2017–18 Chinese Basketball Association season

The 2017–18 CBA season was the 23rd season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The regular season was initially scheduled to begin on Saturday, October 21, 2017, with the Guangdong Southern Tigers hosting the Shenzhen Leopards, but later rescheduled to Saturday, October 28, 2017, with the defending champion Xinjiang Flying Tigers hosting the Jilin Northeast Tigers.^[1][2] The regular season ended on Sunday, February 11, 2018, and the playoffs begin on Saturday, March 3, 2018.

CBA
Season	2017–18
Duration	28 October 2017 – 1 May 2018
Games played	38
Teams	20
Regular season
Top seed	Zhejiang Lions
Finals
Champions	Liaoning Flying Leopards (1st title)
Runners-up	Zhejiang Lions
Awards
Domestic MVP	Ding Yanyuhang
International MVP	Courtney Fortson
Statistical leaders
Points Darius Adams 40.1 Rebounds Jared Sullinger 16.7 Assists Courtney Fortson 12.0
← 2016–17 2018–19 →

In this season, the playoffs were expanded from eight to ten teams.

Team changes

Two teams relocated and one of those teams was renamed ahead of the season.

City changes

• The Jiangsu Dragons relocated out of Nanjing and will play the majority of their home games in Suzhou with several contests hosted in Changzhou.

Name changes

• The Jiangsu Tongxi Monkey Kings moved from Changzhou to Nanjing and changed their name to the Nanjing Monkey Kings on September 29, 2017.^[3]

Venues

Team	Home city	Arena	Capacity
Bayi Rockets	Ningbo	Beilun Gymnasium	6500
Beijing Ducks	Beijing	Cadillac Arena	18,000
		Shougang Basketball Center	6000
Beikong Fly Dragons	Beijing	Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium	6300
Fujian Sturgeons	Jinjiang	Zuchang Gymnasium	6,000
Guangdong Southern Tigers	Dongguan	Nissan Sports Centre	14,730
Guangzhou Long-Lions	Guangzhou	Tianhe Gymnasium	8628
	Foshan	Nanhai Gymnasium	4000
Jiangsu Dragons	Suzhou	Suzhou Industrial Park Sports Center	13,000
		Suzhou Sports Center Gymnasium	N/A
	Changzhou	Changzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium	6,200
Jilin Northeast Tigers	Changchun	Changchun Gymnasium	4,299
Liaoning Flying Leopards	Benxi	Benxi Gymnasium	4,500
Nanjing Monkey Kings	Nanjing	Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park	22,000
		Jiangning Sports Center Gymnasium	5,500
Qingdao Eagles	Qingdao	Guoxin Gymnasium	12,500
		Gymnasium of Ocean University of China	4145
Shandong Golden Stars	Jinan	Shandong Arena	8,800
Shanghai Sharks	Shanghai	Pudong Yuanshen Gymnasium	5,000
Shanxi Brave Dragons	Taiyuan	Shanxi Sports Centre Gymnasium	8000
Shenzhen Leopards	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Dayun Arena	18,000
		Bao'an Gymnasium	8188
	Zhongshan	Zhongshan Gymnasium	5000
Sichuan Blue Whales	Chengdu	Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium	9,200
Tianjin Gold Lions	Tianjin	Dongli Gymnasium	5630
Xinjiang Flying Tigers	Ürümqi	Hongshan Arena	3,800
Zhejiang Golden Bulls	Hangzhou	Binjiang Gymnasium	6000
Zhejiang Guangsha Lions	Hangzhou	Hangzhou Gymnasium	5,136

Draft

The 2017 CBA Draft, the third edition of the CBA draft, took place on 2017 August 2. 11 players were selected in the draft.^[4]

