to match Novi Sad shot for shot. In the latter part of the game, Novi Sad stepped up their play, building a slight yet authoritative lead over Tokyo, one they would maintain to the end of the game. Tokyo put in a superb effort in this game, but it wasn’t enough to take first place in the group.
Ljubljana opened Pool B with a 22-13 win over Beijing, who then took on Japan’s best-known team, Hamanatsu. A lack of defensive intensity from Hamanatsu saw Beijing take an 8-1 lead after three minutes of play. Impressive play in the lane and from outside the arc saw the Chinese team go on to take a crucial win over Hamanatsu, 17 points to 15.
Hamanatsu’s last chance of survival in this competition was to defeat Ljubljana in the final game of Pool B. Despite their best defensive efforts, their lack of a dependable game plan and the Slovenians’ resolve and strength from close range saw them eliminate Hamanatsu and advance to Day Two as winners of Pool B, with Beijing joining them as runners-up.
Pool C came down to the final, deciding game between Zemun and Kranj, as both teams easily dispatched Shenzhen earlier in the day. The game itself was tight, with both teams working hard to box the other out. As a result, shots came few and far between.
It came down to good team organisation from Zemun, who were able to find good open looks on the floor to give them the edge late in the game. Kranj’s Boris Jersin was the stand-out performer in the game, doing everything he can to create scoring chance for himself to keep Kranj in the game. Two final foul shots from Lazar Rasic would be the clincher for Zemun, who took the top spot in the pool with this final 17-14 win.
Both Riga and Piran made statements in their opening games of the tournament, blowing away Haidian who, in each encounter, didn't even make it into double digits. Piran and Riga, meanwhile, were both on the warpath and their clash, which would be the final game of Day One, shaping up to be an exciting end to the day's play.
In the game, the Latvian team made too many mistakes early on, which allowed Piran to stamp their authority on the game. Consistent, on-target shooting from Edgars Krumins would bring Riga to within one by the halfway point of the game. Composed inside play from Adin Kavgic increased Piran’s lead, and then his two-point shooting gave them an even bigger buffer as the game drew to a close. With 1:56 to go in the game, Simon Finzgar put away a missed layup from Kavgic which took Piran to 21 points over Riga’s 14, ending the game and sending them through to day two in a highly advantageous position.
If Day One felt a bit straightforward, Day Two was anything but.
Beginning with the day's opening quarter final, Riga out-played Novi Sad from the two-point line and found gaps in their defence to put the leading 3x3 team on the back foot. Novi Sad always remained within two points, but they couldn’t find a way to take themselves into the lead. Continued on-target shooting from Riga saw them pull off the biggest shock of the Chengdu Masters, sending Novi Sad packing at a stage earlier than expected, winning here 18-13. This was followed by a more one-sided game, where Zemun took down Beijing early and advanced to the semi finals with a 22-7 win.
An all-Slovenian clash between Ljubljana and Kranj would be tight all the way down the stretch. A layup from Boris Jersin with thirty seconds to go in the game would be the deciding play of the game, as Ljubljana could not get a response off in time. Within almost an hour, the two biggest teams on the World Tour were eliminated from the tournament, and Kranj advanced with a well-earned two-point win. The semi final picture was complete with the result of the next game, which Piran won by tripling Tokyo’s score, 21 to 7.
The first semi final was a back-and-forth affair between Riga and Zemun, though Riga’s ingenuity and outside shooting appeared to give them the edge. With a layup, foul shot and two-pointer from Bogdan Dragovic in quick succession, Zemun stole the game from Riga in the final minute, advancing to the final against expectation with a four-point win.
Kranj found themselves in another all-Slovenian clash, this time with Piran, and like their quarter final against Ljulbjana, this too was a close affair. The scores were, most of the way through, tied or with one team leading by only a point. A two-point shot from Gasper Ovnik for Piran with just under four minutes to go would give them their biggest edge in the game so far, and what would prove to be a turning point in the game. Mensud Julevic responded for Kranj, and did all he could to tip the scales back in their favour, but Piran were not prepared to give up their advantage. Winning here 20-15, Piran advanced to the final.
Piran struck first in the final and took an early three-point lead, to which Zemun responded with a series of smart plays to tie the scores. Piran kept finding gaps in the opposition defence, and made many attempts to break away, but Zemun’s tough interior play kept the scores close. There was a big defensive effort from both teams in this game, and for a large portion of the game the sides were resorted to drawing fouls to get points off.
Anze Srevbot sunk a two-pointer to give Piran their biggest lead since the opening minute of play. Zemun responded with a six-point scoring run to take their first lead of the game, Piran responded with a four-point run of their own to give them a 17-16 lead. With one minute to go Bogdan Dragovic made a two-pointer for Zemun to give them back the lead, and the Serbians retrieved and held on to possession with everything they had. Marko Dugosija prevented a final layup from Piran in the closing seconds of the game, which saw Zemun triumphant by the narrowest margin in this hotly contested Chengdu Masters final.
The Chengdu Masters dunk contest proved to be as dramatic and unpredictable as the main tournament, as David Carlos - a first-time participant in the World Tour - found himself taking going up against four-time world champion Rafael 'Lipek' Lipinski, whose victory going into the final was nowhere near guaranteed:
Within a week, the World Tour moves continents to central America for the Mexico City Masters. This final stop on the tour before the final tips off on September 30th, have a look at the official website ahead of next weekend for all the latest updates and news.
