NB! A divine game-winner against Guangdong! Cui Yongxi withdraws from the first phase of the competition

A stroke of genius.

York’s astonishing deep three-pointer at the buzzer against tight defense sealed the win for Zhejiang, who triumphed 88-87 on the road.

It’s worth mentioning that in last season’s first round playoff series (12 to 8), Guangdong faced Shanghai in Game 2 and was similarly defeated by Shanghai’s small foreign player Harvey with a buzzer-beating long-range three-pointer.

Undoubtedly the most tragic rebound moment.

So far this season, Guangdong ranks third in the league with 9 wins and 2 losses, while Zhejiang stands eighth with 5 wins and 6 losses.

Speaking of which, Cui Yongxi, whom Guangdong signed with great investment last summer, is confirmed to miss the first phase of this season’s games...

On December 12, 2024, while playing in the G League under a two-way contract with the Nets, Cui Yongxi suffered a torn left ACL and was subsequently waived. He appeared in five NBA regular season games, averaging 2.2 minutes with 0.6 points and 0.4 rebounds; in six G League games, he averaged 14 minutes, contributing 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1 assist.

This season, Cui decided to bring his talent back to the CBA and was traded from Guangzhou to Guangdong, but as mentioned, his injury has not fully healed, with a return expected around mid-March.

During his two years with Guangzhou, Cui averaged 11.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2 steals in his rookie year with a shooting percentage of 45.3%; in his sophomore year, he averaged 15.7 points, 6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals, shooting 45.5%.

As Guangdong’s next national-level wing player with NBA experience after Zhu Fangyu and Zhou Peng, Cui Yongxi has drawn much attention and hopes to help the team win its 12th CBA championship, although no one knows if he can fully recover after such a serious injury.

If Cui Yongxi can achieve a phoenix-like comeback, it would be a huge gain for Guangdong and beneficial for the Chinese national team. As a swingman who can play both the 3 and 2 positions, he would deepen the national team’s backcourt options, and most importantly, coach Guo Shiqiang already has a playbook for him.