Sharks grab first victory of season

SHANGHAI Sharks, driven by captain Liu Wei, beat Qingdao Doublestar 93-77 at home yesterday, sending Tracy McGrady to a 0-4 start on his Chinese Basketball Association journey.

Liu scored a game-high 28 points, beating McGrady's 23 points, to lead the Sharks to their first victory this season.

It was the first time T-mac met with his former Houston Rockets teammate Yao Ming on a Chinese basketball court, with Yao, now the owner of the Sharks, sitting in the Yuanshen Stadium stands.

"I think Yao was relieved after this victory," Daniel Panaggio, Sharks' head coach said, alluding to the team's 0-3 start. He praised Liu for both his offensive and defensive display. Liu also pulled down 12 rebounds.

The eye-catching contest attracted 5,000 fans, many coming to see the former NBA all star McGrady. Ticket scalpers were doing brisk business.

Basketball fans said they'd like to see a big match-up between two former NBA all stars, McGrady and Gilbert Arenas.

"I'm a little disappointed that Arenas could not play," said one fan. "Still I am very happy to see T-mac here." The fan paid 650 yuan for a ticket, which was originally priced at 320 yuan.

McGrady, who played 37 minutes yesterday, fell to the ground in the first quarter, apparently injuring his right ankle, and sat out most the second quarter.

Sharks' Arenas told Shanghai Daily that T-mac may have pulled a muscle. "The same as me," he said. The two greeted each other briefly after the game. Arenas said he expects to be back on court this week.

Elsewhere, Shandong Gold beat Jilin Tigers 110-108 on a Jackson Vroman buzzer-beater to go top with a 4-0 record. Yi Jianlian's Guangdong Dongguan beat Jiangsu Dragons 113-87.

Email Story    Printable View    Blog Story    Copy Headline/URL