Yang Yu-ming's (
Jeoutai Elephants' all-star shooting guard beat out the 37-point night of Taiwan Beer's Lin "the Monster" Chih-jeh (
Yang an ankle sprain and scored 20 hard-earned points, eight of which came in the game's final three minutes, to carry the Elephants past the league-leading Yulon Dinos for the victory.
Many of his baskets came right after the Dinos had scored big buckets to remain within striking distance of the Elephants.
His selection indicates that importance of "heart" rather than flair in earning the award.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Taiwan Beer faces a pair of back-breaking challenges.
The brew masters will get a date with the ready-to-explode Sina Lions, losers of two straight, tomorrow afternoon before taking the floor again on Sunday night against the tenacious Tigers.
This will be a major test for Taiwan Beer standout Lin Chih-jeh, the league's top scorer, who is averaging 24.1 points per game, as he is expected to play all but a few minutes in both contests.
Although Lin will probably get his usual 25 to 30 points in each contest, it's the effort that comes from his teammates that will ultimately tip the scales.
A lot will be on the line for the Tigers on Sunday as they cling on to a slim half-game margin for the fourth and final spot for postseason play.
Tien Lei of the Tigers should have a big game, because he is too quick for Taiwan Beer's big men inside and can shoot over the heads of the guards.
Elephants versus Mars
The meeting between the Elephants and the BCC Mars tomorrow night will be the most evenly matched game of the weekend.
The Elephants have won four straight and could end in a tie with the Mars and the Tigers for third place in league standings.
Wu Dai-hao (
Fresh off an impressive win over the Dinos, the Mars will look to run up the score against the Elephants, especially with passing wizard Yen Hsing-shu (
Dinos versus Bank of Taiwan
Even though the Dinos will be without the services of lead scorer Chen Hsin-an (
With hopes for the postseason already gone, it may be time for coach Wei Chen-ming (
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