The SBL’s regular season came to an end with Kinmen Liquor downing the Taiwan Mobile Leopards 83-61 at the Taipei County Sports Complex in Sinjhuang on Sunday evening.
It was not a particularly meaningful game as far as postseason play was concerned, since all four of the spots for the upcoming playoffs had been determined more than a week ago, with Pure Youth Construction clinching the fourth and final postseason berth by virtue of a crucial Kinmen Liquor loss that eliminated Kinmen Liquor from the playoff race.
But for all the hoop fans around the country who hope for a sustainable future for the league, it was a tremendous achievement.
The fans breathed a collective sigh of relief in the wake of an unusually eventful regular season that included two walk-outs by the broadcasting carrier, the serious threat of an indefinite holdout by the Yulon Luxgens, the absence of a regular playing venue during the renovation of the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium and the apparent absence of a capable governing body that can really control all seven teams in the league.
In spite of all the off-court drama, the postseason will proceed as planned on Friday at the Taipei County Sports Complex in Sinjhuang, with the top-seeded Dacin Tigers taking on Pure Youth (fourth seed) and the Luxgens (second seed) battling Taiwan Beer (third seed) in a best-of-five round before the winners play for the title in the annual best-of-seven SBL Finals.
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