On January 27, the Siberian Tigers of the Jiutai Rural Commercial Bank in Jilin rushed to Shenyang by bus, which was a regular route for them. In previous years, when going to Shenyang during the league and even playing in Liaoning Province, the Siberian Tigers would choose this way of travel. And the future battle in Shenyang also directly determines his fate this season. As far as the current situation is analyzed, their future in the playoffs is bright, but they need to beware of careless losses.
After the end of the second stage of the game on January 28, the Jilin Northeast Tigers took a week off and officially assembled in Changchun on the sixth day of the Chinese New Year to prepare for the third stage of the game. After two stages of competition in Zhuji and Changchun, the current record of the Jilin Siberian Tigers is 14 wins and 14 losses of just 50%, which is currently the same as the 11th place Beijing Control (14 wins and 14 losses), but the score-loss rate in the two confrontations between them is at a disadvantage and currently ranks 12th. At the same time, it is only one win away from the 10th place Shandong (15 wins and 13 losses). The 13th place Xinjiang 12 wins and 16 losses, there is a two-win gap with Jilin, and in the confrontation with Jilin, their record is 0-2, that is to say, Xinjiang wants to surpass Jilin and must win 3 more games than Jilin in the next 10 games, which is actually not small. Similarly, Tianjin, who is 14th, has a record of only 11 wins and 17 losses, so with two wins over Jilin in the previous game, they also need to win 3 more games than Jilin to surpass Jilin, which is not easy. As for Sichuan, who are 15th, it is even more difficult to surpass Jilin, and their current record is only 10 wins and 18 losses. That is to say, according to the current ranking situation, the Jilin Siberian Tigers have the possibility of being surpassed, but it is more difficult to achieve. That said, the third phase of the game is likely not to change the already formed playoff quota pattern.
For the Jilin Siberian Tigers, who invest less, making the playoffs is the ultimate goal. In the next 10 games, the Siberian Tigers will basically enter the playoffs by winning 6 or 5 of them. The third stage of the game is against opponents that the Siberian Tigers have not met before, this is their first meeting of the season, and they have to play two games. Play against Shanghai at No. 2, Zhejiang at No. 4, Sichuan at No. 15, Qingdao at No. 16 and Jiangsu at No. 18. Among them, four games against Shanghai and Zhejiang are a test for the Siberian Tigers. Although Shanghai, which ranks second, is strong, after all, it has the experience of defeating opponents over the years, and the pain is against Zhejiang. Since the 2014-2015 season, the Siberian Tigers have only won Zhejiang twice at home, and lost the rest of the games. In these four games, the Siberian Tigers can fight the next one is considered a victory. Against Jiangsu, which ranks third from the bottom, although the Siberian Tigers have won more or lost less in recent years, the confrontation has always been very fierce. However, considering that the opponent has no foreign aid, the Siberian Tigers must win these two games. The situation in Sichuan and Qingdao is similar, both teams are double foreign aid configurations have a certain strength, but this season has not played well, the mentality has been affected, and winning these six games is the cornerstone of the Jilin Siberian Tigers' smooth entry into the playoffs. Before going to Shenyang, a number of Siberian Tigers players told the author: "Try to get into the playoffs."
In the training since the sixth day of the Chinese New Year, the preparation of the Siberian Tigers has been orderly. During this period, two teaching matches were held with the Shanxi team at the Siberian Tigers Sports Center, one game was won, and one game was drawn with the opponent (the coach agreed not to add time). For now, the coaching staff is focused on working on restoring Dominic Jones. Although Jones' scoring ability has declined this season, it still has a great role in containing opponents and assists. During the offseason, Jones is still speaking out on social media, and compared with the incessant complaints when he first returned to the CBA, he now begins to praise the club, praise his teammates, and the club's chairman Sun Jun. He wrote: "Sun Jun will always be my friend and brother, and I will play for Jilin until the team no longer needs me. Jones has made 15 appearances this season, averaging 21.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game.