Source: Xinhua
10-08-2008 08:48
Jiangsu Dragons will have the longest season in their 13-year history at the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA) when they kick off the opener against the Dongguan New Century in the 2008-09 season on November 15.
The 18 teams will play 50 games in the regular season, compared to 30 in the 2007-08 season, when Tianjin Ronggang and Qingdao DoubleStar, two teams from the National Basketball Association (NBL), joined in for the new season.
Teams are divided into two conferences, the North and the South, according to their geographical distribution. Teams in the same conference play under double home-and-away round and teams in the different conferences play one-round home-and-away games.
"We played in different conferences in the 2004-05 season. More games gave us more home-court profits and more commercial revenues," Jilin Northeast Tigers' GM Zhang Aijun said.
Top eight teams with the best results of the regular season will enter the playoff round.
Sixteen clubs of last season released a statement to condemn a series of actions of the Guangdong Fenglv, which was excluded from the top domestic league, after Tuesday's executive meeting at the Heaven Temple Hotel.
Fenglv, the No.1 in last-season's NBL, failed to pass the poll at last executive meeting in September to enter the CBA league as most of the club GMs preferred the better-prepared Tianjin and Qingdao.
The Guangdong club, which might have been the third CBA club from the Guangdong Province if it had made it, criticized the league and the executive board and handed over a complain letter to the National Sports Bureau.
They also claim to take legal action in the future.
"One club made unreasonable remarks and actions against the CBA league after it failed to join in the league, which damaged the healthy image and collective behalf of the clubs and league. The validity of the league is indubitable, the rules have to be abided and the collective behalf of the league has to be protected," the statement said.
Following are the conference division:
The North:
Beijing Ducks, Jilin Northeast Tigers, Liaoning Hunters, Tianjin Ronggang, Shandong Flaming Bulls, Qingdao DoubleStar, Shanxi Zhongyu, Shannxi Dongsheng, Xinjiang Guanghui;
The South:
Guangdong Hongyuan, Dongguan New Century, Fujian SBS, Jiangsu Dragons, Zhejiang Cyclones, Zhejiang Guangsha, Shanghai Sharks, Bayi Fubang, Yunnan Honghe.
Editor:Xiong Qu