Rnd.	Pick	Player	Nationality[n 1]	Team	School / club team
1	1	Chen Ying-chun	Chinese Taipei	Guangzhou Long-Lions	Liberty University (United States)
1	2	Chou Yi-hsiang	Chinese Taipei	Nanjing Monkey Kings	Dacin Tigers (Chinese Taipei)
1	3	Duncan Reid	Hong Kong	Zhejiang Golden Bulls	SCAA (Hong Kong)
1	4	Yang Kai	China	Fujian Sturgeons	Hunan Yongsheng
1	5	Zhang Jin	China	Jilin Northeast Tigers	Liaoning Flying Leopards Youth
1	6	Ban Duo	China	Shanxi Brave Dragons	Tsinghua University
1	7	Liu Hongbo	China	Qingdao Eagles	Peking University
1	8	Liu Lei	China	Jiangsu Dragons	Tsinghua University
2	1	Qiao Wenhan	China	Nanjing Monkey Kings	Luoyang Zhonghe
2	2	Wang Zixu	China	Beikong Fly Dragons	Guangzhou Long-Lions Youth
2	3	Wang Yuyao	China	Shenzhen Leopards	Shenzhen Leopards Youth

Foreign players policy

All teams except the Bayi Rockets can have two foreign players. The bottom 4 teams from the previous season (except Bayi) have the additional right to sign an extra Asian player.^[5]

Rules Chart

The rules for using foreign players in each game are described in this chart:

#	Facing other teams	Facing Bayi Rockets
Chinese players+	No Limit	No Limit
Asian players++		4 quarters collectively+++
International players	6 quarters collectively+++

+ Including players from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

++ If a team waives its right to sign an extra Asian player, it may use its 2 foreign players for 7 quarters collectively.

+++ Only 1 allowed in the 4th quarter.

Import chart

This is the full list of international players who competed in the CBA during the 2017-18 season.

Team	Player 1	Player 2	Asian Player	Replaced During Season
Bayi Rockets	–	–	–	–
Beijing Ducks	Aaron Jackson[6]	Justin Hamilton[7]	–	Marcus Thornton Randolph Morris (DNP)
Beikong Fly Dragons	Stephon Marbury	Shavlik Randolph	Wael Arakji	Zaid Abbas
Fujian Sturgeons	Russ Smith	Mike Harris	–	-
Guangdong Southern Tigers	Donald Sloan	Andrew Nicholson[8]	–	Edwin Jackson Darius Morris
Guangzhou Long-Lions	Kyle Fogg	Tyler Hansbrough[9]	Sani Sakakini	Semaj Christon
Jiangsu Dragons	MarShon Brooks	Miroslav Raduljica	–	Jabari Brown
Jilin Northeast Tigers	Von Wafer	Carl Landry	–	–
Liaoning Flying Leopards	Lester Hudson	Brandon Bass	–	–
Nanjing Monkey Kings	Jeremy Pargo	JJ Hickson[10]	Samad Nikkhah Bahrami	Dominique Jones
Qingdao Eagles	Jonathan Gibson	James Mays	–	Terrence Jones Maciej Lampe
Shandong Golden Stars	Ty Lawson[11]	Donatas Motiejūnas[12]	–	–
Shanghai Sharks	Jimmer Fredette	Nick Minnerath[13]	–	–
Shanxi Brave Dragons	Willie Warren	Luis Scola	–	Brandon Jennings
Shenzhen Leopards	Tyrese Rice	Jared Sullinger	–	Keith Langford
Sichuan Blue Whales	Ike Diogu	Hamed Haddadi	–	Jamaal Franklin
Tianjin Gold Lions	Eugene Jeter	Derrick Williams	–	Eli Holman
Xinjiang Flying Tigers	Darius Adams	Andray Blatche	–	Shawn Long Augusto Lima
Zhejiang Golden Bulls	Sonny Weems[14]	Arinze Onuaku	–	Jarnell Stokes[15]
Zhejiang Lions	Courtney Fortson	Ioannis Bourousis[16]	–	–

Regular Season Standings

#	2017–18 CBA season
	Team	W	L	PCT	Pts	Tiebreaker
1	Zhejiang Lions	31	7	.816	69
2	Liaoning Flying Leopards	29	9	.763	67
3	Guangdong Southern Tigers	28	10	.737	66
4	Shandong Golden Stars	27	11	.711	65
5	Jiangsu Dragons	26	12	.684	64
6	Xinjiang Flying Tigers	25	13	.658	63	XJ 3-1 BJ 2-2 SZ 1-3
7	Beijing Ducks	25	13	.658	63
8	Shenzhen Leopards	25	13	.658	63
9	Guangzhou Long-Lions	21	17	.553	59
10	Shanghai Sharks	20	18	.526	58	SH 1-1 (SH 200-187 ZJ)
11	Zhejiang Golden Bulls	20	18	.526	58
12	Beikong Fly Dragons	18	20	.474	56
13	Fujian Sturgeons	16	22	.421	54	FJ 1-1 (FJ 241-224 SX)
14	Shanxi Brave Dragons	16	22	.421	54
15	Nanjing Monkey King	15	23	.395	53
16	Qingdao Eagles	11	27	.289	49
17	Jilin Northeast Tigers	8	30	.211	46	JL 3-1 TJ 2-2 SC 1-3
18	Tianjin Gold Lions	8	30	.211	46
19	Sichuan Blue Whales	8	30	.211	46
20	Bayi Rockets	3	35	.079	41

