Beijing Ducks win their second CBA title

Beijing Ducks players celebrate after upsetting hosts Xinjiang Guanghui 98-88 on Sunday in Urumqi, winning their second Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) title in the past three years. (Photo: Chinanews.com)

Beijing Ducks players rushed into the court after the final whistle. Stephon Marbury cried like a kid.

After upsetting hosts Xinjiang Guanghui 98-88, Beijing Ducks won their second Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) title in the past three years in Urumqi on Sunday with 4-2 on aggregation in the best-of-seven finals.

"I'm proud of coaching these guys, who showed guts throughout the whole season," said Min Lulei, Beijing's head coach.

Randolph Morris, who finished with game-high 30 points and 11 boards, was crowned Most Valuable Player (MVP). Marbury and Sun Yue added 28 and 18 respectively.

After trailing by just one point, the hosts still have a chance to tie the series into Game 7, but was upset by Marbury's layups and Morris' jumpers in a row.

"I know that if we go into Game 7, we have little chance of winning. So I put everything on the line for the last quarter. What I try to do is to make every shot count," said Morris.

Xinjiang's Liu Shunan opened the offense with a layup, assisted by Su Wei. Marbury, who got only 14 points due to knee injury last game in Mastercard Center, grabbed the spotlight of this quarter with 16 points, helping his team build a 27-19 lead as the first period ran out.

Due to dissatisfaction with team's defense, Min Lulei called a timeout early in the second period, which proved of much effect, as the visitors took a 14-2 run to extend the margin to 17 points.

Xinjiang's mew signing Oksana, who replaced James Singleton as the latter suffered left hand injury, substituted with 10:08 to go in the second quarter. He helped Xinjiang cut the deficit with five straight points.

Xinjiang had 11 points in a row to open the second half, while the opponents didn't make a shot until midway through this period, thanks to Wang Xiaohui's 1 of 2 free throws.

Oksana's three-point play once got the upper hand of 65-63 to Beijing, but the hosts failed to drag the series into the decisive match at last.

Oksana led Xinjiang players with 18 points. Lester Hudson had 17.

"Our players showed professional spirit during this series, which moved me a lot. We make progress little by little, and I believe that we can realize the champion dream in the near future," said Xinjiang's head coach Cui Wanjun.