Yang Yu-ming’s desperation jumper with a second remaining in the game broke an 85-all tie to help Taiwan Beer top the Dacin Tigers 87-85 in Game 6 of the Championship Finals at the Taipei County Sports Complex in Sinjhuang on Sunday, evening the best-of-seven series at 3-3.
In a must-win situation, the Beer Crew got the break they had been longing for after dropping three straight to the Cats. Veteran shooter Yang received a pass from a driving Lin “the Beast” Chih-jeh and nailed the tie-breaking 20-footer to force Game 7.
The win not only avoided what would have been an embarrassing loss for the defending champs — who would have blown a 21-point second-half lead — but also kept their chance for a “three-peat” alive as they prepare to take on the Tigers in the first-ever Game 7 in league history, scheduled for 7pm tonight in Sinjhuang.
Taiwan Beer set the tone of the game early by opening with an 11-4 run before settling at 24-18 in the first quarter.
A 12-0 run to start the second would put the Beer Crew ahead by as many as 18 before the Tigers outscored them 24-12 to close out the first half with Dacin trailing 54-42.
Neither team managed to dominate in an evenly fought third that saw Taiwan Beer carry a 77-64 lead into the final quarter before Chang Chih-fong and Tien Lei led a Tigers rally, with Chang tying the game at 85 on a jumper with less than seven seconds remaining.
Dacin called a timeout immediately after Yang’s tiebreaker, giving them the ball at half-court to allow Tien a long three-point attempt, but the three-time league MVP misfired.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
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