Yao's team aiming for glory after rapid turnaround in fortune

BEIJING - The 2009-10 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season has been a turnaround one for the Shanghai Sharks.

Not only was the franchise taken over by its former member and now NBA All-Star center, Yao Ming, but also it has risen from the bottom of the league to be a title contender again.

However, ambitious Shanghai are far from content with their improvement and aiming to win the title - a feat they only achieved once in 2001-02.

"There is only one goal for us - the championship. Our players are pretty confident and the coach hungers for victory in every single match," Zhang Chi, the Shanghai Sharks' spokesman, told China Daily.

For a team that only won three matches the previous season, the results have probably exceeded the expectation of the fans and Yao, the team's superstar until 2002 when he went to play for the Houston Rockets.

Shanghai aren't expecting too many problems from their first-round rivals, Liaoning Panpan, as the Sharks won both their regular-season matches.

However, they would face a much bigger challenge in the next round as they would probably face the defending champions, Guangdong Southern Tigers. Shanghai have not beaten Guangdong so far this season but that hasn't shaken the Sharks' determination.

"Guangdong are a very good team and we expect extremely tough matches. But the team's desire for a championship is so strong now and we will make it happen step by step." Zhang said.

While Shanghai are competing against Liaoning for a semifinal berth this evening, Guangdong face the Bayi Rockets in the first round.

Led by former NBA player Wang Zhizhi, the once 12th-ranked Bayi, China's military team, fought back with a four-game winning streak to secure the last playoff berth by edging out Shangdong.

However, neither the Bayi nor the Shanghai are considered the defending champions' main rivals.

Zhu Fangyu, Guangdong's small forward and last season's MVP, has already set his sights on a final against Xinjiang Flying Tigers.

Although Guangdong triumphed over Xinjiang 4-1 in last year's finals, their only two losses in this year's regular season were meted out by Xinjiang.

"They are sure to give us some problems but, you know, the finals are quite different from the regular season. If we meet them again we will win and prove we are the real champions again," Zhu said.

Xinjiang play Fujian SBS in the opening round while Jiangsu Dragons meet Zhejiang Lions.

The first-round matchups and semifinals are best-of-five while the finals, which start on April 16, are best-of-seven.

China Daily