Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) side Shandong Heroes are confident of contending for a playoff spot despite having to play with an all-domestic roster when the league resumes.
Shandong’s overseas duo of Lester Hudson and James Mays are unable to return to China due to current restrictions on international travel, meaning that Shandong will have to rely entirely on its Chinese players, reported Xinhua news agency.
All Shandong players tested negative for Covid-19 after two rounds of testing, and need to undergo another round after arriving in China’s southern city of Dongguan, where they will play their remaining matches in a revised tournament format.
“We will strive to win in every game,” said Shandong head coach Gong Xiaobin. “We are ready to play without foreign players. We will play team basketball, and drive our offense through defense.”
Shandong ranked fourth in the 2019-20 CBA league before it was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic with 30 rounds of matches having been played. To advance to the playoffs, Shandong must finish the regular season in the top 12.
“Firstly, we will strive for a playoff spot, and try to earn a better place in the standings,” Gong noted.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought the entire world to a standstill and the sporting arena is no exception. Most of the high profile tournaments including the Olympics stand postponed.
Even the biggest cricketing spectacle on the planet, the Indian Premier League (IPL), stands suspended indefinitely owing to the coronavirus pandemic. After Bundesliga, La Liga became the second high-profile sporting event to resume after almost a three month period with almost no sporting activity. Premier League is also expected to resume this month.
A few cricketing boards around the world have only recently granted permission to their players to resume training.
The move to restart sporting leagues and tournaments come after governments are beginning to realise that the coronavirus is here to stay for quite some time and sports among other businesses will need to find a way to co-exist with it.
The virus has already infected more than 7 million people around the world while claiming over 4 lakh lives. There is still no sure shot treatment of the disease and social-distancing, self-isolation and maintenance of basic hand hygiene remain the only potent weapons of protecting oneself from contracting the infection.
(With inputs from IANS)