Key to colors

	Top 6 teams advance to the Playoffs
	7th-10th teams advance to the pre-elimination Playoffs

Playoffs

Main article: 2018 CBA Playoffs

The 2018 CBA Playoffs began on 3 March 2018. Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. Teams with home court advantage are shown in italics.

	First round					Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Finals
						1	Zhejiang Lions	3
	8	Shenzhen Leopards	2			8	Shenzhen Leopards	2
	9	Guangzhou Long-Lions	0								1	Zhejiang Lions	4
											4	Shandong Golden Stars	3
						4	Shandong Golden Stars	3
						5	Jiangsu Dragons	0
																1	Zhejiang Lions	0
																2	Liaoning Flying Leopards	4
						2	Liaoning Flying Leopards	3
	7	Beijing Ducks	2			7	Beijing Ducks	1
	10	Shanghai Sharks	1								2	Liaoning Flying Leopards	4
											3	Guangdong Southern Tigers	1
						3	Guangdong Southern Tigers	3
						6	Xinjiang Flying Tigers	1

Statistics

Individual statistic leaders

Category	Player	Team	Statistic[17]
Points per game	Ding Yanyuhang (Domestic Player) Darius Adams (International Player)	Shandong Golden Stars Xinjiang Flying Tigers	28.0 40.1
Rebounds per game	Yi Jianlian (Domestic Player) Jared Sullinger (International Player)	Guangdong Southern Tigers Shenzhen Leopards	13.3 16.7
Assists per game	Zeng Lingxu (Domestic Player) Courtney Fortson (International Player)	Shanxi Brave Dragons Zhejiang Lions	7.6 12.0
Steals per game	Wu Qian (Domestic Player) Darius Adams (International Player)	Zhejiang Golden Bulls Xinjiang Flying Tigers	2.2 2.7
Blocks per game	Zhang Zhaoxu (Domestic Player) Justin Hamilton (International Player)	Shanghai Sharks Beijing Ducks	2.2 1.8

Awards

Players of the Week

The following players were named the Players of the Week.^[18]

Week	Domestic Player of the Week	International Player of the Week	Ref.
October 28–November 5	Yi Jianlian (Guangdong Southern Tigers) (1/3)	Jared Sullinger (Shenzhen Leopards) (1/3)	[19]
November 7–12	Ding Yanyuhang (Shandong Golden Stars) (1/1)	Jimmer Fredette (Shanghai Sharks) (1/1)	[20]
November 14–17	Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Lions) (1/5)	Eli Holman (Tianjin Gold Lions) (1/1)	[21]
November 29–December 10	Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Lions) (2/5)	Jared Sullinger (Shenzhen Leopards) (2/3)	[22]
December 12–17	Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Lions) (3/5)	Courtney Fortson (Zhejiang Lions) (1/2)	[23]
December 19–24	Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Lions) (4/5)	Russ Smith (Fujian Sturgeons) (1/1)	[24]
December 26–31	Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Lions) (5/5)	Courtney Fortson (Zhejiang Lions) (2/2)	[25]
January 2–11	Han Dejun (Liaoning Flying Leopards) (1/1)	Darius Adams (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) (1/3)	[26]
January 16–21	Yi Jianlian (Guangdong Southern Tigers) (2/3)	Jared Sullinger (Shenzhen Leopards) (3/3)	[27]
January 23–28	Yi Jianlian (Guangdong Southern Tigers) (3/3)	Darius Adams (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) (2/3)	[28]
January 30–February 4	Wang Zhelin (Fujian Sturgeons) (1/2)	Donatas Motiejūnas (Shandong Golden Stars) (1/1)	[29]
February 6–11	Wang Zhelin (Fujian Sturgeons) (2/2)	Darius Adams (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) (3/3)	[30]

Young Player of the Month

The following players were named the Young Player of the Month.^[31]

Month	Young Player of the Month	Ref.
October/November	Zhao Rui (Guangdong Southern Tigers) (1/1)	[32]
December	Gao Shiyan (Jilin Northeast Tigers) (1/1)	[33]
January/February	Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Lions) (1/1)	[34]

Notes

1. Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to FIBA rules.

