Sharp-shooter Yang Yu-ming's 26-point effort, including two key three-pointers in the fourth quarter that put the ETTV Antelopes up for good against Taiwan Beer last Friday night, landed him this week's Super Basketball League Player of the Week honor.
With the fourth and final playoff spot on the line, Yang rose to the occasion by hitting 10 of 18 shots from the floor (4-for-8 from the three-point range) to lead the Antelopes to victory. It was the first time in team history that the Antelopes had put together a three-game winning streak.
In the 35-plus minutes that Yang played, the second-year shooting guard committed no turnovers and no fouls, a rare feat that requires the utmost concentration and body control. His performance on Friday had most believe that Yang has finally recovered from a nagging knee injury that had kept him from realizing his full potential on offense, despite the fact that he is already averaging nearly 17 points per contest for the Antelopes.
PHOTO: CPBL
"I've waited for this one [the Player of the Week award] for over a year. I am glad that I was able to fight off the injury and turn things around in the final stretch of the regular season," Yang said after learning of his selection for the weekly honor. He also won the coveted honor once last season.
A healthy Yang could spell trouble for opposing clubs because his deadly shooting on the perimeters will definitely draw the defenders out, freeing up more room inside the paint for the Antelopes' all-star center Wu Dai-hao to maneuver. And all around the league are well aware of what Wu can do against single-man coverage in the low post area; once he gains position of the ball inside the paint, there are only two options: an easy bucket for Wu or a foul by the defender.
Next up for Yang and his mates are the league-leading Yulon Dinos, winners of their past eight straight by an average margin of victory of 12.5 points.
The last time these two teams met, the Antelopes nearly pulled off the upset of the year by rallying from being down by 15 in the third quarter to lose by just a deuce.
Both clubs realize that this is not an automatic win for the Dinos by any means, which is good news for basketball lovers because the streaky Antelopes may just have enough momentum to finally end the Dinos' season-high winning skid.
Another high-profile match that should draw a full house at the Taipei College of Physical Education Gymnasium this weekend will be Sunday's contest between the second-placed Videoland Hunters and fourth-placed Taiwan Beer.
This is a big game for the beermen in that a win will likely keep them among the elite four, a desirable position to be in as far as their chances to play in the postseason are concerned, given their favorable remaining schedule. It would be a huge mental boost for the beermen if they can take this game because the last time that they have beaten either of the top two clubs in the league was on New Year's day, when they edged past the Hunters by one in a come-from-behind thriller.
As for the Hunters, nothing would please Head Coach Chung Chih-mong more than a victory over Taiwan Beer as the Hunters shed off their inconsistent label and peak their way into the upcoming postseason.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
RSS