Second seed Sichuan Blue Whales leveled their series with first seed Liaoning Flying Leopards to one game apiece after pulling off a stunning 96-88 upset in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Chinese Basketball Association finals held at the Benxi Gymnasium in Liaoning, China on Sunday.
The Blue Whales were able to fight back from a much as 15 points down in the opening quarter of the match to storm back in the second quarter and take the second game of the series on the road against the Flying Leopards, as per Cri English.
Liaoning ended the first quarter up by 10 points, 31-21, before Sichuan was able to build a 29-14 run in the second canto via the combined efforts of imports Hamed Haddadi and Mike Harris to move up by five at the halftime break, 50-45.
Harris scored 15 of his game-high 29 points in the first half of the defensive-minded game, which saw both teams finish below the century mark.
Haddadi fired 25 points and a monstrous 26 rebounds to lead the charge of head coach Yang Xuezeng's men and force a split in Liaoning opening two-game home stand in this year's finals, effectively eliminating their opponent's home court advantage for the duration of the series.
Sichuan's third import, American Justin Dentmon, came off the bench to score 12 points, grab five boards, and dish out nine assists in 32 minutes of all-around effort, via BW Live.
Forward Zhang Chunjun contributed 18 points and three board to lead the charge of Sichuan's locals as he played over 44 minutes in the game.
Meanwhile, last season's runner-up finishers were again led by two-time CBA MVP Lester Hudson, who produced an almost triple-double tally of 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in a losing effort.
Hudson was supported by shooting guard Guo Ailun and forward Li Xiaoxu who had 19 points and 16 points respectively as starters for the Flying Leopards. They also provided a combined 15 boards for head coach Guo Shiqiang's side.
Liaoning's other import, former Boston Celtic Shavlik Randolph, was a disappointment in a game, scoring only nine points on 1-of-14 field goal shooting in more than 28 minutes of play as a substitute. He had 11 rebounds, though, but it was not enough to stop the towering Haddadi from dominating the boards all throughout the match.