References

1. "CBA赛程变更:揭幕战为广东战深圳 新疆战吉林改期" (in Chinese). 12 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
2. "CBA新版赛程公布 新疆重回揭幕战可主场领冠军戒" (in Chinese). 19 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
3. "关于江苏同曦大圣篮球俱乐部变更球队名称的公告" (in Chinese). 29 September 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
4. "2017CBA选秀大会：状元榜眼探花均为港台球员" (in Chinese). 2 August 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
5. "CBA3外援球队将逐步减为两支 末节亚外将受限" (in Chinese). 30 June 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
6. Aris Barkas (2017-07-06). "Jackson goes to China for the Beijing Ducks". Eurohoops. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
7. RotoWire Staff (2017-07-22). "Justin Hamilton: Headed to China". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
8. "Andrew Nicholson signs in China after getting waived by Trail Blazers". OregonLive.com. 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
9. Anderson, Brandon (2017-07-21). "Tyler Hansbrough is heading to China, will Ty Lawson join him in the CBL?". Retrieved 2017-11-05.
10. "JJ Hickson: Signs deal to remain in China". CBSSports.com. 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
11. "Ty Lawson agrees to deal with Shandong Golden Stars of Chinese Basketball Association". Espn.com. 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
12. "Donatas Motiejunas to play in China: Lithuanian media". Chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
13. "Nick Minnerath Goes To China". Avtodor.ru. 2017-07-18. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
14. "Sonny Weems signing in China with Zhejiang Chouzhou". Sportando.com. 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
15. "Jarnell Stokes Signs With Zhejiang Golden Bulls". Blazersedge.com. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
16. Antigoni Zachari (2017-07-04). "Bourousis joins Kazlauskas' team in China". Eurohoops. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
17. CBA公司关于2017-2018赛季CBA联赛技术统计单项奖评选结果出炉
18. "2017-2018赛季CBA每周最佳球员". Archived from the original on 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
19. "CBA首周周最佳球员：易建联、萨林杰" (in Chinese). 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
20. "官方第2周最佳球员:小丁本土最佳弗神外援最佳" (in Chinese). 13 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
21. "CBA第3周最佳球员：广厦胡金秋 天津霍尔曼" (in Chinese). 30 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
22. "胡金秋获CBA第四周本土最佳 萨林杰获外援最佳" (in Chinese). 11 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
23. "CBA第5周最佳：广厦包揽！胡金秋+福特森当选" (in Chinese). 16 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
24. "胡金秋连续四周当选本土最佳 史密斯最佳外援" (in Chinese). 23 December 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
25. "CBA第7周最佳球员:胡金秋5连霸！福特森再当选" (in Chinese). 2 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
26. "CBA第8周内外援MVP：韩德君和亚当斯分别当选" (in Chinese). 15 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
27. "CBA公布第9周内外援MVP：阿联萨林杰分别当选" (in Chinese). 22 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
28. "CBA第10周最佳球员:阿联当选 亚当斯天神下凡" (in Chinese). 2 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
29. "CBA第11周最佳球员：王哲林和莫泰首次当选" (in Chinese). 8 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
30. "CBA第12周周最佳：本土王哲林 亚当斯最佳外援" (in Chinese). 12 February 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
31. 2017-2018赛季CBA联赛月度最佳星锐球员评选
32. "CBA公司公布11月最佳星锐 赵睿场均14+4当选" (in Chinese). 30 November 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
33. "高诗岩当选12月月度最佳星锐 又一个辽宁制造" (in Chinese). 21 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
34. "胡金秋荣获月度最佳星锐 连续11场20+力压八一双星" (in Chinese). 1 March 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.

External links

• CBA Official Website
• CBA China - 2017-18 Standings and Stats on Basketball-Reference.com