The Guangdong team has struggled with their interior defense all season. Shanghai head coach Lu Wei found the blueprint to beat them: exploit their weakness with a dominant center. This strategy worked perfectly when Shanghai crushed Guangdong by 40 points, with Hassan Whiteside dominating the paint.
Inspired by Shanghai’s success, Beijing head coach Xu Limin tried to replicate the tactic, relying on JaVale McGee to overpower Guangdong inside. During Friday’s overtime thriller, McGee did force Guangdong into foul trouble, but his free-throw shooting proved disastrous—he made only 4 of 10 attempts, missing four crucial foul shots in overtime. Had he converted those, Beijing likely would have won.
Fans quickly criticized Xu’s decision, calling it a case of “drawing a tiger but ending up with a dog.” McGee not only struggled from the line but also showed poor decision-making, often charging into traffic and turning the ball over. While Beijing boasted a formidable frontline with Zhou Qi and McGee, Zhou’s lack of mobility was exploited by Guangdong’s guards, and McGee’s low basketball IQ and free-throw woes undermined the game plan. Xu Limin’s attempt to copy Shanghai’s approach backfired completely.
