2018 CBA Playoffs Quarter Final Review - Jiangsu Dragons vs Shandong Golden Stars

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The only team to win their quarter final tie with a clean sweep, the Golden Stars signalled themselves as serious championship contenders and their performance against the Jiangsu Dragons showed all their future playoff opponents they are not a team to take lightly.

In game one, Shandong had the lead for much of the first half, but Jiangsu went looking for an upset when the game re-started. Playing smart defence and making good on their close range looks, Jiangsu's scoring was led by MarShon Brooks with 27 points. Miroslav Radulijca did not start in this game, but finished with a double-double - part of a great showing from Jiangsu's bench, who put up 56 of their team's total points.

For Shandong, though, Donatas Montiejunas had 24 points, but his team mate Ding Yanyuhang was the hero for the Lions, putting up an amazing 33 points in the contest.Shandong were the lesser team on paper, but they found the form they needed to capture the win. They out-scored Jiangsu by four points in the final quarter, which was the eventual gap between the teams. The Lions took game one 104-100.

The series moved on to the Shandong Arena in Jinan for game two. The second game again saw Miroslav Radulijica come off the Dragons' bench, this time registering 14 rebounds and 23 points to go with 30 from MarShon Brooks for Jiansgu, but despite their best efforts it was Shandong’s game all the way. With the Stars' players finding the best looks in the game, they led by 15 points at half time.

Jiangsu made their biggest attempt to turn the game around as the second half got underway, but couldn’t do enough to fight back against a Shandong team who were equally strong on both ends. Donatas Motiejunas led the way for Shandong with 28 points and 16 rebounds, while Ty Lawson came off the bench and put up 21 points, as did Ding Yanyuhang, who was also one assist shy of a double-double. Making 16 threes in the game and playing well as a team, Shandong went within one game of the semi finals with a conclusive 111-91 victory in game two.

In game three, the Dragons were 50% from the field and it was another great game for Radulijica, who had 25 points and a good show on defence. His team mates Wu Quanxi and Lei Chen both scored over twenty points, with Lei knocking down six threes. On any other day Jiangsu’s performance in game three would have been a winning one, but in the Shandong Arena against the Golden Stars, it was not good enough.

Shandong were rampant from start to finish, winning every quarter and hitting from all spots on the offensive end. Motiejunas again led all scorers and rebounders with 29 points and 13 boards, with Ding Yanyuhang putting up 27 points of his own and Ty Lawson scoring 16 points and dishing 11 assists. The Golden Stars had 16 threes in the game, with all but two players making one from downtown, as the team earned their semi final spot with an an impressive, convincing and dominant third win over Jiangsu. The final score in the final game of this series ended 127-104.

So Shandong are the first semi finalists and await to see if they will next be facing either the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions or the Shenzhen Leopards, as their quarter final series continues. Stick and stay with us for regular updates on the CBA Playoffs.